This study aimed to analyze the influence of victim-related and observer-related factors in victim blaming of battered women. Two hundred and forty six college students participated. They were asked to read a scenario describing a hypothetical case of physical violence perpetrated by a man against his partner. Depending on the experimental condition, the victim was described either as a feminist and/or as exhibiting difficulties in her relationship with others or not. A hierarchical regression analysis was performed with victim blaming as dependent variable. Participants’ hostile sexism positively predicted victim blaming when the victim was described as a feminist and as a “difficult to deal with” woman (p < .001). In addition, men, but not women, high in hostile sexist attitudes placed more blame on the victim when she was presented as a feminist woman (p < .001). These results underscore the importance of victim-related and observer-related factors, and of their interaction, in blaming the victim of gender-based violence.

The measurement invariance of the Experiences in Close Relationships (ECR) questionnaire was investigated across four samples of non-clinical subjects (N = 222), dermatological patients (N = 458), psychiatric inpatients (N = 156), and patients with drug-resistant epilepsy (N = 101). The results provided evidence of configural, metric, and scalar invariance across groups. Overall, our findings provide further support to the reliability and validity of the ECR.

Reading strategies depend on the consistency of the orthographic system. Recently the use of lexical strategies at early stages of reading acquisition has been shown even in transparent orthographies. The aim of this study was to know how different lexical and sublexical variables affect the reaction times (RTs) and articulation times (ATs) in word reading in Spanish children. A group of 46 children of typical reading level in the second and fourth grades of primary school were asked to read aloud 100 words presented on a computer screen. The stimuli were morphologically simple nouns with different ranges of length, frequency, imageability, orthographic neighbors and age of acquisition (AoA). Reading and articulation time were measured. Differences between means of the second and the fourth grade were seen in RTs (p < .001; Cohens´ d = 1.41) and ATs (p < 001;Cohen´s d = 1.41) in a t-test. Analyses of mixed-effects revealed that word length, a sublexical variable, and frequency and AoA, lexical variables, affected both grades, mainly on the RTs. The presence of lexical variables reducing RTs and ATs in second grade suggests that lexical reading is present from very early stages in Spanish children.

The goal of this study was to examine the cross-cultural validity and reliability of the Zuckerman-Kuhlman-Aluja Personality Questionnaire (ZKA-PQ) – a recently published instrument for assessing the Zuckerman’s Alternative Five Factor Personality Model – in Catalan and Hungarian speaking populations. The samples consisted of 1,564 subjects from Catalonia and 1,647 from Hungary. Results showed a clear five-factor structure and acceptable alpha reliabilities of the ZKA-PQ in both countries. Facets alpha average was 80.35 and 74.10 for Catalans and Hungarians respectively. The factorial congruency coefficients indicated that both structures were equivalent, with a global value of .97. However, the robust structure obtained with EFA yielded poor fit indices in the subsequent CFA. Altogether, the psychometric findings were similar to those obtained in the original validation study carried out in Spanish and English populations. Main country differences were found only in Neuroticism factor, with Hungarians scoring significantly lower that Catalans. Nevertheless, country, sex and age explained only 18.6 % of Neuroticism variance (adjusted R squared = .186). Country differences had only medium effect size [F(1, 3188) = 292, p < .001, η2 = .0841].

Currently, a considerable amount of work stress is present in school teachers,one of the occupational groups with the highest levels of job strain andburnout. As chronic stress produces significant modifications in emotionaladjustment and neuroendocrine functioning, we aimed to investigate the role ofthese work stress constructs in the endocrine and mood responses of a group offemale teachers during two working days (WD) at different moments in theacademic year. We studied mood as well as levels of cortisol and testosterone,representative of a predominant catabolic or anabolic balance. Our resultsshowed that higher “control” was associated with higherpositive mood (p = .028 on WD1 andp = .057 on WD2) and salivary testosterone (Tsal)(p = .022 on WD1), whereas“demands” and “total job strain”were related to negative mood (p = .011 andp = .015, respectively). Participants withhigher scores on “total burnout” and “emotionalexhaustion” also had higher negative mood (p< .05 in all cases). Depersonalization correlated positively withnegative mood (p = .019 and p= .006 on WD1 and WD2, respectively). Finally, personalaccomplishment showed an inverse relationship with negative mood(p = .038 on WD2). These results are useful for jobrisk prevention and interventions that should focus on the control dimension ofthe job strain questionnaire and on personal accomplishment from the burnoutscale.

In addition to cognitive and behavioral strategies, students can also use affective-motivational strategies to facilitate their learning process. In this way, the strategies of defensive-pessimism and generation of positive expectations have been widely related to conceptual models of pessimism-optimism. The aim of this study was to describe the use of these strategies in 1753 secondary school students, and to study the motivational and strategic characteristics which differentiated between the student typologies identified as a result of their use. The results indicated a higher use of the generation of positive expectations strategy (optimism) (M = 3.40, SD = .78) than the use of the defensive pessimism strategy (M = 3.00, SD = .78); a positive and significant correlation between the two strategies (r = .372, p = .001); their relationship with adequate academic motivation and with the use of learning strategies. Furthermore, four student typologies were identified based on the use of both strategies. Lastly, we propose a new approach for future work in this line of research.

Cognitive theories about auditory hallucinations maintain that inner speech is erroneously interpreted as coming from an external source. Few first-hand accounts of patients’ experiences have been made, so there is limited knowledge of the process through which patients distinguish their auditory verbal hallucinations (AVHs) from ordinary thoughts. 89 individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia, some experiencing acute hallucinatory symptomatology (Sz-AVHs) and some who were not (Sz-noAVHs), were assessed along with 48 individuals from the general population using the Auditory Hallucinations Assessment Questionnaire (AHAQ; Cuevas-Yust, Rodríguez Martín, Ductor Recuerda, Salas Azcona, & León Gómez, 2006). The Schz-AVHs group reported hearing ordinary thoughts at the same volume as their auditory hallucinations (p = .53) and spoken words (p = .89). In contrast, the Sz-noAVHs and general population samples reported hearing spoken words louder than their own thoughts (p = .002; p = .04). In comparison to these last two groups, the Sz-AVHs group described the sound of their thoughts as louder. These findings are consistent with the cognitive hypothesis of auditory verbal hallucinations. Confusion identifying the source of auditory hallucinations could be due, in part, to “hearing” one’s thoughts at the same volume as auditory hallucinations and spoken words.

In two experiments (161 participants in total), we investigated how current moodinfluences processing styles (global vs. local). Participants watched a video ofa bank robbery before receiving a positive, negative or neutral induction, andthey performed two tasks: a face-recognition task about the bank robber asglobal processing measure, and a spot-the-difference task using neutral pictures(Experiment-1) or emotional scenes (Experiment-2) as local processing measure.Results showed that positive mood induction favoured a global processing style,enhancing participants’ ability to correctly identify a face evenwhen they watched the video before the mood-induction. This shows that, besidesinfluencing encoding processes, mood state can be also related to retrievalprocesses. On the contrary, negative mood induction enhanced a local processingstyle, making easier and faster the detection of differences between nearlyidentical pictures, independently of their valence. This dissociation supportsthe hypothesis that current mood modulates processing through activation ofdifferent cognitive styles.

We analyzed whether Spanish-speaking children with Specific Language Impairment(SLI) showed deficits in lexical-semantic processing/organization, and whetherthese lexical measures correlated with standardized measures of languageabilities. Fourteen children with Typical Language Development (TLD) and 16age-matched children with SLI (8;0–9;11 years) participated. In aLexical Decision (LD) task with implicit semantic priming, children judgedwhether a given speech pair contained two words (semantically related/unrelated)or a word-pseudoword. Children received a comprehensive language and readingtest battery. Children with TLD exhibited significant semantic priming; theywere faster for semantically related word pairs than for unrelated(p < .001) and than for word-pseudoword pairs(p < .0002). The group with SLI did not exhibitsignificant semantic priming, despite showing more variability. Children withSLI made significantly slower LDs [F(1, 26) = 4.61,p < .05, partial η2= .15] and more errors [F(1, 26) = 4.16,p < .05, partial η2= .13] than children with TLD. Mean response time across all LDconditions and the receptive vocabulary (PPVT-III) were significantly negativitycorrelated for children with SLI (r =–.71, p = .004). Children with SLI,especially those with the poorest language scores, showed a semantic-lexicaldeficit and a weakness in lexical-semantic association networks. Theirperformance on the LD task was significantly slower and poorer than for childrenwith TLD. Increasing a child’s vocabulary may benefit lexicalaccess.

A sample of 250 students of psychology with an average age of 20.37 years, answered the Flow Q questionnaire indicating their favorite flow activity, and the Spanish version of the Dispositional Flow Scale (DFS). A confirmatory factor analysis assessed the DFS construct validity of the flow model on daily activities. Both a hierarchical model of eight first order factors reflecting a second order global flow factor, and a model with eight formative first order flow dimensions, showed good fit and discriminant power. Most optimal activities were found to be individual and structured, such as studying, reading and certain forms of individual sports. Leisure activities turned out to be more rewarding than studying. Sports displayed more flow, clear goals, merging of action and awareness, and autotelic experience. Reading also showed more flow, balance of challenge and skills, feedback, merging of action and awareness, and loss of self-consciousness. On the other hand, studying displayed less flow, merging of action and awareness, and autotelic experience.

The experience of Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) includes significant suffering and life disruption. This cross-sectional study examined the associations between pain, catastrophizing, acceptance and physical limitation in 55 individuals (11 males and 44 female; Mean age = 54.37; SD = 18.346), from the Portuguese population with (RA) 2 years after the diagnosis; also explored the role of acceptance as a mediator process between pain, catastrophizing and physical limitation. Results showed positive correlation between pain and catastrophizing (r = .544; p ≤ .001), and also between pain and 2-years’ physical limitation (r = .531; p ≤ .001) Results also showed that acceptance was negatively correlated with physical limitation 2 years after the diagnosis (r = –.476; p ≤ .001). Path-analysis was performed to explore the direct effect of pain (ß = –.393; SD = .044; Z = 3.180; p ≤ .001) and catastrophizing (n.sig.) on physical limitation and also to explore the buffer effect of acceptance in this relationship (indirect effect ß = –.080). Results showed that physical limitation is not necessarily a direct product of pain and catastrophizing but acceptance was also involved. Pain and catastrophizing are associated but the influence of catastrophizing on physical limitation is promoted by low levels of acceptance. Results emphasize the relevance of acceptance as the emotional regulation process by which pain and catastrophizing influence physical functioning and establish the basic mechanism by which pain and catastrophizing operate in a contextual-based perspective. Also the study results offer a novel approach that may help behavioral health and medical providers prevent and treat these conditions.

In judicial terms, a victim refers to any person who has suffered injury arising from an action or omission of an action that constitutes an offence, and the burden of proof lies with the prosecution. A review of Spanish judicial judgements underscored that the lack of evidence of psychological injury in cases of intimate-partner violence (IPV) accounted for approximately 40% of acquittals. Thus, the Spanish standard of proof for the forensic evaluation of psychological injury i.e., the MMPI-2 and the unstructured interview were assessed in order to determine if they met the statutory requirement for the assessment of psychological injury and the differential diagnosis of feigning. The results of the comparison of 51 women victims of IPV with firm convictions against their aggressors, and 54 women mock victims of IPV showed that the F, K, Fb, Fp and Ds scales, and the F-K index discriminated significantly and with medium and large effect sizes, between adjudicated and mock victims. However, the results did not provide a valid decision criterion for forensic settings i.e., false negatives (identifying feigner as honest protocols) were not classified correctly. In conclusion, the standard forensic procedure for the evaluation of psychological injury in cases of IPV did not constitute valid proof for judges who acquitted defendants on the grounds of not proven due to the lack of evidence of psychological injury.

Functional hemodynamic response was studied in a new Verbal Fluency Task (VFT) that demanded the production of geographical words while fMRI data was obtained. Participants completed 7 trials with a total duration of 2 min. 20 s. Four simple arithmetic subtraction trials were alternated with 3 geographical naming trials. Each trial had a duration of 20 s. Brain activity was contrasted between both conditions and significant differences (p < .05, Family Wise Error correction) were observed in the prefrontal medial gyrus, typically associated with word retrieval and phonological awareness, and in the parahippocampal gyrus, posterior cingulate cortex and lingual gyrus, areas related to spatial cognition. These results indicate that geographic VFT could be incorporated into a browser of cognitive processes using VFT considering its specific relationship with spatial cognition. Further investigations are proposed, taking special interest in the gender variable and eliminating phonological restrictions, because the evoked Argentinean cities and towns ended in a consonant letter.

The aim of the present study was to provide evidence of validity of the Brief Resilient Coping Scale for use in Spanish young population. A total of 365 university students responded to the Spanish version of the BRCS as well as to other tools for measuring personal perceived competence, life satisfaction, depression, anxiety, negative and positive affect, and coping strategies. Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the unidimensional structure of the scale. Internal consistency reliability and temporal stability through Cronbach’s alpha and test-retest correlations, respectively, were comparable to those found in the initial validation of the tool. The BRCS showed positive and significant correlations with personal perceived competence, optimism, life satisfaction, positive affect (p < .01), and some coping strategies (p < .05). Significant negative correlations were observed with depression, anxiety and negative affect. (p < .01). Multiple regression analysis with stepwise method showed that positive affect, negative affect, optimism and problem solving explained 41.8% of the variance of the BRCS (p < .001). The Spanish adaptation of the BRCS in a young population is satisfactory and comparable to those of the original version and with the Spanish version adapted in an elderly population. This supports its validity as a tool for the assessment of resilient coping tendencies in young people who speak Spanish and offers researchers and professionals interested in this area of study a simple tool for assessing it.

The purpose of the present study was to use the Partial Credit Model to study the factors of the Test of Creativity in Children and identify which characteristics of the creative person would be more effective to differentiate subjects according to their ability level. A sample of 1426 students from first to eighth grades answered the instrument. The Partial Credits model was used to estimate the ability of the subjects and item difficulties on a common scale for each of the four factors, indicating which items required a higher level of creativity to be scored and will differentiate the more creative individuals. The results demonstrated that the greater part of the characteristics showed good fit indices, with values between 0.80 and 1.30 both infit and outfit, indicating a response pattern consistent with the model. The characteristics of Unusual Perspective, Expression of Emotion and Originality have been identified as better predictors of creative performance because requires greater ability level (usually above two standard deviation). These results may be used in the future development of an instrument’s reduced form or simplification of the current correction model.

The main goal was to compare idiographic profiles of achievement goal dominance(AGD) and motivational profiles based on 2x2 achievement goals to improve ourunderstanding of how the four achievement goals work in conjunction with oneanother, and to discern which profiles are most adaptive in the PhysicalEducation context. A total of 351 students (203 males; 148 females)(M = 14.26 ± 1.37 years) from 3 differentsecondary schools agreed to participate. 86.6% (N =303) showed AGD, mostly mastery-approach dominance (62.9%).We examined the fourAGD groups’ idiographic profiles and how they relate to certainpositive (autonomous motivation and positive affect) and negative variables(controlled motivation and amotivation). The results supported the hypotheses ofAGD theory (MANOVA one-way, Wilks’ lambda= .609, F(24, 298) = 7.96,p < .001, η2 = .15).Subsequently, k-means cluster analysis was performed, yielding4 distinct achievement goal profiles. The most adaptive was named“mastery goals”, while “high achievementgoals” were the second most adaptive. AGDparticipants’distribution across the different motivational clusterswas also ascertained (MANOVA one-way, Wilks’ lambda= .678, F(12, 910) = 12.01,p < .001, η2 =.12).

Recent studies have indicated that it is important to investigate the interaction between task interdependence and task autonomy because this interaction can affect team effectiveness. However, only a limited number of studies have been conducted and those studies focused solely on the team level of analysis. Moreover, there has also been a dearth of theoretical development. Therefore, this study develops and tests an alternative theoretical perspective in an attempt to understand if, and if so why, this interaction is important at the individual level of analysis. Based on interdependence theory and power-dependence theory, we expected that highly task-interdependent individuals who reported high task autonomy would be more powerful and better performers. In contrast, we expected that similarly high task-interdependent individuals who reported less task autonomy would be less powerful and would be weaker performers. These expectations were supported by multi-level and bootstrapping analyses performed on a multi-source dataset (self-, peer-, manager-ratings) comprised of 182 employees drawn from 37 teams. More specifically, the interaction between task interdependence and task autonomy was γ =.128, p <.05 for power and γ =.166, p <.05 for individual performance. The 95% bootstrap interval ranged from .0038 to .0686.

This research explored the underlying processes mediating risky decisions for individuals with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). We tested whether BPD patients were more apt to take risks compared to a matched comparison group. We used two controlled tasks designed to assess risky decision-making, both to achieve gains and to avoid losses. Overall, BPD patients showed increased risk-taking compared to the comparison group (p = .011, η2 = .224), and were especially likely to be risk-seeking when the decision was framed as a potential loss (p < .0001, d = 1.77). When the outcome involved pure losses, BPD patients were insensitive to the relative expected value between choice options resulting in suboptimal decision making (p = .004, d = 1.24), but did not differ from the comparison group when taking risks to achieve gains (p = .603, d = 0.21). We discuss these results in the context of behavioral and neuropsychiatric research suggesting abnormalities BPD patients’ ability to effectively regulate affect.

The aim of this study was to explore the association between pathological gambling (PG) and anger by assessing whether psychopathology and personality are related to PG and to evaluate gender differences. The sample comprised 71 PGs and 37 healthy controls. Anger, psychopathology and personality were assessed with the STAXI-2, SCL-90-R and TCI-R respectively. Gender did not affect anger expression after stratifying by diagnostic condition (p > .05). Among PG patients, anger, psychopathology and personality measures were correlated with good effect-size (r > .30). Scores in the Anger Temperament (B = 0.21, p = .038) and Anger External-Expression (B = 0.27, p = .029) scales were positively associated with PG severity scores. Anger expression in PG should be considered in future treatment programs.

Sexual harassment is among the most serious forms of gender violence, and what all violent acts have in common are the many myths associated with them. Three studies were conducted to adapt a Spanish version of the Illinois Sexual Harassment Myth Acceptance (ISHMA) scale, which assesses myths about sexual harassment. The first study aimed to, for the first time, present psychometric data on the Spanish version of the ISHMA. The participants were 339 college students. After adapting the items and measuring their content validity, we examined the test’s dimensional structure, statistically analyzed the items, and determined the instrument’s reliability (α = .91 for the total scale and between .77 and .84 for the different dimensions). Study 2 involved 326 adult participants from the general population and its objective was to evaluate the scale’s dimensional structure through confirmatory factor analysis (χ2 143 = 244.860, p < .001; GFI = .952; CFI = .958; RMSEA = .034 [.026 – .041]). The third study was conducted in order to measure convergent validity in both students and adults from the general population. Differences by gender were found in all dimensions being the females’ means higher than males (Cohen´s d between .38 and .62). Our findings suggest the Spanish version of the ISHMA is a useful instrument to study myths about sexual harassment.