Volume 24, Issue 2, 2016

Choice overload and the quarterlife phase: do higher educated quarterlifers experience more stress?
Launspach, T., van der Deijl, M., Spiering, M., Heemskerk, M. M., Maas, E. N., & Marckelbach, D. Pages 7-16Author(s): Thijs Launspach, Madeleen van der Deijl, Mark Spiering, Maud M. Heemskerk, Edmee N. Maas, Denise Marckelbach
Language: English
Subject(s): Education, Psychology
Issue: 2/XXIV/2016
Page Range: 7-16
No. of Pages: 10
Keywords: quarterlife; educational level; twenty-somethings; choice overload; stress; options
Summary/Abstract: The hypothesis that higher educated twenty-somethings experience more choice overload than lower educated twenty-somethings was tested. 146 participants, either in university or in community college, filled in questionnaires asserting their levels of choice overload. As expected, higher educated (WO) twenty-somethings reported more choice overload than lower (MBO) educated twenty-somethings. Correlations were also found between choice overload and peer-pressure, student’s housing situation and whether or not students regarded themselves as adults. It was concluded that higher educated twenty-somethings indeed experience more choice overload compared to lower educated twenty-somethings.
Download full article

Pentavalent inventory to measure learning styles
Lozano-Rodríguez, A., Tijerina-Salas, B. A., & Valenzuela-González, J. R. Pages 17-36Author(s): Armando Lozano-Rodríguez, Beatriz Adriana Tijerina-Salas, Jaime Ricardo Valenzuela-González
Language: English
Subject(s): Education, Psychology
Issue: 2/XXIV/2016
Page Range: 17-36
No. of Pages: 20
Keywords: learning styles; measure instruments; psychometric analysis; design of learning environments
Summary/Abstract: This article presents the theoretical support and empirical validation of an instrument designed to measure learning styles. The instrument considers five dimensions (hence the term pentavalent): chronobiological, sociological, level of dependence on others, sensory preferences in general and sensory preferences in the use of technology. The instrument had 108 items measurable with the Likert scale, grouped into 18 scales. The results show descriptive statistics data of the sample that was taken as a frame of reference for the establishment of norms. It also includes an analysis of the reliability (internal consistency), validity, and item analysis to determine the psychometric characteristics of the instrument. The Pentavalent inventory for measuring learning styles is proposed as a useful tool to adapt the design of learning environments based on students’ individual preferences.
Download full article

Self-worth, scholastic competence and approaches to learning in university students
Barros, A., & Duarte, A. Pages 37-57Author(s): Alexandra Barros, António Duarte
Language: English
Subject(s): Education, Psychology
Issue: 2/XXIV/2016
Page Range: 37-57
No. of Pages: 21
Keywords: SAL (student’s approaches to learning); higher education; self-esteem; scholastic competence; academic achievement
Summary/Abstract: This study seeks to analyse the relationships between students’ self-worth, perception of scholastic competence, approaches to learning and academic achievement, with a sample of 224 college students. Self-worth and perceived scholastic competence are evaluated through Self-Perception Profile for College Students: SPPCS and Student’s Approaches to Learning through the 2nd version of Inventory of Learning Processes for University Students: IPA-u. Data are subjected to Pearson correlations and a path model, using structural equation modelling, is tested. The results reveal that global self-worth and scholastic competence are positively correlated with deep strategy and academic achievement and negatively with surface strategy. Academic achievement and the self-perception of academic competence are also positively correlated with intrinsic motivation and inversely with instrumental motivation. Nevertheless, a path analysis didn’t find any mediation effects and only reveals significant path relations between self-worth and the perception of scholastic competence and of this perception and a deep approach to learning.
Download full article

The short form of the physical self-description questionnaire: validation study among Slovenian elementary and high school students
Dolenc, P. Pages 58-74Author(s): Petra Dolenc
Language: English
Subject(s): Education, Psychology
Issue: 2/XXIV/2016
Page Range: 58-74
No. of Pages: 17
Keywords: PSDQ-S; validity; reliability; school-aged students
Summary/Abstract: The objective of the study was to examine psychometric characteristics of the short form of the Physical-Self Description Questionnaire (PSDQ-S) in a Slovenian adolescent sample and to examine the differences in multidimensional physical self-concept in relation to age and gender. Participants were 362 elementary and high school students (189 girls, 173 boys, Mage=15.28). Confirmatory factor analysis provided support for factor validity and reliability of the Slovenian version of the PSDQ-S. The results of the multivariate analysis of variance indicated significant overall effects of age and gender on student’s self-perceptions. The Slovenian version of the PSDQ-S displayed acceptable measurement properties and may be confidently used in research and practice to assess multidimensional physical self-concept among adolescent students.
Download full article

Effect of occupational stress on personal and professional life of bank employees in Bangladesh: do coping strategies matter
Ukil, M. I., & Ullah, M. S. Pages 75-100Author(s): Minhajul Islam Ukil, Muhammad Shariat Ullah
Language: English
Subject(s): Psychology
Issue: 2/XXIV/2016
Page Range: 75-100
No. of Pages: 26
Keywords: occupational stress; life satisfaction; job performance; job satisfaction, work-life balance
Summary/Abstract: Although many studies reflect the impact of occupational stress on job performance and job satisfaction, research on occupational stress in relation to life satisfaction or work-life balance is somewhat limited. The present study aims at investigating the impact of occupational stress on life satisfaction and work-life balance alongside job performance and job satisfaction of bank employees working in private commercial banks (PCBs) in Bangladesh. This study also attempts to analyze the moderating role of coping strategies between occupational stress and life satisfaction, work-life balance, job performance and job satisfaction. Data have been collected following a quantitative survey administered accommodating 204 employees serving in 15 different PCBs in Bangladesh, and analyzed employing a number of statistical techniques including correlation matrix and hierarchical regressions using version 20.0 of SPSS software. The results of testing hypotheses revealed that occupational stress has meaningful negative impact on life satisfaction and work-life balance as well as on job performance and job satisfaction. The present research has also found that coping strategies moderate the effect of occupational stress on life satisfaction or work-life balance. However, no mediating role of coping strategies between occupational stress and job performance or job satisfaction has been detected.
Download full article

Influence of attitudes, formative and biographical background on intention of use of animal-assisted interventions developed with dogs. Some conclusions on a sample of Romanian students
López-Cepero, J., Perea-Mediavilla, M. A., & Netedu, A. Pages 101-116Author(s): Javier López-Cepero, María A. Perea-Mediavilla, Adrian Netedu
Language: English
Subject(s): Psychology
Issue: 2/XXIV/2016
Page Range: 101-116
No. of Pages: 16
Keywords: animal-assisted interventions; attitudes; dogs; questionnaire validation; university students
Summary/Abstract: Previous literature shows that animal-assisted interventions (AAI) have high acceptance among professionals from different fields, although this would be more related to personal experience with pet keeping than to empirical evidence of their benefits. Present study analyzes the impact of attitudes toward AAI, experience with animals, and the formative background on the intention of use for AAI in a sample of N=167 Romanian Social Sciences students (X=21.3, SD=1.47; 87% female). Measurement involved the adaptation of the CAINTAP (Attitudes Towards Dog-Assisted Interventions Questionnaire), a two-scale instrument that showed appropriate psychometric values (RMSEA=.075; Cronbach’s alphas >.800 for both positive and negative attitudes scales). Two conclusions are drawn: there is a high interest in the practical applications of the AAI among consulted students (around 89%), although it does not derive from actual knowledge of their real effectiveness, but from personal interest in pets. These findings should be taken into account to facilitate the professional, based on the evidence development of AAI in Romania and other countries where they are not ingrained yet.
Download full article

Is virtual marriage acceptable? A psychological study investigating the role of ambiguity tolerance and intimacy illusion in online dating among adolescents and early adults
Abraham, J., & Falah, A. Pages 117-143Author(s): Juneman Abraham, Annisa Falah
Language: English
Subject(s): Psychology
Issue: 2/XXIV/2016
Page Range: 117-143
No. of Pages: 27
Keywords: marriage psychology; ambiguity; online marriage; intimacy illusion; psychotechnology
Summary/Abstract: Marriage is one of the most important topics in the education field since life in this world is structured by interaction among families and between families and other social institutions. Dissatisfaction and unsustainability of marriage have led the urgency of premarital education in various countries. The problem is that the spread of virtual reality has made marriage itself to become more complex and experience reinterpretation and reconfiguration, moreover with the emergence of new kind of marriage in the digital era, i.e. virtual marriage. Everybody who has observed, known, or even tried, certainly asks the question, “Could (or: should) I accept virtual marriage?” . This study was aimed to investigate the role of tolerance of ambiguity and illusion of intimacy in online dating in predicting the acceptance of virtual marriage. There were 420 adolescents and young adults (212 males, 208 females; Mage=21.10 years old, SDage=1.459 years; 338 students, 82 employees or entrepreneurs) in the Greater Jakarta, Indonesia, participated in this study. It was found that the acceptance was not predicted by the ambiguity tolerance, but by the illusion of intimacy in online dating. The psychometric issues, substantive discussion, and recommendation are presented at the end of this article. The trend of virtual marriage should not be allowed to roll away, by autopilot, without loaded by strategies in designing an online game as one of the pivotal educational technologies that needs to shape appropriate character and attitude for it.
Download full article

The online romance scam: a complex two-layer scam
Kopp, C., Sillitoe, J., Gondal, I., & Layton, R. Pages 144-161Author(s): Christian Kopp, James Sillitoe, Iqbal Gondal, Robert Layton
Language: English
Subject(s): Psychology
Issue: 2/XXIV/2016
Page Range: 144-161
No. of Pages: 18
Keywords: Online Romance scam; personal love story; Transtheoretical Model
Summary/Abstract: Online Romance scams are very successful unethical practices which cause considerable financial and emotional damage to their victims. This paper argues that the success of this scam technique is based on a strategy, similar to that in the Nigerian Letter scam, in which scammers invoke strong emotions in the recipients. We reflected on the notion that strong emotions play an important role in the development of normal romantic relationships, and these emotions are related to personal experiences of the individual which are accumulated in so-called ‘personal love stories’. The personal love story is the individual’s view of the idealized perfect relationship, and as such it impacts on the selection of a partner in the initiation stages of a partnership, and endures through the development of the relationship until its eventual termination. Personal love stories are important for the success of a relationship, and we assert in this paper that these love stories play an important role in the development of romance scam relationships and support the scammer’s eventual demand for financial funds from the victim. This paper presents a theory which attempts to explain the success of romance scams as a ‘two-layer scam’, related first to establishing a faked relationship by addressing strong personal romantic emotions, and second to building spurious reasons to request significant monetary payments.
Download full article