I nuovi autoritarismi tra misure di personalità e fattori di gruppo

On the ideological consistency between right-wing authoritarianism and social domince orientation.

Abstract The authors argue that cross-national variation in the association between right-wing authoritarianism (RWA) and social dominance orientation (SDO) depends upon the degree to which political systems are organized along a single explicitly ideologically articulated left–right dimension. In societies where the political system is ideologized along a single dimension, RWA and SDO should be strongly positively correlated, and the magnitude of this association should be moderated by political identification. This hypothesis was tested in Italy, a society where the political system is highly ideologized, using analyses of concurrent data from student (N = 148) and community samples (N = …

FACEBOOK ADDICTION? UNO STUDIO SU STILI RELAZIONALI E CARATTERISTICHE DISFUNZIONALI IN SOGGETTI CON DIVERSE TIPOLOGIE DI UTILIZZO DEL SOCIAL NETWORK

Background: Previous studies on individual characteristics related to Facebook usage seems to support that active Facebook users are more likely to be higher in attachment anxiety or in extraversion, but specific interpersonal profiles of individual’s Facebook usage are still missing in the literature. The aims of the current study were: a) to investigate whether there is a specific interpersonal profile of Facebook users, and b) to explored the contribution of participants’ personality and interpersonal relationship characteristics on their profile group membership. Methods: We investigated a group of 811 subjects (aged from 17 to 61 years) with questionnaires measuring personality traits,…

LA COLLABORAZIONE MULTILAB: LO STUDIO “PSA 006 TROLLEY PROBLEM”

Alternative Systems: The Interplay between Criminal Groups’ Influence and Political Trust on Civic Honesty in the Global Context

Individuals’ endorsement of standards of civic honesty is necessary for democracies to flourish. A critical driver of civic honesty is the relationship of trust between individuals and institutions. Research has yet to systematically assess the contextual factors that may moderate this relationship. In the present study, we examined the societal influence of organized criminal groups. Criminal groups operate as alternative systems of authority that erode the reliability of institutions' moral standards. We employed a new indicator that quantifies their societal influence to test the hypothesis that the association between individuals’ political trust and civic honesty would weaken in countr…

Empirically-derived subgroups of Facebook users and their association with personality characteristics: a Latent Class Analysis

Abstract In recent years, considerable research effort has been directed at the identification of relationships between psychological variables and Facebook usage indicators. However, the identification of homogeneous subgroups of individuals based on similar Facebook usage characteristics still presents a challenge. This study aims: (1) to empirically determine homogeneous groups of Facebook users based on variables regarding their personal experience on Facebook, by using a Latent Class Analysis; and (2) to examine the association between an individual's personality and interpersonal characteristics and the empirically-derived profiles of Facebook usage. Eight hundred and eleven Facebook …

Contextual factors predicting compliance behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic: A machine learning analysis on survey data from 16 countries.

Voluntary isolation is one of the most effective methods for individuals to help prevent the transmission of diseases such as COVID-19. Understanding why people leave their homes when advised not to do so and identifying what contextual factors predict this non-compliant behavior is essential for policymakers and public health officials. To provide insight on these factors, we collected data from 42,169 individuals across 16 countries. Participants responded to items inquiring about their socio-cultural environment, such as the adherence of fellow citizens, as well as their mental states, such as their level of loneliness and boredom. We trained random forest models to predict whether someo…

THE MODERATING EFFECT OF NEED FOR AFFECT AND COGNITION ON THE RELATION BETWEEN PERSUASIVE COMMUNICATION ABOUT LOCKDOWN AND ATTITUDES TOWARD IT

Facing natural disasters through the endorsement of authoritarian attitudes

Abstract We analyzed the relations between exposure to news describing a natural disaster and right-wing authoritarianism (RWA) with 241 Italian adults, surveyed twice, before and after a severe earthquake. Our results were compatible with the idea that the exposure to earthquake news led to an increase in RWA among people who had low, but not among who had relatively high, authoritarian levels before the event. We discuss the findings in terms of compensatory control, and highlight strengths and limitations of the study.

How is weight stigma related to children's health-related quality of life? A model comparison approach

Purpose. Obesity is a highly stigmatizing condition for both adults and children, and both obesity and stigma experiences are negatively related with Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL). However, the relations among these constructs have been modeled in different and sometimes inconsistent terms in past research, and have been the object of surprisingly few studies in pediatric populations. The present study addresses this gap by comparing, in a sample of pre-adolescent children, four competing models (i.e., additive, mediation, moderation, and moderated-mediation models) accounting for the role of stigma experiences in the concurrent relation between body weight and HRQoL. Methods: A co…

Multilingualism and Ethnic Prejudice

Abstract. This study explored the relationship between the ability to talk to others in more than one language and ethnic prejudice, considering the quality and quantity of intergroup contact. A structural equation model analysis was carried out on a sample of 631 Italian citizens. The results showed that multilingualism led to an increase of acceptance of intergroup differences and positive attitudes toward Moroccans and that the quality (but not quantity) of intergroup contact-mediated those relationships. The mediating role of the quality of intergroup contact extends previous results on the relationship between multilingualism and positive attitudes toward ethnic out-groups. These find…

The correlation between right-wing authoritarianism and social dominance orientation: The moderating effects of political and religious identity

In a secondary analysis performed on a representative sample of the Italian population (N = 887), we examined the correlation between right-wing authoritarianism (RWA) and social dominance orientation (SDO), analyzing the moderating effect exerted on such correlation by political interest and religion importance. RWA and SDO showed a positive, significant correlation (r = .38), moderated by political interest (which heightened it) and religion importance (which lowered it). Limits, implications, and possible developments of the research are discussed.

Cuffaro, Pirandello e Schillaci: forse i siciliani non sono tutti uguali. L’effetto dell’entitatività percepita sulla minaccia indotta dallo stereotipo.

The goal of this study was to test the role of perceived entitativity as a potential moderator of underperformance typically associated with stereotype threat. The results of two experiments confirmed our hypotheses: Study 1 showed a lesser decrease in performance in a task of syllogistic abilities when the threat was directed to Sicilians (social category, low entitativity) rather than to their family (intimate group, high entitativity). Study 2 confirmed and extended these results through a direct measure of entitativity. Theoretical implications of these results are discussed.

Minaccia indotta dallo stereotipo: contributi sperimentali

THE BEHAVE APPLICATION: AN EVIDENCE-BASED TOOL TO MANAGE SOCIAL EMOTIONAL BEHAVIOURAL DIFFICULTIES

Social Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties (SEBD) are a persistent and multiple manifestation of maladaptive behaviours which interfere with the students' learning, social functioning and development and/or that of their peers. They may become apparent through withdrawn, passive, aggressive or self-injurious tendencies. The prevalence of these disorders is 2-16% of the general population. Children with SEBD, diagnosed or not, are likely to live in social isolation, to receive a poor education, and they risk becoming deviant teenagers, or unemployed adults. A way to approach SEBD with consistent level of educational success is to equip teachers with proper training on practical and proven…

The matching effect in persuasive communication about lockdown

Scientific literature about persuasion has shown that the effectiveness of persuasive communication may depend on the match between the affective or cognitive contents of the message and the affective (Need for Affect) or cognitive (Need for Cognition) orientation of the recipient. The present work aims to contribute to studying this effect by considering the context of health-related communication during the SARS-CoV-2 infection. Specifically, we aim to demonstrate that, when the message is characterized by affective and cognitive contents having the same (congruent message) or different valence (incongruent message), the attitude towards the target (i.e., a new lockdown) will be guided by…

Una misura breve del test multidimensionale dell’autostima di Bracken.

Safety signs on agricultural machinery: Pictorials do not always successfully convey their messages to target users.

This study investigated the extent to which a sample of Italian users comprehended safety pictorials used on agricultural machinery. A questionnaire with 12 safety pictorials was administered to 248 users of agricultural machinery. For each of the pictorials, the participants were asked to select the most appropriate description of four written choices. The investigated safety pictorials were, in general, not well comprehended. Two different classes of participants were identified, each with a different level of comprehension. The participants with better comprehension were characterized by the regular use of agricultural machinery and frequent previous exposure to pictorials. The need for …

The WHAAM Application: a Tool to Support the Evidence-Based Practice in the Functional Behaviour Assessment

BackgroundThe most recent computing technologies can promote the application of evidence-based practice (EBP) in the field of applied behaviour analysis (ABA).ObjectiveThe study describes how the use of technology can simplify the application of EBPs in ABA.MethodsThe Web Health Application for ADHD Monitoring (WHAAM) application demonstrates this in the following two case studies. We are monitoring dysfunctional behaviours, collecting behavioural data, performing systematic direct observations, creating both visual baseline and intervention charts and evaluating the planned interventions using the TAU-U statistical index.ResultsSignificant positive changes of children’s problem behaviours …

Situational factors shape moral judgements in the trolley dilemma in Eastern, Southern and Western countries in a culturally diverse sample

The study of moral judgements often centres on moral dilemmas in which options consistent with deontological perspectives (that is, emphasizing rules, individual rights and duties) are in conflict with options consistent with utilitarian judgements (that is, following the greater good based on consequences). Greene et al. (2009) showed that psychological and situational factors (for example, the intent of the agent or the presence of physical contact between the agent and the victim) can play an important role in moral dilemma judgements (for example, the trolley problem). Our knowledge is limited concerning both the universality of these effects outside the United States and the impact of …

THE BASE SYSTEM: A SCHOOL-WIDE POSITIVE BEHAVIOUR SUPPORT TOOL TO FACILITATE EVIDENCE-BASED DIGITAL INTERVENTION PRACTICES

The Positive Behaviour Intervention and Support system is a framework aimed to introduce a change at school-wide level. It promotes a disciplinary system change process, from a reactive punishment- based strategies of specific student misbehaviours to a proactive system, where different behavioural principles such as the modelling and reinforcement of positive prosocial students’ behaviours are applied to improve school values and to create a positive climate. This paper presents the Behavioural Assessment to improve School Environment (BASE) system and the BASE repository. The BASE system supports evidence-based digital intervention practices for stimulating the academic, social, emotional…

Predicting right-wing authoritarianism via personality and dangerous world beliefs: Direct, indirect, and interactive effects

In an Italian sample (N=483, 78.23% women, mean age = 27.61 years old), we used structural equation modeling with latent variables and interactions to analyze the direct, indirect, and interactive effects exerted on right-wing authoritarianism by the Big Five factors of personality and by dangerous world beliefs. Openness, Neuroticism, and Conscientiousness exerted direct effects on right-wing authoritarianism; the first two relationships were partially mediated by dangerous world beliefs. Most importantly, the relationship between dangerous world beliefs and right-wing authoritarianism was moderated by Openness: dangerous world beliefs significantly influenced right-wing authoritarianism s…

Personalità, minaccia e autoritarismo di destra.

In un campione di 318 studenti di psicologia, abbiamo analizzato le relazioni fra «Big Five», minaccia sociale percepita proveniente dalla microcriminalità e dal terrorismo e autoritarismo di destra (RWA). Per entrambe le forme di minaccia, coerentemente con le nostre ipotesi, l'Apertura ha influenzato l'RWA, sia direttamente sia indirettamente, attraverso la mediazione della minaccia percepita, mentre la Coscienziosità ha influenzato l'RWA solo direttamente. L'interazione fra Apertura e minaccia proveniente dalla microcriminalità, ma non quella terroristica, ha influenzato significativamente l'RWA. L'articolo si conclude con una proposta di interpretazione di questo mancato effetto e il su…

A DIGITAL BEHAVIOURAL ASSESSMENT APPLICATION TO APPLY POSITIVE BEHAVIOUR SUPPORT IN SCHOOL WIDE INTERVENTION

The Behavioural Assessment to improve School Environment (BASE) European Erasmus+ project responses to the European requirement of reforming the whole scholastic disciplinary system identifies in the proven US-born concept of the Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) one possible solution, and tries to adapt its practical and evidence-based principles to the heterogeneous European school settings. Recently, scientific studies (Sugai, Horner, 2016) have emphasized the promising role of PBS in reducing the occurrence of behavioural problems by setting up a preventive, proactive and multilevel system based on the direct involvement of the entire school team: starting from teachers, school leaders u…

COVID-19, COMPENSAZIONE DEL CONTROLLO E RWA

La rilevazione empirica dell’autoritarismo di destra: Un contributo per l’adattamento italiano della scala di Funke.

Analyzing the responses given by 801 Italian participants (F = 635; mean age = 24.78 years), we performed a confirmatory factor analysis of an Italian version of Funke’s RWA3D scale, aimed at assessing right-wing authoritarianism as a three-dimensional construct defined by authoritarian submission, authoritarian aggression, and conventionalism. The model showing the best fit was a three-correlated-factors model, controlling the semantic direction of the items as correlated uniquenesses. Such model was invariant between genders. However, the very strong correlations among the three substantive factors warned against mechanically considering the scale as three-dimensional.

Dimensioni stereotipiche nella comunicazione turistica

When Affective (But Not Cognitive) Ambivalence Predicts Discrimination Toward a Minority Group

Individuals often hold ambivalent attitudes (i.e., positive and negative attitudes at the same time) toward groups and social categories. The aim of the present research was to examine the differential effects of affective and cognitive dimensions of ambivalence on the (amplification of) responses towards a minority group. We asked 188 students from the University of Perugia to read a short description of a fictitious group of immigrants. After expressing their affective and cognitive attitudes toward the target group, participants received positive, negative, or no supplementary information about this group. Discrimination was assessed by asking participants to allocate to the target group…

I processi duali e pregiudiziali nel contesto italiano

I processi duali ideologici nel contesto italiano

Parents' math-gender stereotypes, children's self-perception of ability, and children's appraisal of parents' evaluations in 6-year-olds

Abstract This study investigated for the first time the relations between parents' math–gender stereotypes, parents' evaluations of children's math ability, children's math ability self-perception, and children's appraisal of parents' evaluations, addressing 253 Italian children as young as 6 years of age, their mothers, fathers, and teachers. Novel results revealed the specific role of mothers' math–gender stereotypes in relation to daughters, but not sons: Mothers' math–gender stereotypes predicted girls' math self-perception which, in turn, predicted girls' appraisal of both mothers' and fathers' evaluations of their ability. Importantly, children's appraisal of parents' evaluations was …

Obstacles to intergroup contact: When outgroup partner's anxiety meets perceived ethnic discrimination

Emerging research suggests that outgroup partner's anxiety can disrupt intergroup rapport-building. This study extends previous findings by investigating the interactive effects of anticipated outgroup partner's anxiety and perceived ethnic discrimination on self-anxiety and intergroup contact avoidance. A sample of immigrant adolescents belonging to different ethnic minorities in Italy (N = 118) was considered. Results showed that when participants expected to interact with an anxious outgroup (Italian) versus in-group partner, self-anxiety increased and, as a consequence, their intentions to avoid future encounters. However, these effects were observed only for participants with higher (v…

I processi duali e pregiudiziali nel contesto italiano. Replica ed estensione del modello di Duckitt

Psicologia degli ATTEGGIAMENTI