Research projects

01

Constructivist Psychology and personal meaning systems

We investigate how people construct, organise and transform their personal meanings, and how these relate to identity, psychological well-being and interpersonal relationships.

Methods and approaches: Personal Construct Psychology, the Repertory Grid Technique, narrative and content analysis, and indices of cognitive differentiation and integration.

Research questions: How are personal meanings organised, and how do they relate to identity, well-being and interpersonal relationships? What role do cognitive conflicts play in that organisation?

02

Processes of psychological change, psychotherapy and health

We study the mechanisms that facilitate or hinder psychological change, cognitive conflicts and processes of personal transformation, particularly in psychotherapy and health-related contexts.

Methods and approaches: Constructivist assessment, psychotherapy process and outcome studies, longitudinal follow-up, and analysis of change in clinical and health contexts.

Research questions: Which mechanisms facilitate or hinder psychological change? How do cognitive conflicts and personal meanings influence therapeutic response, adherence and the maintenance of healthy habits?

03

Psychological assessment and the development of constructivist methodologies

We develop and validate instruments and procedures for studying personal meaning systems, with particular attention to the Repertory Grid Technique and new psychometric and computational indicators.

Methods and approaches: The Repertory Grid Technique and Weighted Implication Grid (WimpGrid), self-characterisation, idiographic methods, psychometric analysis and indicator validation.

Research questions: How can personal meanings and their transformations be assessed accurately and sensitively to change? What validity, reliability and utility do the instruments and new indicators offer?

04

Mathematical modelling, complex systems and the dynamics of psychological change

We develop mathematical and computational models to represent and analyse psychological systems, using graph theory, fuzzy cognitive maps and dynamic models to study processes of stability and change.

Methods and approaches: Graph theory, graph data science, network analysis, fuzzy cognitive maps, dynamic systems, computational simulation and empirical testing of models.

Research questions: How can the stability and reorganisation of personal meaning systems be represented and simulated? Which conditions and interactions may favour psychological transitions, and how can predictions be tested against the data?

05

Artificial intelligence and technologies applied to psychological research and practice

We explore and develop artificial intelligence applications for psychological assessment, meaning analysis, clinical interview simulation, professional training and the study of psychological change.

Methods and approaches: Software development and evaluation, generative AI, explainable artificial intelligence, knowledge representation, information analysis assistants, virtual patients and interview simulation, with human oversight and verification against the data.

Research questions: How can AI support assessment, case formulation and clinical training while preserving each person’s particular meanings? How can its coherence, validity, reliability and utility be evaluated, and its risks and limitations defined?

Ethics and responsible use of artificial intelligence

We promote the development and use of psychological technologies guided by scientific rigour, transparency, data protection, human oversight and professional responsibility.

Methodological innovation and scientific updating

We explore new theoretical, methodological and technological advances to continually improve our research and generate new opportunities for scientific development.

PsychLab

Virtual laboratory for exploring personal meanings, representing cognitive structures and experimenting with mathematical scenarios of change.

Explore the laboratory →

PsychSIM

Clinical interview simulation with virtual patients. A development initiative with research questions about coherence, feedback and competency learning.

Research direction: clinical training and assessment.

PsychLab Tools

An initiative for working with the Repertory Grid Technique from Personal Construct Psychology, bringing together software, training and research.