1,721,015 research outputs found
Psychometric properties and gender invariance for the dickman impulsivity inventory
No full textImpulsivity has been recognized as an important personality trait associated with both positive and negative outcomes. Dickman (1990) identified two main dimensions of the construct (functional and dysfunctional impulsivity) and developed an instrument for their assessment, the Dickman Impulsivity Inventory. In this work the questionnaire was administered to a sample of Italian students and data were analyzed in order to test the psychometric characteristics of the instrument in the Italian context. Reliability was tested through KR-20 and composite reliability coefficients, while validity was verified considering IVE (Impulsiveness, Venturesomeness, and Empathy questionnaire) and EPQ-R (Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Revised). Factor structure was assessed through exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis (EFA and CFA), while multiple-group analyses were performed in order to test gender invariance. Results revealed adequate values for reliability and validity coefficients, confirmed the twofactor structure, and supported partial strict invariance. Gender differences, however, were detected on factor means and the factor covariance
The mediating role of values between personality and religiosity
No full textThe aim of this work was to examine the relationships between Eysenck’s personality traits (psychoticism, extraversion and neuroticism), Schwartz’s values, and religiosity. To this purpose a sample of Italian teenagers (N = 343; mean age 15.43, SD = 1.023) were asked to fill out a battery of questionnaires and, a structural equation model was tested, where the mediating role of Schwartz’s values between personality traits, and religiosity was accurately analysed. Results showed that all personality traits considered had relevant direct and/or indirect effects on religious experience, mediated by values
A contribution toward the validation of the Junior Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Revised (JEPQ-R) in the Italian context. Functioning and meaning of the Lie scale: Social desirability bias, social conformity, and religiosity.
No full textThe aim of the thesis was to provide a contribution toward the validation of the Junior Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Revised (JEPQ-R) in the Italian context, providing in addition further evidence about the meaning and functioning of its Lie scale (social desirability scale).
The first theoretical and introductory chapters of the essay are devoted to describing the main theories in the field of personality psychology. Great attention has been addressed to traits theories and to the development of personality. Furthermore special attention has been devoted to the Eysenck model, well-known as "Giants Three" or PEN model, because of the names of the three main dimensions (or traits) at the basis of the theory: Psychoticism (or tough-mindedness), Extraversion (as opposed to introversion ) and Neuroticism (as opposed to emotional stability). The experimental part, instead, has been organized into four main studies.
The first, specifically, was aimed to provide a contribution toward the validation of the Junior Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Revised (JEPQ-R) in the Italian context. To this purpose in the first step of the research the instrument was translated from English to Italian and afterward back-translated by a native English speaker, for the assessment of linguistic and cultural equivalence. Finally the questionnaire was administered to a large sample of adolescents (N = 595) aged between 13 and 17, and data were analyzed in order to test the metric characteristics of the instrument. Specifically reliability, validity, factor structure and its metric invariance (across genders and two age classes: 13-15 and 16-17) were tested; results supported the adequacy of the metric characteristics of the instrument as well as its invariance. Analyses suggested that scales have the same meaning across groups and reliability coefficients were in line with the results of the original version. Moreover validity coefficients of PEN-L scale, assessed in relation to another well-known validated questionnaire, such as: BFQ-2, provided support to the adequacy of the questionnaire.
Further studies, moreover, were performed in order to better understand the functioning and meaning of the Lie scale of the questionnaire. Specifically, the second study analyzed in detail the factor structure of the scale and its strong invariance across two conditions: standard and "fake-good" instructions. Results supported the one-factor solution and its invariance. The third study was, instead, aimed to verify the effectiveness of Lie scale in identifying dissimulation tendencies. In this study the abbreviated version of the questionnaire (JEPQR-Abbreviated), comprising 24 items only (six items for each scale: PEN-Lie), was used. In the first part of the research the adequacy of the metric characteristics of the questionnaire (reliability and factor structure) was evaluated, while, subsequently some analyses were performed in order to test the effectiveness of the scale as fake-detector. Analyses were performed comparing self and informant-report and results suggested a limited effectiveness of the scale in assessing dissimulation tendencies, providing, on the contrary, some support for an interpretation more tied to a social conformity disposition. This suggestion was finally tested in the fourth study. In this research a structural equation model was tested in order to explore relations between three religiosity facets (intrinsic orientation, extrinsic orientation, and quest orientations), PEN traits and Lie scale, conceived as a social conformity measure. The relationship between social desirability scales and religiosity, even though rather controversial, is in fact well known in literature. In this study it was, therefore, suggested that this curious relationship could be better explained, conceiving Lie scale as the measure of a social acquiescence disposition. Specifically, in the study it was assumed that the relationship between PEN-L traits and religiosity could be mediated by four sets of values described in the Schwartz model (second-order factors: openness to change, conservatism, self-transcendence, and self-enhancement). In particular, it was hypothesized that the Lie scale, representing a social conformity measure, would have reported strong relations with conservatism-related values (security, tradition, conformity), which in turn were expected to show a role in religious experience. These assumptions were substantially supported by the empirical data of the present work and moreover some contributions were provided about the controversial relations, described in literature, between PEN traits and religiosity.
The thesis ends with a summary of the main results and with a comprehensive and systematic discussion about the main findings obtained in the research.Lo scopo della tesi è stato quello di fornire un contributo alla validazione del questionario Junior Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Revised (JEPQ-R) nel contesto italiano, approfondendo inoltre il significato e il funzionamento della scala Lie (scala di desiderabilità sociale) in esso contenuta.
Nella parte iniziale dell’elaborato alcuni capitoli teorici e introduttivi sono stati dedicati a delineare le principali teorizzazioni nell’ambito della psicologia della personalità. Dopo un excursus volto a chiarire le principali teorie sull’argomento, ampio spazio è stato dedicato alle teorie dei tratti e alle formulazioni rivolte all’età evolutiva. Inoltre una speciale attenzione è stata indirizzata al modello di Eysenck, noto anche come modello “Giants Three” o modello PEN, dal nome delle tre dimensioni (o tratti) alla base della teoria: Psicoticismo (o mentalità dura), Estroversione (opposta all’introversione) e Nevroticismo (opposto alla stabilità emotiva).
La parte empirica dell’elaborato è stata, invece, articolata in quattro principali studi. Il primo, in particolare, è stato dedicato a fornire un contributo alla validazione del questionario Junior Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Revised (JEPQ-R) nel contesto italiano. A tale scopo il questionario è stato dapprima tradotto dall’inglese e successivamente sottoposto al vaglio di un esperto madrelingua che potesse valutare l’equivalenza culturale e linguistica della versione tradotta. Il questionario è stato, infine, somministrato ad un campione di adolescenti (N=595) di età compresa tra i 13 e i 17 anni ed i dati raccolti sono stati accuratamente analizzati al fine di testare le caratteristiche metriche dello strumento. In particolare sono state verificate attendibilità, validità, struttura fattoriale e invarianza metrica delle scale attraverso generi (maschie e femmine) e classi di età (13-15 e 16-17 anni). I risultati hanno confermato l’adeguatezza delle caratteristiche metriche dello strumento e la sua invarianza. Le analisi hanno chiarito che le scale hanno lo stesso significato nei diversi gruppi considerati e i coefficienti di affidabilità si sono dimostrati in linea con quelli della versione originale. Inoltre i coefficienti di validità, calcolati utilizzando come strumento di confronto il noto questionario BFQ-2 (Big Five Questionnaire-2), hanno fornito supporto all’adeguatezza del questionario JEPQ-R.
I successivi studi sono stati dedicati, invece, ad approfondire funzionamento e significato della scala Lie del questionario. In particolare il secondo studio ha verificato attentamente la struttura fattoriale della scala e la sua invarianza scalare attraverso due condizioni: istruzioni standard e istruzioni “fake-good”. I risultati hanno confermato la struttura mono-fattoriale della scala e la sua invarianza.
Il terzo studio è stato finalizzato a verificare l’efficacia della scala Lie nell’identificare le tendenze a dissimulare. In questo studio è stata utilizzata la versione abbreviata del questionario (JEPQR-Abbreviated), composta da 24 item (6 item per ogni scala: PEN-Lie). Nella prima parte della ricerca è stata valutata l’adeguatezza delle caratteristiche metriche del questionario (attendibilità e struttura fattoriale). Successivamente, invece, alcune analisi sono state effettuate al fine di testare l’efficacia della scala come fake-detector. Le analisi sono state condotte confrontando self e informant-report ed hanno permesso di attribuire alla scala una limitata capacità di valutare le tendenze a dissimulare, suggerendo che lo strumento possa essere meglio inteso come una misura di conformismo sociale. Tale possibilità è stata, infine, verificata nel quarto studio. In questa ricerca attraverso un modello di equazioni strutturali sono state esplorate le relazioni fra tre orientamenti religiosi (religiosità intrinseca, estrinseca e quest), i tratti PEN e la scala Lie, interpretata come misura di conformismo sociale. La relazione tra scale di desiderabilità sociale e religiosità è, infatti, ben nota in letteratura anche se piuttosto controversa. Nello studio è stato quindi ipotizzato che tale curiosa relazione possa essere meglio spiegata attribuendo alla scala Lie un significato non tanto legato alla misurazione della dissimulazione ma piuttosto al conformismo sociale. In particolare nello studio si è ipotizzato che le relazioni tra i tratti PEN-L e la religiosità fossero mediate dai quattro orientamenti valoriali descritti nel modello di Schwartz (fattori di secondo ordine: Apertura al cambiamento, Autoaffermazione, Autotrascendenza e Conservatorismo). Nello specifico è stato ipotizzato che la scala Lie, rappresentando la misura di un tratto di acquiescenza sociale, avrebbe riportato forti legami con i valori di conservatorismo (sicurezza, tradizione, rispetto delle convenzioni), che si riteneva avrebbero dimostrato a loro volta di essere legati all’esperienza religiosa. Tali ipotesi sono state supportate dai dati empirici, che, inoltre, hanno chiarito anche i controversi legami descritti in letteratura tra i tratti PEN e la religiosità.
Il lavoro si conclude con un sommario dei principali risultati ottenuti e con una discussione generale che mette in luce i punti di maggiore interesse con un approccio globale ed organico
Response to the Letter to the Editor on “A Worldwide Internet Study Based on Implicit Association Test Revealed a Higher Prevalence of Adult Males’ Androphilia Than Ever Reported Before”
No full textBackground: Social constrictions or the lack of a clear awareness about one's sexual orientation may influence the ability of individuals to explicitly declare their sexual preferences. Thus, the actual prevalence of males’ sexual attraction toward adult males, which is estimated by studies relying only on explicit questionnaires, may be biased. Conversely, the implicit measurement of androphilia may be a promising method to obtain more reliable data. Aim: In the present work, explicit and implicit methods have been used to investigate the rates of explicit nonheterosexuality and implicit androphilia in a large sample of adult males from all around the world. For implicit androphilia, a rate consistent across the continents and close to that predicted by recent genetic models (about 15%) was expected. In contrast, for self-declared homosexuality, a lower and more variable rate was expected. Methods: A sample of 1,050 participants was recruited through an online platform. All participants completed a short biographical questionnaire, an Autobiographical-Implicit Association Test, the Sexual Preference-Implicit Association Test, and an explicit measure of sexual orientation. The answers to these measures were used to explore explicit sexual orientation and implicit androphilia across six main geographical areas (Middle East and Africa, South America, North America, Asia, Europe, and Oceania). Outcomes: The main outcome measures were the D score at the Sexual Preference-Implicit Association Test and the scores at the explicit measure of sexual orientation. Results: The rate of nonheterosexuality, which can be found using explicit measures, is rather low, variable (from 6.3% to 11.4%), and influenced by cultural factors. In contrast, the prevalence of androphilia resulting from implicit methods is higher and consistent across geographical areas (from 14.4% to 17.6%). Clinical Implications: Studying the diffusion of adult males’ androphilia may be useful to better understand sexual behaviors and preferences and to develop effective health promotion programs among males who have sex with males. Strengths & Limitations: The large and cross-cultural sample and the use of both implicit and explicit measures allowed for obtaining a detailed picture of adult males’ sexual orientation and androphilia. The main limitations were the Web-based characteristics of the protocol and the lack of an investigation of actual sexual behaviors. Conclusion: Compared with the explicit measurement of nonheterosexuality, the implicit measurement of sexual preferences showed a prevalence of androphilia among adult males that is higher, more stable across continents, and more consistent with the predictions of recent genetic models. Colledani D, A. Camperio Ciani Worldwide Internet Study Based on Implicit Association Test Revealed a Higher Prevalence of Adult Males' Androphilia than Ever Reported Before. J Sex Med 2021;18:4–16
“Doing Well by Doing Good”: When and How Volunteering Fosters Hedonic and Eudaimonic Well-Being
No full textResearch has supported the hypothesis that volunteering enhances volunteers’ well-being. However, more clarity is needed regarding the link between volunteering and the various facets of well-being (i.e., hedonic vs eudaimonic) and the mechanisms that favor the increase of the various facets of well-being in volunteers. One hundred and seventy-five volunteers serving in various organizations were involved in the study. First, the results showed that the volunteers perceived that their satisfaction with life had significantly changed as a result of doing voluntary work. In addition, the results showed that the link between self-determined types of motivation and eudaimonic well-being is mediated by engagement. Engagement also mediated the positive effects of motivation on satisfaction with volunteering, which in turn acted as a second-order mediator on the relationship between self-determined types of motivation and hedonic well-being. Suggestions are given for promoting those organizational conditions that may favor self-determined types of motivation and engagement
EXPLORING FEMALE SEXUAL PREFERENCES WORLDWIDE: GYNEPHILIA, NON-HETEROSEXUALITY AND FLUIDITY
No full textAbstract
Introduction
Social influences and a lack of clear self-awareness might hinder women from openly disclosing their non-heterosexual orientation. Implicit methods may offer more dependable data in such cases.
Objective
This study explored non-heterosexuality and gynephilia in a large, worldwide sample of women, using both implicit and explicit methods. Implicit measures would exhibit consistency across different cultures, while explicit measures were anticipated to vary due to social influences.
Methods
A total of 491 women were recruited via an online platform to partake in this cross-sectional study. Each participant, expressed consent to partecipate, completed a brief biographical questionnaire, the Autobiographical-Implicit Association Test (A-IAT), the Sexual Preference-Implicit Association Test (SP-IAT), and an explicit measure of sexual orientation. These responses were analyzed to investigate explicit sexual orientation and implicit gynephilia across six major geographical regions (Middle East and Africa, South America, North America, Asia, Europe, and Oceania). In the subsequent phase, 263 participants completed a new implicit sexual orientation measure (Autobiographical Sexual Orientation-Implicit Association Test, ASO-IAT) and provided information on their sexual behaviors through two questions. Additionally, participants were asked about their subjective assessments of the stimuli presented in the SP-IAT.
Results
Implicit measures revealed a higher prevalence of gynephilia (67.8%) compared to explicit non-heterosexuality (19.6%), with consistent findings observed across continents. These results imply that women may experience attraction towards other women even if it doesn’t always translate into a desire for sexual encounters. Furthermore, the findings indicate a notable degree of sexual fluidity within the female population.
Conclusions
Compared with explicit assessments of non-heterosexuality, implicit measures appear to be less influenced by social factors. However, while androphilia is a prerequisite for non-heterosexuality in men, gynephilia is not necessarily a proxy of non-heterosexuality in women. Women also reveal a greater propensity for sexual fluidity than men
ASSESSMENT OF THE PROXIMITY OF CLOTHING TO SELF SCALE FOR ADOLESCENTS IN THE ITALIAN CONTEXT
No full textThis paper presents the results of one of the first Italian works in the field of social psychology of dress. The work aims at investigating the psychometric properties of the Proximity of Clothing to Self (PCS) scale in the Italian context and at exploring the relationships of its subscales with gender, socioeconomic status, and average spending on clothing. The PCS scale was administered to a sample of 444 individuals attending the high school. The results showed that the Italian version of the PCS scale has a 4-factor 20-item structure. No significant differences emerged between the socioeconomic status, whereas gender was found to moderate the relationships between the score at the PCS scale and the average spending on clothing. Discussion
of findings and recommendations for future research are presented
Development of a scale for capturing psychological aspects of physical-digital integration: relationships with psychosocial functioning and facial emotion recognition
Full text linkThe present work aims at developing a scale for the assessment of a construct that we called "physical-digital integration", which refers to the tendency of some individuals not to perceive a clear differentiation between feelings and perceptions that pertain to the physical or digital environment. The construct is articulated in four facets: identity, social relationships, time-space perception, and sensory perception. Data from a sample of 369 participants were collected to evaluate factor structure (unidimensional model, bifactor model, correlated four-factor model), internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha, McDonald's omega), and correlations of the physical-digital integration scale with other measures. Results showed that the scale is valid and internally consistent, and that both the total score and the scores at its four subscales are worthy of consideration. The physical-digital integration scores were found to be differently associated with digital and non-digital behaviors, individuals' ability to read emotions in the facial expressions of others, and indicators of psychosocial functioning (anxiety, depression, and satisfaction with social relationships). The paper proposes a new measure whose scores are associated with several variables that may have relevant consequences at both individual and social levels
Machine learning-decision tree classifiers in psychiatric assessment: An application to the diagnosis of major depressive disorder
No full textThis work illustrates the advantages of using machine learning classifiers in psychiatric assessment. Machine learning-decision trees (ML-DTs) represent a new approach to scoring and interpreting psychodiagnostic test data that allows for increasing assessment accuracy and efficiency. The approach is outlined in an easy yet detailed way, and its application is illustrated on real psychodiagnostic test data. Specifically, cross-sectional data concerning nonclinical and clinical Japanese populations were taken from a panel registered with an internet survey company. Responses to the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) underwent receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, DSM algorithm, and ML-DT analyses. The results showed greater diagnostic accuracy for ML-DT (0.71–0.75) compared with the DSM algorithm (0.69) and ROC curves (0.70–0.71). Moreover, ML-DT enabled classifying participants as having or not having a diagnosis of depression using, on average, the information from 2.99 out of 9 items (SD = 1.35). The application showed that ML-DTs can provide information of high clinical value to integrate traditional psychometric methods. The resulting assessments are informative, accurate, and efficient
Using item response theory for the development of a new short form of the Eysenck personality questionnaire-revised
No full textThe present work aims at developing a new version of the short form of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Revised, which includes Psychoticism, Extraversion, Neuroticism, and Lie scales (48 items, 12 per scale). The work consists of two studies. In the first one, an item response theory model was estimated on the responses of 590 individuals to the full-length version of the questionnaire (100 items). The analyses allowed the selection of 48 items well discriminating and distributed along the latent continuum of each trait, and without misfit and differential item functioning. In the second study, the functioning of the new form of the questionnaire was evaluated in a different sample of 300 individuals. Results of the two studies show that reliability of the four scales is better than, or equal to that of the original forms. The new version outperforms the original one in approximating scores of the full-length questionnaire. Moreover, convergent validity coefficients and relations with clinical constructs were consistent with literature
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