Ida Sergi

Gender differences in object location memory in a real three-dimensional environment

In this preliminary study we investigate gender differences in object location memory. Our purpose is to extend the results about object location memory obtained in laboratory settings to a real 3-D environment and to further distinguish the specific components involved in this kind of memory by considering the strategies adopted to perform the task. To do this, we join the three-level model of spatial representations (landmark, route, and survey) proposed by Siegel and White (1975) with the three subcomponents of spatial memory (what, where, and what + where) identified by Postma and De Haan (1996). We adopted the object relocation task devised by Postma and De Haan (1996), adapted to a real environment. Seven common objects were placed on the floor of a cylindrical room. Sixty-four males and 64 females were asked to memorize the spatial layout. Next, the experimenter moved the objects to a different position along with seven new objects and the participants had to relocate the original objects to their initial positions. In line with Postma, Izendoorn, and De Haan (1998), we found no gender difference in object recognition, and in recalling absolute distance and categorical spatial relations; however males were better than females in recalling the distance between objects and the size of the layout. Overall, the data show a male advantage in some components of spatial cognition closely linked to the encoding of the metric structure of the spatial relationships at both route and survey level.

Gender differences in remembering and inferring spatial distances

The abilities of males and females to make spatial inferences were compared. Spatial inference is concerned with the ability to work out new spatial information from memory. In two experiments, participants had to study line drawings depicting shapes linked either by straight or meandering lines. Afterwards, they had to remember the straight-line distances or to infer the straight-line distances. Several spatial abilities were also assessed: perceptual discrimination, mental rotation, and visuo-spatial working memory span. The results showed that males outperformed females in spatial inference and mental rotation. Experiment 2 extended the study to old people. The results replicated and clarified those obtained in Experiment 1. Spatial inference and mental rotation showed age-related and gender-related differences; in addition, age reduced the visuo-spatial memory span. Overall, the findings suggest that gender differences favouring males are maximised with tasks requiring active processing and strategic control of metric information.

PRELIMINARY REMARKS ON TYPE OF TASK AND DELAY IN CHILDREN'S PROSPECTIVE MEMORY

This study investigated the extent to which the type of task influences childrens prospective memory performance. 80 subjects, aged 7 to 11 yr. participated in an experiment in which the type of task (time-based vs event-based) and the retention interval (5 min. vs 10 min.) varied. The prospective memory task was embedded in a principal task lasting about 15 min. and required subjects perform an action at a given time or in response to a specific cue. Analysis indicated that the delay was associated with prospective memory performance only on a time-based task in which the intention has to be performed after 10 min. but not age. Analysis indicated also that time monitoring was associated with shorter latency between the target time and the execution of the intention on the time-based task. Implications were discussed.

Internet Dependence in High School Student

With increased accessibility on Internet, Internet addiction is becoming a serious problem, especially among adolescents. They usually do these activities for entertainment, excitement, challenge seeking, or emotional coping. However, both excessive play of games and frequent use of SNSs may lead to certain negative outcomes. Factors that may influence the tendency for adolescents to become dependent are various. Most existing studies on Internet addiction focus primarily on internal and individual factors that may predispose individuals to problematic Internet use, as personality traits. The main aim of this study was to assessing the risk of Internet addiction in a sample of Italian young adults of High School by looking background factors, attitudes, behavioral habits and personality traits. The results indicate that different dimensions of internet addiction can be predicted by a combination of different users’ characteristics. In particular, Agreeableness-Conscientiousness and Extroversion were inversely related to Internet addiction. The results were discussed in terms of prevention, the identification of specific variables associated with Internet addiction allows for targeting individuals who appear to be at risk for developing Internet addiction.

Comparison of activation level between true and false items in the DRM paradigm

The aim of the present study was to compare the activation levels of true and false memories in the Deese–Roediger–McDermott (DRM) paradigm. For this purpose, we used a lexical decision task (LDT) that can be considered a relative pure measure of activation. Participants had to study a list of words that were semantically associated to a critical non-presented word (CI), and afterwards had to classify the actually studied words, the CI and new words in the LDT. Results indicated that the classification latency of the CI was the same as actually studied words and shorter than new words. The results might be interpreted as evidence that the false and true memory items have the same activation level and that the false memory effect can be based on the indirect activation of the CI at the encoding.

Italian General Elections of 2006 and 2008: Testing the Direct and Indirect Impact of Implicit and Explicit Attitudes on Voting Behaviour

Two studies were conducted during the Italian General Elections of 2006 (N = 179) and 2008 (N = 607), to investigate the relationships among implicit and explicit attitudes, voting intention and voting behaviour. Several structural equation models that included direct and indirect effect of implicit and explicit attitudes toward political objects (coalitions and leaders) on voting intention and behaviour were executed to test a prediction model of political preferences and voting behaviour. Notwithstanding some differences, the results of the two studies showed that (i) the implicit evaluations of political objects are more differentiated than the explicit ones; (ii) that implicit attitudes contribute in a specific and additive way to determine the voting intention and behaviour, and (iii) that the effect of the implicit attitude is also mediated by the explicit attitudes. Findings are discussed in the frame of dual cognition models and in the light of the peculiar political scenarios of the considered electoral process.

Adults' implicit reactions to typical and atypical infant cues

This study investigates the valence of adults’ implicit associations to typical and atypical infant cues, and the consistency of responses across the different stimuli. 48 non-parent adults (25 females, 23 males) were presented three kinds of infant cues, typical cry (TD-cry), atypical cry (ASD-cry) and infant faces, and their implicit associations were measured by means of the Single Category Implicit Association Test (SC-IAT). Results showed that, independently of gender, the implicit associations to typical and atypical infant cries had the same negative valence, whereas infant faces were implicitly associated to the positive dimension. Moreover, data showed that implicit responses to the different infant cues were not associated. These results suggest that more controlled processes influence the perceptions of atypical infant cry, and confirm the need to investigate individual reactions to infant cues by adopting a multilevel approach.

The Implicit and Explicit Attitudes Predict Electoral Decision-Making in 2008 Italian Political Campaign

This contribution applies the social judgment based on warmth and competence in the Italian political context (2008 electoral campaign; N = 625), by integrating insights coming from the literature on the Big Two and on the dual cognition theories. It aims at identifying how the evaluations toward leaders and parties (in terms of assigned warmth and competence, and ingroup/outgroup perception) predict the electoral decision-making. Furthermore, we test the hypothesis that the evaluations of the opposite party (group) and leader (group member) differ. The results are discussed considering the relationship between the Big Two and the following social evaluations and behaviors, in terms of intergroup competition and dual cognitive processes, the peculiar Italian political context and its increasing level of political personalization.