Alexandra Zaharia

Alexandra Zaharia

Swiss Center for Affective Sciences
Campus Biotech
Chemin des Mines 9
1202 Geneva
Switzerland

Email: alexandra.zaharia(at)unige.ch

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7023-5700

I obtained my Master's degree in Affective and Clinical Psychology at University of Geneva in 2014. My MA thesis, "Emotion recognition and perspective-taking in a sample of detained adolescents", was co-supervised by Prof. Tobias Brosch and Prof. Martin Debbané. During my Bachelor and Master studies, I was an intern in the Research Unit of Adolescence Clinical Psychology at University of Geneva (currently Developmental and Clinical Psychology Research Unit), where I worked on various topics such as alexithymia, body modification and self-harm behavior, mentalization, delinquency and agressive behavior in adolescence and young adults.

From 2014 to 2016, I worked as a research assistant at the Developmental Imaging and Psychopathology Lab (Research Unit of Office Médico-Pédagogique), Department of Psychiatry Faculty of Medicine, Geneva, under the supervision of Prof. Stephan Eliez and Dr. Maude Schneider. My research project focused on an eye-tracking study exploring configural and featural face processing in 22q11.2 deletion syndrome.

In 2016, I started working in the Psychopathology and Emotion Regulation Group led by Prof. Andrea Samson, affiliated to Swiss Center for Affective Sciences.

In 2018, I obtained a research and teaching assistant position at Swiss Distance Learning University for two MA courses in Psychology: Psychology of Socio-Emotional Processes and Positive Psychology. Currently, I am pursuing a PhD in Special Education at University of Fribourg, co-directed by Prof. Samson and Prof. David Sander.

Currently, my main research topic focuses on positive emotion regulation interventions. I therefore coordinate a psycho-educational program implemented in schools and with individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder that aims to improve socio-emotional competencies. I am further interested to develop the current training into an interactive tool (game/application) adapted for children and adolescents with and without neurodevelopmental disorders. In addition, I investigate the sensitivity to cuteness in children with ASD using eye-tracking technology.

PUBLICATIONS

Scientific Articles

2024 and in press

Zaharia, A., Kojovic, N., Rojanawisut, T., Sander, D., Schaer, M., & Samson, A. C. (2024). Examining the link between social affect and visual exploration of cute stimuli in autistic children. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1007/s10803-024-06504-1

2023

Dănciulescu, T., & Zaharia, A. (2023). Piano with a twist: A pilot study exploring the preliminary effects of a piano therapy program for children with autism spectrum disorder. The Arts in Psychotherapy, 82, Article 101987. doi: 10.1016/j.aip.2022.101987

2021

Zaharia, A., Noir-Kahlo, K., Bressoud, N., Sander, D., Dukes, D., & Samson, A. (2021). Proof of concept: A brief psycho-educational training program to increase the use of positive emotion regulation strategies in individuals with autism spectrum disorder. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, Article 705937. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.705937

2020

Dell'Angela, L., Zaharia, A., Lobel, A., Begara, O., Sander, D., & Samson, A. (2020). Board games on emotional competences for school-age children. Games for Health Journal: Research, Development, and Clinical Applications, 9(3), 187-196. doi: 10.1089/g4h.2019.0050

2018

Zaharia, A., Schneider, M., Glaser, B., Franchini, M., Menghetti, S., Schaer, M., Debbané, M., & Eliez, S. (2018). Face processing in 22q11.2 deletion syndrome: Atypical development and visual scanning alterations. Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders, 10, Article 26. doi: 10.1186/s11689-018-9245-x

2017

Bostelmann, M., Glaser, B., Zaharia, A., Eliez, S., & Schneider, M. (2017). Does differential visual exploration contribute to visual memory impairments in 22q11.2 microdeletion syndrome? Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 61(12), 1174-1184. doi: 10.1111/jir.12440

Morosan, L., Badoud, D. M., Zaharia, A., Brosch, T., Eliez, S., Bateman, A., Heller, P., & Debbané, M. (2017). Emotion recognition and perspective taking: A comparison between typical and incarcerated male adolescents. PLoS ONE, 12(1), Article e0170646. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0170646

Book Chapters

2022

Zaharia, A., Dell’Angela, L., Sander, D., & Samson, A. C. (2022). Play and games: means to support emotional development. In D. Dukes, A. C. Samson, & E. A. Walle (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of emotional development (pp. 354-369). Oxford University Press.

CONFERENCE CONTRIBUTIONS

Oral Communications

Zaharia, A., Noir-Kahlo, K., Bressoud, N., Sander, D., Dukes, D., & Samson, A. C. (2019, September 9-11). Efficacy of a novel training program on positive emotion regulation for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder [Paper presentation]. 16^th Swiss Psychological Society conference, Bern, Switzerland.

Zaharia, A., Schaer, M., Rojanawisut, T., Kojovic, N., Sander, D., & Samson, A. C. (2017, September 4-5). Attention of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) towards the baby schema [Paper presentation]. 15^th Swiss Psychological Society conference, Lausanne, Switzerland.

Zaharia, A., & Samson, A. C. (2017, Mai). Les interventions sur la régulation des émotions dans les Troubles du Spectre Autistique [Présentation orale]. Journée d’échange sur les interventions éducatives en autisme, Lausanne, Suisse.

Zaharia, A., & Samson, A. C. (2017, Mars 30). Le rôle des émotions positives dans les Troubles du Spectre Autistique [Présentation orale]. Autisme-Valais - Soirée ateliers: Les compétences émotionnelles dans les TSA, Pont-de-la-Morge, Suisse.

Zaharia, A., Schneider M., Glaser, B., Menghetti, S., Scher, M., & Eliez, S. (2016, June 19-21). Face-inversion effect in 22q11.2 deletion syndrome: Behavioral and eye-tracking evidence [Paper presentation]. 7^th Scandinavian Workshop on Applied Eye-tracking, Turku, Finland.

Zaharia, A., Schneider, M., Glaser, B., Menghetti, S., Schaer, M., & Eliez, S. (2016, January 17-22). Face processing in 22q11.2 deletion syndrome: Developmental trajectories and scanpath specificities [Paper presentation]. ETH Zurich Winter School on Eye-tracking – Experimental Design, Implementation, and Analysis, Monte Verità, Switzerland.

Posters

Zaharia, A., Schaer, M., Rojanawisut, T., Kojovic, N., Sander, D., & Samson, A. C. (2018, May 9-12). Visual attention to cute stimuli in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: An eye-tracking study [Poster session]. International Meeting for Autism Research, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

Zaharia, A., Kreibig, S. D., Gross, J. J., Enav, Y., Philips, J. M., Hardan, A. Y., & Samson, A. C. (2018, February 7). Experiential, behavioral, and physiological correlates of mixed emotions in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder [Poster session]. Swiss Center for Affective Sciences Annual Research Forum, Geneva, Switzerland.

Zaharia, A., Schneider M., Glaser, B., Menghetti, S., Schaer, M., & Eliez, S. (2016, April 7-9). Face-inversion effect in 22q11.2 deletion syndrome [Poster session]. NCCR-SYNAPSY Conference: Neurobiology of Mental Health, Geneva, Switzerland.

Zaharia, A., Schneider, M., Glaser, B., Menghetti, S., Schaer, M., & Eliez, S. (2015, October). Face processing in 22q11.2 deletion syndrome: Atypical development and abnormal visual scanpath strategies [Poster session]. European Conference on 22q11.2 deletion syndrome, Brussels, Belgium.