Self-reports of aggression are deeply impacted by response bias, especially by social desirability, but there are no specific methods for controlling this bias. Furthermore, despite the importance of the subject few instruments have been designed to assess both direct and indirect forms of aggression. The aim of the present research was to develop a brief measure that comprises both forms of aggression and which makes it possible to obtain scores free of social desirability and acquiescence effects. The scales were created using recently developed methods for controlling response bias effects in a sample of 750 participants over a wide age range. The items were chosen by a panel of judges from among the best of the existing aggression measures. Confirmatory factor analysis showed the expected three factor structure (CFI = .98; AGFI = .97 and RSMEA = .078, 90% C.I. = .074 – .083) and the scales showed good psychometric properties in that they had good reliability (ranging from θxx = .77 to θxx = .83), and convergent and criterion validity.

Based on the transformational leadership theory (Bass, 1985), the aim of the present study was to analyze the differences in leadership styles according to the various leading ranks and the organizational follower-leader distance reported by a representative sample of 975 local police members (828 male and 147 female) from Valencian Community (Spain). Results showed differences by rank (p < .01), and by rank distance (p < .05). The general intendents showed the most optimal profile of leadership in all the variables examined (transformational-leadership behaviors, transactional-leadership behaviors, laissez-faire behaviors, satisfaction with the leader, extra effort by follower, and perceived leadership effectiveness). By contrast, the least optimal profiles were presented by intendents. Finally, the maximum distance (five ranks) generally yielded the most optimal profiles, whereas the 3-rank distance generally produced the least optimal profiles for all variables examined. Outcomes and practical implications for the workforce dimensioning are also discussed.

Individuals affected by Muscle Dysmorphia (MD; body image disorder based on the sub estimation of muscle size), practice weightlifting in order to alleviate their muscular dissatisfaction. Although physical activity is associated with increased physical self-perception, we assume that this was not reproduced in full in people with MD. The study sample consisted of 734 weightlifters and bodybuilders, 562 men and 172 women, who completed the Escala de Satisfacción Muscular, the Physical Self-Concept Questionnaire, and from whom measures of body fat and Fat -Free Mass Index (FFMI) were obtained. The results showed that people suffering from MD symptoms, overall, have poorer physical self-concept perceptions (F = 18.46 - 34.77, p < .01).

The study investigated whether the DRD4 and COMT genes can modify relations between trait anxiety and selective attention. Two hundreds and sixty-six subjects performed a visual search task in which they had to find words looking through a sheet with rows of letters. After finishing the first sheet the subject was presented the second one, this time with an instruction to perform the task as quickly and accurate as possible. To study top-down attention, the number of correctly identified words (accuracy) and the time for completion of each trial were analyzed. To study bottom-up attention, the letters ‘o’ and ‘n’ were written in green, whilst the others were in black, and subjects were asked whether they had noticed that 2–3 minutes after the task completion. Genotypes for the COMT Val158Met and DRD4 VNTR-48 polymorphisms and TCI Harm Avoidance and MMPI Depression scales’ scores were obtained as well. High anxious individuals showed a more pronounced increase in accuracy in the second trial and more profound processing of irrelevant stimuli (colored letters). There was a significant interaction effect of DRD4 and Harm avoidance on the accuracy dynamics F(1, 210), = 7.65, p = .006, η2 = .04. Among DRD4 long allele carriers, high anxious subjects significantly improved accuracy (p = .013) and tended to slow speed, while those with lower Harm avoidance demonstrated the opposite trend. These effects were more robust in less educated individuals. It was concluded that the DRD4 polymorphism may modify the influence of trait anxiety on the speed-accuracy tradeoff.

The Grammatical Structures Comprehension Test (CEG) was used to analyze grammatical comprehension problems in native Spanish-speaking children with Specific Language Impairment (SLI). The test is divided into 20 blocks containing the most common grammatical structures in Spanish. Our objective was to establish whether the CEG was sensitive in detecting these problems and whether there were differential patterns in grammatical comprehension between children with SLI (14 participants) and two control groups: a chronological control group (CC) with 14 participants and a linguistic control group (LC) also with 14 participants. We found significant differences between the SLI group and the chronological control participants (Box’s M = 63.080, F = 1, 159, p = .238), with a correct classification rate of 85.7 % in the discriminant function analysis. These differences did not occur in all the blocks, in which we identified a range of different performance patterns that varied according to the structures being analyzed. This work helps to clarify certain questions about grammatical comprehension in children with SLI and contributes to the debate on delay vs. “delay within the delay”.

This study evaluated the perceptual priming in fourth grade primary school children using a word-fragment completion task. The children were classified into two categories according to their reading speed: high and low. Using several sub-scales of the WISC-IV, their working memory was measured, and their total IQ was estimated, in order to control for their effects on priming. The statistical analyses showed that children with high reading speed were significantly better at word-fragment completion and showed greater priming (p < .01); in other words, the prior processing of the words from which the fragments came produced a greater benefit in the performance of the word-fragment completion task. A regression model was developed to explain reading speed based on the following variables: perceptual priming, working memory and percentage of completed fragments belonging to words not previously processed (adjusted R 2 = 0.64).

Some studies have suggested that personality factors are important to optimismdevelopment. Others have emphasized that family relations are relevant variablesto optimism. This study aimed to evaluate the importance of parenting styles tooptimism controlling for the variance accounted for by personality factors.Participants were 344 Brazilian high school students (44% male) with mean age of16.2 years (SD = 1) who answered personality,optimism, responsiveness and demandingness scales. Hierarchical regressionanalyses were conducted having personality factors (in the first step) andmaternal and paternal parenting styles, and demandingness and responsiveness (inthe second step) as predictive variables and optimism as the criterion.Personality factors, especially neuroticism (β= –.34, p < .01), extraversion(β = .26, p< .01) and agreeableness (β =.16, p < .01), accounted for 34% of the optimismvariance and insignificant variance was predicted exclusively by parental styles(1%). These findings suggest that personality is more important to optimismdevelopment than parental styles.

Test security can be a major problem in computerized adaptive testing, as examinees can share information about the items they receive. Of the different item selection rules proposed to alleviate this risk, stratified methods are among those that have received most attention. In these methods, only low discriminative items can be presented at the beginning of the test and the mean information of the items increases as the test goes on. To do so, the item bank must be divided into several strata according to the information of the items. To date, there is no clear guidance about the optimal number of strata into which the item bank should be split. In this study, we will simulate conditions with different numbers of strata, from 1 (no stratification) to a number of strata equal to test length (maximum level of stratification) while manipulating the maximum exposure rate that no item should surpass (r max ) in its whole domain. In this way, we can plot the relation between test security and accuracy, making it possible to determine the number of strata that leads to better security while holding constant measurement accuracy. Our data indicates that the best option is to stratify into as many strata as possible.

Migration is a normal process of people seeking new opportunities, work, or leisure in societies. The way people adapt to a new country (acculturation) is a complex process in which immigrants’ evaluations about the culture of origin and their perceptions of the host country interact. The combination of these two factors produces four types of acculturation: separation, assimilation, integration, and marginalization. Several variables, such as personality, attitudes, and emotional intelligence, have been studied to help explain this process. However, the impact of a culture of honor and its interaction with other variables remains an open question that may help to explain how migrants can better adjust to their host culture. In this study, we examine the influence of the culture of honor (social) and emotional intelligence (individual) on acculturation. In a sample of 129 Moroccan women (mean age = 29, SD = 9.40) immigrants in Spain (mean time in Spain = 6 years, SD = 3.60), we investigated the relations among the variables of interest. Our results show that no significant differences emerged in the scores given for culture of honor (CH) and the acculturation strategies of the Moroccan immigrant women F(3, 99) = .233; p = .87. However women who preferred the integration strategy scored highest on emotional intelligence (EI), whereas the assimilated immigrants showed the lowest scores for EI F(3, 92) = 4.63; p = .005. Additionally, only in the case of integration does EI mediate between CH and the value given to the immigrant’s own and host cultures (p <.001).

Affective states have become a central topic of interest in research onorganizational behavior. Recently, scholars have been paying more attention tothe proposals of the Circumplex Model (Russell, 1980) in order to gain a finer grained understanding ofjob-related affect. However, the limited availability of well-validated measuresto test this model in work settings, particularly in non English-speakingpopulations, is still a major drawback. Using three samples of English-speakingand Spanish-speaking workers, this article offers the cross-validation of theMulti-Affect Indicator (Warr, 2007)between the original English version and its corresponding translation intoSpanish. Multi-group Structural Equation Modeling supported theinstrument’s structure and its invariance between the two languages(English: χ2 = 65.56, df= 48, p = .05; RMSEA = .06;CFI = .97; Spanish: χ2 = 68.68,df = 48, p = .03;RMSEA = .05; CFI = .97). Furthermore, Circular StochasticModeling supported the theoretically proposed circumplex representation(χ2 = 139.85, df= 51, p < .01;χ2/df = 2.74, RMSEA= .06). Thus, this study offers an instrument that provides a moreaccurate approximation to affect at work, both in English and in another of themajor language communities in the world, the Spanish-speaking population.

Understanding how risk is perceived by workers is necessary for effective risk communication and risk management. This study adapts key elements of the psychometric perspective to characterize occupational risk perception at a worker level. A total of 313 Spanish healthcare workers evaluated relevant hazards in their workplaces related to biological, ergonomic and organizational factors. A questionnaire elicited workers' ratings of 3 occupational hazards on 9 risk attributes along with perceived risk. Factor and regression analyses reveal regularities in how different risks are perceived, while, at the same time, the procedure helps to summarize specificities in the perception of each hazard. The main regularity is the weight of feeling of dread/severity in order to characterize the risk perceived (β ranges from .22 to .41; p < .001). Data also suggest an underestimation of expert knowledge in relation to the personal knowledge of risk. Thus, participants consider their knowledge of the risk related to biological, ergonomic, and organizational hazards to be higher than the knowledge attributed to the occupational experts (mean differences 95% CIs [.10, .30], [.54, .94], and [0.52, 1.05]). We demonstrate the application of a feasible and systematic procedure to capture how workers perceive hazards in their immediate work environment.

The study’s aim was to analyze if some specific types of action generate higher levels of moral pride. Three variables were analyzed: whether the actions involved going against the group majority, whether they involved a personal cost of a different kind and whether they were the result of a prior intention. Participants were 160 adolescents aged between 14 and 16. Sixteen scenarios were designed (two for each combination of the three variables) in which someone needed help. Half of the participants were presented with 8 of these scenarios, and half with the other 8. In each scenario, participants were asked to state what they would feel and do and how much pride they would feel if they helped. Curiously enough, both prosocial behaviors which involved going against the majority, F(1, 140) = 60.36, p = .001, η2 = .301 and those which involved a personal cost of a different kind, F(1, 140) = 10.17, p = .002, η2 = .068 generated less moral pride.

The excessive workload of university students is an academic stressor. Consequently, it is necessary to evaluate and control the workload in education. This research applies the NASA-TLX scale, as a measure of the workload. The objectives of this study were: (a) to measure the workload levels of a sample of 367 psychology students, (b) to group students according to their positive or negative perception of academic context (AC) and c) to analyze the effects of AC on workload. To assess the perceived AC, we used an ad hoc questionnaire designed according to Demand-Control-Social Support and Effort-Reward Imbalance models. Using cluster analysis, participants were classified into two groups (positive versus negative context). The differences between groups show that a positive AC improves performance (p < .01) and reduces feelings of overload (p < .02), temporal demand (p < .02), and nervousness and frustration (p < .001). Social relationships with peers and teachers, student autonomy and result satisfaction were relevant dimensions of the AC (p < .001 in all cases).

Previous research suggests that individuals from countries that adopt an adversarial legal system, such as Canada or United Kingdom, mentally associate “law” more strongly with concepts related to competition than concepts related to cooperation. We examined whether people from a country with a non-adversarial legal system show similar mental associations. Participants from Spain and the UK completed a Single-Category Implicit Association Test. Spanish participants mentally associated the law with competition less strongly than participants from the UK (the average D-score was significantly greater than zero in the predicted direction, t(189) = 8.16, p < .001; d=1.18). Exploratory analysis also suggested that this difference between the countries was stronger among participants who believed that the method of legal practice in their own country was more adversarial. Moreover, perceiving the legal system as adversarial predicted automatic associations between law and competition for UK but not for Spanish participants. These findings suggest that legal system plays a relevant role in shaping not only individuals’ actions, but their cognitive processes.

This study has two objectives, first, to develop and validate the “Emotion and Motivation Self-regulation Questionnaire” (EMSR-Q), and second, to analyze (in the context of the questionnaire validation process) the relationships between self-regulation styles (SRS) rooted in goal orientations, and classroom motivational climate (CMC). A total of 664 Secondary Education students from Madrid (Spain) formed the sample of the study. It was divided randomly in two groups to perform confirmatory factor analysis and to cross-validate the results. Both analyses supported a five first-order factor structure, organized around two second-order factors, “Learning self-regulation style” (LSR) and “Avoidance self-regulation style” (ASR): (χ2 /df = 2.71; GFI = .89; IFI = .84; CFI = .84; RMSEA = .07). Hypotheses concerning the relationships between SRS, goal orientations and expectancies are supported by additional correlation and factor analyses. Moreover, several regression analyses supported for the most part of the remaining hypotheses concerning the role of self-regulation styles as predictors of classroom motivational climate (CMC) perception, of change in self-regulation attributed to teacher work, and of students’ satisfaction with this same work. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Juggling the demands of work and family is becoming increasingly difficult in today's world. As dual-earners are now a majority and men and women's roles in both the workplace and at home have changed, questions have been raised regarding how individuals and couples can balance family and work. Nevertheless, research addressing work-family conciliation strategies is limited to a conflict-driven approach and context-specific instruments are scarce. This study develops an instrument for assessing how dual-earners manage their multiple roles detaching from a conflict point of view highlighting the work-family conciliation strategies put forward by these couples. Through qualitative and quantitative procedures the Work-Family Conciliation Strategies Scales was developed and is composed by 5 factors: Couple Coping; Positive Attitude Towards Multiple Roles, Planning and Management Skills, Professional Adjustments and Institutional Support; with good adjustment [χ2/df = 1.22; CFI = .90, RMSEA = .04, SRMR = .08.] and good reliability coefficients [from .67 to .87]. The developed scale contributes to research because of its specificity to the work-family framework and its focus on the proactive nature of balancing work and family roles. The results support further use of this instrument.

A number of studies have pointed out that stuttering-like disfluencies could be the result of failures in central and linguistic processing. The goal of the present paper is to analyze if stuttering implies deficits in the lexical and phonological processing in visual word recognition. This study compares the performance of 28 children with and without stuttering in a standard lexical decision task in a transparent orthography: Spanish. Word frequency and syllable frequency were manipulated in the experimental words. Stutterers were found to be considerably slower (in their correct responses) and produced more errors than the non- stutterers (χ(1) = 36.63, p < .001, η2 = .60). There was also a facilitation effect of syllable frequency, restricted to low frequency words and only in the stutterers group (t1(10) = 3.67, p < .005; t2(36) = 3.10, p < .001). These outcomes appear to suggest that the decoding process of stutterers exhibits a deficit in the interface between the phonological-syllabic level and the word level.

Studies of the relationship between creativity and specific reading disabilities have produced inconclusive results. We explored their relationship in a sample of 259 college students (age range: 17 to 38 years-old) from three Chilean universities. The students were tested on their verbal ability, creativity, and insight. A simple linear regression was performed on the complete sample, and on high- and low-achievement groups that were formed based on reading test scores. We observed a significant correlation in the total sample between outcomes on the verbal ability tasks, and on the creativity and insight tasks (range r =. 152 to r =. 356, ps <.001). Scores on the reading comprehension and phonological awareness tasks were the best predictors of performance on creativity and insight tasks (range β = .315 to β = .155, ps <.05). A comparison of the low- and high-scoring groups on verbal ability tasks yielded results to the same effect. These findings do not support the hypothesis that specific reading disability is associated with better performance on creative tasks. Instead, higher verbal ability was found to be associated with higher creativity and insight.

The present study analyzes the profiles of boys and girls, considering gender, in the early stages of adolescence in the variables of character strengths, attitudes toward diversity and violence, and sexism. The aim is to explore the gender differences, whether the variables in each set differ from one another and whether these differences are maintained in profiles for boys and girls. The participants were 527 students (mean age = 12.21 and SD = 0.53) from the city of Málaga (Spain). Profile analysis was used to analyze data. The results, using an alpha of 0.0021 for each contrast, indicate that boys and girls differ in their character strengths, particularly in the case of girls, whose prominent strengths relate to pro-social behavior and peer relationships, where Cohen´s d are higher than .30. Moreover, boys justify attitudes of violence to a greater extent (Cohen´s d from .44 to .81) and show greater agreement with sexist beliefs (d = .63). The research suggests that it would be of interest to encourage advancement in character strengths at this age.

Entrepreneurial attitudes of individuals are determined by different variables, some of them related to the cognitive and personality characteristics of the person, and others focused on contextual aspects. The aim of this study is to review the essential dimensions of enterprising personality and develop a test that will permit their thorough assessment. Nine dimensions were identified: achievement motivation, risk taking, innovativeness, autonomy, internal locus of control, external locus of control, stress tolerance, self-efficacy and optimism. For the assessment of these dimensions, 161 items were developed which were applied to a sample of 416 students, 54% male and 46% female (M = 17.89 years old, SD = 3.26). After conducting several qualitative and quantitative analyses, the final test was composed of 127 items with acceptable psychometric properties. Alpha coefficients for the subscales ranged from .81 to .98. The validity evidence relative to the content was provided by experts (V = .71, 95% CI = .56 - .85). Construct validity was assessed using different factorial analyses, obtaining a dimensional structure in accordance with the proposed model of nine interdependent dimensions as well as a global factor that groups these nine dimensions (explained variance = 49.07%; χ2/df = 1.78; GFI= .97; SRMR = .07). Nine out of the 127 items showed Differential Item Functioning as a function of gender (p < .01, R 2 >.035). The results obtained are discussed and future lines of research analyzed.