Individuals often use minimal cues such as gait, face, gestures and voice to categorise others' sexual orientation, a process known as making gaydar judgments. However, it remains unclear whether these judgments change over time, particularly as a function of personal information sharing. In this study, we examined whether heterosexual and sexual minority men made accurate gaydar judgments and whether these judgments changed during the process of getting to know the person. Participants watched videos of men who self-identified as either gay or straight and judged their sexual orientation. They did so first after observing them walking into a room, reading a written text and describing a given image, and then again seeing and hearing them talk about their personal experiences. Next, participants rated the perceived masculinity of the targets based on their gait, gesture, and voice and indicated how informative different minimal cues were for their gaydar judgments. Results showed that accuracy was higher for straight than gay targets. However, in the phase where targets talked about personal information, participants were more likely to categorise the gay targets as such. These effects emerged regardless of the raters' sexual orientation. Gay targets were perceived as less masculine than straight targets and perceived masculinity based on gestures was particularly relevant for differentiating gay and straight targets. These findings highlight the dynamic nature of gaydar judgments, suggesting that, as individuals share more personal information, perceptions shift and masculinity plays a role in making such judgments.
Environmentally specific transformational leadership (ETFL) is a form of target-specific leadership related to corporate environmental responsibility. Two cross-sectional studies were conducted to adapt the ETFL scale to the Italian context and examine its criterion validity within a relational model linking environmental leadership to selected self-reported workplace green behaviors, through the mediation of green organizational climate. Study 1 (n = 380) explored the factorial structure and psychometric properties of Robertson's (2018) scale via confirmatory factor analysis, supporting the robustness of a bifactor model, with a dominant general factor accounting for most of the items' variance. Study 2 (n = 422) tested the hypothesized model using path analysis on four easily achievable daily green behaviors. The findings revealed that ETFL is directly associated with employees' energy-saving practices and waste-separation activities. An indirect effect via green organizational climate was found only for recycling activities. Based on these results, it can be posited that when behavioral performance needs support from organizational policy (e.g., the availability of litter bins), leadership influence on behavior is conveyed by employees' perceptions of their company as environmentally responsible. In contrast, in situations where organizational procedures play a less crucial role, leaders can serve as role models, directly encouraging subordinates to accomplish eco-friendly actions.
A growing number of Ukrainian refugees are fleeing their country due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. It seems, then, relevant to deepen which factors can prevent negative attitudes towards Ukrainian refugees in the European and Italian context. This study investigated the role of beliefs in social equality and guilt in shaping such attitudes. Participants (N = 425) completed an anonymous questionnaire. Findings showed a significant negative association between social equality beliefs, guilt by omission, and negative attitudes towards Ukrainian refugees. A significant three-way interaction between beliefs in social equality, guilt by commission, and guilt by omission emerged. Our findings show that guilt by omission moderates the relationship between beliefs in social equality and negative attitudes toward Ukrainian refugees, weakening this link. This effect holds across both low and high guilt by commission, suggesting that high guilt by omission may partially inhibit beliefs in social equality's catalyst effect. Our findings could be useful for policymakers interested in favoring the acceptance of Ukrainian refugees.
The research aimed to study the social representations of representations political participation circulating in different groups of young Neapolitan university students, identify the variables involved in their cognitive-affective positioning and identify the correlations between representations, political behaviour, anomie, and perceived self-efficacy. Using a semi-Structured questionnaire, it was possible to reach a total sample of 327 university students, divided into three subgrops according to political orientations: young right-wingers (n = 37) , young left-wingers ( n = 44) and young non-partisans (n = 246) The internal structure of social presentations was reconstructed through Hierarchical vocations. At the same time, political behaviour, anomic and perceived self-efficacy were investigated through unique psychometric scales. Young right-wingers constrict their social representation of political participation around the core constituted by values, linked to peripheral elements such as commitment and community. For these participants, the disengagement scale correlates negatively with all the dimensions analysed. In the case of young left-wingers, the practice of demonstrating is central reflecting the correlations that emerged between the variables of formal participation and activism. Finally, voting is central to the representation provided by the non-pattisan youth, who show a tendency towards disillusionment with parties and institutions. Although political participation is represented differently among the groups analysed, there is no clear distinction between conventional & raquo; and & laquo;unconventional modes of participation but the phenomenon evolves over time and in different contexts, adopting updated tools and nurturing innovative practices.
Over the past decades, research has emphasized the & laquo;glass ceiling & raquo; that limits women's access to leadership roles and makes them the target of biased attitudes. This barrier persists because women continue to face challenges in breaking free from traditional gender-role stereotypes in the workplace. This study (N = 252), conducted in Italy using a cross-sectional approach, explored two key factors that might be associated with negative attitudes toward women managers: positive contact with women in leadership/managerial positions (i.e., counterstereotypic contact) and Implicit Person Theories (IPT) or mindsets, which reflect individuals' beliefs system about the malleability of individual's attributes. As expected, our findings showed that the positive quality of contact was associated with less negative attitudes towards women managers, and that participants with high IPT benefited the most from positive contact. In addition, IPT moderated the relationship between positive contact and negative attitudes towards women leaders: When individuals held an entity IPT (believing an attribute is a fixed, non-malleable trait, i.e., fixed mindset), positive contact was associated with a reduction in negative attitudes toward women leaders. This study highlights the power of positive contact in shifting rigid, stereotyped mindsets and, consequently, reducing prejudice towards women in leadership/managerial roles.
We analysed data from a wide quota sample of the Italian adult population (N = 6,681), collected between April 6 and July 9, 2020, to study the association between participation in allowed and temporarily forbidden outdoor activities and psychological distress during the COVID-19 lockdown and in the following weeks, with the moderation of the perception of the quota of people who were compliant with the measures the government took to combat COVID-19. Participation in allowed outdoor activities was positively associated with psychological distress, while participation in temporarily forbidden outdoor activities was negatively associated with psychological distress. Both associations were stronger among those who believed that a small proportion of people living in their area were following the governmental COVID-19 protocol. Strengths, weaknesses and future developments of this study are discussed.
Embracing an agentic perspective, in this study we investigate whether intrinsic and extrinsic motivations to pay attention to the news lies behind young people's political interest and its development over time. A total of five samples of Swedish youths aged 13 to 30 years were utilized in the study, with each sample being followed for a period of four years. The findings indicated that youth who were motivated to follow the news reported higher levels of political interest than those who were not, across all age groups. The results also validated the study's hypothesis that young people's intrinsic motivation to inform themselves is positively associated to political interest. On the contrary, extrinsic motivation to follow the news was not cross-sectionally associated to political interest but it predicted a decrease in political interest, particularly during early adolescence. The results indicate that a delicate balance between intrinsic and extrinsic motivations must be struck to stimulate adolescents' interest in politics, as approaching politics through the desire for social recognition may be detrimental.
Schools can play a crucial role in encouraging young people to make constructive societal contributions that transcend group lines and that benefit communities more generally. Recognising this potential, the present research examined the relationship between perceived school climate norms of equality, and in turn perspective-taking on two forms of constructive societal actions amongst youth in England: civic engagement and collective action intentions in support of refugees. A total of 696 youth (aged 11 to 12) were asked to complete a survey in school as part of a larger study on youth interaction experiences. Bootstrapped mediation analysis conducted in Mplus found that perspective-taking mediated the link between perceived school climate norms of equality and both collective action intentions and civic engagement. Findings highlight the importance of facilitating school equality norms for promoting perspective taking and, in turn, constructive engagement. This may have implications for teacher training programmes as well as school-based interventions that aim to engage youth in society.
The development of political thought is receiving renewed focus. This study examined the timing of and influences on political identity development, focusing on the unique experiences of conservatives, liberals, and moderates. This study addressed three questions: Is political identity development related to general identity development? Do political identity development processes differ based on political ideology (conservative, moderate, and liberal)? What are the nature and context of political turning points and do these differ based on politifrom the Montana University System in the United States completed an online survey comprised of the Dimensions of Identity Development Scale (DIDS), well-being scale, political Dimensions of Identity Development Scale (pDIDS), political turning point narrative, political ideology assessment, and a demographic questionnaire. Results revealed that the dimensions of political identity and general identity were strongly related, yet participants were more exploratory of their general identity than their political identity. Liberals and conservatives were more strongly committed to their political identities than moderates. Conservatives and moderates were more likely to have a political turning point in an educational context, whereas liberals were more likely to have political turning points in the political arena. The results provide insights into when and how political turning points occur in emerging adults as well as the processes of political exploration and commitment based on political ideology. It sheds light on the factors that shape one's political identity, and the political institutions, and in democratic society.
This study examines how the stereotype of male power interacts with children's positive attitudes about own-gender power. Since own-gender favoritism and power-related gender stereotypes are aligned for boys but not for girls, we examined whether this asymmetry would lead to a gender difference in the way these two processes interact. Sixty-two French children aged 8 to 10 participated in an Implicit Association Test (IAT) that assessed their attitudes toward gendered power. The test featured scenarios depicting power dynamics through physical postures, where either a woman dominated a man or a man dominated a woman, along with attributes of positive and negative valence. The findings revealed a strong own-gender bias: both boys and girls showed more favorable attitudes toward the power of their own gender compared to the opposite gender. The magnitude of the own-gender bias was identical for boys and girls, suggesting that the stereotype of male power had no impact on children's attitudes for the power of their gender group. An additional experiment confirmed that children of the same age and from the same geographical area do hold expectations linking power with the male gender, and that these expectations do not translate into explicit positive attitudes toward male power.
Gender stereotypes emerge in children as early as age 3 and influence their social interactions and play preferences. These stereotypes provide the framework for gender norms, which prescribe what is considered gender conforming or non-conforming behavior, with non-conformity often leading to negative judgments. Importantly, adults' perceptions and attitudes can play a role in reinforcing or challenging these stereotypes, ultimately influencing children's social development. This study examines adults' perception of children's preferences for gender conforming versus gender non-conforming peers, and the potential association of adults' ideologies, i.e. sexist attitudes, social dominance orientation (SDO), right-wing authoritarianism (RWA) and political orientation with such perceptions. Participants (N = 127 adults) were asked to evaluate two children (a boy and a girl), portrayed as playing with gender conforming and gender non-conforming toys, taking the perspective of a 7-year-old boy and a 7-year-old girl. Results revealed that adults expected gender conforming peers to be rated more positively by children. This pattern depended on both the gender of the child being evaluated and the gender of the child the participants identified with. In addition, participants' level of sexist attitudes, RWA, and political orientation were associated with these expectations in adults.
Family resemblance is not entirely due to specific mutual influence but is also rooted in belonging to the same cultural context. To estimate the relative contribution of these two components of similarity, the studies presented in this paper assessed, compared, and tried to predict both overall and distinctive dyadic correlations across different measures of political attitudes (RWA, SDO, conservatism, and political intolerance), in two convenience samples of Italian N = 351) and their parents. Results showed that parents and children were similar, but this resemblance was largely due to their belonging to the same culture. Consistently with group socialization theory (Harris, 1995), this suggests that parental influence is mostly exerted indirectly, by placing children in a given socio-cultural environment. While overall family resemblance was higher for the first sample than the second, distinctive resemblance was the same size for both, which is low but significant, equal for mothers and fathers, daughters and sons, and same- and cross-sex dyads. Parental distinctive similarity was higher than child-parent similarity in both studies and, likely because it favors children's correct perception of parental orientation, explained a significant portion of variance in the latter (Study 2). Parental consistency also moderated the association between children's identification with their fathers and child-father similarity. In line with the perception-adoption model of political socializathat both perceptual accuracy and motivation to embrace parental values are needed for political attitudes transmission.
Connected learning offers a compelling framework for designing and studying interest-driven learning environments outside of school in the digital age. Typically applied to digitally mediated spaces that foster artistic development or STEM learning, we purport that connected learning is also a useful framework for conceptualizing young people's development of political thought and action. We make this argument by drawing on evidence from the International Youth Organizing Study (IYOS), which examined youth community organizing in four countries (Watts et al., 2018). We share examples showing how youth community organizing is a unique and productive context to examine the development of youth political attitudes and actions, especially among marginalized youth. We describe two themes: Aligning Interests with Social Action and Disseminating Knowledge via Face-to-Face and Multimodal Collaborations. We conclude with a discussion on how youth community organizing can challenge and extend the connected learning framework in productive ways.
The present study investigated the association between workplace ostracism and workers' general distress and job performance, considering the role of burnout and work engagement as mediators of these relationships. One hundred and ninety Italian workers participated in the study. Path analysis results indicated that ostracism is a risk factor for workers' well-being and adaptation. Specifically, workplace ostracism was indirectly related to general distress (positively) and job performance (negatively) through burnout. These findings highlighted that although ostracism reduced workers' work engagement, its negative consequences were mediated by burnout, which characterizes the so-called health impairment processes in the Job DemandsResources model. Future research should continue to examine how negative peer interactions pose risks to workers' well-being and adaptation to identify individual or contextual factors that may attenuate this relationship.
The paper explores the association between perceived gender discrimination (PGD) and work-related outcomes, emphasizing the mediating role of the quality of the relationship with the leader. Data were collected from two studies with employees (N = 665 and N = 562). PGD was linked to organizational outcomes through leader relationship quality, moderated by employee gender, leader gender, and gender similarity between the leader and employee. In Study 1, PGD was found to be negatively associated with support, which in turn mediated the relationship between PGD and work outcomes. In Study 2, a broader conceptualization of leader relationship quality based on Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) theory was employed, considering multiple dimensions (affect, loyalty, contribution, and respect). Results partially replicated and extended the central role of the leader in mediating the association between PGD and work outcomes, with affect and leader support emerging as key mediators. Moreovergender-based moderations emerged in both studies; in Study 1, PGD influenced leader support and work-related outcomes. In Study 2, female leaders strengthened the negative impact of PGD on job satisfaction and the positive relationship between leader support and engagement. These studies underscore the leader's central role in connecting organizational climate with employee out- comes and highlight the critical aspects of the leader-employee relationship that influence these outcomes.
Relative deprivation, a feeling of discontent arising when individuals perceive a lack of deserved outcomes compared to others, can harm health. Unemployment can fuel this sense of deprivation. Our study examined how perceived relative deprivation affects health outcomes in unemployed individuals, focusing on the mediating roles of locus of control and unemployment duration. In a sample of 402 participants, analyses showed that perceived relative deprivation correlated with poorer physical and mental health. External locus of control mediated this effect for both health aspects, while unemployment duration impacted only physical health. Our findings suggest that merit-based hiring and revised social policies may have the potential to reduce perceived injustice and alleviate unemployment-related stress and health impacts.
Pre-electoral political alliances are common practices in democracies, offering a platform for uniting diverse voter bases under shared objectives. This study investigates the psychosocial dynamics of political alliances by exploring how alliance characteristics (complexity, coherence, and indispensability) and leadership characteristics (prototypicality and advancement) are associated with political engagement, win expectancy, and intergroup relations among supporters. Data were collected from supporters of a political alliance (Nation Alliance) (N = 130) before Turkey's 2023 presidential elections. Participants completed measures assessing alliance complexity, coherence, and indispensability, alongside evaluations of leader prototypicality and advancement. Results revealed significant positive relationships between alliance characteristics, positive intergroup attitudes towards subgroups (alliance parties), perceptions of collective efficacy, expectancy of winning the election, and political engagement. Mediation analyses further showed that collective efficacy mediated the relationships between alliance characteristics and both political engagement and win expectancy. However, the hypothesized mediating role of relative in-group prototypicality in intergroup attitudes was not supported. Leader characteristics are also positively associated with political engagement and collective efficacy beliefs among supporters, highlighting the positive role of leaders in shaping alliance dynamics and mobilizing voter support. This study explores the associations between alliance characteristics, leadership characteristics, and political engagement, providing insights into how these dynamics are associated with diverse political alliances in democratic contexts.
The detrimental environmental impact of microplastics has become widely acknowledged. However, the presence of these harmful particles in everyday cosmetic products often goes unnoticed. This research verified a model where the perception of risk related to the use of cosmetic products, triggered by biospheric values and descriptive norm, predicts the intention of consumers to refrain from purchasing cosmetics that contain microplastics through the activation of the personal norm. Such a model was tested on a sample of Italian consumers (N = 313), who filled in an online self-report questionnaire. Results show that biospheric values, descriptive norm, and perceived risk, though not having a direct relationship with the behavioral intention, contribute to the activation of the personal norm, thus playing a significant positive role in the intention to reduce the purchase of cosmetic products containing microplastics. This outcome suggests the importance of personal values and social influence in shaping risk perception concerning the consumption of products whose consequences for the individual and the environmental health are still substantially underestimated by the general public.
This study investigates the relationship between loneliness and problematic social media use (PSMU) among young adults, addressing mixed findings from prior research. Specifically, it examines whether fear of missing out (FoMO), self-esteem, and social comparison mediate this association. A sample of 359 Italian young adults (aged 18-35, M = 23.7, SD = 3.35, 73% female) completed self-report measures assessing loneliness, psychological factors (FoMO, self-esteem, and social comparison), and PSMU. The findings reveal a direct link between loneliness and PSMU, with FoMO, self-esteem, and social comparison partially mediating this relationship. These results underscore the complex interplay of psychological factors in the connection between loneliness and PSMU. Implications include the potential for targeted interventions to address dysfunctional social media use and preventive campaigns to promote healthy online behaviours among young adults and adolescents.
Literature suggests that international students who have difficulty adjusting to a host culture tend to experience psychological distress. Based on acculturation theory and social identity theory, this study explored who was more vulnerable to the negative effect of maladjustment among international students by focusing on their nic identity, which consists of commitment exploration. The results of data from 129 international students in Japan revealed that their ethnic identity moderated the link between sociocultural adjustment/loneliness and depressive symptoms in unique ways. Specifically, these students' ethnic identity commitment strengthened the protective impact of sociocultural adjustment on depressive symptoms. However, ethnic identity exploration strengthened the destructive effect of loneliness on depressive symptoms. Theoretical and practical contributions are discussed.
