The Contribution of Personality and Intelligence Toward Cognitive Competences in Higher Education

Personality and cognition are found to be two interrelated concepts and to both have a predictive power on educational and life outcomes. With this study we aimed at evaluating the extent to which personality traits interact with cognition in acquiring cognitive competences during higher education. In a sample of university students at different stages of their career and from different fields of study, we collected Big Five traits, as a measure of personality, and Intelligent Quotient (IQ), as a proxy of cognition. A set of multiple regressions served to explore the relative contribution of IQ and personality traits on the performance on two cognitive competences tests: literacy and numeracy. Results showed that IQ highly modulated numeracy but had a moderate or no impact on literacy while, compared with IQ, personality affects literacy more. In a further explorative analysis, we observed that both the effects of personality and IQ on cognitive competences were modulated by the level of the students' career (freshmen, undergraduates, and bachelor graduates). Different traits, and particularly conscientiousness, increased or decreased their impact on achieved scores depending on the educational level, while IQ lost its effect in undergraduates suggesting that personal dispositions become more influential in advancing the academic carrier. Finally, the field of study resulted to be a predictor of numeracy, but also an important covariate altering the pattern of personality impact

For Leaders to be Transformational, They Must Think Imaginatively

In the current article, it is argued that individual differences in imaginative thinking may predict transformational leadership. Transformational leaders create a vision for the future, which they must imagine. Moreover, being able to imagine differences in thinking and behavior may aid in the development of more transformation leaders via guided reflection on their leadership practices. Ultimately, assessment of individual differences in imaginative thinking may be useful in recruitment of leaders

Understanding the factors that determine workplace coaching effectiveness: a systematic literature review

Meta-analytic results have established that workplace coaching is effective, however, little is known about the determinants of coaching effectiveness. This paper reports an inclusive systematic literature review, covering the quantitative and qualitative research on workplace coaching. We focus on seven promising areas in the current workplace coaching literature that emerged by the synthesis of 117 empirical studies: self-efficacy, coaching motivation, goal orientation, trust, interpersonal attraction, feedback intervention, and supervisory support. The major contribution of our paper is the systematic integration of well-established theoretical constructs in the workplace coaching context and the new insights we provide in the synthesis of these literatures. Based on our review we provide specific recommendations to be addressed in future research, including recommended research methodologies, which we propose will significantly progress the field of workplace coaching theory and practice

Cognitive-experiential self theory and conflict-handling styles: Rational and constructive experiential systems are related to the integrating and compromising conflict-handling styles

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine how the rational and experiential systems according to the cognitive-experiential self theory (CEST) are related to conflict-handling styles. Design/methodology/approach: Using a correlational design, data were collected using an on-line survey system examining CEST information-processing systems and five conflict-handling styles. A total of 426 undergraduate students, with paid jobs, complete the on-line survey. Findings: Results showed that the rational system, experiential system and constructive thinking had significant positive relationships with both the integrating and compromising conflict-handling styles. Additionally, the rational system had a positive relationship with the dominating conflict-handling style and the experiential system and constructive thinking had a positive relationship with the obliging conflict-handling style. The rational system and constructive thinking had a negative relationship with the avoiding conflict-handling style. Research limitations/implications: The study established a positive connection between CEST information-processing systems and conflict-handling styles among undergraduate students, however the results of the study may not be as directly comparable with real and established leaders. Originality/value: Being the first study to examine the connection between the CEST information-processing systems and the five conflict-handling styles, the paper offers interesting insights about how the choice of information-processing systems can influence the choice of conflict-handling styles across a wide range of situations

Scrivere nell’era digitale: un contributo alla ricerca psicolinguistica tra penne e tastiere

Il cambio radicale delle abitudini di scrittura negli ultimi decenni e la sempre crescente spinta all’integrazione della tecnologia a scuola hanno incoraggiato questo percorso in cui ricerca linguistica, cognitiva ed educativa si interrogano sui processi di produzione scritta in relazione allo strumento di scrittura, ambito poco esplorato ma di attuale importanza. In virtù dell’esperienza del prof. Job in questi ambiti di ricerca, il suo contributo allo sviluppo metodologico e alla riflessione teorica è stato molto più che prezioso. La sua attenzione verso una psicologia del linguaggio aperta alla rivoluzione digitale e al Human-Computer Interaction, dimostrata sia nel suo lavoro di ricerca che in quello didattico, è stata di incoraggiamento per la giovane studentessa che ero, ed è di esempio per la ricercatrice che ambisco a diventare. Nei paragrafi seguenti, vengono illustrate brevemente le principali riflessioni, evidenze empiriche e ricerche in corso svolte insieme fino ad oggi