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Abstract. The purpose of the present paper is to introduce the Military Academic Motivation Scale (MAMS), a short and reliable instrument for assessing the different types of motivation among military cadets. Three representative samples of military cadets completed the MAMS. In Study 1 ( N = 452), the hypothesized five-factor structure of the MAMS was empirically tested and supported. In Study 2 ( N = 1,372), the factorial invariance across both gender and cohorts of the MAMS was explored and confirmed. Study 3 ( N = 520) provided evidence of the external validity of the five MAMS factors with respect to important organizational outcomes (work engagement, organizational commitment, job performance, extra-role behaviors, burnout, and intention to quit). The potential applications of the MAMS were extensively discussed, and recommendations for use in the military academy setting were given.

Abstract. Positive orientation (PO) is a basic predisposition that consists in a positive outlook toward oneself, one’s life, and one’s future, which is associated to many desirable outcomes connected to health and to the general quality of life. We performed a lexical study for identifying a set of markers of PO, developed an Implicit Association Test (the PO-IAT), and investigated its psychometric properties. The PO-IAT proved to be a reliable measure with a clear pattern of convergent validity, both with respect to self-report scales connected to PO and with respect to an indirect measure of self-esteem. A secondary aim of our studies was to validate a new brief adjective scale to assess PO, the POAS. Our results show that both the PO-IAT and the self-reported PO predict the frequency of depressive symptoms and of self-perceived intelligence.

Abstract. Recent research has pointed to the benefits of positive emotions and their appropriate modulation in buffering the impact of negative experience, and in promoting well-being. Two studies examined the psychometric properties of a new scale that was designed to assess perceived self-efficacy in using memories of positive emotional experiences and humor to face challenges and to cope with stressful experiences. In the first study, we examined the factor structure and internal validity of two scales in youths from the United States (N = 1,277), Italy (N = 363), and Spain (N = 223). In the second study, we examined correlations of the two scales with positive affect, as well as other indicators of well-being and adjustment in the three countries (US: N = 499; Italian and Spanish samples of Study 1). The results of the exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported two distinct factors and showed acceptable partial invariance of the scales across countries. Correlations supported the scales’ construct and discriminant validity. Overall, the findings corroborated the psychometric properties of the two scales and the view of retrieval of positive emotional experiences and humor as distinct self-regulatory strategies.

The present study investigated the construct validity and reliability of the Big Five Competencies grid (BFC grid), an instrument framed and validated within a well-established conceptual model, the Five Factor Model (FFM) of personality. A first sample of 1,307 employees (65% males) in a variety of job types completed the BFC grid and a list of Big Five prototypical adjectives. Exploratory structural equation modeling attested a six-factor competencies structure corresponding to four broad traits (Extraversion, Agreeableness, Emotional stability, Openness) and two facets of conscientiousness. The six scales showed adequate reliability and dominant associations with the corresponding personality traits. In a second sample of 150 employees (87% males), the six-factor structure was confirmed together with convergent validity between self- and other-ratings of work competencies. Implications and suggestions for future results are discussed.