Le affordances cognitive e sociali in Internet. Un confronto cross-culturale tra utenti italiani e americani.

Internet può essere descritto come un ambiente caratterizzato da affordances ovvero da “offerte” psico-tecnologiche che amplificano le capacità cognitive e sociali degli utenti. In particolare, i molteplici strumenti informativi del web sono riconducibili alle sue affordances cognitive, laddove quelli più connotati in senso interpersonale (p.e. chat-room) ne costituiscono le affordances sociali. Allo scopo di esplorare l’utilizzo delle suddette affordances in differenti popolazioni, abbiamo condotto un’indagine che confronta un gruppo di italiani ed uno di statunitensi tramite la somministrazione di un questionario online. I risultati indicano che, nonostante la sua più recente introduzione…

Time perspective and Facebook addiction: The moderating role of neuroticism

The present paper verified the hypothesis that neuroticism moderates the relationship between past-negative or present-fatalistic time perspectives and Facebook addiction. A sample of 248 Facebook users (Female: 66%, mean age: 21.5 years) filled the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventor and the Facebook Addiction Italian Questionnaire. Two hierarchical regression analyses tested a moderator model in which time perspectives have been defined as independent variables, Facebook addiction as dependent variables, and neuroticism as moderator. Gender and age were introduced in the model as covariates. Results show that past-negative significantly predicts Facebook addiction through the moderation ef…

Effetto di facilitazione delle frequenze naturali nel ragionamento probabilistico

Application of multivariate t-pattern analysis in the study of social interactions in rats

A basic tenet in the realm of modern behavioral sciences is that behavior consists of patterns in time. For this reason, investigations of behavior deal with sequences that are not easily perceivable by the unaided observer. This problem calls for improved means of detection, data handling and analysis. This review focuses on the analysis of the temporal structure of behavior carried out by means of a multivariate approach known as T-pattern analysis. Using this technique, recurring sequences of behavioral events, usually hard to detect, can be unveiled and carefully described. T-pattern analysis has been successfully applied in the study of various aspects of human or animal behavior such …

Reti sociali, informazioni individuali. Una simulazione basata su agenti, metodologia fuzzy e Computing With Words

La robustezza di una rete sociale dipende da caratteristiche intrinseche della sua topologia, ma l’origine di queste caratteristiche va ricercata nel compor- tamento dei singoli. In questo articolo illustriamo una simulazione basata su agenti per corroborare l'ipotesi che l’aumento della quantità di informazioni scambiate tra gli utenti di una rete sociale contribuisca allo sviluppo di una rete resiliente. In particolare presentiamo tre varianti del modello nelle quali ai singoli agenti vengono fornite informazioni progressivamente più consistenti relativamente ai legami esistenti, utilizzate al fine di stabilire nuovi col- legamenti. All'aumentare dell'informazione disponibile ai singoli u…

Eccesso di scelta e stress decisionale tra cognizione ed emozione

Partendo da una breve rassegna della recente letteratura psicologica sui limiti cognitivi, emozionali e motivazionali della presa di decisioni, il presente contributo segnala la necessità di rivedere criticamente la diffusa convinzione secondo cui avere la possibilità di scegliere è sempre vantaggioso e gratificante per l’individuo. La sovrabbondanza di decisioni richieste dalla società odierna rischia, infatti, di tradursi in una stressante “tirannia di troppa scelta”.

Factorial Structure of Web-Credibility in a population of Italian Internet Users. A pilot study

Recent studies by Fogg and his colleagues have defined a new psychological construct called Web credibility. It describes the principal dimensions which lead people to believe (or not) online information. In this framework, the factorial structure of Web credibility was explored in a sample of 152 Italian students of psychology who were Internet users, using a questionnaire. A consistent four-factorial structure emphasized crucial aspects of Web credibility, namely, Inaccuracy, Efficiency, Social Validation, and Commercial Features. Such results seem in line with Fogg's theoretical model; however, further research is required to identify dimensions of this construct.

Facilitating Effect of Natural Frequencies: Size Does Not Matter

The question of whether humans are able to work in a Bayesian way is currently a topic of substantial investigation. An important finding, reported by Gigerenzer and Hoffrage in 1995 is that Bayesian reasoning is facilitated when the information format corresponds to natural frequencies. The present concern was whether the facilitating effect of frequencies persists when natural frequencies relate to samples which are not convenient multiples of 10. 150 undergraduates participated as volunteers (42 men, 108 women; M age = 23 yr.). Analysis showed the effect of natural frequency formats was not dependent on size of reference class. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

The Reciprocal Influences among Motivation, Personality Traits, and Game Habits for Playing Pokémon GO

This article reports a study exploring motivations of Pokémon Game use, individual differences related to personality traits, and game habits. First, it analyzed Pokémon GO motivations through exploratory factor analysis (EFA) by administering online the Pokémon GO Motivational Scale to a group of Italian gamers (N = 560). Successively, a Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was conducted testing three factorial models of Pokémon Game motivations on a selected random sample (N = 310). Results showed a three-factor model of Pokémon GO Game motivations (i.e. Personal Needs, Social Needs and Recreation), accounting for 68.9% of total variance plus a general higher order factor that best fits the…

A study of temporal estimation from the perspective of the Mental Clock Model.

M. Cardaci's (2000) Mental Clock Model maintains that a task requiring a low mental workload is associated with an acceleration of perceived time, whereas a task requiring a high mental workload is associated with a deceleration. The authors examined the predictions of this model in a musical listening condition in which musical pieces were audible in several structural complexities. To measure the effects of musical complexity on time estimation, the authors used retrospective and prospective time-estimation paradigms. For the retrospective paradigm, the authors invited participants to listen to a musical piece and then estimate its duration. For the prospective paradigm, the authors invit…

The problem of having too many choices

Variabili situazionali e psicologiche nell’eccesso di scelta

Partendo dalla recente letteratura psicologica sui limiti dei processi decisionali, il presente contributo ripensa criticamente la diffusa convinzione secondo cui un’ampia possibilità di scelta è sempre vantaggiosa e desiderabile. In particolare sono esaminate le principali ragioni per le quali la sovrabbondanza di decisioni imposte all’individuo dalla società odierna può tradursi in una logorante “tirannia di troppa scelta”.

Esplorazione cognitiva di un programma di e-learning

Techno-stressed Teachers are responsible for the digital divide? Gender differences in the perceived levels of Computer-anxiety, Computer-expertise, Computer self-efficacy and Internet attitudes of an Italian population

I PARADOSSI, LE SFIDE E I SUPPORTI NEI PROCESSI DECISIONALI

Dimensioni psicologiche della web-credibility.

Presentazione

Facebook as a Small World: a topological hypothesis

Facebook is becoming a pervasive entity as its social, cultural and media ramifications grow deep and entrenched in our daily life. Its nature of a complex system of interactions, bearing a strong similarity to networks built through individual choices and systems shaped by evolu- tionary pressure, makes it an interesting target for research. Scale-free Small World networks, recently popularized by Barabasi, are a topological class pertaining to both these domains, whose members have resilience to disruption and short intermediate connections between nodes. In this paper we show that the topological structure of a specific subset of Facebook, gathered using data from a self-report online qu…

Frequency format facilitates reasoning in simple numerical tasks.

This study examined whether it is easier to reason in terms of frequencies or with percentages for simple numerical tasks. Research on probabilistic reasoning has shown that humans can draw correct inferences when problems are presented in terms of natural frequencies but not when in percentages. Whether the same effect can be observed in other numerically simple tasks which are not probabilistic was studied with 40 undergraduate students who volunteered for the experiment (13 men, 27 women; M age of 23 yr.). In a simple numerical task involving frequencies or percentages ( N = 20), their performance showed representation in frequencies facilitates the task.

Il ruolo della simmetria in visione artificiale

Operational Intelligence and School Problems Measured by Piagetian Tasks and Rhode Island Pupil Identification Scale

To explore the relations between operational intelligence rated on several Piagetian tasks and school learning problems identified by the Rhode Island Pupil Identification Scale by Novack, Bonaventura, and Merenda we assumed that Piagetian performances would allow predicting learning problems of first graders. 38 pupils were evaluated by three teachers, who were asked to complete the Rhode Island scale. Then the same children were individually given 8 Piagetian tests (including conservation and logical tasks) by an examiner who had no information about the pupils' other scores. Analysis showed that successful Piagetian performances were associated with ratings of successful schoolwork Anal…

Mente e identita-in-rete nell’era di facebook.

Preferential Biases for Texts That Include Neuroscientific Jargon

The results of an experiment of preferential biases for texts that include neuroscientific jargon are presented. Such preferential bias has been reported even when the presented jargon is meaningless. In a variation of the well-known Weisberg et al. experiment, a group of undergraduate students ( N = 150; females 48%, males 52%, other 0%; M age = 22.4 year, SD = 2.6) chose between two possible explanations for a psychological phenomenon: a correct explanation or a circular restatement of facts. Unrelated neuroscientific terms were added to one of the explanations. Participants were asked to choose the correct explanation. There was a statistically significant preference for the explanation …

La robotica nella riabilitazione di soggetti autistici e con deficit cognitivi.

Artificial organisms as tools for the development of psychological theory: Tolman's lesson

In the 1930s and 1940s, Edward Tolman developed a psychological theory of spatial orientation in rats and humans. He expressed his theory as an automaton (the ‘‘schematic sowbug’’) or what today we would call an ‘‘artificial organism.’’ With the technology of the day, he could not implement his model. Nonetheless, he used it to develop empirical predictions which tested with animals in the laboratory. This way of proceeding was in line with scientific practice dating back to Galileo. The way psychologists use artificial organisms in their work today breaks with this tradition. Modern ‘‘artificial organisms’’ are constructed a posteriori, working from experimental or ethological observations…

Riscoprire la psicologia di John Dewey. Brevi note storico-critiche in risposta a Sand Brinkmann

Psicotecnologie e cognizione

La misura del carico cognitivo in prospettiva multidisciplinare

Lo scopo di questo simposio è mettere a confronto diversi approcci alle teorie di misura del carico cognitivo durante processi di apprendimento. Il tema è attuale e consente contributi di esperti provenienti da settori molto disparati, una volta che siano condivise le basi teoriche di riferimento sul tema. La presentazione dei tre contributi tenta proprio di cogliere questo aspetto unificante e diversificante allo stesso tempo, proponendo l’esposizione di temi di ricerca in ambito informatico, psicologico e neurofilosofico, proponendo quesiti ancora aperti e sfruttando l’occasione per verificare quanto lessico è condiviso nei tre approcci.

Caccia e Raccolta ai tempi del digitaleUn esperimento di Psicologia Evoluzionistica basato su Serious Games

Differences in achievement not in intelligence in the north and south of Italy: Comments on Lynn (2010a, 2010b)

Lynn (2010a, 2010b) argued that individuals from south Italy have a lower IQ than individuals from north Italy, and that these differences in IQ are at the basis of north–south gap in income, education, infant mortality, stature, and literacy. In the present paper, we discuss several theoretical and methodological aspects which we regard as flaws of Lynn's studies. Moreover, we report scores of southern Italian children on Raven's Progressive Matrices and a north–south comparison for the PASS theory of intelligence as measured by the Cognitive Assessment System (Taddei & Naglieri, 2006). Both results reveal similar levels of performance of northern and southern Italian children in fluid int…

Mental Models vs Integrated Models: Explanations of Syllogistic Reasoning

To compare mental versus integrated models explanations of syllogistic reasoning, we administered a multiple-choice questionnaire containing 19 pairs of syllogistic premises with valid conclusions (given in a C-A order) to 72 psychology undergraduates. Association between our integrated models classification and the empirical difficulty of items was strong.

Personality Variables as Predictors of Facebook Usage

This study investigates the role of personality factors as predictors of Facebook usage. Data concerning Facebook usage and personality factors from 654 Facebook users were gathered using a web survey. Using path analysis, the results showed Openness was a predictor of Facebook early adoption, Conscientiousness with sparing use, Extraversion with long sessions and abundant friendships, and Neuroticism with high frequency of sessions. The possible role of Agreeableness in predicting low session frequency and friendships needs further validation.

Definizione e Misurazione del Costrutto di Computer-Anxiety. Una rassegna di studi.

Rethinking of the Heuristic-Analytic Dual Process Theory: A Comment on Wada and Nittono (2004) and the Reasoning Process in the Wason Selection Task

This paper raises some methodological problems in the dual process explanation provided by Wada and Nittono for their 2004 results using the Wason selection task. We maintain that the Nittono rethinking approach is weak and that it should be refined to grasp better the evidence of analytic processes.

Hunter-GatHerer Game: uno strumento simulativo dei comportamenti di caccia/raccolta nel mondo paleolitico

In this paper we present the Hunter-Gatherer Game, a computer simulation of an environment where the individual and group survival depends on the ability to capture a prey or to find edible vegetables. The instrument is based on the Darwinian Hunter-Gatherer Theory stating that, during the Palaeolithic age, natural selection designed different gender preferences for foraging strategies (hunting in men and gathering in women), which are still sculpted in our modern brains. At present we are using the Hunter-Gatherer Game in order to experimentally test the above-mentioned theory, even though it also encompasses a number of potential applications.

Panel Summary: Behavioural Models

The aim of this paper is to report the panel discussion on behavioural models of human or machine agents interacting with the environment. In particular the following hot points will been analysed: a framework for describing behaviour; learning and evolution; closure and teleonomy when it comes to behaviour; the perception-learning-planning loop; the information integration at the (pre)attentive level; knowing by acting and knowing by computing.

SINAPSI. Simulazioni Interattive per l‘Apprendimento di Skill Individuali

Il progetto SINAPSI (Simulazioni INterattive per l’APprendimento di Skill Individuali), sviluppato nell’ambito del LifelongLearningProgrammeLeonardo da Vinci, è nato con lo scopo di contribuire al miglioramento della qualità della formazione professionale continua, avvalendosi di un modello di apprendimento innovativo che coniuga gli strumenti dell’e- learning con lo sviluppo delle competenze personali trasversali, note come soft skills(negoziazione, leadership, team building, timemanagement, motivazione, decision making, problem solving, ecc.). L’intento è quello di identificare gli elementi innovativi dell’introduzione delle nuove tecnologie e esplorare la potenziale facilitazione dei pro…

L'influenza delle textures sulle preferenze cognitive nel riconoscimento della simmetria.

Esperienze con la robotica educativa come nuovo strumento di apprendimento e di riabilitazione.

Nel presente lavoro esponiamo i risultati di alcune nostre ricerche, che hanno visto studenti di scuola secondaria di primo e secondo grado impegnati nella costruzione e programmazione comportamentale di piccoli robot mobili (LEGO® Mindstorms). Le esperienze da noi realizzate sono riconducibili alla cosiddetta Educational Robotics, che -ispirandosi all’approccio di Vygotskji e all’epistemologia post-piagetiana di Papert- concepisce i robot come “oggetti-con-cui-pensare o come “impalcature per la mente”. In linea con tale filone teorico, i nostri studi dimostrano che l’attività con i robot favorisce varie abilità visuo-costruttive, di ragionamento logico e di pensiero creativo. Le peculiari …

The big five personality factors as predictors of facebook usage

Conclusione. I paradossi, le sfide e i supporti decisionali

On the Evaluation of Images Complexity: A Fuzzy Approach (revised and expanded)

The inherently multidimensional problem of evaluating the complexity of an image is of a certain relevance in both computer sci- ence and cognitive psychology. Computer scientists usually analyze spa- tial dimensions, to deal with automatic vision problems, such as feature- extraction. Psychologists seem more interested in the temporal dimension of complexity, to explore attentional models. Is it possible, by merging both approaches, to define an more general index of visual complexity? We have defined a fuzzy mathematical model of visual complexity, using a specific entropy function; results obtained by applying this model to pictorial images have a strong correlation with ones from an exp…

The Self-Concept Beliefs:Self-Referential and Comparative Frames of Reference

Animation attracts: The attraction effect in an on-line shopping environment

Two studies examine the attraction effect - an inconsistent choice behavior typically observed when consumers are presented with two products (target and competitor), both good for different reasons, and a worse "decoy" - in the context of on-line consumer decisions with different product displays (animated or static). The experiments, with different participant populations, show that the attraction effect in an on-line shopping environment depends on the animation format of the products. Experiment 1 (with Italian participants) suggests that the attraction effect is eliminated when target and competitor are both animated and is accentuated when the target is animated and the competitor is …

Un approccio interdisciplinare alla complessità percettiva.

Relazioni di dominanza nel paradosso di 'troppa scelta'

The Social Cognitive Theory. A new framework for implementing Artificial Consciousness

Neuroticism and Fear of COVID-19. The Interplay Between Boredom, Fantasy Engagement, and Perceived Control Over Time

The Italian government adopted measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 infection from 9 March 2020 to 4 May 2020 and imposed a phase of social distancing and self-isolation to all adult citizens. Although justified and necessary, psychologists question the impact of this process of COVID-19 isolation on the mental health of the population (e.g., Lee, Jobe & Matis, 2020). Hence, this paper investigated the relationship between neuroticism, boredom, fantasy engagement, perceived control over time, and the fear of COVID-19. Specifically, we performed a cross-sectional study aimed at testing an integrative moderated mediation model. Our model assigned the boredom to the mediation role, and b…

Autobiographical Memory, Personality, and Facebook Mementos

The present study analyzed the relationships between directive, self and social functions of autobiographical memory, personality traits, as defined by the Five Factor model, and the Facebook mementos. We defined Facebook mementos as objective measures of the textual (i.e., Facebook Status Updating) and visual (i.e., Photos uploading) information people record on their Facebook profiles. Questionnaires gathered data from a sample of 193 Italian Facebook users (148 female; 45 male; age M = 22.8, SD = 6.8). Results at path analysis using AMOS showed direct significant positive associations between personality traits related to extraversion, openness, neuroticism, conscientiousness and Faceboo…

A fuzzy approach to the evaluation of image complexity

The inherently multidimensional problem of evaluating the complexity of an image is of a certain relevance in both computer science and cognitive psychology. Computer scientists usually analyze spatial dimensions in order to deal with automatic vision problems, such as feature extraction. Psychologists seem more interested in the temporal dimension of complexity, as a means to explore attentional models. Is it possible to define, by merging both approaches, a more general index of visual complexity? The aim of this paper is the definition of objective measures of image complexity that fits with the so named perceived time. Towards the end we have defined a fuzzy mathematical model of visual…

Creazione di collegamenti a scambio di informazione nei social network. Una simulazione agent-based con metodologia soft computing.

La robustezza di una rete sociale dipende da caratteristiche intrinseche della  sua  topologia,  quali  ad  esempio  l’invarianza  di  scala,  la  presenza  di   nodi denominati hub (i nodi più popolari del network, Barabási e Albert 1999), una distribuzione di probabilità esponenziale, come quella illustrata in Figura 1, nel grado dei vertici P(x) =x^(-α)  con  fattore α  compreso  tra 2  e 3,  (come  quella  descritta  da  Albert  e  Barabási  2002);  ma  l’origine  di  queste  caratteristiche va ricercata come emergente dal comportamento dei singoli componenti della rete, e non necessariamente nel suo complesso (in tal senso è emblematico il caso del World Wide Web, come descritto in Alb…

Emergence of spatial representation in communicating robots

THE INFLUENCE OF TEXTURE SYMMETRY IN MARKER POINTING: EXPERIMENTING WITH HUMANS AND ALGORITHMS

Symmetry plays a fundamental role in aiding the visual system, to organize its environmental stimuli and to detect visual patterns of natural and artificial objects. Various kinds of symmetry exist, and we will discuss how internal symmetry due to textures influences the choice of direction in visual tasks. Two experiments are presented: the first, with human subjects, deals with the effect of textures on preferences for a pointing direction. The second emulates the performances obtained in the first through the use of an algorithm based on a physic metaphor. Results from both experiments are shown and comment.

Sulla creatività e modularità della mente

Early usage of Pokémon Go and its personality correlates

Pokmon Go is a popular augmented reality mobile game. Players find imaginary creatures by wandering into the real world, which can then be collected and used in combat. In this paper an assessment of Pokmon Go early usage in the Italian community and of its correlates with the Big Five personality traits is given. The resulting profile of early PG player is one of a more Introverted, close person with high agreeability and conscientiousness. Extraversion and Stability are positively correlated with the collection part of the game, while Agreeableness is a negative predictor thereof. Openness is correlated to the level of proficiency. Display Omitted We assess Pokmon Go early usage and its c…

Quello che facebook dice di te. Applicare le scienze cognitive agli utenti dei social network

L’applicazione di metodi e sistemi propri delle scienze cognitive all’analisi dell’uso dei social network consente di accedere ad una classe di informazioni che normalmente non vengono divulgate dagli utenti, sia intenzionalmente che per semplice abitudine. In questo intervento vengono presentati quattro diversi aspetti relativi all’utilizzo di facebook, e quattro metodologie che svelano informazioni personali che vanno oltre quanto condiviso spontaneamente dall’utente.

Effetti della complessità attenzionale di brani musicali sulla percezione temporale

Locus of control e robot: implementazione e validazione di un modello simulativo di apprendimento sociale

Dalla credibilità offline alla web-credibility: dimensioni psicologiche del costrutto

PREFAZIONE

Caccia e Raccolta dal Pleistocene al mondo digitale: un esperimento simulativo di Psicologia Evoluzionistica

Il metodo simulativo, uno degli approcci interdisciplinari più promettenti dell’attuale ricerca scientifica, offre alle scienze sociali (e segnatamente alla psicologia) innovativi strumenti d’indagine. Le molteplici sfaccettature del comportamento umano, che un tempo potevano essere approssimativamente trattate in termini solo intuitivi e qualitativi, oggi, grazie alla notevole potenza raggiunta dai calcolatori, possono essere ricostruite e analizzate in dettaglio (Miglino, Cardaci e Pagliarini, 2000). Se poi si accetta il principio darwiniano che “i nostri crani moderni ospitano una mente risalente all’età della pietra” (Cosmides e Tooby, 1997) – cioè che gli attuali tratti cognitivi e com…

The Italian version of the Cognitive Style Indicator and its association with decision-making preferences

By adopting a more flexible view, Cools and Van den Broeck (2007) developed the Cognitive Style Indicator (CoSI) which includes three cognitive dimensions: Creating (flexible, open-ended and inventive), Knowing (emphasizing facts, details, objectivity, and rationality), and Planning (guided by preferences for certainty and well-structured information). The first aim of this research was to validate the three factor structure of the CoSI within the Italian context, whereas the second was to verify whether cognitive styles, as measured by the CoSI, accounted for individual differences in decision-making processes. Two studies were conducted using two different samples (n = 549 and n = 397). C…

Caccia e raccolta ai tempi del digitale: un esperimento simulativo di Psicologia Evoluzionistica

Italian Bloggers’ Stories. Their Personalities and Interpersonal Relationships Quality

Modelling the Effects of Internal Textures on Symmetry Detection Using Fuzzy Operators

Symmetry is a crucial dimension which aids the visual system, human as well as artificial, to organize its environment and to recognize forms and objects. In humans, detection of symmetry, especially bilateral and rotational, is considered to be a primary factor for discovering and interacting with the surrounding environment. Rotational symmetry detecting can be affected by less-known factors, such as the stimulus internal texture. This paper explores how fuzzy operators can be usefully employed in modeling the effects of the internal texture on symmetry detection. To this aim, we selected two symmetry detection algorithms, based on different computational models, and compared their output…

L'effetto della tessitura interna sulle preferenze cognitive

In questo lavoro vengono esplorati gli effetti della tessitura interna di un'immagine sulle preferenze cognitive relative alla simmetria percepita. A questo scopo è stato preparato un test su soggetti umani basato sulla identificazione della simmetria principale in una figura geometrica al variare della sua tessitura interna, i cui esiti sono stati comparati con l'analisi effettuata da un modello di ricerca della simmetria fuzzy che incorpora elementi di preferenza ricalcati sull'esperienza umana. Dai risultati ottenuti si può vedere come, in accordo con il modello gestaltico, la preferenza cognitiva relativa alla simmetria viene influenzata anche da fattori considerati secondari come la te…

Attentional vs computational complexity measures in observing paintings

Because of the great heterogeneity of subjects and styles, esthetic perception delineates a special and elusive field of research in vision, which represents an interesting challenge for cognitive science tools. With specific regard to the role of visual complexity, in this paper we present an experiment aimed to measure this dimension in a heterogeneous set of paintings. We compared perceived time complexity measures - based on a temporal estimation paradigm - with physical and statistical properties of the paintings, obtaining a strong correlation between psychological and computational results.

Time estimation in Alzheimer and the role of the central executive

The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of short-term memory and attention in time estimation. For this purpose we studied prospective time verbal estimation in 21 patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), and compared their performance with that of 21 matched normal controls in two different conditions: during a digit span task and during an attentional task. Results showed that the performance of AD patients was significantly worse than that of the controls; the interaction between group and condition was significant. We suggest a role of attentional-executive functions in prospective time estimation.

La robotica educativa come strumento di apprendimento e creatività

Does Attentional Style Moderate the Relationship between Time Perspective and Social Network Addiction? A Cross-Sectional Study on a Sample of Social Networking Sites Users

The present study investigates the role of attentional style as a moderator variable between temporal perspective and social network addiction, since little is known about users’ cognitive variables involved in this kind of addictive behavior. To achieve this goal, a sample of 186 volunteers and anonymous social networking sites users (M = 34%; F = 66%; Mage = 22.54 years; SD = 3.94; range: 18 ÷ 45 years) participated in a cross-sectional study. All participants filled out self-report instruments measuring temporal perspective, internal vs. external attentional style, and social network addiction. The results align with the previous literature and show that present fatalistic and past negat…

The Dimensions of Facebook Addiction as Measured by Facebook Addiction Italian Questionnaire and Their Relationships with Individual Differences

Abstract The studies reported analyze the factorial structure of Facebook Addiction Italian Questionnaire (FAIQ), a variant of 20-item Young's Internet Addiction Test (IAT). In Study 1, we tested FAIQ psychometric properties using exploratory factor analysis (EFA). In Study 2, we performed a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to verify the FAIQ factorial structure identified through EFA. Results from CFA confirm the presence of a four-factor model accounting for 58 percent of total variance, plus a general higher order factor that best fits the data. Further relationships between FAIQ factor scores, personality, and Facebook usage have been explored.

The relationship between fear of COVID-19 and intention to get vaccinated. The serial mediation roles of existential anxiety and conspiracy beliefs

Abstract Today, we witness the progress toward global COVID-19 vaccinations organized by countries worldwide. Experts say a mass vaccination plan is the only effective antidote against the spread of SARS-COV-2. However, a part of the world population refuses vaccination. The present study aimed to understand the impact of some individual variables on the intention to get vaccinated. Through a serial mediation model, we tested the influence of fear of COVID-19 on the intention to get vaccinated and the serial mediating effect of existential anxiety and conspiracy beliefs. Via a cross-sectional design this research was conducted with the participation of 223 French adults (Female: 69.5%; Male…

Temporal structure of rat behavior in the social interaction test

Differences in achievement not in intelligence in the north and south of Italy: Comments on

Abstract Lynn (2010a, 2010b) argued that individuals from south Italy have a lower IQ than individuals from north Italy, and that these differences in IQ are at the basis of north–south gap in income, education, infant mortality, stature, and literacy. In the present paper, we discuss several theoretical and methodological aspects which we regard as flaws of Lynn's studies. Moreover, we report scores of southern Italian children on Raven's Progressive Matrices and a north–south comparison for the PASS theory of intelligence as measured by the Cognitive Assessment System (Taddei & Naglieri, 2006). Both results reveal similar levels of performance of northern and southern Italian children in …

Quando il diario diventa virtuale: il personal blog ovvero esserci online

Il presente contributo esplora alcuni correlati psicologici del personal blog, de- finibile come un diario online. Il blogger crea facilmente il suo spazio in Rete, nel quale riporta e condivide con altre persone, gli eventi, i pensieri, le sensazioni, le emozioni della vita quotidiana. Tale strumento comunicativo, particolarmente dif- fuso fra i giovani, sembra così soddisfare il bisogno di esibire online la propria i- dentità, in contrasto con la tendenza opposta ad occultarla dietro l’anonimato o die- tro fantasiosi avatar, come accade ad esempio in Second Life.

Techno-stressed Teachers Are Responsible for the Digital Divide? Gender differences in the percevied levels of computers-anxiety, computer expertise, computer self-efficacy and internet attitude of an Italian Population

Comportamenti individuali e connettivi in Facebook: uno studio simulativo

Una riflessione pedagogica sulla qualità nel fare scuola-ricerca (Riferimenti bibliografici), in Gaetano Venza(a cura di), La qualità dell'Università. Un approccio psicosociale, Milano, Franco Angeli, 2008 Codice ISBN 13: 9788856802160

Facebook: topology to personality and back – an actor-based simulation.

Internet e Facebook. Addiction a confronto.

In questo studio pilota abbiamo misurato il livello di Internet Addiction dei soggetti sperimentali italiani in due condizioni: uso generale di Internet, ed uso specifico del SN Facebook, utilizzando la versione italiana di IAT sopra citata, e confrontato i risultati divisi per fasce di età.

Come è piccolo il mondo in rete: una ipotesi small-world sulla topologia di Facebook

In questo lavoro viene presentata una prima ipotesi di modellizzazione della struttura comunicativa e sociale di Facebook a partire dalle risposte fornite da un totale di 1001 utenti Facebook ad un questionario di self-report 1 appositamente predisposto. Oltre a fornire una serie di elementi sui meccanismi cognitivi, comunicativi e sociali nonché sulle motivazioni all’uso di Facebook, i suddetti dati hanno offerto la possibilità di verificare se la struttura topologica di Facebook può essere assimilabile ad una rete small-world.

Discovery of recurring behavioural sequences in Wistar rat social activity: Possible support to studies on Autism Spectrum Disorders.

This study was undertaken to investigate whether, in rat interactive activities, recurring sequences of behavioural events might be identified and how and to what extent each component of the pair is involved. To this aim, the multivariate temporal-pattern (t-pattern) analysis was applied to the social interactions of 9 pairs of male Wistar rats tested in open field. Interactive activities were classified into intra- and inter-subjects. Quantitative evaluations showed that intra-subject behavioural elements represented 62.37% and inter-subject ones 37.63% of the comprehensive behaviour. T-pattern analysis revealed the presence of 221 different t-patterns organized in four different categori…

On the Evaluation of Images Complexity: A Fuzzy Approach

The inherently multidimensional problem of evaluating the complexity of an image is of a certain relevance in both computer science and cognitive psychology. Computer scientists usually analyze spatial dimensions, to deal with automatic vision problems, such as feature-extraction. Psychologists seem more interested in the temporal dimension of complexity, to explore attentional models. Is it possible, by merging both approaches, to define an more general index of visual complexity? We have defined a fuzzy mathematical model of visual complexity, using a specific entropy function; results obtained by applying this model to pictorial images have a strong correlation with ones from an experime…

Psicologia Evoluzionistica e cognizione umana

Come scienza del comportamento la psicologia si è interessata, sin dalla sua nascita, dei modi attraverso cui ambiente e comportamento entrano in relazione. Nonostante il diffuso riconoscimento dello stretto legame esistente tra organismo e ambiente, soltanto negli ultimi anni i concetti della teoria darwiniana e della biologia sono entrati a pieno titolo nella ricerca e riflessione psicologica. Questo volume presenta un’ampia e articolata panoramica della «psicologia evoluzionistica», disciplina ormai alla base dei nuovi modelli teorici di interpretazione del comportamento umano e dei processi cognitivi, dalla percezione alle emozioni, al linguaggio, alle motivazioni, fino al pensiero e ra…

Time estimation in Alzheimer's disease and the role of the central executive.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of short-term memory and attention in time estimation. For this purpose we studied prospective time verbal estimation in 21 patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), and compared their performance with that of 21 matched normal controls in two different conditions: during a digit span task and during an attentional task. Results showed that the performance of AD patients was significantly worse than that of the controls; the interaction between group and condition was significant. We suggest a role of attentional-executive functions in prospective time estimation.

Do mental health and vitality mediate the relationship between perceived control over time and fear of COVID-19? A survey in an Italian sample

Several studies evidenced increased elevated symptomatology levels in anxiety, general stress, depression, and post-traumatic stress related to COVID-19. Real difficulties in the effective control of time that could be responsible for mental health issues and loss of vitality were also reported. Prior literature highlighted how perceived control over time significantly modulates anxiety disorders and promotes psychological well-being. To verify the hypothesis that perceived control over time predicts fear of COVID-19 and mental health and vitality mediate this relationship, we performed an online survey on a sample of 301 subjects (female = 68%; Mage = 22.12, SD = 6.29; age range = 18–57 ye…

La scuola secondaria di primo grado nei processi di innovazione

Emozioni e decisioni

Attentional vs computational complexity measures in observing paintings

TeamSim: An Educational Micro-World for the Teaching of Team Dynamics

In this paper we present an educational micro-world in which a learner can manipulate variables affecting the efficiency with which a team adapts to its environment. These include the structure of hierarchical relations within the team, the structure of the communications network, and other environmental parameters. Using the micro-world, the learner can design experiments (simulations) exploring notions in the dynamics of small groups. A freeware version of TeamSim is available from http:// laral.istc.cnr.it/gigliotta/.

On the evaluation of image complexity: a fuzzy approach

New frontiers for psychology and education: Robotics

The paper reviews the first attempts to study the educational and psychological usefulness of robotics: (1) the social and cooperative dimensions involved in the robot-building activities; (2) the reasoning strategies implied in building and programming robots; (3) the influences of robotics on mathematical and scientific achievement; (4) the use of robotics in modification of social skills of autistic children.

Come è piccolo il mondo in rete: una ipotesi small-world sulla topologia di Facebook

Il contributo descrive una prima ipotesi di modellizzazione della struttura comunicativa e sociale di Facebook, effettuata assimilando tale network sociale a una rete con topologia small-world di tipo scale free. La topologia small-world presenta una struttura analoga alle strutture dei sistemi biologici e sociali, alle reti di associazioni tra idee e concetti e ad alcuni network artificiali (quali internet e le rotte aeree), e consente di spiegare l’evoluzione di questi sistemi in termini di aggiunta, rimozione e modifica di parti. Per testare la nostra ipotesi abbiamo analizzato i profili di 1001 utenti Facebook selezionati su base volontaria (F = 70%; M = 30%; età media = 25.5; DS = 7.0;…

The Italian version of the Thinking About Life Experiences Questionnaire and its relationship with gender, age, and life events on Facebook

The present study provided a cross-cultural validation of the Thinking About Life Experiences Scale-revised (TALE-R) in an Italian sample of Facebook users (n = 492; female = 378; male = 114; mean age 26.1) to test for replication and universality of the TALE-R three-factor model. Furthermore, it explored the interrelations among gender, age, the scores at the TALE-R and the frequency of posting textual/visual information about individuals' life events on Facebook. Results at exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis gave empirical support to both of a tripartite model for the functions of autobiographical memory (i.e., directive-behavior, social-bonding, and self-continuity) and measure…

Perceived Importance of Neuroscientific Terms in Experimental Explanations. A Folk Psychology Pilot Study

A very well known set of experiments by Weisberg et al. Weisberg (2007) has shown that possible explanations of psychological phenomena by naïve subjects are rated as more satisfying when they contain neuroscientific information, even if such information is completely irrelevant to the phenomenon examined.

Effects of internal texture on cognitive preferences concerning rotational symmetry

This paper explores the effects of the internal texture of an image on cognitive preferences relative to symmetry detection in humans. We devised an experiment on human subjects, based on identification of the main symmetry in a geometrical shape while varying its internal texture, whose results have been compared with the analysis of a fuzzy model of symmetry search incorporating elements form human experience. Results are in agreement with the gestalt model: rotational symmetry detection is also affected by factors perceived as less significative, such as the stimulus' internal texture, and this preference can easily be included in an automatic detection algorithm.

Effects of the benzodiazepine inverse agonist FG7142 on the structure of anxiety-related behavior of male Wistar rats tested in hole board

Little is known about the structural characteristics of the behavior of rats with enhanced anxiety level. To fill this gap, a study was undertaken where effects of an anxiogenic drug were examined on behavioral structure of rats tested in hole board.This study investigates effects of increased anxiety level on the structure of the behavior of rats tested in hole board METHODS: Different doses of FG7142 (1, 4, 8 mg/kg IP), a potent anxiety-inducing drug, were administered to three groups of male Wistar rats. A further group was administered saline. Experiments were recorded through a digital camera. Quantitative and multivariate approaches were applied.Percent distributions and durations sho…

Decision Making in Evolving Artificial Systems

The theme of this workshop is artificial perception. In this chapter we will argue that the ecological function of perception is to serve decision-making. If this is so the mechanisms chosen to implement perception, in natural or artificial systems, will be constrained by the requirements of decision-making and theories of decision-making will inevitably influence theories of perception. In what follows we will look at decision-making from what we hope is a new perspective, applying concepts and techniques developed by what we will call “new artificial intelligence”. We will begin, in the second part of the chapter, with a review of traditional, “normative” theories of decision-making and o…

Development and Maintenance of Self-Disclosure on Facebook: The Role of Personality Traits

This study explored the relationships between Facebook self-disclosure and personality traits in a sample of Italian users. The aim was to analyze the predictive role of Big Five personality traits on different parameters of breadth and depth of self-disclosed behaviors online. Facebook users, aged between 18 and 64 years of age ( M age = 25.3 years, SD = 6.8; N = 958), of which 51% were female, voluntarily completed an online survey assessing personality traits and Facebook self-disclosure. Results at a series of hierarchical regression analyses significantly corroborated the hypotheses that high extroverted and openness people tend to disclose on Facebook a significant amount of personal …

La valutazione di qualità del servizio formativo universitario. Il caso del Dottorato di ricerca in Psicologia dell'Università di Palermo.

The attraction effect in an online shopping environment