Vince Polito
Biographic Data
| ID | 2752154 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Vince Polito |
| GIVEN NAMES | Vince |
| FAMILY NAME | Polito |
| SIGNATURE | POLITO V |
| AFFILIATIONS | Macquarie University |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-3242-9074 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 14 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 1 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 14 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2010 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 1 |
Altered states of consciousness induced by online chanting meditation
Chanting is a universal practice with deep ethnocultural roots. More recently, chanting has become popular on online platforms and meditation apps which have extended chanting practices beyond their original cultural, sacred, and healing traditions. The aim of the current study was to determine if online chanting meditation promotes altered states of consciousness and psychosocial benefits when compared to a narrative listening control and whethe…
Extending the Gamer’s Dilemma
The Gamer's Dilemma is based on the intuitions that in single-player video games fictional acts of murder are seen as morally acceptable whereas fictional acts of sexual assault are seen as morally unacceptable. Recently, it has been suggested that these intuitions may apply across different forms of media as part of a broader Paradox of Fictionally Going Too Far. This study aims to empirically explore this issue by determining whether fictional …
Can beliefs improve mental health? A dive into resilience during pandemic times in South America
The association between paranormal beliefs and mental health has been extensively investigated. Nonetheless, there has been limited opportunity to examine this association in contexts characterized by high stress and social vulnerability. This study investigates the relationship between paranormal beliefs and mental health issues, particularly anxiety, depression, and stress, amidst the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, we evaluate…
Exploring the Physiological and Psychological Effects of Group Chanting in Australia
Chanting, an ancient ritual practiced in diverse cultures and traditions worldwide, has typically been employed for meditation, healing, self-awareness, and psychological growth. However, there is little understanding of the physiological and psychological benefits of chanting, and how vocalization might contribute to such effects. This study aimed to determine whether 12-minutes of group chanting, through vocal or silent repetition of the sound …
A many-analysts approach to the relation between religiosity and well-being
The relation between religiosity and well-being is one of the most researched topics in the psychology of religion, yet the directionality and robustness of the effect remains debated. Here, we adopted a many-analysts approach to assess the robustness of this relation based on a new cross-cultural dataset (N=10,535 participants from 24 countries). We recruited 120 analysis teams to investigate (1) whether religious people self-report higher well-…
Digital media impacts multiple aspects of self-representation
The design stance, intentional stance, and teleological beliefs about biological and nonbiological natural entities
Teleology involves an appeal to function to explain why things are the way they are. Among scientists and philosophers, teleological explanations are widely accepted for human-made artifacts and biological traits, yet controversial for biological and nonbiological natural entities. Prior research shows a positive relationship between religiosity and acceptance of such controversial teleological explanations. Across three large online studies, we …
Visual body‐size adaptation and estimation of tactile distance
Estimating the size of bodies is crucial for interactions with physical and social environments. Body‐size perception is malleable and can be altered using visual adaptation paradigms. However, it is unclear whether such visual adaptation effects also transfer to other modalities and influence, for example, the perception of tactile distances. In this study, we employed a visual adaptation paradigm. Participants were exposed to images of expanded…
Exploring the relationship between microdosing, personality and emotional insight
Backround and aimsHaving entered the recent public and research zeitgeist, microdosing involves consuming sub-perceptual doses of psychedelic drugs, allegedly to enhance performance, creativity, and wellbeing. The results of research to date have been mixed. Whereas most studies have reported positive impacts of microdosing, some microdosers have also reported adverse effects. In addition, research to date has revealed inconsistent patterns of ch…
Teleology and the intentions of supernatural agents
Changes in the sense of agency during hypnosis
Developing the Sense of Agency Rating Scale (Soars)
Two experiments report on the construction of the Sense of Agency Rating Scale (SOARS), a new measure for quantifying alterations to agency. In Experiment 1, 370 participants completed a preliminary version of the scale following hypnosis. Factor analysis revealed two underlying factors: Involuntariness and Effortlessness. In Experiment 2, this two factor structure was confirmed in a sample of 113 low, medium and high hypnotisable participants. T…
A laboratory analogue of mirrored-self misidentification delusion
The experience of altered states of consciousness in shamanic ritual
The design stance, intentional stance, and teleological beliefs about biological and nonbiological natural entities
Teleology involves an appeal to function to explain why things are the way they are. Among scientists and philosophers, teleological explanations are widely accepted for human-made artifacts and biological traits, yet controversial for biological and nonbiological natural entities. Prior research shows a positive relationship between religiosity and acceptance of such controversial teleological explanations. Across three large online studies, we …
The experience of altered states of consciousness in shamanic ritual
Developing the Sense of Agency Rating Scale (Soars)
Two experiments report on the construction of the Sense of Agency Rating Scale (SOARS), a new measure for quantifying alterations to agency. In Experiment 1, 370 participants completed a preliminary version of the scale following hypnosis. Factor analysis revealed two underlying factors: Involuntariness and Effortlessness. In Experiment 2, this two factor structure was confirmed in a sample of 113 low, medium and high hypnotisable participants. T…
A laboratory analogue of mirrored-self misidentification delusion
Changes in the sense of agency during hypnosis
Teleology and the intentions of supernatural agents
Digital media impacts multiple aspects of self-representation
The design stance, intentional stance, and teleological beliefs about biological and nonbiological natural entities
Teleology involves an appeal to function to explain why things are the way they are. Among scientists and philosophers, teleological explanations are widely accepted for human-made artifacts and biological traits, yet controversial for biological and nonbiological natural entities. Prior research shows a positive relationship between religiosity and acceptance of such controversial teleological explanations. Across three large online studies, we …
Visual body‐size adaptation and estimation of tactile distance
Estimating the size of bodies is crucial for interactions with physical and social environments. Body‐size perception is malleable and can be altered using visual adaptation paradigms. However, it is unclear whether such visual adaptation effects also transfer to other modalities and influence, for example, the perception of tactile distances. In this study, we employed a visual adaptation paradigm. Participants were exposed to images of expanded…
Exploring the relationship between microdosing, personality and emotional insight
Backround and aimsHaving entered the recent public and research zeitgeist, microdosing involves consuming sub-perceptual doses of psychedelic drugs, allegedly to enhance performance, creativity, and wellbeing. The results of research to date have been mixed. Whereas most studies have reported positive impacts of microdosing, some microdosers have also reported adverse effects. In addition, research to date has revealed inconsistent patterns of ch…
A many-analysts approach to the relation between religiosity and well-being
The relation between religiosity and well-being is one of the most researched topics in the psychology of religion, yet the directionality and robustness of the effect remains debated. Here, we adopted a many-analysts approach to assess the robustness of this relation based on a new cross-cultural dataset (N=10,535 participants from 24 countries). We recruited 120 analysis teams to investigate (1) whether religious people self-report higher well-…
Can beliefs improve mental health? A dive into resilience during pandemic times in South America
The association between paranormal beliefs and mental health has been extensively investigated. Nonetheless, there has been limited opportunity to examine this association in contexts characterized by high stress and social vulnerability. This study investigates the relationship between paranormal beliefs and mental health issues, particularly anxiety, depression, and stress, amidst the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, we evaluate…
Exploring the Physiological and Psychological Effects of Group Chanting in Australia
Chanting, an ancient ritual practiced in diverse cultures and traditions worldwide, has typically been employed for meditation, healing, self-awareness, and psychological growth. However, there is little understanding of the physiological and psychological benefits of chanting, and how vocalization might contribute to such effects. This study aimed to determine whether 12-minutes of group chanting, through vocal or silent repetition of the sound …
Altered states of consciousness induced by online chanting meditation
Chanting is a universal practice with deep ethnocultural roots. More recently, chanting has become popular on online platforms and meditation apps which have extended chanting practices beyond their original cultural, sacred, and healing traditions. The aim of the current study was to determine if online chanting meditation promotes altered states of consciousness and psychosocial benefits when compared to a narrative listening control and whethe…
Extending the Gamer’s Dilemma
The Gamer's Dilemma is based on the intuitions that in single-player video games fictional acts of murder are seen as morally acceptable whereas fictional acts of sexual assault are seen as morally unacceptable. Recently, it has been suggested that these intuitions may apply across different forms of media as part of a broader Paradox of Fictionally Going Too Far. This study aims to empirically explore this issue by determining whether fictional …
Psychology (14 works) · Social Psychology (12 works) · Cognitive psychology (7 works) · Clinical Psychology (5 works) · Epistemology (5 works) · Psychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments (5 works) · Computer Science (4 works) · Developmental psychology (4 works) · Consciousness (3 works) · Hypnosis (3 works)