Further details about my Academic Profile can be found https://maricacassarino.blog/about/
My work embraces a Socio-Ecological approach to human behaviour and builds on Clark’s concept of Extended Cognition (Clark, 1998), according to which mental processes and behaviour are better understood if the individual is considered as a whole system with the surrounding environment. Thus, exploring the ways in which individuals interact with their environments at multiple levels is a key component of my research.
Biography
I am an Environmental Psychologist interested in how people interact with built and natural environments, and how this interaction might influence wellbeing, attitudes and behaviour.
Understanding the ways in which individuals interact with the environment in their communities is now more than ever crucial to promote sustainable development. Thus, my research aims to address three Sustainable Development Goals:
I am currently a Lecturer at the School of Applied Psychology, University College Cork, Ireland, where I teach Research Design and Methods in Psychology at both undergraduate and postgraduate level. I completed my PhD in Applied Psychology in UCC; as part of my project, I conducted the first exploration of geographical variations in cognitive health in ageing using data from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA). Before my PhD, I completed a B.Sc. in Cognitive Psychology and Psychobiology (2007) and a M.Sc. in Clinical Psychology (2009) at the University of Padua (Italy), where I developed a passion for topics involving person-environment interactions, cognitive health, and gerontology. Understanding the ways in which individuals interact with the environment in their communities is now more than ever crucial to promote sustainable development. Thus, my research aims to address three Sustainable Development Goals:
- SDG3: Promoting Health and Wellbeing
- SDG10: Tackling inequalities
- SDG11: Creating Sustainable Cities and Communities
Further details about my Academic Profile can be found https://maricacassarino.blog/about/
Research Interests
My general research interests are in Environmental Psychology, Gerontology and Cognitive Sciences. In my research, I investigate how our physical and social contexts influence people’s psychological wellbeing, attitudes, and behaviour, as well as the psychological process that lead people to shape their environment. I am especially passionate about studying the experiences of vulnerable groups, including older people, and people with disabilities. I have conducted research on these topics employing both qualitative, quantitative and mixed-methods approaches.My work embraces a Socio-Ecological approach to human behaviour and builds on Clark’s concept of Extended Cognition (Clark, 1998), according to which mental processes and behaviour are better understood if the individual is considered as a whole system with the surrounding environment. Thus, exploring the ways in which individuals interact with their environments at multiple levels is a key component of my research.
My current and previous research activities can be read https://maricacassarino.blog/collaborations/.
Current Affiliations
Publications
Peer Reviewed Journals
| Year | Publication | |
|---|---|---|
| (2021) | 'Envisioning Happy Places for All: A Systematic Review of the Impact of Transformations in the Urban Environment on the Wellbeing of Vulnerable Groups' Cassarino M., Shahab S., Biscaya S. (2021) 'Envisioning Happy Places for All: A Systematic Review of the Impact of Transformations in the Urban Environment on the Wellbeing of Vulnerable Groups'. Sustainability, 13 (14) [DOI] [Details] | |
| (2021) | 'Impact of assessment and intervention by a health and social care professional team in the emergency department on the quality, safety, and clinical effectiveness of care for older adults: A randomised controlled trial' Marica Cassarino, Katie Robinson, Dominic Trépel, Íde O’Shaughnessy, Eimear Smalle, Stephen White, Collette Devlin, Rosie Quinn, Fiona Boland, Marie E. Ward, Rosa McNamara, Fiona Steed, Margaret O’Connor, Andrew O’Regan, Gerard McCarthy, Damien Ryan, Rose Galvin (2021) 'Impact of assessment and intervention by a health and social care professional team in the emergency department on the quality, safety, and clinical effectiveness of care for older adults: A randomised controlled trial'. Plos Medicine, 18 (7) [DOI] [Details] | |
| (2021) | 'Natural or Urban Campus Walks and Vitality in University Students: Exploratory Qualitative Findings from a Pilot Randomised Controlled Study' Shrestha T;Di Blasi Z;Cassarino M; (2021) 'Natural or Urban Campus Walks and Vitality in University Students: Exploratory Qualitative Findings from a Pilot Randomised Controlled Study'. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18 (4) [DOI] [Details] | |
| (2021) | 'Urban and rural environments differentially shape multisensory perception in ageing' Hirst, RJ;Cassarino, M;Kenny, RA;Newell, FN;Setti, A (2021) 'Urban and rural environments differentially shape multisensory perception in ageing'. Aging Neuropsychology And Cognition, [DOI] [Details] | |
| (2020) | 'Virtual reality nature exposure and test anxiety' O’meara A.;Cassarino M.;Bolger A.;Setti A. (2020) 'Virtual reality nature exposure and test anxiety'. Multimodal Technologies And Interaction, 4 (4):1-14 [DOI] [Details] | |
| (2020) | 'Diagnostic accuracy of the 4AT for delirium detection in older adults: systematic review and meta-analysis' Tieges Z;Maclullich AMJ;Anand A;Brookes C;Cassarino M;O'connor M;Ryan D;Saller T;Arora RC;Chang Y;Agarwal K;Taffet G;Quinn T;Shenkin SD;Galvin R; (2020) 'Diagnostic accuracy of the 4AT for delirium detection in older adults: systematic review and meta-analysis'. Age and Ageing, [DOI] [Details] | |
| (2020) | 'Neighbourhood Environment and Cognitive Vulnerability—A Survey Investigation of Variations Across the Lifespan and Urbanity Levels' Cassarino, Marica and Bantry-White, Eleanor and Setti, Annalisa (2020) 'Neighbourhood Environment and Cognitive Vulnerability—A Survey Investigation of Variations Across the Lifespan and Urbanity Levels'. Sustainability, 12 (19) [DOI] [Details] | |
| (2020) | 'Stakeholders' perspectives on models of care in the emergency department and the introduction of health and social care professional teams: A qualitative analysis using World Cafes and interviews' Cassarino, M;Quinn, R;Boland, F;Ward, ME;McNamara, R;O'Connor, M;McCarthy, G;Ryan, D;Galvin, R;Robinson, K (2020) 'Stakeholders' perspectives on models of care in the emergency department and the introduction of health and social care professional teams: A qualitative analysis using World Cafes and interviews'. Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy, [DOI] [Details] | |
| (2019) | 'Implementing an allied health team intervention to improve the care of older adults in the emergency department: protocol for a process evaluation' Cassarino, Marica and Cronin, \'Una and Robinson, Katie and Quinn, Rosie and Boland, Fiona and Ward, Marie E and MacNamara, Rosa and O'Connor, Margaret and McCarthy, Gerard and Ryan, Damien and Galvin, Rose (2019) 'Implementing an allied health team intervention to improve the care of older adults in the emergency department: protocol for a process evaluation'. Bmj Open, 9 (7) [DOI] [Details] | |
| (2019) | 'Sometimes nature doesn’t work: absence of attention restoration in older adults exposed to environmental scenes' Cassarino, Marica; Tuohy, Isabella C.; Setti, Annalisa (2019) 'Sometimes nature doesn’t work: absence of attention restoration in older adults exposed to environmental scenes'. Experimental Aging Research, 45 (4):372-385 [DOI] [Full Text] [Details] | |
| (2019) | 'Testing attention restoration in a virtual reality driving simulator' Cassarino, Marica and Maisto, Marta and Esposito, Ylenia and Guerrero, Davide and Chan, Jason Seeho and Setti, Annalisa (2019) 'Testing attention restoration in a virtual reality driving simulator'. Frontiers in psychology, [DOI] [Details] | |
| (2019) | 'Impact of early assessment and intervention by teams involving health and social care professionals in the emergency department: A systematic review' Cassarino, Marica and Robinson, Katie and Quinn, Rosie and Naddy, Breda and O'Regan, Andrew and Ryan, Damien and Boland, Fiona and Ward, Marie E. and McNamara, Rosa and O'Connor, Margaret and McCarthy, Gerard and Galvin, Rose (2019) 'Impact of early assessment and intervention by teams involving health and social care professionals in the emergency department: A systematic review'. Plos One, 14 (7) [DOI] [Details] | |
| (2018) | 'Reducing young drivers’ crash risk: Are we there yet? An ecological systems-based review of the last decade of research' Marica Cassarino & Gillian Murphy (2018) 'Reducing young drivers’ crash risk: Are we there yet? An ecological systems-based review of the last decade of research'. Transportation Research Part F-Traffic Psychology And Behaviour, 56 :54-73 [DOI] [Full Text] [Details] | |
| (2018) | 'Effectiveness of early assessment and intervention by interdisciplinary teams including health and social care professionals in the emergency department: protocol for a systematic review' Cassarino, Marica and Robinson, Katie and Quinn, Rosie and Naddy, Breda and O'Regan, Andrew and Ryan, Damien and Boland, Fiona and Ward, Marie E and McNamara, Rosa and McCarthy, Gerard and Galvin, Rose (2018) 'Effectiveness of early assessment and intervention by interdisciplinary teams including health and social care professionals in the emergency department: protocol for a systematic review'. Bmj Open, 8 (7) [DOI] [Details] | |
| (2017) | 'Disabilities moderate the association between neighbourhood urbanity and cognitive health: Results from the Irish longitudinal study on ageing' Marica Cassarino, Vincent O'Sullivan, Rose A. Kenny, & Annalisa Setti (2017) 'Disabilities moderate the association between neighbourhood urbanity and cognitive health: Results from the Irish longitudinal study on ageing'. Disability and health journal, [Details] | |
| (2016) | 'Complexity As Key to Designing Cognitive-Friendly Environments for Older People' Marica Cassarino, Annalisa Setti (2016) 'Complexity As Key to Designing Cognitive-Friendly Environments for Older People'. Frontiers in psychology, 7 [DOI] [Details] | |
| (2016) | 'Environment and Cognitive Aging: A Cross-Sectional Study of Place of Residence and Cognitive Performance in the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing' Cassarino M;O'Sullivan V;Kenny RA;Setti A; (2016) 'Environment and Cognitive Aging: A Cross-Sectional Study of Place of Residence and Cognitive Performance in the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing'. Neuropsychology, 30 (5):543-557 [DOI] [Details] | |
| (2015) | 'Environment as 'Brain Training': A review of Geographical and Physical Environmental Influences on Cognitive Ageing' Marica Cassarino & Annalisa Setti (2015) 'Environment as 'Brain Training': A review of Geographical and Physical Environmental Influences on Cognitive Ageing'. Ageing Research Reviews, 23 :167-182 [DOI] [Details] |
Conference Publications
| Year | Publication | |
|---|---|---|
| (2017) | The 65th Jubilee Annual & Scientific Meeting of the Irish Gerontological Society Marica Cassarino, Rose A. Kenny, & Annalisa Setti (2017) Environmental Approaches to Cognitive Ageing: An Investigation of the Role of Population Density and Disability The 65th Jubilee Annual & Scientific Meeting of the Irish Gerontological Society Wexford, , 29-SEP-17 - 30-SEP-17 [DOI] [Details] | |
| (2017) | Urban Space and the Body Marica Cassarino, Eleanor Bantry-White, Yu-Tzu Wu, Jason Chan, & Annalisa Setti (2017) Urban Space as “Brain Training” – A Mixed-Methods Investigation of How the Built Environment can Support Healthy Cognitive Ageing Urban Space and the Body University College Cork, Ireland, , 09-JUN-17 - 10-JUN-17 [Details] | |
| (2016) | 64th Annual and Scientific Meeting of the Irish Gerontological Society Developing Cultures of Excellence in Ageing and Exploring the Needs of Marginalised Groups Marica Cassarino, Annalisa Setti (2016) Physical Activity Modulates Geographical Variations in Cognitive Ageing: Results from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing . In: Age & Ageing eds. 64th Annual and Scientific Meeting of the Irish Gerontological Society Developing Cultures of Excellence in Ageing and Exploring the Needs of Marginalised Groups The Malton Hotel, Killarney, , 30-SEP-16 - 01-OCT-16 [DOI] [Details] | |
| (2016) | The Gerontological Society of America’s 69th Annual Scientific Meeting Eleanor Bantry-White, Annalisa Setti, Marica Cassarino, & Yu-Tzu Wu (2016) Quantifying Environmental Load on Cognition: A Pilot Study The Gerontological Society of America’s 69th Annual Scientific Meeting New Orleans, LA, [Details] | |
| (2015) | Connected Sustainability Workshop, 7th International ACM Conference on Communities and Technologies Annalisa Setti & Marica Cassarino (2015) Sustainable Cognitive Ageing: What Role for the Physical and Social Environments Connected Sustainability Workshop, 7th International ACM Conference on Communities and Technologies Limerick, [Details] | |
| (2015) | “Unlocking the Demographic Dividend”, The International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics European Region Congress Marica Cassarino, Rose Anne Kenny, Annalisa Setti (2015) Urban Environments Benefit Cognitive Ageing: A Cross-Sectional Study of The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing Cohort “Unlocking the Demographic Dividend”, The International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics European Region Congress Dublin, Ireland, , 23-APR-15 - 26-APR-15 [Details] | |
| (2014) | Science for Healthy and Active Ageing Irish Gerontological Society 62nd Annual and Scientific Meeting Marica Cassarino, Vincent O'Sullivan, Rose Anne Kenny, Annalisa Setti (2014) Environmental Risk Factors for Cognitive Ageing: Geographical Location, Social Engagement and Lifestyle Science for Healthy and Active Ageing Irish Gerontological Society 62nd Annual and Scientific Meeting Galway, Ireland, , 09-OCT-14 - 11-OCT-14 [Details] |
Policy Contribution
| Year | Publication | |
|---|---|---|
| (2020) | Pedestrian Cork Survey 2020. Cassarino M., Burke O., Egan J. (2020) Pedestrian Cork Survey 2020. Policy Contribution [Details] |
Professional Activities
Honours and Awards
| Year | Title | Awarding Body | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | School of Applied Psychology PhD Scholarship | School of Applied Psychology, University College Cork | |
| 2014 | Strategic Research Fund Postgraduate Scholarship | University College Cork | |
| 2016 | Irish Gerontological Society Presidential Medal | Irish Gerontological Society |
Conference Contributions
| Year | Publication | |
|---|---|---|
| (2019) | International Conference of Environmental Psychology, Cassarino M., Bantry-White E., Setti A. (2019) Choosing a walk in nature or downtown? A mixed-methods study of Cognitive and Sensory Preferences of Outdoor Places in Older Age. [Invited Lectures (Conference)], International Conference of Environmental Psychology, Plymouth (UK) , 04-SEP-19 - 07-SEP-19. [Details] | |
| (2019) | School of Applied Psychology Invited Talk Series 2019-20, Cassarino M. (2019) Is nature good for you? It depends (also) on your brain. [Invited Lectures (Conference)], School of Applied Psychology Invited Talk Series 2019-20, Cork (Ireland) , 21-OCT-19 - 21-OCT-19. [Details] | |
| (2018) | Irish Gerontological Society 66th Annual and Scientific Meeting “Transforming Ageing Across Borders, Cassarino M., Kenny R.A., Setti A. (2018) The Geographies of Cognitive Ageing: Neighbourhood distances from cities and cognitive variations in The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing. [Poster Presentation], Irish Gerontological Society 66th Annual and Scientific Meeting “Transforming Ageing Across Borders, Cavan (Ireland) , 27-SEP-18 - 29-SEP-18. [Details] | |
| (2017) | Communicating Psychology: Getting the Message out There, Marica Cassarino, Eleanor Bantry-White, Jason S. Chan, & Annalisa Setti (2017) Places to Recharge the Brain: Investigating the outdoor environment as a contributor to cognitive health in ageing. [Poster Presentation], Communicating Psychology: Getting the Message out There, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin , 02-SEP-17 - 02-SEP-17. [Details] |
Employment
| Employer | Position | From / To | |
|---|---|---|---|
| School of Applied Psychology University College Cork | Lecturer | 19-AUG-19 / | |
| School of Allied Health University of Limerick | PostDoctoral Researcher | 22-JAN-18 / 16-AUG-19 | |
| Liberty Insurance Ltd. & School of Applied Psychology, University College Cork | Post-Doctoral Researcher | 12-JUN-17 / 12-DEC-17 | |
| School of Applied Psychology UCC | Lecturer (Occasional) | 08-SEP-14 / 10-SEP-16 | |
| School of Applied Psychology UCC | Module Tutor/Demonstrator | 09-SEP-13 / 19-DEC-14 | |
| School of Applied Psychology UCC | Researcher (contracted by Project) | 01-OCT-13 / 31-MAR-17 | |
| School of Applied Psychology UCC | Research assistant | 01-APR-17 / 30-APR-17 |
Education
| Year | Institution | Qualification | Subject | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology | Certificate in GIS and Digital Mapping | IS and Digital Mapping | |
| 2017 | University College Cork | Ph.D. by Research | Applied Psychology | |
| 2009 | University of Padova | MASTER OF SCIENCE | Clinical Psychology | |
| 2007 | University of Padova | BACHELOR OF SCIENCE | Cognitive and Psychobiological Sciences |
Languages
| Language | Reading | Writing | Speaking | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English | Fluent | Fluent | Fluent | |
| Italian | Fluent | Fluent | Fluent |
Outreach Activities
| Description | |
|---|---|
I have been a member of the steering group of Pedestrian Cork since November 2019. Pedestrian Cork is an advocacy group working for the promotion of liveability and accessibility in Cork City and County https://pedestriancork.wordpress.com/ |
Other Activities
| Description | |
|---|---|
Science Communication In June 2015 I received the second prize in the "Three Minutes Thesis" section at the UCC Doctoral Showcase for describing my PhD project in three minutes. Presentation title: "It Takes Two to Tango; Person-Environoment Interactions Influence Cognitive Ageing" (see presentation at https://tinyurl.com/nx8f3o6) In January 2017 I won the second prize at the FameLab Munster regional heat and qualified for the national final, for describing the concept of "affordances" and their application to design user-friendly environments in three minutes by using a moka pot as a prop (see talk at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u00tf-yoIwQ) | |
Blog Contributions Why Where you Live Matters to Your Health and Happiness. Psychreg - Let's Talk abour Behaviour blog (July 2017) http://www.psychreg.org/where-you-live-health-happiness/ Finding the Best Places for Growing Old. University College Cork Postgraduate blog (June 2017) http://postgradblog.ucc.ie/finding-best-places-grow-old/ | |
Public Engagement See https://maricacassarino.blog/public-engagement/ |
Teaching Activities
Teaching Interests
A significant part of my teaching is dedicated to Research Methods and Data Analysis in Psychology, at both undergraduate and postgraduate level. I also contribute my interest in Environmental Psychology and expertise in person-environment interactions across modules related to Community Psychology, Service Design, and Work design. Modules Taught
| Term (ID)) | Title | Link | Subject | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Research Design and Statistical Analyses I | AP1040 | Research Design and Statistical Analyses I |