The main purpose of this paper is to explore the possible relationship between video games’ use on mobile devices and personality traits. Play’s developmental impact on learning has been long established, but little has been said about the possible different utilization of games, e.g. as a tool for skills, performance and personality traits assessment in HR and recruitment context. The research questions aimed to verify existing connections between one of the most well−known personality theory (Big Five model), video game utilization (gamers vs. non−gamers), gaming frequency (casual vs. hardcore gamers) and reported preferences to different video games categories and mechanics. Data from 981 subjects was analyzed by descriptive statistics, t−test, Effect Size and correlation analysis. Results showed that gamers differ from non−gamers on Neuroticism and its relative sub−dimension, Impulse and Emotion control; casual gamers (who play monthly or weekly) tend to prefer routine tasks, while hardcore gamers (who play every day or more than once in a day) tend to like unusual ideas, adventure and creative tasks. Players of Role Playing games seems to be more scrupulous and more open, in particular to experience, than those who do not play with games of this category. Players of Puzzle category seem to be more cooperative, friendly, scrupulous and perseverant than those who do not play to this game category, as well as logical, rational, and capable of impulse control. Simulation and strategy category share significant results in Openness to culture dimension. No statistically significant results were found for Action and Adventure categories. Correlations found between BFA dimensions and game mechanics could allow to imagine a new video games’ taxonomy that transcend both academic and industrial definitions toward a nomenclature substantiated on psychological basis. This kind of redefinition could help to lay the groundwork to use video games as an assessment tool in personnel selection and evaluation.

Empathy is described as a complex construct that develops the whole life of a person. It is defined as the capability of a person to understand the other person’s feelings, to be able to feel the same way the other person does and to be capable to take action to resolve the problem of that individual. There are three major categories of empathy, i.e., affective, cognitive and compassionate. All are very important to clinical psychology, interpersonal relationships, and psychological assessment. The aim of this study was to conduct a literature review to describe the most widely used instruments to measure empathy in the range of the last fifteen years. The results showed that there are different approaches to measuring empathy, with the most popular ones being self−reports.

This paper presents a standardization study of Raven’s Standard Progressive Matrices on an Italian sample of 5438 young people aged 6 to 18 years. This instrument is well known, and although it is dated it is still useful for fast assessment of cognitive abilities, as confirmed in international literature a comparison of results from other tests which measure the same construct. The study confirms that young people performance is related with age, and it is influenced by social variables, such as parents’ schooling level used as an indicator of social-economic level. The raw scores obtained by the sample were converted in standardized points for age (IQ with M = 100 and SD = 15). Reliability and standard measurement error were calculated. These parameters are included in the report by Giunti Testing; their purpose is to supply a correct interpretation of the scores obtained.

The Cognitive Biases Questionnaire for psychosis (CBQ-p) is a recently developed self-report measure assessing cognitive distortions relevant to psychotic symptoms and experiences, specifically for the onset and maintenance of delusional ideas. In Italy, there is a lack of assessment tools measuring these aspects. In addition, no international study investigated the relations of CBQ-p with subthreshold psychotic-like experiences. The current study assessed the factor structure of the Italian CBQ-p with confirmatory analyses in community adolescents and young adults. A further aim was to examine its convergent validity with measures of aberrant salience, cognitive biases specific to psychosis, inferential confusion, worry, and subthreshold psychotic-like experiences. Three hundred eighty-eight adolescents and young adults of the community (mean age= 19.22, 55% females) completed the CBQ-p, measures of cognitive distortions of psychosis, aberrant salience, inferential confusion, worry and subthreshold psychotic-like experiences. Confirmatory factor analysis, internal consistency and Pearson’s correlations were computed. The Italian CBQ-p demonstrated good psychometric properties; the total scale and subscales reported convergent validity with subthreshold psychotic experiences.

Introduction: In the current workplace it is important to consider psychosocial risks, as they can lead

to negative consequences. The aim of this study is to analyse the psychometric properties of the Italian COPSOQ

II - short version, a questionnaire which covers a broad range of psychosocial risks. Methods: The questionnaire was

administered to 1,845 industry workers. Information about occupational hazards and health conditions was collected.

The psychometric properties of the questionnaire were assessed by means of EFA, CFA, discriminant and concurrent

validity. Results: The statistical analyses gave support to the validity of the Italian COPSOQ II. The factorial analyses

demonstrated that the 4-factors model had the most reasonable good of fit to the data.Conclusions: The results provide

evidence of the validity of the Italian COPSOQ II, that can be used to assess psychosocial risks in the Italian work

environment across different economic sectors.