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Sacred values are moral foundations that may make public and political debates among groups hard to resolve. A taboo trade-off framework offers the opportunity of measuring the inviolability and the "sacralization" of moral foundations. In this study, moral foundations in a taboo trade-off framework were assessed in a convenience sample of Italians (N = 224) using a new measure to assess sacred values, the Omission as a Compromise on Moral Foundations scale (OC-MF). The OC-MF measures the willingness of individuals to omit moral foundations in exchange for money. It was predicted that Italian center and left-wing participants would be less willing to compromise individualizing moral foundations as opposed to binding ones, and that center and right-wing participants would be less willing to compromise on binding moral foundations than left-wing participants. Confirmatory Factor Analyses demonstrated the two-factor structure of the OC-MF: individualizing and binding. As predicted, Repeated Measures Anova showed that political orientation was related with differential adoptions of moral foundations as sacred values, with center and left-wing participants refusing to compromise more on individualizing than on binding moral foundations. Moreover, left-wing participants were more willing to compromise on binding moral foundations than center and right-wing participants. The OC-MF shows the hypothesized differences between Italian political groups and offers a new understanding of moral reasoning. These findings provide opportunities for improving ideological debates concerning sacred values.

Concerns over the number of children living in poverty arise from our knowledge of the problems children face due to poverty. Many researchers have pointed out the psycho-social outcomes of growing up poor, including antisocial behavior. Literature concerning the development of crime has documented a wide range of factors that may intervene between exposure to disadvantage and the development of delinquency, and that could mediate the linkages between poverty and crime. The relationship between childhood economic disadvantage and antisocial behavior represents a relevant issue for child welfare policies and practices as well as for criminological theory. The aim of this paper is to offer a contribution to the theoretical understanding of the issue by way of an overview of the classical theoretical models concerning the various pathways and processes that may lead young people from socially disadvantaged backgrounds to be at a higher risk of delinquency. It presents the findings on the factors influencing resilience or susceptibility to adverse ecological conditions, with particular reference with the mediating role of family functioning and child-rearing, neighborhood poverty and timing of poverty. Theory implications and the relevance of these findings for policy and practice are discussed.

The exploration of acceptance of robotics by teachers, educators, psychologists and psychotherapists appears vital for the effective implementation of Educational Robotics (ER). This exploratory study evaluated acceptance of ER by Italian teachers, educators, psychologists and psychotherapists (N = 88). This research used a cross-sectional exploratory approach with a self-administered survey based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). The results indicated that the professionals’ intention to use robotics in their profession was negatively related to anxiety evoked by robotics, but positively related to the following aspects: 1) positive attitudes about the use of robotics, 2) perceptions that there are factors in the environment that facilitate using robotics, 3) perceptions of ability of robots to be adaptive, 4) perceptions of robotics as enjoyable, 5) perceptions that robotics will improve the user’s workplace performance, 6) positive perceptions of what other people think about robotics, 7) perceptions that robotics performs with integrity. Teachers, educators, psychologists and psychotherapists declared themselves to be quite favorable towards the use of robotics in their profession. These results showed that ER may be more integrated in educational contexts and for therapeutic and rehabilitation purposes.

To foresee the potential acceptance, rejection and adaptation of robots in societies, it is necessary to overcome deterministic and linear assumptions and explore the plurality of meanings that shape our relationships with these emerging technologies. With this goal in mind, this study investigates the social representation of robots and its interconnection with attitudes and images, in a convenience sample of young adults in Italy (N = 422). Participants were asked to complete a self-report questionnaire consisting of a free-association task to the word stimulus “robot”, the Robot Attitude Scale, the acceptance of robots in different domains of life and a measure of mind perceptions of robots. The social representation of robots was articulated around three key semantic dimensions opposing: (1) ‘distant/detached’ vs ‘close/integrated’ views; (2) ‘ideal’ vs ‘material’ aspects; (3) assimilation with ‘ICTs’ vs with electric and mechanic ‘devices.’ These three dichotomies defined different positions connected with general attitudes, domain-specific evaluations of robots, and their level of perceived proximity with human beings. In particular, the view of robots as more concrete and integrated objects was related to positive attitudes and acceptance across all considered domains (i.e. Dull/Dirty, Education/Care and Health/Emergency dimensions). In contrast, more distant views were related to negative attitudes. Our study provides insights into how diverse positions could favour or hinder the introduction of robots in different spheres of everyday life.

OBJECTIVES: This study examines perceived and anticipated stigma towards infected people, threat and impact appraisals of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as distressing personal experiences related to the virus in order to determine the extent to which they directly and indirectly predict hedonic and eudaimonic well-being. Investigated experiences included exposure to COVID-19-related news, having being in close proximity to people with a COVID-19 diagnosis or with COVID-19-like symptoms, having being sick or having suffered COVID-19-like symptoms, having tested negative for COVID-19. METHODS: Adults from northern Italy (n = 326; M age = 29.86) provided cross-sectional data through an online survey during the nationwide lockdown period. Structural equation modelling analyses were conducted. RESULTS: Perceived and anticipated stigma, exposure to COVID-19 news, perceived threat and impact on material resources access were negatively and indirectly related to both hedonic and eudaimonic well-being via perceived COVID-19 psychological impact which served as a mediator. Perceived stigma was also directly and negatively related to hedonic and eudaimonic well-being, whereas having tested negative for COVID diagnosis was positively and directly associated with eudaimonic well-being. CONCLUSIONS: COVID-19-related stigma and appraisals can impair positive feelings about life as well as the pursuit of self-realization and the search for meaning in life. The findings highlight the importance of developing psychological preventive and rehabilitative interventions to help people cope with these risk factors.

The availability of vaccines does not mean that people will be willing to get vaccinated. For example, different conspiracy beliefs on the adverse effects of vaccines may lead people to avoid collective health measures. This paper explores the role played by antecedents of COVID-related conspiracy beliefs, such as the role of political ideology and the endorsement of moral purity values, and the consequences of COVID-related conspiracy beliefs in terms of the acceptance of a COVID vaccine (when available) via structural equation modelling (SEM). A sample of 590 Italian participants filled in a questionnaire implemented using the Qualtrics.com platform, during the first Italian lockdown in April–May 2020. Results showed that endorsing purity values predicted stronger negative attitude towards COVID-vaccines. Moreover, conspiracy beliefs negatively predicted general attitudes toward vaccines. Faith in science negatively predicted general and COVID-related conspiracy beliefs, with those believing more in science also less endorsing general and COVID-related conspiracy beliefs. The attitudes towards the vaccines mediated the relationship between COVID-related conspiracy beliefs and attitudes towards COVID vaccine.

The left-cradling bias is the tendency to cradle an infant on the left side, regardless of the individuals’ handedness, culture or ethnicity. Many studies revealed associations between socio-emotional variables and the left-side bias, suggesting that this asymmetry might be considered as a proxy of the emotional attunement between the cradling and the cradled individuals. In this study we examined whether adult females with high levels of prejudice toward a specific ethnic group would show reduced left-cradling preferences when required to cradle an infant-like doll with ethnical features of the prejudiced group. We manipulated the ethnicity of the cradled individual by asking 336 Caucasian women to cradle a White or a Black doll and then assessed their prejudice levels toward African individuals. Significant correlations were shown only in the Black doll group indicating that the more the prejudice toward Africans, the more the cradling-side preferences shifted toward the right. Furthermore, participants exhibiting low levels—but not those exhibiting high levels—of ethnic prejudice showed a significant left-cradling bias. These findings show that ethnic prejudice toward the specific ethnic group of the cradled individual can interfere with the left preference in the cradling woman. The present study corroborates our suggestion that the left-cradling bias might be considered as a natural index of a positive socio-communicative relationship between the cradling and cradled individuals. On the contrary, the right-cradling bias might be considered as a cue of the presence of affective dysfunctions in the relationship.

Background:This study investigates the role of political orientation and religiosity in Italy for moral foundations endorsement, in light of Haidt and Graham’sMoral Foundations Theory. This theory hypothesizes that moral systems are based on five dimensions (i.e.,Harm/care, Fairness/reciprocity, Ingroup/loyalty, Authority/respect, and Purity/sanctity) that, in turn, can be grouped into two broader dimensions (BindingandIndividualizing).Objective:We aim to explore and extend the moral foundation assumptions to the Italian context predicting greater endorsement of binding values among Italian Right-wingers as compared with Left-wingers. Given that the relations between politics and Catholic Church have always been intertwined in modern Italy, we also extend this line of inquiry by examining the role of religiosity.Method:Two hundred and forty-eight Italian participants filled out a self-report measure including theMoral Foundations Questionnaires.Results: Individuals attach considerable relevance to individualizing moral foundations rather than to binding moral foundations; conservatives and regular religious attenders attach more relevance to binding moral foundations as compared with individuals with a Left-wing political orientation and less religious people.Conclusions:Our results show that the Italians’ political orientation emerges as a significant element in the differential adoption of moral foundations. Furthermore, considering the historical and fundamental role of the Catholic religion in the Italian society and political life, our results confirm that binding values are particularly valued in groups such as practicing Catholic, where institutions, families, and authorities are valued.

Objective This study explores the underlying values and beliefs that guide women's reasoning on prenatal genetic test (PGT) uptake, as framed by their own words, during a group discussion, in a Catholic country such as Italy. Methods Women's reasoning was explored by means of five focus group consisting of seven pregnant women and 13 new mothers. Results The focus group material content was analysed using the Nudist software. The discourse around PGT was rooted into four frames of reference: The usefulness dimension was used to express the positions in favour of PGT, whereas morality, risk and trust were used to express negative evaluations on such a technology. Participants advocated for themselves the choice of being tested, besides giving some credit to the partner's opinion. Moreover, participants reported little knowledge on PGT. Conclusion The research shed some light on the frames of reference used by participants to build their positions on PGT uptake, confirming the public's ability to translate scientific accounts into personally meaningful information. A more complete understanding of the reasons for decisions to test would help counsellors to better communicate with women and couples, and to better assist them to make a better informed testing decision. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Within the framework of the Component Process Model, the present study focuses on the emotions of shame, guilt, and anger, and aims at exploring their cognitive, physiological, and behavioral correlates. The participants were 124 Italian undergraduate students, who were asked to report an episode, from their autobiographical memory, about a self-conscious emotion that had occurred to them in the recent past. After that, they were asked to rate a large number of possible reactions about thoughts, bodily sensations, and action tendencies that they experienced during that episode. Our results generally support the idea that shame, guilt, and anger elicit different cognitive, physical, and behavioral patterns. These reactive systems may influence emotional and social adjustment in young adults. In particular, shame did not appear to be associated with aggressive tendencies, but it was characterized by the sensation of being a failure, gaze aversion, and by a low awareness of hurting and transgressing. Both guilt and anger were characterized by norm violation, whereas guilt alone was related to a tendency to repair.

This article aims to report the outcomes of a brief residential alcohol treatment based on the socioecological method, as measured in terms of professional evaluation and quality of life. The study covered a one-year period (July 2011–August 2012) by following the experiences of 20 users of alcohol included in a residential treatment program based on the socioecological approach. The treatment outcome was assessed via a quality-of-life (QoL) measure and professional service evaluation on three occasions: upon admission to the hospital, one month after hospital discharge, at the follow-up after 3 to 4 months. Moreover, four club facilitators were interviewed after 7 to 8 months concerning the situation of five patients. Results showed that one out of four people with an alcohol addiction were still sober about one year after discharge and attended the Clubs for Alcoholics in Treatment (CAT) regularly. One month after discharge, QoL data and professional evaluation converged in showing an improvemen...

During the last 30 years, supporters of the animal rights movement have questioned the use of animals for human benefit and have campaigned for improvements in their welfare. In the present study, activists' representations of animals and animal rights were investigated by interviewing 23 participants (from three animal welfare and animal rights organizations) during four focus-group discussions. Results show that the activists' representations were generated from the love/pain thema, which on the one hand showed the compassion and love the activists have for animals, and on the other hand the suffering that animals can endure. Moreover, differences were found in this study in the way that members of the three animal welfare and rights organizations constructed their views of animals. While members of two out of the three organizations aimed to protect abandoned animals, members of the Anti-Vivisection League faced the contradictions within the human–animal relationship and endorsed a more coheren...

This research aims to study the ontologization process of the Romani minority in Abruzzo region (Italy), characterized by the longstanding presence of a group of sedentary Romani, and to test the cross-categorization approach using a specific dependent measure such as the ontologization of the Italian Romani target. A questionnaire was administered to 475 Italian participants, in which the respondents were asked to attribute 6 human positive, 6 human negative, 6 animal positive and 6 animal negative associates to three targets: Italians (ingroup), Italian Romani (ingroup–outgroup) and Romani (outgroup). Participants showed evidence that they used human/animal associates differently for the ingroup and for the outgroup members. Romani groups were ascribed more animal than human characteristics, while Italians were described as more human than the Romani and Italian Romani group, showing the ontologization process of the Romani minority and the superhumanization of the Italian ingroup. Moreover, the cross-categorized Italian Romani target was the most discriminated against in that it was attributed more animal negative associates than the Romani and Italian ones. Since modern racism could take the form of the denial of the humanness and the attribution of animality to outgroup members, our data emphasize the importance of taking account of the persistence of negative attitudes so deep-rooted as those felt towards the Romani.