Browsing by Author "Pasion, Rita"
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- Addressing the complex links between psychopathy and childhood maltreatment, emotion regulation, and aggression-a network analysis in adultsPublication . Moreira, Diana; Silva, Candy; Moreira, Patrícia; Pinto, Tiago Miguel; Costa, Raquel; Lamela, Diogo; Jongenelen, Inês; Pasion, RitaChildhood maltreatment is the strongest predictor of psychopathology and personality disorders across the lifespan and is strongly associated with a variety of psychological problems, namely, mood and anxiety disorders, behavioral and personality disorders, substance abuse, aggression, and self-harm. In this study, we aim to provide a comprehensive picture of the interplay between different traits of psychopathy and distinct dimensions of childhood maltreatment, emotion regulation, and aggression. Using a cross-sectional design, we employed correlational network analysis to explore the nomological network of psychopathy and provide a sample-based estimate of the population parameters reflecting the direction, strength, and patterns of relationships between variables. The sample consisted of 846 adults (71% females) who completed questionnaires measuring psychopathy, childhood maltreatment, emotion regulation, and aggression. The results highlight that disinhibition traits of psychopathy are the closest attributes of early experiences of abuse (but not neglect) in childhood and correlate with all dimensions of emotion regulation difficulties, being specifically associated with reactive aggression. Neglect was a unique attribute in the nomological network of meanness, with widespread correlations with emotion regulation difficulties but also an increased ability to engage in goal-directed behavior. Physical abuse was the only dimension of childhood adversity that was found to be intercorrelated with boldness and increased emotional regulation was found in this psychopathic trait. No significant associations were found between boldness, meanness, and aggression once shared variance with disinhibition was controlled. These results are discussed in terms of their implication for research and clinical practice.
- Impact of COVID-19 on undergraduate business students: a longitudinal study on academic motivation, engagement and attachment to universityPublication . Pasion, Rita; Dias-Oliveira, Eva; Camacho, Ana; Morais, Catarina; Franco, Raquel CamposPurpose – This study aims to explore whether the COVID-19-related circumstances hindered these academic-related variables. Design Methodology Approach – The authors surveyed two groups of undergraduate business students (42% male) who completed the questionnaires at the beginning and at the end of the semester. One group of students attended only face-to-face classes in the 2018/2019 academic year (n = 126) and the other group transitioned to online classes because of the COVID-19 outbreak in the 2019/2020 academic year (n = 99). Findings – The findings show no statistically significant group differences between the pre- and post-test in students’ intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, feelings of attachment to the university and engagement dimensions of absorption and vigour. Nevertheless, a moderate negative effect was found in the dedication engagement dimension. Practical Implications – The authors discuss the main results in terms of some practices that may contribute towards attenuating the effects of future emerging pandemics in the higher education setting. Originality Value – The COVID-19 pandemic imposed a rapid transition to online instruction in education institutions worldwide. However, it remains unclear to date how students’ engagement, motivation and attachment to the university were negatively affected by the first COVID-19 outbreak.
- ‘‘It is no big deal!’’: fraud diamond theory as an explanatory model for understanding students’ academic fraudulent behaviorPublication . Dias-Oliveira, Eva; Morais, Catarina; Pasion, Rita; Hodgson, JuliaThe Fraud Diamond theory (rationalization, opportunity, motivation and perceived capability) has been widely used as a framework to explain criminal behavior. However, little is known about its application in an academic context. Research on the relationship between the prevalence of academic fraud (e.g., cheating on exams, plagiarizing essays) and students’ perceptions of the severity of such behaviors is also lacking. We surveyed 1,032 university students and asked them whether they engaged in fraudulent behaviors and how severe they thought these behaviors were. The results showed that motivation, rationalization, and perceived capability dimensions of the Fraud Diamond theory are important factors in predicting the prevalence of students’ academic fraudulent behavior, but not opportunity. We also found that the more students reported that they engaged in fraudulent academic behaviors, the less severe they perceived those behaviors to be. However, only rationalization emerged as a predictor of perceived severity. The results suggest that the more students are able to find justifications for their fraudulent behavior, the less severe they perceive those behaviors to be. Rationalization seems to explain, therefore, the tendency to disassociate moral values from dishonest behavior. Taken together, the study shows a vicious cycle between engaging in fraudulent academic behavior and the ability to justify these acts. Implications for Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are discussed.
- Meta-analytic evidence for a reversal learning effect on the Iowa gambling task in older adultsPublication . Pasion, Rita; Gonçalves, Ana R.; Fernandes, Carina; Ferreira-Santos, Fernando; Barbosa, Fernando; Marques-Teixeira, JoãoIowa Gambling Task (IGT) is one of the most widely used tools to assess economic decision-making. However, the research tradition on aging and the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) has been mainly focused on the overall performance of older adults in relation to younger or clinical groups, remaining unclear whether older adults are capable of learning along the task. We conducted a meta-analysis to examine older adults' decision-making on the IGT, to test the effects of aging on reversal learning (45 studies) and to provide normative data on total and block net scores (55 studies). From the accumulated empirical evidence, we found an average total net score of 7.55 (+/- 25.9). We also observed a significant reversal learning effect along the blocks of the IGT, indicating that older adults inhibit the prepotent response toward immediately attractive options associated with high losses, in favor of initially less attractive options associated with long-run profit. During block 1, decisions of older adults led to a negative gambling net score, reflecting the expected initial pattern of risk-taking. However, the shift toward more safe options occurred between block 2 (small-to-medium effect size) and blocks 3, 4, 5 (medium-to-large effect size). These main findings highlight that older adults are able to move from the initial uncertainty, when the possible outcomes are unknown, to decisions based on risk, when the outcomes are learned and may be used to guide future adaptive decision-making.
- The development of critical thinking, team working, and communication skills in a Business School – a project-based learning approachPublication . Dias-Oliveira, Eva; Pasion, Rita; Cunha, Rui Vieira da; Coelho, Sandra LimaThis study presents a Project-Based Learning (PBL) approach – the Multidisciplinary Project I course (MPI) - conceived to improve critical thinking skills of first-year business students while also mobilising teamwork and communication skills. The main goals are to 1) describe the methodological PBL approach of MPI and 2) analyse changes in critical thinking, team working, and communication skills during the semester (pre- and post-test) by comparing management and economics students enrolled in MP1 (n = 946) to a control group (n = 210) including students from other courses. Our findings show that, at the end of the semester, MPI students reported a greater reduction in their critical thinking difficulties and communication apprehension and improvements in teamwork skills. This study provides evidence supporting the inclusion of PBL approaches to promote skills in business students that can be transferable to real-world settings.