Renzo Lanfranco

PhD Psychology

  • Psychology
  • School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences

Contact details

Address

Street

Room F25, Psychology Building

City
7 George Square, Edinburgh
Post code
EH8 9JZ
Street

Solnavägen 9, Stockholm 171 65, Sweden
Karolinska Institutet, Biomedicum D4

City
Stockholm
Post code
171 65

Biography

Background

RESEARCH INTERESTS

- I'm currently a postdoctoral researcher at the department of neuroscience in Karolinska Institutet, Sweden: https://staff.ki.se/people/renzo-lanfranco 

 

I am interested in consciousness, visual perception, face perception, emotion processing, social cognition, metacognition, and psychopathology. More specifically, I am interested in the role of consciousness in visual cognition and metacognition, in the detection and recognition of faces, and in neuropsychiatric disorders that involve impairments in said functions. In addition, I am interested in the neural underpinnings of hypnosis and meditation, and in the contribution of hypnosis research to the understanding of consciousness and metacognition.

My PhD work at the University of Edinburgh dealt with face perception, emotion processing, metacognition, and awareness: Faces convey a wealth of information essential for social interaction. Many researchers have claimed that some facial features are processed unconsciously, including gaze direction, emotional expression, and their general configuration. By using masking techniques (e.g. Continuous Flash Suppression), I have investigated what facial features enjoy prioritised access to awareness and which ones do not. Next, by using a newly developed tachistoscope that allows sub-millisecond presentations, I have investigated how fast face perception is and whether it occurs through a series of well-defined processing steps or all at once. To accomplish this, I used electroencephalography (EEG) and different psychophysical techniques.

EDUCATION AND TRAINING

  • Postdoctoral Fellowship in Cognitive Neuroscience - Karolinska Institutet (2020 - Present).
  • P.hD. in Psychology (Human Cognitive Neuroscience) - University of Edinburgh, 2020; Research Training at Center for Research in Cognition & Neurosciences, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium.
  • M.Sc. Neuroscience - University of Chile, 2015; Research Training at MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, UK.
  • Qualification of Clinical Psychologist and specialist in Psychotherapy (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) - National Board of Clinical Psychology Accreditation (Chile), 2015.
  • M.Psych. Psychology - University of Valparaiso, 2009.
  • B.Sc. (Hons) Psychology - University of Valparaiso, 2009.

RESEARCH, CLINICAL, AND TEACHING EXPERIENCE

  • Visiting PhD Researcher - Center For Research in Cognition & Neurosciences, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium. 
  • Tutor and Lab Demonstrator - Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
  • Associate Researcher - Laboratory of Cognitive and Social Neuroscience, Universidad Diego Portales, Chile.
  • Visiting MSc Researcher - MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom.
  • Adjunct Professor - Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Chile.
  • Lecturer of Neuropsychology - School of Psychology, University of Valparaiso, Chile.
  • Clinical Psychologist (CBT) - Clinical Institute of Neurosciences, Viña del Mar, Chile.

PUBLICATIONS

In Preparation:

  • Lanfranco RC., Canales-Johnson A., Bekinschtein T., Rivera-Rei A., Sousa F., Wesse P., Lucero D., Huepe D. "Increased slow-frequency connectivity is associated with executive function decrease in healthy but socially vulnerable individuals."
  • Lanfranco RC., Chancel M., Ehrsson HH. "Dissecting the rubber hand illusion: Tactile congruency between observed and felt touch modulates body ownership through perceptual bias."
  • Lanfranco RC., Chancel M., Ehrsson HH. "Multisensory predictions introduce perceptual biases in the rubber hand illusion."
  • Lanfranco RC., Canales-Johnson A., Rabagliati H., Cleeremans A., Carmel D. "Decoding emotion processing of unmasked briefly presented facial expressions."

Submitted/Under review:

  • Lanfranco RC., Chancel M., Ehrsson HH. (Under Review) "Quantifying body ownership information processing and perceptual bias in the rubber hand illusion." Preprint: https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/uw8gh
  • Tsikandilakis M., Bali P., Lanfranco RC., Kausel L., Yu Z., Boncompte G., Alshammari A., Li R., Milbank A., Burdett M., Mevel P-A., Madan C., Derrfuss J. (Under Review) "Learning emotional dialects: A British population study of cross-cultural communication." Preprint: https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/hzskd
  • Lanfranco RC., Canales-Johnson A., Rabagliati H., Cleeremans A.*, Carmel D*. (Under Review) "Minimal exposures reveal visual processing priorities." Preprint: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.10.06.462913
  • Lanfranco RC., Martínez-Aguayo JC., Arancibia M. (Under Review) "Assessing malingering and personality styles in dissociative identity disorder: A case report and literature review." Preprint: https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/av62s

Journal Articles:

  • Lanfranco RC., Rabagliati H., Carmel D. (2023) "Assessing the influence of emotional expressions on perceptual sensitivity to faces overcoming interocular suppression." Emotion: https://doi.org/10.1037/emo0001215 (Open Access Preprint: https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/6vh37)
  • Lanfranco RC., Rabagliati H., Carmel D. (2023) "The importance of awareness in face processing: a critical review of interocular suppression studies." Behavioural Brain Research: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbr.2022.114116
  • Lanfranco RC., Stein T., Rabagliati H., Carmel D. (2022) "Gaze direction and face orientation modulate perceptual sensitivity to faces under interocular suppression." Scientific Reports: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-11717-4
  • Lanfranco RC., Canales-Johnson A., Lucero B., Vargas E., Noreika V. (2022) "Towards a view from within: The contribution of Francisco Varela to the study of consciousness." Adaptive Behavior: https://doi.org/10.1177%2F10597123221080193 
  • Tsikandilakis M., Kausel L.*, Boncompte G.*, Yu Z.*, Oxner M.*, Lanfranco RC.*, Bali P., Putasi U., Peirce J., López V., Mun Wai Tong E., William H., Carmel D., Chapman P. (2021) "There is no (where a) face like home: Recognition and appraisal responses to masked facial dialects of emotion in four different world cultures." Perception: https://doi.org/10.1177/03010066211055983
  • Lanfranco RC., Rivera-Rei A., Huepe D., Ibáñez A., Canales-Johnson A. (2021) "Beyond imagination: Hypnotic visual hallucination induces greater lateralised brain activity than visual imagery." NeuroImage: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118282
  • Canales-Johnson A.*, Lanfranco RC.*, Morales, JP., Martínez-Pernia D., Valdés J., Ezquerro-Nassar A., Rivera-Rei A., Ibáñez A., Chennu S., Bekinschtein T., Huepe D., Noreika V. (2021) "In Your Phase: Neural Phase Synchronisation underlies visual imagery of faces." Scientific Reports: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-81336-y
  • Tsikandilakis M., Kausel L.*, Boncompte G.*, Yu Z.*, Oxner M.*, Lanfranco RC.*, Bali P., Putasi U., Peirce J., López V., Mun Wai Tong E., William H., Carmel D., Chapman P. (2019) "There is no Face like home: Ratings for cultural familiarity to own and other facial dialects of emotion with and without conscious awareness in a British sample." Perception: https://doi.org/10.1177/0301006619867865
  • Martínez-Aguayo JC., Lanfranco RC., Arancibia M. Sepúlveda E., Madrid E. (2018) "Trypophobia: what do we know so far? A case report and comprehensive review of the literature." Frontiers in Psychiatry: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00015
  • Lanfranco RC., Canales-Johnson A., Huepe D. (2014) "Hypnoanalgesia and the study of pain experience: from Cajal to modern neuroscience." Frontiers in Psychology: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.01126
  • Lanfranco RC., Canales-Johnson A. (2014) "Facial mimicry in borderline personality disorder: on empathy and beyond." Revista Médica de Chile: http://dx.doi.org/10.4067/S0034-98872014000900018
  • Lips W., Mascayano F., Lanfranco RC. (2014) "Diagnostic indicators of dissociative amnesia: a case report." Psychiatria Danubina: http://www.psychiatria-danubina.com/UserDocsImages/pdf/dnb_vol26_no1/dn…
  • Canales-Johnson A., Lanfranco R., Vargas E., Ibánez A. (2012) "Neurobiology of hypnosis and its contribution to the understanding of cognition and consciousness." Annals of Psychology: https://doi.org/10.6018/analesps.28.3.124931
  • Lanfranco R., Manríquez-Navarro P., Avello L., Canales-Johnson A. (2012) "Early evaluation of Alzheimer's disease: biomarkers and neuropsychological tests." Revista Médica de Chile: http://dx.doi.org/10.4067/S0034-98872012000900014

Book Chapters:

  • Lanfranco R. (2017) ["Neuropsychological assessment of psychiatric disorders."] In: Ivanovic-Zuvic F., Correa E., Florenzano R. (Eds.) Texto de Psiquiatría. Ediciones: Sociedad de Neurología, Psiquiatría y Neurocirugía. Santiago, Chile.

RECENT CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS

  • RC. Lanfranco, M. Chancel, H. Ehrsson. "Body ownership information, perceptual processing, and conscious awareness". Society for Neuroscience, San Diego, USA, 2022.
  • RC. Lanfranco, M. Chancel, H. Ehrsson. "Bias-free quantification of body ownership in the rubber hand illusion: a signal detection study". Association for the Scientific Study of Consciousness, Amsterdam, 2022.
  • RC. Lanfranco, A. Canales-Johnson, A. Cleeremans, H. Rabagliati, D. Carmel. "The minimal exposure duration required for neural processing of faces and emotional expressions: evidence from event-related potentials and functional connectivity measures" International Conference of Cognitive Neuroscience, Helsinki, Finland, 2022.
  • RC. Lanfranco, A Canales-Johnson, D Achoui, A Cleeremans, H Rabagliati, D Carmel. "The minimal exposure duration required for neural processing of faces and emotional expressions" British Association for Cognitive Neuroscience, Cambridge, United Kingdom, 2019.
  • Renzo C. Lanfranco, Dalila Achoui, Andrés Canales-Johnson, Axel Cleeremans, Hugh Rabagliati, David Carmel. "The minimal exposure duration required for facial expressions to reach perceptual awareness." Association for the Scientific Study of Consciousness Conference. Western University, London Ontario, Canada, 2019.

Responsibilities & affiliations

Research - Karolinska Institutet, Sweden

Research and Postgraduate Tutoring - The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.

Undergraduate teaching

Tutor and Lab demonstrator - Psychology 1

Tutor - Critical Analysis

PPLS Writing Centre Tutor - Psychology

Past project grants

- Four-year PhD Full Studentship
- British Psychological Society Research stays Grant
- Edinburgh University PPLS Research Support Grants
- Principal's Go Abroad Fund Grant

Conference details

Association for the Scientific Study of Consciousness (ASSC)

British Neuroscience Association

Australasian Society for Experimental Psychology

British Association for Cognitive Neuroscience

Dr David Carmel

Dr Hugh Rabagliati

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