L. Leone - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by L. Leone

Pregiudizio sottile e pregiudizio manifesto: alcuni rilievi critici sullo strumento di Pettigrew e Meertens (1995)

Giornale italiano di psicologia, 2006

Pettigrew and Meertens's (1995) scale attempts to distinguish between subtle and blatant form... more Pettigrew and Meertens's (1995) scale attempts to distinguish between subtle and blatant forms of prejudice. In this paper we sought to test the validity of the measures included in the scale. We argue that the subtle prejudice scale lacks construct validity due mainly to two major flaws of the scale: first, the construct was operationalized via some items which do not show discriminant validity with the blatant prejudice measures; second, some subtle prejudice items just measure perception of cultural differences, but it is unclear whether the perception of cultural differences unambiguously reflects prejudice. A group of 356 Italian participants filled out measures of subtle and blatant prejudice, ethnocentrism, and political orientation. Results show that most indicators of subtle prejudice actually belong to the traditional general prejudice factor. The cultural differences sub-scale fails to achieve concurrent validity, suggesting that this scale is weakly related to the subtle prejudice construct; moreover, we show that the cultural differences subscale, if considered an indicator of subtle prejudice, leads to misleading results and interpretations

Maio and Esses (2001) developed an individual difference measure of the Need for Affect. This con... more Maio and Esses (2001) developed an individual difference measure of the Need for Affect. This construct reflects the individual's motivation to approach or avoid emotion-inducing situations. In the present research, we sought further support for validity of the measure among Italian groups. Different groups of participants were analyzed (total = 1159), with age ranging from 15 to 75. The factor structure of the scale was tested, and compared with results reported by developers of the instrument. Factorial invariance of the measure was investigated across gender and across age levels. We thus sought to replicate and extend previous results on convergent and discriminant validity of the need for affect measure. Results support the validity of the Need for Affect Scales in Italian groups.

Personality and Individual Differences, 2012

In this paper, the relationships between the HEXACO personality model and socio-political attitud... more In this paper, the relationships between the HEXACO personality model and socio-political attitudes were investigated. It was hypothesized that the relationship between Honesty-Humility and Social Dominance Orientation (SDO) and that between Openness and Right Wing Authoritarianism (RWA) were moderated by interest in politics. Three hundred and forty-four individuals participated in the study. Results showed that Honesty-Humility affected SDO and Openness affected RWA more strongly among individuals with a higher level of interest in politics. Facet-level analyses revealed that Humility and Experiential Openness were uniquely connected to ideology. These effects were also moderated by interest in politics.

Personality and Individual Differences, 2014

We tested a series of discriminant associations, investigating how dimensions of patriotism (i.e.... more We tested a series of discriminant associations, investigating how dimensions of patriotism (i.e. blind and constructive) differently relate to value orientations, and to ideological attitudes such as Right-Wing Authoritarianism (RWA) and Social Dominance Orientation (SDO). Using an Italian student sample (N = 146) we found that blind patriotism correlated positively with tradition and negatively with universalism, whilst constructive patriotism correlated negatively with tradition and positively with universalism. Both RWA and SDO correlated negatively with universalism, whilst only RWA was associated with security and tradition and only SDO related positively to power and self-direction. Mediation analyses revealed that most of the effects of value orientations on patriotism were mediated by SDO and RWA.

Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 2005

The objective of this study was to investigate the links between maternal and paternal bonding, p... more The objective of this study was to investigate the links between maternal and paternal bonding, parental practices, orientation toward peers, and the prevalence of drug use and antisocial behavior during late adolescence. A model was tested using structural equation modeling in order to verify the robustness of the investigated links across 3 countries: Canada, France, and Italy. A self-report questionnaire was given to a sample of 908 adolescents, with an equivalent number of girls and boys, in Grade 11. The questionnaire assessed the following variables: parental bonding, parental supervision, parental tolerance, orientation toward peers, involvement in physically aggressive antisocial behavior, nonphysically aggressive antisocial behavior, and drug use. The model was robust across the 3 countries, thus confirming a path that identified quality of emotional bonds between adolescents and their parents as a distal variable acting upon deviant behaviors through the following mediators: parental supervision, parental tolerance, frequency of conflicts, and orientation toward peers.

Conservatism as motivated avoidance of affect: Need for affect scales predict conservatism measures

Journal of Research in Personality, 2008

We propose that individual differences in the motivation to avoid emotions are related to politic... more We propose that individual differences in the motivation to avoid emotions are related to political conservatism. We argue that because conservatism is concerned with managing uncertainty and emphasizes ego-control, conservative ideologies match with the motivational concerns of those individuals who find emotions to be uncertainty-enhancing and dysfunctional. In a group of 267 participants, positive associations were found between emotion avoidance

European Journal of Personality, 2012

Previous research has suggested that the association between right–wing authoritarianism (RWA) an... more Previous research has suggested that the association between right–wing authoritarianism (RWA) and social dominance orientation (SDO) is moderated by political interest and involvement. It is here hypothesized that interest also strengthens the association of authoritarianism with political self–placement and that higher levels of interest in politics shape voting choices that are more strongly associated with authoritarianism. Authoritarianism was defined as a second–order factor reflecting onto SDO and RWA in a structural equation modelling approach. In Study 1 (two samples, total N = 873), interest was found to moderate the impact of authoritarianism, as hypothesized. In Study 2 (N = 721), a higher order interaction involving interest and political expertise was detected. These results were obtained with different measures and in different electoral campaigns. The motivational and cognitive underpinnings of the moderating effects are discussed. Copyright © 2012 European Associati...

Promoting Ecotourism Among Young People

Environment and Behavior, 2010

Ecotourism in natural protected areas is receiving growing international recognition as a means t... more Ecotourism in natural protected areas is receiving growing international recognition as a means to enhance sustainability. Nonetheless, research on ecotourism and, in particular, on young ecotourists segmentation is still scarce. This study aimed at segmenting the market of young tourists using a range of psychosociological factors. First, a sample of 365 young tourists was segmented on the basis of holiday motivations (considered driving factors of attitudes and behaviors). Second, each group identified was characterized by a consistent set of other psychosociological variables, such as personality traits, personal values, general environmental beliefs, and behavioral variables (ecotourism behavioral intentions and consumption habits). The results show that about 80% of the sample would be open to the ecotourism, and different communication strategies for promoting ecotourism for different segments of potential ecotourists are also proposed.

European Journal of Personality, 2011

Do political preferences reflect individual differences in interpersonal orientations? Are conser... more Do political preferences reflect individual differences in interpersonal orientations? Are conservatives less other–regarding than liberals? On the basis of past theorising, we hypothesised that, relative to individuals with prosocial orientations, those with individualistic and competitive orientations should be more likely to endorse conservative political preferences and vote for conservative parties. This hypothesis was supported in three independent studies conducted in Italy (Studies 1 and 2) and the Netherlands (Study 3). Consistent with hypotheses, a cross–sectional study revealed that individualists and competitors endorsed stronger conservative political preferences than did prosocials; moreover, this effect was independent of the association between need for structure and conservative political preferences (Study 1). The predicted association of social value orientation and voting was observed in both a four–week (Study 2) and an eight–month (Study 3) longitudinal study. ...

PLoS ONE, 2013

The Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) is widely used in investigations of decision making. A growing numbe... more The Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) is widely used in investigations of decision making. A growing number of studies have linked performance on this task to personality differences, with the aim of explaining the large degree of variability in healthy individuals' performance of the task. However, this line of research has yielded inconsistent results. In the present study, we tested whether increasing the conflict between short-term and long-term gains in the IGT can clarify personality-related modulations of decision making. We assessed performance on the original IGT as a function of the personality traits typically involved in risky decision making (i.e., impulsivity, sensation seeking, sensitivity to reward and punishment). The impact of these same personality traits was also evaluated on a modified version of the task in which the difference in immediate reward magnitude between disadvantageous and advantageous decks was increased, while keeping the net gain fixed. The results showed that only in this latter IGT variant were highly impulsive individuals and high sensation seekers lured into making disadvantageous choices. The opposite seems to be the case for participants who were highly sensitive to punishment, although further data are needed to corroborate this finding. The present preliminary results suggest that the IGT variant used in this study could be more effective than the original task at identifying personality effects in decision making. Implications for dispositional and situational effects on decision making are discussed.

Openness to Experience, Honesty–Humility and ideological attitudes: A fine-grained analysis

Personality and Individual Differences, 2014

ABSTRACT We aimed at replicating and extending recent findings about the relationships between th... more ABSTRACT We aimed at replicating and extending recent findings about the relationships between the specific aspects entailed by Honesty–Humility and Openness to Experience and ideological attitudes. Study 1 (N = 820) indicated that Openness-Curiosity, not Openness-Cultural, was uniquely associated with Right Wing Authoritarianism (RWA) and that Humility, not Honesty, was uniquely related to Social Dominance Orientation. Divergent effects on RWA were identified for Honesty (positive) and Humility (negative). Study 2 (N = 586) replicated further these results and investigated the moderating role of interest in politics, and the mediating role of Need for Closure in shaping the pattern of associations. Openness-Curiosity and Humility were related to ideological attitudes mostly in a direct way, and these associations were strengthened by interest in politics.

Appetitive and impulsive components in the Appetitive Motivation Scale

Journal of Research in Personality, 2011

Measures of the Behavioral Activation System (BAS) often conflate reward-reactivity (the core of ... more Measures of the Behavioral Activation System (BAS) often conflate reward-reactivity (the core of the BAS) and impulsivity-related variance. The Appetitive Motivation Scale (AMS), a recently-developed BAS measure, has been proposed as a one-dimensional scale which deals exclusively with core reward-reactivity. However, we show here how a two-dimensional interpretation of the scale reveals components which are linked with both the core

Addictive Behaviors, 2012

Alexithymia and avoidance coping strategies are both associated with alcohol abuse, but their eff... more Alexithymia and avoidance coping strategies are both associated with alcohol abuse, but their effects have been seldom studied simultaneously. The present study investigated the interplay between alexithymia and avoidance coping strategies in predicting the severity of alcohol abuse in an alcohol-dependent sample. The TAS-20 and COPE-NVI questionnaires were administered to 110 alcoholic inpatients enrolled into a recovery program at the Center for Alcohol Abuse of the

Uno studio di adattamento e validazione della Scala di orientamento

Rassegna Di Psicologia, 2005

Validation of the utility of social dominance orientation in Italy

Il ruolo della sottoscala Differenze Culturali nella misura di pregiudizio latente

European Journal of Social Psychology, 1999

The theory of reasoned action (TRA; Fishbein & Ajzen, 1975), the theory of planned behavior (TPB;... more The theory of reasoned action (TRA; Fishbein & Ajzen, 1975), the theory of planned behavior (TPB; Ajzen, 1985) and the theory of self-regulation (TSR; Bagozzi, 1992) were applied to Italian undergraduate students' studying behavior. The main focus of the research was to ascertain the predictive power of past behavior on intention and behavior and thus test for the suciency of the theories. For theory suciency to be demonstrated, past behavior in¯uences on intention and present behavior should be totally mediated by the focal variables of the theories (attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control and desire). It is argued that past behavior aects intentions and present behavior over and above attitudinal variables and that these eects will be weaker on intention for the TPB and TSR models. A structural equation approach was used to test the construct validity of measures such as the predictive validity of the theories. A total sample of 240 Italian college students participated in the research. A subsample of 90 subjects provided a self-report behavioral measure one week later. Results show that past behavior is a strong predictor of both intention and behavior in the TRA model, while it is a weaker predictor of intention in the TPB and in the TSR models. Implications for attitude± behavior relationships are discussed.

Risk factors for health: empirical contribution on doping abuse in adolescents

9 Those who supported and voted for Berlusconi: a social-psychological profile of the willing followers of a controversial political leader

Versione Italiana del Multicultural Personality Questionnaire (MPQ)

Pregiudizio sottile e pregiudizio manifesto: alcuni rilievi critici sullo strumento di Pettigrew e Meertens (1995)

Giornale italiano di psicologia, 2006

Pettigrew and Meertens's (1995) scale attempts to distinguish between subtle and blatant form... more Pettigrew and Meertens's (1995) scale attempts to distinguish between subtle and blatant forms of prejudice. In this paper we sought to test the validity of the measures included in the scale. We argue that the subtle prejudice scale lacks construct validity due mainly to two major flaws of the scale: first, the construct was operationalized via some items which do not show discriminant validity with the blatant prejudice measures; second, some subtle prejudice items just measure perception of cultural differences, but it is unclear whether the perception of cultural differences unambiguously reflects prejudice. A group of 356 Italian participants filled out measures of subtle and blatant prejudice, ethnocentrism, and political orientation. Results show that most indicators of subtle prejudice actually belong to the traditional general prejudice factor. The cultural differences sub-scale fails to achieve concurrent validity, suggesting that this scale is weakly related to the subtle prejudice construct; moreover, we show that the cultural differences subscale, if considered an indicator of subtle prejudice, leads to misleading results and interpretations

Maio and Esses (2001) developed an individual difference measure of the Need for Affect. This con... more Maio and Esses (2001) developed an individual difference measure of the Need for Affect. This construct reflects the individual's motivation to approach or avoid emotion-inducing situations. In the present research, we sought further support for validity of the measure among Italian groups. Different groups of participants were analyzed (total = 1159), with age ranging from 15 to 75. The factor structure of the scale was tested, and compared with results reported by developers of the instrument. Factorial invariance of the measure was investigated across gender and across age levels. We thus sought to replicate and extend previous results on convergent and discriminant validity of the need for affect measure. Results support the validity of the Need for Affect Scales in Italian groups.

Personality and Individual Differences, 2012

In this paper, the relationships between the HEXACO personality model and socio-political attitud... more In this paper, the relationships between the HEXACO personality model and socio-political attitudes were investigated. It was hypothesized that the relationship between Honesty-Humility and Social Dominance Orientation (SDO) and that between Openness and Right Wing Authoritarianism (RWA) were moderated by interest in politics. Three hundred and forty-four individuals participated in the study. Results showed that Honesty-Humility affected SDO and Openness affected RWA more strongly among individuals with a higher level of interest in politics. Facet-level analyses revealed that Humility and Experiential Openness were uniquely connected to ideology. These effects were also moderated by interest in politics.

Personality and Individual Differences, 2014

We tested a series of discriminant associations, investigating how dimensions of patriotism (i.e.... more We tested a series of discriminant associations, investigating how dimensions of patriotism (i.e. blind and constructive) differently relate to value orientations, and to ideological attitudes such as Right-Wing Authoritarianism (RWA) and Social Dominance Orientation (SDO). Using an Italian student sample (N = 146) we found that blind patriotism correlated positively with tradition and negatively with universalism, whilst constructive patriotism correlated negatively with tradition and positively with universalism. Both RWA and SDO correlated negatively with universalism, whilst only RWA was associated with security and tradition and only SDO related positively to power and self-direction. Mediation analyses revealed that most of the effects of value orientations on patriotism were mediated by SDO and RWA.

Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 2005

The objective of this study was to investigate the links between maternal and paternal bonding, p... more The objective of this study was to investigate the links between maternal and paternal bonding, parental practices, orientation toward peers, and the prevalence of drug use and antisocial behavior during late adolescence. A model was tested using structural equation modeling in order to verify the robustness of the investigated links across 3 countries: Canada, France, and Italy. A self-report questionnaire was given to a sample of 908 adolescents, with an equivalent number of girls and boys, in Grade 11. The questionnaire assessed the following variables: parental bonding, parental supervision, parental tolerance, orientation toward peers, involvement in physically aggressive antisocial behavior, nonphysically aggressive antisocial behavior, and drug use. The model was robust across the 3 countries, thus confirming a path that identified quality of emotional bonds between adolescents and their parents as a distal variable acting upon deviant behaviors through the following mediators: parental supervision, parental tolerance, frequency of conflicts, and orientation toward peers.

Conservatism as motivated avoidance of affect: Need for affect scales predict conservatism measures

Journal of Research in Personality, 2008

We propose that individual differences in the motivation to avoid emotions are related to politic... more We propose that individual differences in the motivation to avoid emotions are related to political conservatism. We argue that because conservatism is concerned with managing uncertainty and emphasizes ego-control, conservative ideologies match with the motivational concerns of those individuals who find emotions to be uncertainty-enhancing and dysfunctional. In a group of 267 participants, positive associations were found between emotion avoidance

European Journal of Personality, 2012

Previous research has suggested that the association between right–wing authoritarianism (RWA) an... more Previous research has suggested that the association between right–wing authoritarianism (RWA) and social dominance orientation (SDO) is moderated by political interest and involvement. It is here hypothesized that interest also strengthens the association of authoritarianism with political self–placement and that higher levels of interest in politics shape voting choices that are more strongly associated with authoritarianism. Authoritarianism was defined as a second–order factor reflecting onto SDO and RWA in a structural equation modelling approach. In Study 1 (two samples, total N = 873), interest was found to moderate the impact of authoritarianism, as hypothesized. In Study 2 (N = 721), a higher order interaction involving interest and political expertise was detected. These results were obtained with different measures and in different electoral campaigns. The motivational and cognitive underpinnings of the moderating effects are discussed. Copyright © 2012 European Associati...

Promoting Ecotourism Among Young People

Environment and Behavior, 2010

Ecotourism in natural protected areas is receiving growing international recognition as a means t... more Ecotourism in natural protected areas is receiving growing international recognition as a means to enhance sustainability. Nonetheless, research on ecotourism and, in particular, on young ecotourists segmentation is still scarce. This study aimed at segmenting the market of young tourists using a range of psychosociological factors. First, a sample of 365 young tourists was segmented on the basis of holiday motivations (considered driving factors of attitudes and behaviors). Second, each group identified was characterized by a consistent set of other psychosociological variables, such as personality traits, personal values, general environmental beliefs, and behavioral variables (ecotourism behavioral intentions and consumption habits). The results show that about 80% of the sample would be open to the ecotourism, and different communication strategies for promoting ecotourism for different segments of potential ecotourists are also proposed.

European Journal of Personality, 2011

Do political preferences reflect individual differences in interpersonal orientations? Are conser... more Do political preferences reflect individual differences in interpersonal orientations? Are conservatives less other–regarding than liberals? On the basis of past theorising, we hypothesised that, relative to individuals with prosocial orientations, those with individualistic and competitive orientations should be more likely to endorse conservative political preferences and vote for conservative parties. This hypothesis was supported in three independent studies conducted in Italy (Studies 1 and 2) and the Netherlands (Study 3). Consistent with hypotheses, a cross–sectional study revealed that individualists and competitors endorsed stronger conservative political preferences than did prosocials; moreover, this effect was independent of the association between need for structure and conservative political preferences (Study 1). The predicted association of social value orientation and voting was observed in both a four–week (Study 2) and an eight–month (Study 3) longitudinal study. ...

PLoS ONE, 2013

The Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) is widely used in investigations of decision making. A growing numbe... more The Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) is widely used in investigations of decision making. A growing number of studies have linked performance on this task to personality differences, with the aim of explaining the large degree of variability in healthy individuals' performance of the task. However, this line of research has yielded inconsistent results. In the present study, we tested whether increasing the conflict between short-term and long-term gains in the IGT can clarify personality-related modulations of decision making. We assessed performance on the original IGT as a function of the personality traits typically involved in risky decision making (i.e., impulsivity, sensation seeking, sensitivity to reward and punishment). The impact of these same personality traits was also evaluated on a modified version of the task in which the difference in immediate reward magnitude between disadvantageous and advantageous decks was increased, while keeping the net gain fixed. The results showed that only in this latter IGT variant were highly impulsive individuals and high sensation seekers lured into making disadvantageous choices. The opposite seems to be the case for participants who were highly sensitive to punishment, although further data are needed to corroborate this finding. The present preliminary results suggest that the IGT variant used in this study could be more effective than the original task at identifying personality effects in decision making. Implications for dispositional and situational effects on decision making are discussed.

Openness to Experience, Honesty–Humility and ideological attitudes: A fine-grained analysis

Personality and Individual Differences, 2014

ABSTRACT We aimed at replicating and extending recent findings about the relationships between th... more ABSTRACT We aimed at replicating and extending recent findings about the relationships between the specific aspects entailed by Honesty–Humility and Openness to Experience and ideological attitudes. Study 1 (N = 820) indicated that Openness-Curiosity, not Openness-Cultural, was uniquely associated with Right Wing Authoritarianism (RWA) and that Humility, not Honesty, was uniquely related to Social Dominance Orientation. Divergent effects on RWA were identified for Honesty (positive) and Humility (negative). Study 2 (N = 586) replicated further these results and investigated the moderating role of interest in politics, and the mediating role of Need for Closure in shaping the pattern of associations. Openness-Curiosity and Humility were related to ideological attitudes mostly in a direct way, and these associations were strengthened by interest in politics.

Appetitive and impulsive components in the Appetitive Motivation Scale

Journal of Research in Personality, 2011

Measures of the Behavioral Activation System (BAS) often conflate reward-reactivity (the core of ... more Measures of the Behavioral Activation System (BAS) often conflate reward-reactivity (the core of the BAS) and impulsivity-related variance. The Appetitive Motivation Scale (AMS), a recently-developed BAS measure, has been proposed as a one-dimensional scale which deals exclusively with core reward-reactivity. However, we show here how a two-dimensional interpretation of the scale reveals components which are linked with both the core

Addictive Behaviors, 2012

Alexithymia and avoidance coping strategies are both associated with alcohol abuse, but their eff... more Alexithymia and avoidance coping strategies are both associated with alcohol abuse, but their effects have been seldom studied simultaneously. The present study investigated the interplay between alexithymia and avoidance coping strategies in predicting the severity of alcohol abuse in an alcohol-dependent sample. The TAS-20 and COPE-NVI questionnaires were administered to 110 alcoholic inpatients enrolled into a recovery program at the Center for Alcohol Abuse of the

Uno studio di adattamento e validazione della Scala di orientamento

Rassegna Di Psicologia, 2005

Validation of the utility of social dominance orientation in Italy

Il ruolo della sottoscala Differenze Culturali nella misura di pregiudizio latente

European Journal of Social Psychology, 1999

The theory of reasoned action (TRA; Fishbein & Ajzen, 1975), the theory of planned behavior (TPB;... more The theory of reasoned action (TRA; Fishbein & Ajzen, 1975), the theory of planned behavior (TPB; Ajzen, 1985) and the theory of self-regulation (TSR; Bagozzi, 1992) were applied to Italian undergraduate students' studying behavior. The main focus of the research was to ascertain the predictive power of past behavior on intention and behavior and thus test for the suciency of the theories. For theory suciency to be demonstrated, past behavior in¯uences on intention and present behavior should be totally mediated by the focal variables of the theories (attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control and desire). It is argued that past behavior aects intentions and present behavior over and above attitudinal variables and that these eects will be weaker on intention for the TPB and TSR models. A structural equation approach was used to test the construct validity of measures such as the predictive validity of the theories. A total sample of 240 Italian college students participated in the research. A subsample of 90 subjects provided a self-report behavioral measure one week later. Results show that past behavior is a strong predictor of both intention and behavior in the TRA model, while it is a weaker predictor of intention in the TPB and in the TSR models. Implications for attitude± behavior relationships are discussed.

Risk factors for health: empirical contribution on doping abuse in adolescents

9 Those who supported and voted for Berlusconi: a social-psychological profile of the willing followers of a controversial political leader

Versione Italiana del Multicultural Personality Questionnaire (MPQ)