Intermittent explosive disorder (IED) is characterized by a difficulty to resist the urge to carry out a recognized harmful behavior. The central symptom is aggressiveness, expressed in isolated episodes. Executive function impairments are habitually found in impulse control disorders. Neuropsychology of impulsivity is related to dysfunctions in the orbito-frontal cortex, dorsolateral cortex and anterior-cingulated regions, being consequently involved in cognitive mechanisms of inhibition. Lesions in those areas are common in IED. In the most severe cases of IED, surgical procedures are required for treatment. In this study, we examined JML; a patient suffering from a severe case of IED. He experienced frequent episodes of auto and heteroaggression and multiple psychiatric admissions, and thus stereotactic surgery was the recommended treatment. The procedure consisted of an electrode situated lateral to the lateral ventricle, targeting the projections between frontal and subcortical affected regions. We aimed to study the neuropsychological functioning of JML, before and after electrode implantation. Our results suggested that surgery in IED improves cognitive performance at some levels. JML significantly improved his cognitive flexibility, measured with WCST, and alternate attention assessed with CPT and TMT-B tests, after electrode implantation. Cognitive flexibility deficits may be also related to increased aggressiveness. Therefore, improvements at this level may involve a reduction of impulsivity and aggressive behavior.

The present study was conducted to translate and validate the Short Muslim Practice and Belief Scale (SMPBS) (AlMarri, Oei, & Al-Adawi, 2009) to have a culturally equivalent and linguistically accurate Urdu version for use in Pakistan. Forward backward translation method was used for translation followed by tryout of the scale. Urdu translated version of the scale was completed by 500 participants of different age groups (M = 36.5, SD = 10.1). Based on a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), results confirmed that a two-factor model with the factors practice and belief provided an excellent fit to the data with chi square 55.96 (df = 26, p > .05), CFI =.96, GFI = .97, and RMSEA = .04. Cronbach’s alpha reliability coefficient was .78. Cross-language validation determined on a sample of 60 participants was satisfactory. Convergent validity of the scale was established by finding its significant positive correlation with religious practice and belief scale (r = .64, p < .001) and significant negative correlation with depression (r = –.18, p < .001) revealed its divergent validity.

This study examined the relationship between executive functions (EFs) and school performance in primary and secondary school students aged 8 to 13 years (N = 146, M = 10.4, 45.8% girls). EFs were evaluated using the Trail Making Test (TMT), Verbal Fluency (VF), and the Stroop Test. Students’ GPAs and teachers’ assessment of academic skills were used to measure school performance. To evaluate the students’ social behavior, participants were asked to rate all their classmates’ prosocial behavior and nominate three students with whom they preferred to do school activities; teachers also provided evaluations of students’ social skills. EF measures explained 41% (p = .003, f2 = .694) of variability in school performance and 29% (p = .005, f2 = .401) of variance in social behavior in primary school students. The predictive power of EFs was found to be lower for secondary school students, although the TMT showed significant prediction and explained 13% (p = .004, f2 = .149) of variance in school performance and 15% (p = .008, f2 = .176) in peer ratings of prosocial behavior. This paper discusses the relevance of EFs in the school environment and their different predictive power in primary and secondary school students.

In highly competitive settings like university, the fear of failure leads some students to protect their self-worth using self-handicapping strategies. The present investigation examines to what extent academic goals are related to those tactics in university students. Specifically, MANCOVA was applied to estimate statistical differences linked to behavioral and claimed self-handicapping strategies according to the level (high/medium/low) of four types of academic goal (achievement approach, achievement avoidance, mastery approach, and work avoidance). Degree, year in school, and gender were entered as covariates. 940 students (86.5% women) from University of A Coruña (M = 20.44; SD = 1.73) participated. Results show that: (a) both behavioral and claimed self-handicapping are promoted by ego-oriented goals (achievement avoidance, F(2, 937) = 23.56, p < .001, ηp2 = .048; achievement approach, F(2, 937) = 7.49, p < .001, ηp2 = .016); (b) work avoidance goals are related to behavioral self-handicapping (F(2, 937) = 9.09, p < .001, ηp2 = .019), but are not statistically linked to claimed self-handicapping; and (c) mastery approach goals are significantly, negatively related to both types of self-handicapping (F(2, 937) = 20.09, p < .001, ηp2 = .041). Psychological and educational implications of the findings are discussed.

Different variables have been associated with the development/ maintenance of contamination-related obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), although the relevance of these factors has not been clearly established. The present study aimed to analyze the relevance and specificity of these variables. Forty-five women with high scores on obsessive-compulsive contamination symptoms (n = 16) or checking symptoms (n = 15), or non-clinical scores (n = 14) participated in a behavioral approach/avoidance task (BAT) with a contamination-OCD stimulus. Vulnerability variables and participants’ emotional, cognitive, physiological and behavioral responses to the BAT were appraised. Results show that fear of illness was a relevant vulnerability variable specific to contamination participants (p = .001; η2p = .291). Contamination participants responded with significantly higher subjective disgust (p =.001; η2p = .269), anxiety (p = .001; η2p = .297), urge to wash (p < .001; η2p = 370), threat from emotion (p < .001; η2p = .338) and contamination severity (p = .002; η2p = .260) appraisals, and with lower behavioral approach (p = .008; η2p = .208) than the other two groups. Moreover, contamination participants showed lower heart rate acceleration (p = .046; η2p = .170) and higher contamination likelihood appraisals (p < .001; η2p = .342) than the non-clinical group. Urge to wash was predicted by state disgust (R2 change = .346) and threat from emotion (R2 change = .088). These responses were predicted by general anxiety sensitivity (R2 change = .161), disgust propensity (R2 change = .255) and fear of illness (R2 change = .116), but not by other vulnerability variables such as dysfunctional beliefs about thoughts (Responsibility and Overestimation of threat) or disgust sensitivity. State disgust, threat from disgust, anxiety sensitivity and fear of illness were found to be the most relevant variables in contamination symptoms.

A number of experiments have shown that, in skilled adult readers, a small increase in interletter spacing speeds up the process of visual word recognition relative to the default settings (i.e., judge faster than judge). The goal of the present experiment was to examine whether this effect can be generalized to a more ecological scenario: text reading. Each participant read two stories (367 words each) taken from a standardized reading test. The stories were presented with the standard interletter spacing or with a small increase in interletter spacing (+1.2 points to default) in a within-subject design. An eyetracker was used to register the participants’ eye movements. Comprehension scores were also examined. Results showed that, on average, fixation durations were shorter while reading the text with extra spacing than while reading the text with the default settings (237 vs. 245 ms, respectively; η2 =. 41, p = .01). However, the number of fixations (while nonsignificant) was slightly higher in the text with extra spacing than in the text with the default spacing, and cancelled out the effect of interletter spacing in total reading times (F < 1). Comprehension scores were similar in the two spacing conditions (F < 1). Thus, at least for skilled adult readers, interletter spacing does not seem to play a consistently facilitative role during text reading.

This study investigated the specific association of stressful life events (SLE) and experiential avoidance (EA) with depression in patients with mental disorders. It also analyzed the possible mediating role of depression in the relation of EA to well-being and life satisfaction. A total of 147 patients (mean age = 40.16 years) diagnosed with anxiety, mood or adjustment disorder were recruited from a mental health centre. They completed measures of SLE, EA, depression, well-being and life satisfaction. Regression analyses showed that SLE and EA were positively related to depression (R2 = .45), although the contribution made by EA was higher (β = .61, p < .001) than the one made by SLE (β = .19, p < .01). Bootstrap mediation analyses revealed that there was an indirect effect from EA to physical well-being (B = –4.52, SE = .70, p < .001, 95% CI [–6.03, –3.20]) and satisfaction (B = –.14, SE = .02, p < .001, 95%, CI [–.19 –.09]) through depression. This indirect effect was less consistently supported with respect to emotional well-being (B = –3.33, SE = .48, p < .001, 95%, CI [–4.30, –2.41]). These findings give support to the hypothesis that EA could be an important factor contributing to depression in patients with mental disorders. The results also provide evidence that depression seems to play an important mediational role when considering the negative impact that EA exerts on patients´ well-being and satisfaction.

Previous studies have shown that willingness to help particular victims is predicted separately, or in combination, by the belief in a just world (BJW) and self-efficacy to promote justice in the world (SEJW). Our goal was to extend this knowledge by studying general attitudes towards helping and the association between BJW and SEJW in people that do volunteer service, and by comparing the predictive power of two spheres of BJW, personal BJW and general BJW, on helping attitudes. We measured personal BJW, general BJW, SEJW and helping attitudes in two samples (one comprising university students and the other only volunteers). The results differed in the two samples. For volunteers endorsing strong self-efficacy to promote justice in the world, personal BJW was associated positively with helping attitudes (p = .007). For participants endorsing weak self-efficacy to promote justice in the world, personal BJW was not associated with helping attitudes in either sample. General BJW was not associated with helping attitudes in either sample, either independently or in interaction with self-efficacy to promote justice in the world. The theoretical and practical implications of these results are discussed.

This study evaluated cross-cultural measurement invariance for the General Self-efficacy Scale (GSES) in a large Brazilian (N = 2.394) and representative German (N = 2.046) and Colombian (N = 1.500) samples. Initially, multiple-indicators multiple-causes (MIMIC) analyses showed that sex and age were biasing items responses on the total sample (2 and 10 items, respectively). After controlling for these two covariates, a multigroup confirmatory factor analysis (MGCFA) was employed. Configural invariance was attested. However, metric invariance was not supported for five items, in a total of 10, and scalar invariance was not supported for all items. We also evaluated the differences between the latent scores estimated by two models: MIMIC and MGCFA unconstraining the non-equivalent parameters across countries. The average difference was equal to |.07| on the estimation of the latent scores, and 22.8% of the scores were biased in at least .10 standardized points. Bias effects were above the mean for the German group, which the average difference was equal to |.09|, and 33.7% of the scores were biased in at least .10. In synthesis, the GSES did not provide evidence of measurement invariance to be employed in this cross-cultural study. More than that, our results showed that even when controlling for sex and age effects, the absence of control on items parameters in the MGCFA analyses across countries would implicate in bias of the latent scores estimation, with a higher effect for the German population.

Neurofeedback is a neuronal self-regulation technique that teaches people to modulate their brain frequencies using visual and auditory reinforcements presented on a computer screen. To assess the effect of neurofeedback training in children with ADHD as far as improved attention and impulse control, and analyze whether or not there are differences between the inattentive and hyperactive subtypes. Fifty children diagnosed with ADHD participated in the study: 14 comprised the control group, and 36 the experimental group (16 with the inattentive ADHD subtype, 20 with the hyperactive ADHD subtype). Attention and impulse control were assessed using the Integrated Visual Auditory CPT (IVA/CPT). Results indicated that the predominantly inattentive group showed significant differences on the Control Scale (p = .023, d = 1.31) and the Attention Scale (p < .01, d = 1.89) of the IVA/CPT; meanwhile the predominantly hyperactive group showed significant improvement on the Control Scale (p = .016, d = 1.21). The control group exhibited no significant differences on either of the two scales (p > .5). In terms of theta/beta ratio, no significant differences were detected (p = .10) between ADHD subtypes. The findings suggest that neurofeedback training using the theta/beta protocol was more effective in the predominantly inattentive subset of individuals with ADHD.

Emotional intelligence (EI) and its measures have been widespread across several countries and cultures and the need for valid and robust measures that could expand research on international settings is on the current agenda. This study aimed to assess the measurement invariance of a widely used self-report EI measure, Emotional Skills and Competence Questionnaire (ESCQ), in two cultural contexts (Portugal vs. Croatia). The ESCQ, a 42-item self-report EI scale which comprises three dimensions – Perceive and Understand Emotion, Express and Label Emotion and Manage and Regulate Emotion - was administered to 1,188 Portuguese and Croatian secondary students. The results showed that the ESCQ had satisfactory reliability and the three-factor structure was replicated on both country samples. Configural (χ2 = 308.71, df = 220, p < .01; RMSEA = .030, CFI = .956, TLI = .948) and partial metric (Δχ2 = 9.102, Δdf = 10, p = .522; ΔCFI = −.01, ΔRMSEA = .002) and scalar (Δχ2 = 15.290, Δdf = 21, p = .083; ΔCFI = .001, ΔRMSEA = .006) invariances were supported across groups. This EI measure invariance cross-cultural study highlighted cultural particularities related to emotional competence in Portugal and Croatia contexts and contributed to bring awareness to the validity of cross-cultural studies in the emotional abilities field.

Self-objectification is a pervasive process in contemporary Western societies and psychological literature has largely shown its negative consequences in terms of body shame, appearance anxiety, mental health and performance. Mass media play a key role in promoting such process through the extensive sexualization of individuals’ body and the separation of sexualized body parts from the rest of the body. The purpose of the present study was to extend past research by examining the effects of self-objectification in the context of social relationships among young adults. Participants were 235 undergraduates (55.7% females). A three-step model was successfully tested: results showed that internalization of media standards is related to increased self-objectification (β = .33, SE = .08, p = .01), which in turn is associated with authenticity, being high self-objectifiers less devoted to authentic living (β = –.21, SE = .09, p = .01) and more self-alienated (β = .14, SE = .08, p = .04) and dependent on others’ influence (β = .50, SE = .01, p = .01). The pattern of these relationships did not significantly vary across gender (χ2 = 6.29; p = .18). Implications concerning the impact of self-objectification in the domain of social relationships are discussed.

Emotional creativity is defined as the ability to feel and express emotions in a new, effective and authentic way. There are currently no Basque-language self-report instruments to provide valid and reliable measures of this construct. Thus, this paper describes the process of adapting and validating the Emotional Creativity Inventory (ECI) for the Basque-speaking population. The sample was comprised of 594 higher education students (388 women and 206 men) aged between 18 and 32 years old (Mage = 20.47; SD = 2.48). The Basque version of the ECI was administered along with the TMMS-23, NEO PI-R, and PANAS. The results of exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses on the Basque ECI corroborated the original scale’s three-factor structure (preparedness, novelty, and effectiveness/authenticity). Those dimensions showed acceptable indexes of internal consistency (α = .80, .83, and .83) and temporal stability (r = .70, .69, and .74). The study also provided some evidence of external validity (p < .05) based on the relationships found between emotional creativity and emotional intelligence, personality, affect, and sex. The Basque ECI can be regarded as a useful tool to evaluate perceived emotional creativity during the preparation and verification phases of the creative process.

This study attempts to explore the level of Independent Learning (IL) amongst a sample of Jordanian preschoolers. Behaviors of sixty preschool children aged 5–6 years old were observed and rated by their teachers against an Arabic version of the Children’s Independent Learning Development (CHILD 3–5) observational instrument to explore the independent learning among young children according to their gender, engagement level, parental education and the size of their families. The results illustrated that preschoolers may show some aspects of behaviors particularly those related to pro-social and cognitive areas. It also indicated that children from high educated environments demonstrated IL behaviors more than those coming from low educated environments. Finally, children coming from larger family size showed less IL behaviors than those coming from smaller ones. Results and implications are discussed.

Based on research on the motivational processes involved in preventing and controlling stereotypes, we aimed to assess whether temporary activation of egalitarian goals – by means of a task that gives respondents exposure to a text on gender inequality – can prevent stereotyped answers on the task. The task asks participants to place women and men into a hierarchical organizational structure. Two specific objectives were established: first, to control the effect of prejudice and egalitarian commitment on the dependent variable; and second, to study gender differences in task responses. The study included 474 college students, 153 men and 321 women. Their mean age was 20.04 (SD = 4.43). ANCOVA indicated main effects of condition, F(1) = 4.15, p = .042, η2 = .081 (control condition without goal activation vs. experimental condition with goal activation) and sex, F(1) = 40.46, p < .001, η2 = .081, on the dependent variable (female candidates placed in the chart). Specifically, responses from participants in the experimental condition avoided stereotyped answers more than participants in the control condition. Furthermore, women’s performance on the task was more egalitarian than men’s. Finally, there was a significant interaction effect of condition and type of organization, F(2) = 3.97, p = .019, η2 = .017; participants assigning candidates to the feminized organization differed the most across conditions.

This study analyzed the cognitive functioning underlying arithmetical difficulties and explored the predictors of arithmetic achievement in the last three grades of Spanish Primary Education. For this purpose, a group of 165 students was selected and divided into three groups of arithmetic competence: Mathematical Learning Disability group (MLD, n = 27), Low Achieving group (LA, n = 39), and Typical Achieving group (TA, n = 99). Students were assessed in domain-general abilities (working memory and PASS cognitive processes), and numerical competence (counting and number processing) during the last two months of the academic year. Performance of children from the MLD group was significantly poorer than that of the LA group in writing dictated Arabic numbers (d = –0.88), reading written verbal numbers (d = –0.84), transcoding written verbal numbers to Arabic numbers (–0.75) and comprehension of place value (d = –0.69), as well as in simultaneous (d = –0.62) and successive (d = –0.59) coding. In addition, a specific developmental sequence was observed in both groups, the implications of which are discussed. Hierarchical regression analysis revealed simultaneous coding (β = .47, t(155) = 6.18, p < .001) and number processing (β = .23, t(155) = 3.07, p < .01) as specific predictors of arithmetical performance.

Rumination has a crucial role in the onset, severity and maintenance of depression in adolescent and adult populations. The Ruminative Responses Scale (RRS) is the most widely self-report instrument used to assess individual differences in the tendency to engage in ruminative responses style. This paper aims to test the factor structure of the 10-item RRS and the gender-based measurement invariance, in a community sample of adolescents, using a Confirmatory Factor Analysis. Participants were 542 adolescents (53% females) with a mean age of 14 years old (SD = 1.75) from middle and secondary schools (years of education’s mean = 9.46, SD = 1.60) in Portugal. Results confirm the two-factor structure of the RRS composed by brooding and reflection dimensions (GFI = .93, CFI = .90, TLI = .87, SRMR = .05, RMSEA = .11, 90% C.I. [0.092 to 0.121]) and the invariance across gender (GFI = .91, CFI = .89, TLI = .85, RMSEA = .08, 90% C.I. [0.069 to 0.090], p < .001). RRS and their dimensions presented a good internal reliability (Brooding: α = .80; Reflection: α = .75; RRS total: α = .85). Brooding and reflection dimensions revealed moderate correlations with depression, anxiety and stress symptoms (p < .001). Multiple Regression Analysis through Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) showed that brooding is significantly and strongly associated with internalizing symptoms (p < .001). Female adolescents reported more levels of rumination than male adolescents. Overall, these findings support the usefulness of the Portuguese version of RRS and suggest that this short version is an economical, valid and reliable measure to assess ruminative response styles in adolescence.

The main aim of this study is to demonstrate that private self-consciousness (SC) and core self-evaluations (CSEs) influence their formation, via the perceived feasibility and desirability of entrepreneurship or in interaction with it. Two hundred and sixteen students, from a university, an engineering college and a management school, participated in a survey questionnaire which measured these variables as well as controlled factors (e.g. entrepreneurship education, presence of entrepreneurs in their close social network). The results confirm that CSEs have a positive effect on feasibility and desirability (p < .001) which mediate their effect on intention (p < .007). They also show that private SC has a positive direct effect on intention (p < .001). Additionally, the positive interaction effects of desirability and feasibility and public SC and feasibility on intention are highlighted (p < .05). Unexpectedly, none of the hypothesized moderation effects of private SC were corroborated. The convergence of these results with prior research, the limitations of the study and practical implications are discussed.

The present study describes a meta-analytic review of museum visitors’ behavior. Although there is a large number of visitor studies available, their cumulative importance has not been determined due to the lack of rigorous methods to determine common causes of visitors’ behaviors. We analyzed Serrell’s (1998) database of 110 studies, defining a number of variables that measure visitors’ behaviors in exhibition spaces which exceeded the most typical and obvious ones. We defined four indexes of effect size and obtained their combined estimates: average time per feature [ATF● = 0.43 (0.49; 0.37)], percentage of diligent visitors [dv● = 30% (0.39; 0.23)], inverse of velocity [Iv● = 4.07 min/100m2 (4.55; 3.59)], and stops per feature [SF● = 0.35 (0.38; 0.33)], and we analyzed the role of relevant moderating variables. Key findings indicate, for example, that the visiting time for each display element relates to the size of the exhibition and its newness, and visitor walking speed is higher in large exhibit areas. The indexes obtained in this study can be understood as references to be used for comparison with new evaluations. They may help to predict people’s behavior and appreciation of new exhibitions, identifying important problems in museum designs, and providing new research tools for this field.