Several meta-analytic analyses are carried out to analyzed the relationship between age and different moral constructs based on the Moral Foundations Theory (MFT) framework. Pearson’s correlation estimates between age and any of the moral construcs were available for a total of 239 independent samples out of 122 studies. Correlation coefficients were meta-analyzed, heterogeneity was examined by searching for moderators when there were more than 30 estimates available, and a predictive model to estimate the expected correlation was proposed when several moderators showed a significant effect. The correlation between age and all the moral constructs analyzed exhibited pooled estimates of null or not relevant magnitude, ranging from –.02 to .08. The moderator analyses led to a predictive model in which participant’s mean age and ideology explained 40.80% of the total variability among the correlation between age and the Loyalty/Betrayal foundation, whereas participant’s mean age explained a significant percentage of variability (8.85 – 25.12%) for the correlations between age and the rest of moral foundations and the Individualizing group. Results show a quite stable moral matrix over the lifespan, but future research is needed for examine a possible non-linear relationship between age and moral foundations.

Basic Color Terms (BCTs) use by aged people (normal and tritanomalous) was analysed on the basis of the results provided by two visual search tasks. One task (mapping) required participants to select every stimulus that could be included in a specific BCT. Another task (best representative) required participants to select the stimulus that most accurately identified a BCT. Both tasks' results were used for two different goals. First (descriptive level), to specify the main differences between aged and young people in their use of BCTs (dimensions provided by multidimensional scaling, confusions between specific pairs of BCTs). Second (explicative level), to compare the accuracy of three models for predicting aged people's performance. Model A (filtering without compensation) assumed that aged people must use BCTs as young people do when responding to stimuli similar to the ones produced by lens aging. On the contrary, model B (filtering with compensation) assumed that lens aging effects were partially compensated by a von Kries-type mechanism (white normalisation). Finally, model C (tritan lines) assumed that ocular aging only influences S cone responses (tritan responses). Results showed that model B was the most accurate with the percentage of explained variance over 90% for both aged groups.

This article describes the development of the ENCUIST (Extroversion, Neuroticism, Callous-Unemotional, Instability, Short-Test) questionnaire, which has been created to provide a personality profiling method based on a cognitive diagnostic modeling framework. The ENCUIST measures the attributes of extroversion, neuroticism, callous unemotionality and overt expressions of anger that are relevant in a forensic context. The scores provided by the ENCUIST are binary classifications of the individuals (high/low) in these attributes. The ENCUIST was developed using a sample of 516 subjects to study its validation through psychometric procedures, including factor analysis, cognitive diagnostic modeling and structural equation modeling. The results supported a four-factor structure. Linear regressions were used to evaluate the predictive validity of the scores provided by ENCUIST with respect to two external criteria that are relevant in the forensic context, namely behavioral activation and behavioral inhibition. The results showed that the extroversion dimension is positively related to behavioral activation, although the effect size is modest and the proportion of explained variance is only 11%. Moreover, the dimensions of neuroticism and anger expression are positively related to behavioral inhibition, with 7% of the variance explained. Together, these results suggest that cognitive diagnostic models are useful tools for the elaboration of personality profiles based on classifying subjects along binary attributes.

During the last few years, entrepreneurship has gained an important role in many economic and social policies, with the consequent growth of entrepreneurial research in many social areas. However, in the Spanish psychometric context, there is not an updated scale including recent contributions to entrepreneurship attitudes literature. The aim of this study is to present and validate a new scale named Escala de Actitudes Emprendedoras para Estudiantes-EAEE, (Entrepreneurial Attitudes Scale for Students, EASS), in two samples of high school and university Spanish students. Data comes from a cross-sectional survey of 524 high school and undergraduate students, from Valencia (Spain). Two confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) were estimated, together with reliability and validity evidence of the scale. Results offered evidence of the adequate psychometric properties of the EASS. The CFAs showed overall and analytical adequate fit indexes (χ2 (120) = 163.19 (p < .01), GFI = .906, CFI = .959, SRMR = .044, RMSEA = .040 [CI .022-.054]); reliability indices of the entrepreneurial attitudes were appropriate for most of the entrepreneurial attitudes (α were between .63 and .87 for the different dimensions); and external evidence relating entrepreneurial dimensions to personality traits was similar to in previous studies. The scale could be a useful instrument both for previous diagnosis and effectiveness assessment of programs on entrepreneurship promotion.

There is a need for developing tools aimed at assessing fitness in children, due to its relationship with health. This study is aimed at testing the reliability and the validity of a questionnaire designed for assessing self-perceived health-related fitness in Spanish children. The questionnaire was created based on the model of physical self-concept developed by Fox and Corbin (1989) who conceived four sub-domains: Sport competence, attractive body, strength and physical condition. A total of 283 children (mean age: 10.80 ± 0.69 years; 45.6% girls) answered the questionnaire twice, in order to determine its test-retest reliability. The results obtained in the International Fitness Scale (IFIS) and on a fitness battery were used to determine its validity evidence based on relations to other variables. Exploratory and factorial analyses were performed to check its validity evidence based on internal structure. The obtained results indicated that the questionnaire showed an accurate validity evidence based on internal structure and a very good test-retest reliability, Intraclass correlation coefficient: .88; 95% CI [.84, .90]. The questionnaire established moderate correlations with the IFIS questionnaire (ρ = –.51 to –.68) and the fitness level showed by the children (ρ = –.53). These findings indicate that the questionnaire can be a useful research tool for assessing self-perceived health-related fitness in children.

The term evilness started to become popular in social psychology after the publication in 1999 of the special issue edited by Arthur G. Miller, “Perspectives on evil and violence”. It is usually used to define behaviors that are extremely and strongly harmful. However, the concept is still imprecise and needs to be empirically delineated. This article attempts to answer the following questions. What is evilness? What is the difference between aggression and evilness? We conducted several studies with three goals: to analyze how laypersons and experts define evilness, to verify whether laypeople distinguish between different intensities of evilness, and to determine the dimensions that predict aggression and evilness. The results offer preliminary answers to the three questions.

In this case study of an aphasic patient with difficulties in numerical processing, the patient responded to a series of linguistic and numerical tasks designed to assess efficiency levels in processing various linguistic components. In addition, the patient completed a series of transcoding tasks that were directed at isolating whether the problems were associated primarily with arabic numerals or with other modalities (spoken or written). Data were analyzed using chi-square goodness-of-fit tests. Statistically significant differences were obtained between spoken verbal and written verbal outputs and between arabic and spoken verbal outputs. Based upon an analysis of errors, it was tentatively concluded that the disorders were associated with two types of dissociation operating together, one between spoken verbal and written verbal outputs at the syntactical level and the other between lexical and syntactical components in the spoken verbal output. A revised model is proposed to provide a tentative explanation for these observations.

The goal of this study was to analyze the recidivism rate in minor offenders to whom a minimum intervention measure was applied after their first felony or misdemeanor, and to determine the variables associated with recidivism. The sample was made up of 154 minors from the province of Santa Cruz of Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain). The information was collected from the database of the Minors' Court. The recidivism rate depends on the measure imposed, ranging between 14 and 40.6%. The degree of agreement between the Technical Team's proposal and the court decision was 70%. With regard to the variables associated with recidivism, a model was obtained through logistic regression that correctly classified 83.7% of the cases, and was made up of the variables perception of parenting problems, intervention of social services, and social isolation.

Research conducted in academic contexts suggests a moderating effect of impulsive behavior on the relationship between aptitude and achievement. According to these studies, intelligence scores being equal, higher levels of impulsivity have an adverse effect on achievement (Helmers, Young, & Pihl, 1995; Vigil-Colet & Morales-Vives, 2005; Zeidner, 1995). The present study aims to contrast the aforementioned moderator effect in the context of a discriminant learning task, carried out under a fixed-ratio 3 reinforcement schedule. To that end, an impulsive behavioral pattern was identified in a sample of 1,600 participants' task execution based on response rate and latency. Said pattern was consistent and stable across several trials and can be ascribed to subjects' interactive style (Hernández, 2000). The observed interaction effect supports the hypothesis that impulsivity has a moderating effect on the aptitude-achievement relationship, highlighting how it impacts achievement differentially depending on the subject's level of aptitude.

In the present research, we replicate and extend previous findings on the relations between human values and bright\dark traits of personality, using the functional theory of human values (Gouveia, 2013). Specifically, we assessed which dark traits are associated with human values and whether the dark traits explained variance in values beyond the bright traits (Big Five). While prior research has investigated the relations between the three sets of constructs mainly in Western countries, we tested whether the findings hold in Brazil (N = 819). Although values are defined as positive constructs, several value subfunctions were positively correlated with the dark traits (e.g., excitement values with narcissism), while other relations were negative. Controlling for participants' age and gender, hierarchical regressions further revealed that dark traits explain variance in values beyond bright traits, although overall bright traits were more strongly associated with values than dark traits. Together, our findings replicate previous research. Implications for our understanding of the Dark Triad and cross-cultural research are discussed.

Although pregnancy increases the vulnerability to anxiety, no specific assessment instruments are usually used to detect it. The objective of this study was to adapt the Pregnancy Related Anxiety Questionnaire (PRAQ) to Spanish population, as well as analyze its validity and reliability. A sample of 367 nulliparous pregnant women with a normal risk status filled in a socio-demographic and obstetric-gynaecological questionnaire, the PRAQ, the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). After performing a factorial analysis, a five-factor model that explains 53.1% of the variance was obtained. Estimates of internal consistency reliability were adequate (range = .78 to .93) for the five factors included in the final confirmatory factor analysis, and for the total scale (.97). Significant correlation among PRAQ, EPDS, and STAI was found (p < .001). The 85th percentile (score 234 or more) was used as a cut-off point to identify those women with high pregnancy-specific anxiety. In accordance with the results obtained, the PRAQ can be considered a useful screening tool to evaluate pregnancy-related anxiety among the Spanish population.

Dual process theories of decision making describe choice as the result of an automatic System 1, which is quick to activate but behaves impulsively, and a deliberative System 2, which is slower to activate but makes decisions in a rational and controlled manner. However, most existent dual process theories are verbal descriptions and do not generate testable qualitative and quantitative predictions. In this paper, we describe a formalized dynamic dual process model framework of intertemporal choice that allows for precise, experimentally testable predictions regarding choice probability and response time distributions. The framework is based on two-stage stochastic process models to account for the two postulated systems and to capture the dynamics and uncertainty involved in decision making. Using quasi closed form solutions, we illustrate how different factors (timing of System 1, time constraint, and preferences in both systems), which are reflected in the model parameters, influence qualitative and quantitative model predictions. Furthermore, we show how an existing static-deterministic model on intertemporal choice can be implemented in the framework allowing for testable predictions. The proposed framework can bring novel insights into the processes underlying intertemporal choices.

The main purpose of this study was to analyze the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the Burns Anxiety Inventory (Burns-A: Burns, 1993). The sample consisted of 417 participants, 387 (29.71% male) healthy participants (control group: M = 35.5 years; SD = 8.40) and 30 (36.66% female) patients (clinical group: M = 35.8 years; SD = 12.94). The internal consistency evaluated through Cronbach’ Alpha was 0.95 for the Total Score in both subsamples. The test-retest reliability (two weeks) for Total Score was 0.86 (F = 13.2, p ≤ .001) for the non-clinical subsample, and 0.95 (F = 36.5, p ≤ .001) for the clinical subsample. Confirmatory factor analyses supported the initial three-factor model. However, modifications to the initial three-factor model improved the goodness-of-fit indices. Results showed statistically significant differences in the mean scores of the Burns-A between the clinical and control groups. This study supports the Spanish version of the Burns-A as a brief and useful tool for the screening of anxiety symptoms in adult populations. Future studies should investigate measurement invariance across cultures.

In 1957, Skinner, in his “Verbal Behavior”, proposed an explanation on how a language is learned. In 1959, Chomsky strongly argued the non-learnability of language, establishing in the field of developmental psycholinguistics the substitution of the term “learning” for that of “acquisition”. Currently, the constructivist models describe language acquisition as a process of ontogenetic, gradual, complex, and adaptive change. This new theoretical framework has been especially useful for rereading Verbal Behavior because it facilitates recovering the Skinnerian learning mechanisms. This can be observed in the recent research trends that recapture reinforcement and imitation (echoic responses), although they are now located in the initial phases of the process and are included in a cognitive dynamic that, by gradually increasing its complexity, can achieve grammar. The new constructivist theoretical framework, by retrieving the functional and referential aspects of language, can also take advantage of the classic Skinnerian proposal about the pragmatic types of verbal behavior, providing it with new meaning.

Violence in dating relationships constitutes a serious problem, thus, the study of related factors could help to better understand this violence and intervene in it. This study had three goals: (1) To analyze the prevalence of dating violence in adolescents under residential care settings according to sex and age; (2) to explore the relationships between victimization and perpetration in adolescents’ dating violence, sexist attitudes and clinical variables; and (3) to identify variables associated to adolescents’ dating violence (victimization and perpetration). The sample comprised 271 adolescents (54.6% boys and 45.4% girls), aged between 12 and 17 years (M = 15.23, SD = 1.60). The victimization (R2 = .17, p <.001) and perpetration (R2 = .20. p < .001) results showed prevalence rates higher than those of previous studies. Sex was not a differentiating factor for perpetration of dating violence, but age was: the older they were, the higher the perpetration rate. In the case of victimization, an interaction between sex and age was found. Results showed that age, sex, hostile sexism and depression were variables associated to victimization whereas age, hostile sexism and depression were associated to perpetration of dating violence.

In career development, a variety of personal, organizational and labor market variables challenge employees and organizations, in particular those in dynamic working environments, such as higher education (HE) institutions. This study examines the association between work history, organizational social capital (OSC) and perceived organizational prestige (POP) as antecedent variables, and perceived employability (PE) and career satisfaction (CS) as outcome variables, as well as the mediating role of organizational identification (OI) in these relations. A sample of 283 workers in Chilean HE institutions filled out an on-line questionnaire, and hypotheses were tested using a mediation model. Results indicated a significant mediation effect of OI, abt = 0.363, 95% CI [0.181, 0.576] abt/c = 31.98%, to explain the relationship between internal perceived employability (IPE) and its predictor variables POP, abpo = 0.102, 95% CI [0.056, 0.160], abpo/c = 9.01%, and OSC, abcsoc = 0.101, 95% CI [0.053, 0.183, abcsoc/c = 8.89%. Promoting a positive image of the organization and its social capital, strengthened by OI, emerge as strategies for HR management oriented toward workers’ career development, with consequent implications for commitment, intention to leave and ultimately for organizational results. The study provides a deeper understanding of the complexity of careers and explains the importance of identification with the organization when the impact of organizational attributes on one’s career is analyzed.

Since work organizations became the subject of scientific research, how to operationalize and measure dimensions of work design has been an issue, mainly due to concerns about internal consistency and factor structure. In response, Morgeson and Humphrey (2006) built the Work Design Questionnaire –WDQ–, an instrument that identifies and measures these dimensions in different work and organizational contexts. This paper presents the instruent’s adaptation into Spanish using reliability and validity analysis and drawing on a sample of 1035 Spanish workers who hold various jobs in an array of occupational categories. The total instrument’s internal consistency was Cronbach’s alpha of .92 and the various scales’ reliability ranged from .70 to .96, except for three dimensions. There was initially a difference in the comparative fit of the two versions’ factor structures, but the model with 21 work characteristics (motivational -task and knowledge-, social, and work context) showed the highest goodness of fit of the various models tested, confirming previous results from the U.S. version as well as adaptations into other languages and contexts. CFA results indicated goodness of fit of factor configurations corresponding to each of the four major categories of work characteristics, with CFI and TLI around .90, as well as SRMR and RMSEA below .08. Thus it brings to the table a reliable, valid measure of work design with clear potential applications in research as well as professional practice, applications that could improve working conditions, boost productivity, and generate more personal and professional development opportunities for workers.

This report examines the structure of similarities underlying the lexicon of personality-trait description, when “similarity” is defined and measured in terms of (a) semantic judgment and (b) covariance in actual use. A lexicon of 60 trait adjectives was examined, using several procedures for collecting semantic judgments. Similarity data of both kinds were analyzed with multidimensional scaling (MDS) to provide a parsimonious representation of underlying structure. The convergence between semantic judgments and covariance within trait-attribution data was substantial; both kinds of data evinced the same structure when collected for subsets of adjectives. Canonical correlation was employed to find the number of dimensions shared across MDS solutions. Interpretation of the results was facilitated by individual-differences MDS, which can select an optimal set of underlying dimensions, and at the same time accommodate the differences between data sets that arise when data-collection procedures differ in the relative emphasis they place upon those dimensions. We interpret the small number and shared nature of the dimensions by arguing that the lexicon's structure relates to trait perception rather than personality structure per se, even when probed with trait-attribution covariance.

This study investigates if perceived self-efficacy during an emergency situation has a protective role in the development of posttraumatic stress symptoms among Italian and Spanish survivors of several emergency situations. We explored the impact of self-efficacy in a multiple regression model including other predictors of posttraumatic stress symptoms, such as emergency prevention knowledge; trust in emergency services; risk perception of becoming a victim of an emergency situation; and conscious and active behaviors in comparison with no conscious and no active behavior during the emergency. We carried out a retrospective study recruiting 214 participants who reported their experience as victims of one specific emergency event. Results showed that survivors who perceived themselves as more self-efficacious during the traumatic event had less posttraumatic stress symptoms. In contrast, female gender, more self-threat perception and higher trauma severity were associated with more symptoms. Findings contribute to better understand human behavior in emergency situations and evidence the protective role of perceived self-efficacy beliefs among survivors of emergency situations.

Unemployment has negative but also positive effects on mental health and general well-being depending on which coping strategies the individual use. Our aim was to determine the contribution of core self-evaluations in explaining the coping strategies of job search and job devaluation, as well as to test the potential moderation effect of job search and mediation effect of job devaluation on the relationship between self core-evaluations and both positive and negative experience of unemployment. One hundred seventy-eight individuals who lost their jobs involuntarily for a longer period than one month completed a questionnaire while attending to employment office. Results show that there is a significant relation between core-self evaluations and job devaluation (.37**). Furthermore, core-self evaluations were positively related to positive experience of unemployment (r = .31; p < .01) and negatively related to negative experience of unemployment (r = .60; p < .01). Moreover, self-core evaluations predicted both coping with unemployment strategies (job devaluation; β = .26; p < .01 and job search β = .19; p < .05). However, job search did not moderate the relationship between core self-evaluations and experience of unemployment. But, individuals with a longer duration of the current period of unemployment and higher core self-evaluations had a more positive experience of unemployment, and job devaluation partially mediated this relation (SE = .002; p = .038). These results imply that programs interventions should include the improvement of core self-evaluations and the positive experience of unemployed people.