vol. 10 núm. 2 (2017)

The objective of this work is to discriminate between different neurocognitive circuits involved in empathy, one ofthem linked to emotional processing and the other associated with cognitive function. This is evaluated throughthe use of neuropsychological tools (Hinting Task, Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test and Cambridge MindReading Test) empathic cognition and empathic emotion. In this study, 57 male prisoners were divided intothree groups: psychotic patients (20), antisocial patients (17), and a control group (20). Patients with psychosiswere found to have significantly lower scores than the antisocial and control groups in a social reasoning test,but using tests of emotional recognition, we found that both psychotic patients and antisocial subjects scoredsignificantly lower than the control group.

Happiness has been proposed as an alternative goal in welfare analyses. Several indices have been proposed for its measurement but studies about their metric properties and validity are insufficient. In this paper, the Happy Planet Index is analyzed in terms of its consequential validity as a global health inequality indicator from the invariant measurement perspective of the Rasch model. Model fit is analyzed with emphasis on differential item functioning when comparing between world regions, and its consequential validity by comparing conclusions about the magnitude and inequalities in countries’ happiness. Main findings show enough evidences for structural and construct validity, but not for the supposed underlying score distribution; not either for its generalizability because of sever differential functioning. Conclusions about the magnitude of geographical inequalities and happiest countries substantially differed between the original index and the Rasch measure. 

Editorial

The present study set out to evaluate the effectiveness of a group cognitive intervention aimed at promoting executive functions in children at social risk, and its resulting effect on school performance. The quasi-experimental, pretest-posttest design included a control group. The sample was made up of 178 children (52% boys), aged 6-10. The children were evaluated by means of a battery of neuropsychological EF tests, learning achievement tests, and a teacher-rated behavioral EF scale. The intervention program included 30 group cognitive stimulation sessions that increased in difficulty and was embedded into school curricula. Trained children performed better in terms of cognitive flexibility, planning, metacognition, inhibitory control, word identification and dictation, as compared to their baseline values and children in the control group. This study provides new evidence of the effectiveness of cognitive interventions in children and its possibility to transfer cognitive gains to school performance contexts.Key words: cognitive intervention, executive functions, school performance, children, poverty.

El propósito de este estudio fue determinar si la intención de emprendimiento, con base en el modelo de comportamiento planeado de Ajzen (1991), puede predecirse con base en la propensión al riesgo, el locus de control interno y las habilidades de liderazgo. Asimismo, se identificaron variables sociodemográficas asociadas a tal intención. Se aplicó una batería de instrumentos estandarizados y confiables a 1493 estudiantes universitarios de áreas empresariales en cinco países latinoamericanos. De acuerdo con los resultados, la intención de emprendimiento puede predecirse significativamente con las variables estudiadas. De igual forma, se confirmó la incidencia de los antecedentes familiares en tal intención lo cual ha sido reportado en varios estudios. Contrario a lo hallado en otros estudios, no se encontraron diferencias por género en la intención de emprendimiento. Se discuten estos hallazgos.

Introduction: the choice of strategies to cope with stress has differential effects on individual and organizationaloutcomes (e.g. well-being and performance at work). This study examined to what extent individuals differing intheir positive psychological resources (optimism, hope, self-efficacy and resilience) implement different strategiesto cope with stress in terms of change, acceptance, or withdrawal from a source of stress in an organizationalsetting.Method: A questionnaire was filled out by 554 employees from different organizations representing a wide rangeof jobs and positions.Results: Structural Equation Modeling (SEM; c2(7) = 27:64, p < :01, GFI = :99, NFI = :91, CFI = :93,RMSEA = :07)Conclusion: the results indicated that psychological resources (optimism, hope, self-efficacy and resilience) werepositively related to coping by change and by acceptance and negatively related to withdrawal. The theoreticalimplications are discussed.