Descriptions of successful psychopathy are synonymous with Machiavellianism: both describe highfunctioning individuals who are adept at exploiting and manipulating others. However, previous research has found social-cognitive deficits associated with these traits that should decrease successful manipulation. In the present study, we investigated the presence of biases in interpersonal threat pe...

The growing interest in immersive 3D environments populated with intelligent agents has led to a flurry of approaches and products with particular focuses, including cultural awareness training, language training, and operations “what-if” scenarios. Human terrain data present challenges that require categorization efforts. We present a taxonomy and approach to handle physical structures realist...

Communication is not as smooth a process as current pragmatic theories depict it. In Rapaport’s words “We almost always fail [...]. Yet we almost always nearly succeed: This is the paradox of communication” (Rapaport 2003: 402). This paper claims that there is a need for an approach that is able to explain this “bumpy road” by analyzing both the positive and negative features of the communicati...

The aim of this paper is to explain some of the ways in which multi agent system (MAS) theory can be used to describe, design and enhance social machines (also referred to as Socio-Cognitive Systems). We believe there is a really opportunity for the MAS community to engage with emerging theory and practice of designing such systems. Social machines also referred to as Socio-Cognitive Systems fr...

The Teaching and learning computer-programming process as been the target of scientific research since the early days of computing. Although several strategies have been and are still being tested, its application in computer-based courses has been difficult, since it requires some commitment from educators to search, study and evaluate them. Although not looking for a miraculous cure for all p...

Research in the field of vocabulary learning has shown that child L2 learners need to meet words again and again in new contexts in order to expand and deepen their word knowledge. In an instructional setting, cognitive processing is enhanced not only by the interplay between language use and metalinguistic reflection during classroom interaction but also by the activation and articulation of d...

In order to cope successfully with life-long learning it is necessary to be able to learn autonomously, effectively and efficiently, and to be aware of one’s motivations and needs. This entails becoming self-regulated learners. Based on a wide analysis of the literature, we worked out a methodological framework to devise practical activities implementing the control abilities generally accepted...

Recent studies of the relationship between parenting and child development have included a focus on the parent’s capacity to treat the child as a psychological agent. Several constructs have been developed to refer to this capacity, for example maternal mind-mindedness, reflective functioning, and parental mentalizing. In this review article, we compare and contrast different constructs from di...

Networked computers and multi-agent systems (MAS) are commonly used as a platform for a new range of applications, many of which feature dynamic network infrastructures, heterogeneous components, unpredictable events, sub-optimal operation (failure to comply to specifications), incomplete and inconsistent information, absence of centralised control, and so on. This paper focuses on the role of ...