Simple Structure Detection Through Bayesian Exploratory Multidimensional IRT Models

In modern validity theory, a major concern is the construct validity of a test, which is commonly assessed through confirmatory or exploratory factor analysis. In the framework of Bayesian exploratory Multidimensional Item Response Theory (MIRT) models, we discuss two methods aimed at investigating the underlying structure of a test, in order to verify if the latent model adheres to a chosen simple factorial structure. This purpose is achieved without imposing hard constraints on the discrimination parameter matrix to address the rotational indeterminacy. The first approach prescribes a 2-step procedure. The parameter estimates are obtained through an unconstrained MCMC sampler. The simple structure is, then, inspected with a post-processing step based on the Consensus Simple Target Rotation technique. In the second approach, both rotational invariance and simple structure retrieval are addressed within the MCMC sampling scheme, by introducing a sparsity-inducing prior on the discrimination parameters. Through simulation as well as real-world studies, we demonstrate that the proposed methods are able to correctly infer the underlying sparse structure and to retrieve interpretable solutions

The Italian Manosphere: Composition, Structure, and Functions of a Digital Network

The digital sphere is pivotal in shaping social norms, and the Italian "manosphere" is a key player in this process. This study examines the composition and structure of the Italian manosphere, an intricate online ecosystem characterised by antifeminist and often misogynistic ideologies. Through a comprehensive analysis of Facebook networks and blog presentations from various groups, we mapped and classified the main actors within this ecosystem, shedding light on their connections and functions. The analysis focuses on two main aspects by employing natural language processing techniques and social network analysis. First, we investigated the functions of different groups within the network - Men's Rights Activists, Men Going Their Own Way, Involuntary Celibates, and Pick‐Up Artists - identifying their roles, how they interconnect and their ties to the international manosphere. Second, we analysed the blog presentations of members to explore the motivations driving individuals to join these communities, revealing the key themes emerging from their narratives. Our findings highlight the manosphere as a complex and interconnected phenomenon that not only reflects global neosexist trends but also integrates unique socio‐cultural elements specific to the Italian context. This study underscores the significance of understanding the manosphere's influence on public discourse and its far‐reaching implications for the socio‐political landscape in Italy, particularly concerning gender relations

How do we study misogyny in the digital age? A systematic literature review using a computational linguistic approach

Nowadays, despite centuries of striving for equality, women still face higher levels of discrimination compared to men in nearly every aspect of life. Recently, this systemic inequality has manifested in cyberspace through the proliferation of abusive content that is even more aggressive than what one would expect in the 21st century. Various research disciplines are now attempting to characterise this new manifestation of misogyny. The endeavour to comprehend this phenomenon has resulted in a significant increase in publications from several fields, including Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities, Psychology, and Computer Science. This paper presents a systematic review of multidisciplinary research on misogyny from the years 1990 to 2022, encompassing a total of 2830 articles retrieved from the Scopus database as of December 31, 2022. The literature is thoroughly analysed using three approaches: bibliometric analysis, topic detection, and qualitative analysis of the documents. The findings suggest that the analysis of online misogyny has been the primary driver behind the exponential growth in publications in this field. Additionally, the results of the topic analysis and topic interaction reveal a limited connection between the areas of knowledge that are necessary to fully grasp this complex phenomeno

Exploring Spatio Temporal Variability by Eigen-Decomposition Techniques

Lo studio della variabilità di fenomeni ambientali può essere realizzato utilizzando diverse metodologie. In questo lavoro si propone una visione unificata di una serie di tecniche multivariate che risultano particolarmente utili per l’identificazione del segnale oggetto di interesse. Facendo riferimento a processi spazialmente continui, le tecniche proposte vengono presentate nel contesto della Decomposizione Generalizzata agli Autovalori. Nonostante la metodologia considerata risulta utile per fini esplorativi, il lavoro ne propone un utilizzo anche a fini predittivi

La condizione detentiva, il trattamento e la relazione professionale con il detenuto autore di reati sessuali. Una visione esperienziale

L’articolo, partendo dalla presentazione di una innovativa esperienza trattamentale nei confronti di sex offender attuata nella Casa Circondariale di Chieti, vuole proporre l’importanza che i percorsi di inclusione nei confronti di tali autori di reato assumono quale presupposto indiscutibile per l’attuazione di programmi trattamentali specifici. L’esperienza svolta dagli operatori del carcere di Chieti si è avvalsa anche di una collaborazione con l’Università “G. d’Annunzio” che ha evidenziato come in tali autori di reato siano presenti significative distorsioni cognitive su cui è importante intervenire al fine di ottenere il recupero della persona e la riduzione della recidiva. Vengono esposti i risultati della ricerca svolta su 24 sex offender e non che ha evidenziato una presenza più significativa di distorsioni cognitive negli autori di reati sessuali rispetto agli autori di reato non a sfondo sessuale, soprattutto a danno di vittime maggiorenni piuttosto che minorenni. Vengono analizzati modelli trattamentali applicati a livello nazionale e internazionale e indicati successivi sviluppi di ricerca al fine di proporre programmi di intervento sulla stessa popolazione detenuta nel carcere di Chieti. Résumé À partir de la présentation d’un programme novateur axé sur la réinsertion de délinquants sexuels, mis en œuvre dans la prison italienne de Chieti (Casa Circondariale), l’article souligne l’importance de l’inclusion de ces délinquants en tant que condition essentielle à la réalisation de programmes de réinsertion spécifiques. Grâce à la collaboration entre le personnel pénitentiaire et les chercheurs de l’universitéUniversité « G. d’Annunzio », cette expérience prouve que ce type de délinquants est affecté par d’importants préjugés cognitifs. C’est pourquoi, il est important de réaliser une intervention de débiaisement afin d’une meilleure réhabilitation de la personne et pour contribuer à la réduction de la récidive. Les résultats de la recherche menée auprès de 24 personnes (dont certaines sont des délinquants sexuels, d’autres non) montrent que les délinquants sexuels sont affectés plus que les autres par des préjugés cognitifs et en particulier dans le cas où leurs victimes ont plus de 18 ans. En outre, dans cet article, les auteurs analysent les modèles italiens et internationaux de traitement et enfin proposent de nouvelles activités de recherche afin d’étendre ce type de programme à la totalité de la population carcérale de la prison de Chieti. Abstract Starting from the presentation of an innovative program addressing the rehabilitation of sex offenders, implemented inside the Italian prison of Chieti (Casa Circondariale), the article proposes the importance of the inclusion of these offenders as an essential condition for the implementation of specific rehabilitation programs. Thanks to the collaboration between the prison staff and the researchers coming from the University “G. d’Annunzio”, this experience shows that such offenders are affected by significant cognitive biases. Therefore, it is important to apply a debiasing intervention to better rehabilitate the person and contribute to the reduction of recidivism. The results of the research that was carried out on 24 people (some of them are sex offenders, some others not) show that the sex offenders are affected more than the others offenders by cognitive biases, and particularly when their victims were over 18. Moreover, in this paper the authors analyse Italian and international treatment models and finally they propose new research activities in order to extend this kind of program to the entire inmate population of the prison of Chieti

Framing automatic grading techniques for open-ended questionnaires responses. A short survey

The assessment of students' performances is one of the essential components of teaching activities, and it poses different challenges to teachers and instructors, especially when considering the grading of responses to open-ended questions (i.e., short-answers or essays). Open-ended tasks allow a more in-depth assessment of students' learning levels, but their evaluation and grading are time-consuming and prone to subjective bias. For these reasons, automatic grading techniques have been studied for a long time, focusing mainly on short-answers rather than long essays. Given the growing popularity of Massive Online Open Courses and the shifting from physical to virtual classrooms environments due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the adoption of questionnaires for evaluating learning performances has rapidly increased. Hence, it is of particular interest to analyze the recent effort of researchers in the development of techniques designed to grade students' responses to open-ended questions. In our work, we consider a systematic literature review focusing on automatic grading of open-ended written assignments. The study encompasses 488 articles published from 1984 to 2021 and aims at understanding the research trends and the techniques to tackle essay automatic grading. Lastly, inferences and recommendations are given for future works in the Learning Analytics field

Negative Affectivity Predicts Lower Quality of Life and Metabolic Control in Type 2 Diabetes Patients: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach

Introduction: It is essential to consider the clinical assessment of psychological aspects in patients with Diabetes Mellitus (DM), in order to prevent potentially adverse self-management care behaviors leading to diabetes-related complications, including declining levels of Quality of Life (QoL) and negative metabolic control.Purpose: In the framework of Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), the specific aim of this study is to evaluate the influence of distressed personality factors as Negative Affectivity (NA) and Social Inhibition (SI) on diabetes-related clinical variables (i.e., QoL and glycemic control).Methods: The total sample consists of a clinical sample, including 159 outpatients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM), and a control group composed of 102 healthy respondents. All participants completed the following self- rating scales: The Type D Scale (DS14) and the World Health Organization QoL Scale (WHOQOLBREF). Furthermore, the participants of the clinical group were assessed for HbA1c, disease duration, and BMI. The observed covariates were BMI, gender, and disease duration, while HbA1c was considered an observed variable.Results: SEM analysis revealed significant differences between groups in regards to the latent construct of NA and the Environmental dimension of QoL. For the clinical sample, SEM showed that NA had a negative impact on both QoL dimensions and metabolic control.Conclusions: Clinical interventions aiming to improve medication adherence in patients with T2DM should include the psychological evaluation of Type D Personality traits, by focusing especially on its component of NA as a significant risk factor leading to negative health outcomes