How self-regulated learning strategies interfere between metacognitions and decisional procrastination

Generally conceptualized as a failure of performance, procrastination has been a central focus of psycho-educational research. Among the various facets of the construct, decisional procrastination has been scarcely analyzed in relation with self-regulated learning strategies. Assuming a cognitive standpoint we investigated the linkage between decisional procrastination and metacognitive beliefs about procrastination, taking into account self-regulated learning strategies as potential mediators. A sample of 296 undergraduate students filled out a questionnaire measuring metacognitive beliefs about procrastination, concentration on academic tasks and interests in academic success, and decisional procrastination. The hypothesized model was partially confirmed: Results from structural equation model indicated that: (1) positive metacognitive beliefs about procrastination had an adverse impact on both concentration and interests; (2) concentration mediated the relationship between positive metacognitions and decisional procrastination. Although the results were preliminary in nature, they provided a basis for examining procrastination as a barrier to academic success. Some professional indications for education were suggested

Factores motivacionales relacionados con la agresividad en las artes marciales

Hasta hoy, muchas investigaciones sobre las diferencias individuales en las artes marciales han mostrado efectos tanto positivos como negativos de este deporte sobre los comportamientos antisociales. La finalidad del presente trabajo cross-seccional fue analizar un modelo de mediación en donde la orientación motivacional, la motvación autodeterminada y la deportividad son factores predictivos de la agresividad. Artistas marciales italianos (N = 366) completaron un cuestionario para medir la orientación motivacional (TEOSQ), la motivación autodeterminada (SMS), la deportividad (MSOS) y la agresividad (AQ). La path analysis confirma el modelo hipotetizado: la motivación autodeterminada y la deportividad median la relación entre la orientación motivacional y la agresividad. Los resultados sugieren que estos factores pueden ayudar a comprender las consecuencias psicosociales de las artes marciales.This study was aimed at testing a meditational model in which goal orientation, self-determined motivation, and sportspersonship werepredictive factors of aggressiveness. Italian martial artists (N = 366; Mage = 29.53, SD = 9.107; Men = 325, Female = 41) were asked to fill in a questionnaire assessing sport orientation, sport motivation, sportspersonship, and aggressiveness. The path analysis supported the hypothesized model: self-determined motivation mediates the relationship between motivational orientations and sportspersonhip, which in turn mediates the relationship between motivation and aggressiveness. The results suggest considering these motivational factors in order to plan interventions to prevent aggressiveness among athletes.A finalidade do trabalho foi analisar um modelo de mediação no qual a orientação motivacional, a motivação auto-determinada e o desportivismo eram factores preditores da agressividade. Praticantes de artes marciais italianos (N = 366; Midade = 29.53 anos, DP = 9.107; Homens = 325, Mulheres = 41) completaram um questionário para medir a orientação motivacional, a motivação auto-determinada, o desportivismo e a agressividade. A path analysis confirmou o modelo testado: a motivação auto-determinada medeia a relação entre a orientação motivacional e o desportivismo que por seu turno medeia a relação entre a motivação e a agressividade. Os resultados sugerem que se deveria intervir sobre os factores motivacionais para prevenir a agressividade entre os atletas

Validation of the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale - Short-Form (IGDS9-SF) in an Italian-speaking sample

Background and aims: The inclusion of Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) in Section III of the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders has increased the interest of researchers in the development of new standardized psychometric tools for the assessment of such a disorder. To date, the nine-item Internet Gaming Disorder Scale - Short-Form (IGDS9-SF) has only been validated in English, Portuguese, and Slovenian languages. Therefore, the aim of this investigation was to examine the psychometric properties of the IGDS9-SF in an Italian-speaking sample. Methods: A total of 757 participants were recruited to the present study. Confirmatory factor analysis and multi-group analyses were applied to assess the construct validity. Reliability analyses comprised the average variance extracted, the standard error of measurement, and the factor determinacy coefficient. Convergent and criterion validities were established through the associations with other related constructs. The receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was used to determine an empirical cut-off point. Results: Findings confirmed the singlefactor structure of the instrument, its measurement invariance at the configural level, and the convergent and criterion validities. Satisfactory levels of reliability and a cut-off point of 21 were obtained. Discussion and conclusions: The present study provides validity evidence for the use of the Italian version of the IGDS9-SF and may foster research into gaming addiction in the Italian context

The Revised Identity Style Inventory: Factor Structure and Validity in Italian Speaking Students

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the factor structure and convergent and discriminant validity of scores on an Italian translation of the Revised Identity Style Inventory (ISI-5) with samples of 237 adolescents (50 males, Mage = 18.04, SD = .86) and 268 university students (42 males, Mage = 22.71, SD = 3.70). Confirmatory Factor Analysis indicated that a three-factor solution provided a good fit, which was invariant across age and sex groups. The theoretically relationships between scores on the ISI and scores on measures of reasoning and identity processes, identity commitment, and social desirability were partially consistent, thus further studies are needed to give more evidence to the convergent and discriminant validity

Sportspersonship in martial arts.

Studies on psychological outcomes related to individual differences have increased showing contradictory results, especially in martial arts. The difficulty to provide conclusive evidence for the psychological outcomes of martial arts practice and to determine if and to what extent martial arts trainings explain the above mentioned effects needs a more in-depth analysis of those dispositional aspects which can impact adaptive behaviors in terms of sportspersonship. Since no studies on sportspersonship and goal orientations has been carried out in the specific context of martial arts, the current research aimed at examining the role of goal orientations and trait aggressiveness as predictors of sportspersonship. A cross-sectional study was conducted. 389 Italian martial artists (Mage = 29.60, SD = 9.22) completed a questionnaire composed of four sections: a socio-anagraphic section, the Multidimensional Sportspersonship Orientations Scale, the Task and Ego Orientation in Sport Questionnaire, and the Aggression Questionnaire. Descriptive and casual analyses were applied to data. The expected hypotheses were generally confirmed. Results suggested that ego orientation and trait aggressiveness negatively predicted sportspersonship, whereas task orientation positively predicted a sportspersonship attitude. In sum, this research contributed to a better identification of the dispositional factors which prevent antisocial behaviors, especially in the context of martial arts

Self-control and aggressiveness as mediating factors between motivational orientations and sportspersonship

In light of the increasing propensity toward unsportsmanlike behaviours that have caused the failure of the notion of fair play, this research tested a causal model of theoretically-predicted antecedents of sportspersonship, in which the two trait-related personality factors, self-control and aggressiveness, mediated the relationship between motivational orientations and sportspersonship. After examining the five-factor structure of the Multidimensional Sportspersonship Orientation Scale in a first sample of Italian athletes (n = 371, M age = 26.57), the resulting 20-item four-factor model proved to be satisfactory and reliable. In a second sample (n = 814, M age = 25.96) the proposed empirically-based model confirmed the important role played by self-control in mediating the relationship between ego orientation, aggressiveness, and sportspersonship. In terms of practical implications, the findings provide a more comprehensive conceptualization of the factors that differentiate the inter- and intra-individual characteristics in sportspersonship, thus allowing practitioners to develop effective intervention programs addressed to athletes

The use of digital technologies, impulsivity and psychopathological symptoms in adolescence

Abstract: Background and aims: Past research on the associations between psychopathological symptoms and technological-based addictions, i.e., Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) and Social Media Addiction (SMA), showed contradictory results in adolescents and adult populations. The present study investigated correlations between adolescents’ psychopathological risks and impulsivity, IGD and SMA. Methods: A sample of 656 participants (338 males; Mage = 16.32 years) was divided into three age groups (early, mid-, and late adolescence) and completed a battery of scales comprising the (i) Internet Gaming Disorder Scale–Short Form, (ii) Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale, (iii) Barratt Impulsiveness Scale for Adolescents, and (iv) Symptom Checklist-90-R. Results: The significance of the correlations was not corroborated in the basic tables. Significant associations appeared only in the adolescent subgroups, sometimes for bivariate and sometimes for partial correlations and with different patterns of associations between males and females. Moreover, both technological addictions were correlated with impulsiveness in bivariate and partial correlations. Discussion and conclusions: Following a developmentally-oriented approach to determine the patterns of associations between technological behavioral addictions and psychopathology in the specific sub-phases of early-, mid- and late-adolescence, this exploratory research showed how these associations might change depending on the developmental phase and gender of the individual. Future research is needed to provide empirical evidence of specific emotional–psychopathological correlations

Short-Term Orchestral Music Training Modulates Hyperactivity and Inhibitory Control in School-Age Children: A Longitudinal Behavioural Study

Survey studies have shown that participating in music groups produces several benefits, such as discipline, cooperation and responsibility. Accordingly, recent longitudinal studies showed that orchestral music training has a positive impact on inhibitory control in school-age children. However, most of these studies examined long periods of training not always feasible for all families and institutions and focused on children’s measures ignoring the viewpoint of the teachers. Considering the crucial role of inhibitory control on hyperactivity, inattention and impulsivity, we wanted to explore if short orchestral music training would promote a reduction of these impulsive behaviors in children. This study involved 113 Italian children from 8 to 10 years of age. 55 of them attended 3 months of orchestral music training. The training included a 2-hour lesson per week at school and a final concert. The 58 children in the control group did not have any orchestral music training. All children were administered tests and questionnaires measuring inhibitory control and hyperactivity near the beginning and end of the 3-month training period. We also collected information regarding the levels of hyperactivity of the children as perceived by the teachers at both time points. Children in the music group showed a significant improvement in inhibitory control. Moreover, in the second measurement the control group showed an increase in self-reported hyperactivity that was not found in the group undergoing the music training program. This change was not noticed by the teachers, implying a discrepancy between self-reported and observed behavior at school. Our results suggest that even an intense and brief period of orchestral music training is sufficient to facilitate the development of inhibitory control by modulating the levels of self-reported hyperactivity. This research has implications for music pedagogy and education especially in children with high hyperactivity. Future investigations will test whether the findings can be extended to children diagnosed with ADHD

Associations Between Personality Traits, Perceived Stress and Depressive Symptoms in Gynecological Cancer Patients Characterized by the Short and Long Allele Variant of the 5-HTTLPR Genotype: Preliminary Results

Objective: The study explored associations between personality traits, perceived stress and symptoms of depression in oncological patients characterized by the two variants of the serotonin transporter (5-HTTLPR) polyrnorphisms.Method: The sample was composed of 41 gynecological cancer patients who completed self-reported questionnaires including the NEO Five-Factor Inventory, the dimension of depression-dejection (D/D) of the Profile of Moods State and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). The polymerase chain reaction was also employed to identify genotypes in the serotonin (5HTT) polymorphism.Results: The one-way ANOVA test, across the 5-HTTLPR genotype groups, showed significant effects of the short variants on neuroticism (p=0.009) and of the long variant on agreeableness (p=0.022), as well as a tendency to a statistical significance of the 1/1 variant on consciousness (p=0.074). Bivariate correlations showed positive correlations of neuroticism with both psychopathological symptoms (D/D r=0.522; PSS r=0.586) in the combined group S, negative association of agreeableness with depression (D/D 1=-0.613) and of consciousness with depression (DID r=0.750) and perceived stress (PSS r=-0.702) in the group of the long variant of 5-HTTLPR genotype.Conclusions: Personalized medicine should consider the interaction between genotype and phenotype in reducing levels of clinical psychological distress, highlighting how psychotherapeutic processes should improve patients' quality of life

Assessment of the Italian version of the Internet Disorder Scale (IDS-15)

Much research has focused on the validation of psychometric tools assessing Internet addiction. One of the newest measures is the Internet Disorder Scale (IDS-15) based on the modified IGD criteria outlined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). This study aimed at investigating the psychometric properties of the Italian version of the IDS-15 by examining the construct and the concurrent and the criterion-related validity and by identifying the taxonomy and the patterns of Internet users. A sample of 471 participants (Mage = 24.72 years, SD = 8.66; 256 males) was recruited from secondary schools, universities, and gaming halls. Confirmatory factor analyses supported the four-dimensional second-order structure and the three levels of the measurement invariance across gender. The reliability and the validity of the scale were confirmed, and the LPAs provided four classes of Internet users on the basis of the scores obtained in all four dimensions of the scale. The psychometric robustness of the Italian version of the IDS-15 was clearly demonstrated. Cross-cultural research should expand and generalize the present findings