Coping strategies: Evidence for cross-cultural differences? A preliminary study with the Italian version of coping orientations to problems experienced (COPE)

The internal structure of the COPE inventory (Carver, Scheier & Weintraub, 1989), a questionnaire which measures 15 different coping strategies, was studied. The Italian version of COPE was administered to 521 undergraduate students. Alpha and test-retest reliabilities were very similar to those obtained in the above American study. A rotated factor analysis resulted in 13 factors, which came out in a different order with respect to those obtained in the original study. A second-order factor analysis yielded five factors similar to those obtained by Carver etal., except for ‘Turning to religion’, which was present in the Italian study only. It is concluded that the Italian version of COPE has good construct validity and that the traditional taxonomy of coping strategies should also be studied in the light of transcultural differences.     

Working Memory Updating: Load and Binding

In the present study, we aimed to examine how specific objects are updated in working memory. We compared conditions in which contents or content-context bindings from working memory were both encoded and updated (Experiment 1). In addition, for bindings, we manipulated the memory load (i.e., number of contents) to maintain during updating. Results indicated that memory load did not specifically affect the process; rather, the content-context binding (vs. single contents) was critical in determining the increase in response latencies. Results were replicated even in Experiment 2, in which we manipulated the spatial locations of the to-be-recognized probes. Results showed evidence of a potential dissociation between updating of memory contents-only and content-context bindings. In addition, memory load and spatial coherence between phases and probe recognition did not interact with updating performance. Overall, results were taken as a contribution toward mapping the complex nature of the updating mechanism.     

Problematic internet use and academic achievement: a focus on interpersonal behaviours and academic engagement

In accordance with the Self-Determination Theory, the interpersonal behavior of others can support or thwart the basic psychological needs and influence the well-being of students. Furthermore, several studies have shown that problematic internet use has a negative influence on the academic field. However, no studies have investigated the impact of need-supportive and need-thwarting interpersonal behaviors (using the SDT theoretical framework) on internet addiction, academic engagement, and academic achievement. For this reason, the main purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between students’ perceptions of others’ behaviors that supported or thwarted their basic psychological needs, internet addiction, and academic engagement and the impact on academic achievement through two studies. In the first study, 889 students (age: M?=?20.26, SD?=?3.16), were used to investigate the dimensionality of the Italian version of the Interpersonal Behaviour Questionnaire (IBQ) and the reliability, convergent and concurrent validity. In the second study, 515 students (age: M?=?20.26, SD?=?3.16) were tested to investigate the mediating role of problematic internet use on the relationship between students’ perceptions of others’ behaviors that supported or thwarted their basic psychological needs and academic engagement and the impact on academic achievement. The results of the first study suggested that the Italian version of the IBQ shows good psychometric characteristics in the Italian context. The results of the second study confirmed the mediating role of problematic internet use and academic engagement as mediators between students’ perceptions of need-thwarting interpersonal behaviors and academic achievement.

     

When Training Becomes Incentive for Generative Living and Working Together in Organizations

This article has come about from two considerations: on one hand, living together in a work environment is becoming more and more challenging; on the other, training professionals at work represents a used and relevant action incentive in order to support and improve individual, group, and organizational development. In light of the fact that organizations are asking more and more complex questions, this work aims at developing a reflection on how adopting a certain perspective and educational method is particularly suitable to support the organization to achieve substantial outcomes, such as developing generative living and working together in organizations. In this article, we will analyze two illustrative cases, underlining evolution and learning process with a particular focus on the consequences of living and working together in organizations.     

Virtues and character strengths related to approach coping strategies of college students

The objectives of this study are: (1) to describe virtues, character strengths and coping strategies of college students; (2) to analyze the relationship between virtues, character strengths and coping strategies; and (3) to evaluate the predictive relationship between virtues and coping strategies. Ninety-one college students (98 % females), aged between 19 and 42 years (M = 23.5; SD = 4.0), completed questionnaires VIA Inventory of Strengths, and Coping Responses Inventory-Adult. Strong positive correlations were found between the six virtues and three coping strategies. Specifically, Wisdom presented a positive correlation with behavioral and cognitive approach coping. Sixteen strengths presented positive correlations with behavioral approach coping strategies and four strengths presented positive correlations with cognitive approach coping. Wisdom described 23 % of the variance in cognitive-approach coping, and Transcendence together with Temperance described 33.5 % of the variance in behavioral approach coping. We conclude that the college setting offers a rich opportunity for further studies of these relationships.     

Exploring the relationship between umbilical blood cord donation and the impact of social distance on altruism and trust

Allogeneic umbilical cord blood (UCB) donation is a pro-social behaviour directed to strangers that has a certain cost for the donor. Although the promotion of such behaviour is an important goal for many countries' health systems, little is known about the reasons that would lead to it. With this study, we explored how the impact of social closeness on altruism and trust could be related to UCB donation in a sample of new-mothers (N = 167). Participants played hypothetical Dictator and Trust games with socially close (e.g., parents) or distant (e.g., strangers) others. They donated more money to parents and siblings compared to cousins, friends and strangers and they trusted more parents, siblings and friends than cousins and strangers. Interestingly, the lower the impact of social closeness on altruism (i.e., generosity towards socially distant others), the higher the intention and the actual probability of UCB donation. A mediation analysis has shown that the relationship between social closeness on altruism and UCB donation was mediated by objective intention to donate (i.e., having followed all the procedures needed). These findings show that other-oriented motivations towards distant others might have important practical implications in identifying the targets of interventions for the promotion of UCB donation.     

Cognitive analysis of a case of pure dysgraphia

An Italian patient with a pure dysgraphia who incorrectly spelled words and nonwords is described. The spelling errors made by the patient were not affected by lexical factors (e.g., frequency, form class) and were qualitatively the same for words and nonwords. The pattern of writing performance is discussed in relation to current models of writing and, specifically, in relation to the role of the Output Grapheme Buffer and Phoneme-Grapheme Conversion in writing.     

A simple and inexpensive startle transducer with high output

A piezoelectric film material laminated to a sheet of flexible Plexiglas shows promise as a simple, high-performance startle transducer. It is an improvement over many other startle transducers because of its high output, insensitivity to vibrational and electrical artifacts, simplicity of instrumentation, and modest cost. Although discussed in terms of its application to measurement of the startle response, the material has potential for use in many situations that require a movement transducer.     

Parameters affecting gap detection in the rat

The present research used a startle amplitude reduction paradigm to investigate the ability of the rat’s auditory system to track rapidly changing acoustic transients. Specifically examined was the ability of brief gaps in otherwise continuous noise to reduce the amplitude of a subsequently elicited acoustic startle reflex. The duration of the gap, time between gap offsetand startle elicitation (the interstimulus interval or ISI), and rise-fall characteristics of the gap were systematically varied. Consistent with previous research, gaps reliably reduced startle amplitude. Gaps 2 msec long were reliably detected, and a 50-msec ISI resulted in the greatest amplitude reduction. Gaps presented at short ISIs produced amplitude reduction that followed a different time course than did gaps presented at longer ISIs. These results may reflect differences in the length oftime available for the processing of the stimulus and may involve two different processes.