Abstract
Social cognitive development in humans is grounded on a set of “hardwired” skills that enable children to (1) pay attention to relevant aspects of the environment in order to make sense of other people’s behaviour (2) incorporate the actions they observe into their own behavioural repertoire (i.e., social learning). This phenomenon, which allows individuals to take advantage of other people’s knowledge and avoid the costs of trial-and-error learning, are likely to reflect the interplay of uniquely human social-cognitive biases (e.g., drive to orient attention toward other people) and higher-level cognitive processes (e.g., strategic selection of what to imitate). Difficulties in understanding and imitating others’ actions, as well as difficulties in learning, are frequently documented in children with autism, a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized, by multiple deficits in the areas of social communication, and reciprocity and by behavioural rigidity. A set of recent experimental studies based on the eye-tracking technologies (Vivanti, McCormick, Young, Abucayan, Hatt, Nadig et al., 2011; Vivanti, Nadig, Ozonoff, & Rogers, 2008) provide us with new insight on the nature of imitative learning and its disruption in children with autism. In particular, mechanisms such as joint attention, gaze following and “reading” referential cues appear to be crucially involved in the ability to understand, predict and copy others’ actions. We will discuss these findings and their relevance for clinical practice, future research and theoretical debate on the neurocognitive mechanisms subserving social learning in children with and without autism.

Abstract
The present study investigates the differences in theory of mind tasks based on cognitive functioning and the influence of status variables: age, gender and education. The sample recruited is composed of 280 subjects aged between 65 and 94. Participants are administered one test to investigate the cognitive functioning and one theory of mind task. Results show that the presence of cognitive impairment appears to increase the difficulty in theory of mind tasks. Also, the study explores how certain status variables affect the understanding of mental states in the sample with primary or physiological aging (206 subjects). In particular, success in the understanding of the theory of mind task undergoes a decline with increased aging. There is a significant correlation between performance and additional years of schooling. Theory of mind, however, is independent of the variable gender, men and women do not differ in their performance.

Abstract
This study assessed the use of a touch-pad microswitch and a scanning keyboard emulator to facilitate the writing performance of a woman with extensive motor disability. The touch pad allowed the woman to select the letters and write them with a simple movement of her hand, as they were automatically scanned on the keyboard. The data showed that the woman learned to use this writing approach and her writing time improved (i.e., becoming similar to the time she needed with an adapted version of a regular keyboard). The new approach, contrary to the adapted keyboard, was not particularly tiring and the woman chose to use it at each of the 10 preference checks when she could decide which one to use. University psychology students also provided a positive evaluation of the new approach during a social validation assessment. Implications of the findings were discussed.

Abstract
Divorce represents a breakdown of the individual and familiar life-span, and requires relevant psychological process(es) of reorganization for the components of the broken families. The challenge for divorced parents is that divorce introduces elements of continuity and discontinuity in the evolution of the family. The ex-partners, even though they are no longer married, continue to be co-parent. The aims of this work are to analyse the process(es) of reorganization, in a sample of Italian divorced families (N=93), with regards to the constructs of adjustment to divorce, co-parenting and family alliance and to explore their relationships. Multi-method procedures involve both self report measures for the evaluation of representations’ level and observational measures for the evaluation of interactive models. Preliminary results indicate functional and dysfunctional pathways between the families and show the association between representation level and interactive practices.

Abstract
This paper is aimed at summarizing the results of the comparison of five different papers published on this journal. Those papers analyzed how including scholars with intellectual and developmental disabilities in a typical (instead of special) class might have effects on psychological development, academic and adaptive performances. Results are the following: a typical class fosters a better psychological development (particularly from a social point of view since their inclusion promotes, for example, friendship and social acceptance), higher school performances, better adaptive abilities. The present contribution considers also what characteristic typical class should have to offer an excellent inclusion model.

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