Selected publications
2026
2026
2026
Musicians, Memory, and General Cognitive Ability: A Commentary on Grassi et al. (2025)
Advances in Methods and Practices in Psychological Science, 9(3).
Abstract
When cognitive variables show a positive manifold, mainstream psychometric theory suggests that their common variance should be modeled first. Treating correlated cognitive scores as if they were separately interpretable outcomes instead requires explicit theoretical justification. We comment on Grassi et al., an important multilab study on musicians and nonmusicians, and reexamine their cognitive results at the latent level. Using multigroup and multilevel structural equation models on the same data set, we ask whether the reported pattern can be parsimoniously understood as a difference in shared cognitive variance rather than as a set of task-specific advantages. The results suggest that under this latent-variable representation, the musician advantage is mostly captured by a latent common factor, whereas melody span retained a clear residual advantage and vocabulary showed, at most, a smaller task-specific deviation. The focus, therefore, is not just whether musicians differ from nonmusicians on a set of observed tasks, possibly controlled for each other, but also how such differences should be interpreted once those tasks are allowed to share variance. Grassi et al. provided an excellent example of open, collaborative work that the field should actively encourage. We suggest that this kind of enterprise should also be paired with equally strong and theoretically grounded measurement modeling.
2026
Can We Differentiate Between Self-Reported Skills and Traits? A Possible Refinement of the BESSI and Its Validity in Italian High School Students
Assessment, 0(0).
Abstract
Recent research has emphasized the conceptual distinction between personality traits and social, emotional, and behavioral (SEB) skills. However, their self-report measures show substantial empirical overlap. This study introduces and evaluates the Behavioral, Emotional, and Social Skills Inventory—Dual Rating (BESSI-Dual Rating), a modified version of the original BESSI designed to reduce this overlap. A sample of 598 Italian high school students completed the BESSI-Dual Rating, a Big Five personality inventory, and measures of academic and socio-emotional outcomes. Confirmatory factor analyses supported the structural validity of the BESSI-Dual Rating. Compared to previous BESSI validation studies, BESSI-Dual Rating scores showed improved discriminant and incremental validity relative to the corresponding traits. Furthermore, students perceived skill- and tendency-based items as meaningfully distinct—contrary to findings from prior research using alternative instruments. Parent-reported SEB skills provided additional support for the validity of the skill measures. These findings suggest that minor but targeted refinements in questionnaire design can enhance the empirical differentiation between skills and traits.
2026
2025
Bridges over troubled water: A meta-analysis of the associations of character strengths with well-being and common mental health disorders
European Journal of Personality, 39(6), 878-896.
Abstract
Character strengths are 24 morally valued personality traits that are associated with both well-being and mental health. Despite their importance, systematic evidence quantifying these associations and integrating them with basic personality frameworks is lacking. To address this gap, we synthesized evidence from 130 studies (total N = 275,007) and used previous evidence on Big Five and HEXACO traits to locate character strengths and derive corresponding expectations. Using three-level meta-analytic models, we found meaningful ( r > .10) correlations with healthy functioning for all strengths except humility, with most ranging between .10 and .30. Hope ( r = .52) and zest ( r = .52) emerged as the strongest correlates overall, followed by gratitude ( r = .43), love ( r = .43), and curiosity ( r = .38) for well-being, and self-regulation ( r = .29), gratitude ( r = .30), and love ( r = .34) for common mental health disorders. Well-being outcomes showed stronger associations with strengths compared to common mental health outcomes. Overall, the present findings fit well with the existing evidence on personality and support the notion that character strengths, like personality, may promote healthy functioning. Future research should focus on understudied outcomes (e.g., domain satisfaction, anxiety, and stress) and populations (e.g., clinical populations).
2025
2025
2025
20 Years of Character Strengths: A Bibliometric Review
Journal of Happiness Studies, 26(34), 1-22.
Abstract
Character strengths were introduced into the positive psychology literature twenty years ago. The present bibliometric analysis quantitatively summarizes the research conducted in the field so far in terms of impact and themes analyzed. We conduct performance analysis to examine the total number of publications on character strengths, their bibliometric indices, the main journals contributing to the field, and the countries involved in such knowledge accumulation and how this has changed over time. We furthermore conduct science mapping analysis using the keywords of the papers. Specifically, we describe the time-varying occurrence of specific keywords and use network and thematic mapping analyses to determine the dynamic intercorrelations among the emerging research topics. Our results show the significant and growing contribution of character strengths to the positive psychology literature and beyond, but also the need for cross-fertilization with neighboring fields. We also highlight an increasing contribution from non-WEIRD countries in recent years, which calls for in-depth cross-cultural research. Topics such as measurement and well-being appear to be well-established and integrated, while there’s an emerging interest in mental health research. Overall, the present analysis illuminates on the past, present, and upcoming trends in the field.
2025
SEMbeddings: how to evaluate model misfit before data collection using large-language models
Frontiers in Psychology, 15:1433339.
Abstract
Introduction Recent developments suggest that Large Language Models (LLMs) provide a promising approach for approximating empirical correlation matrices of item responses by utilizing item embeddings and their cosine similarities. In this paper, we introduce a novel tool, which we label SEMbeddings . Methods This tool integrates mpnet-personality (a fine-tuned embedding model) with latent measurement models to assess model fit or misfit prior to data collection. To support our statement, we apply SEMbeddings to the 96 items of the VIA-IS-P, which measures 24 different character strengths, using responses from 31,697 participants. Results Our analysis shows a significant, though not perfect, correlation ( r = 0.67) between the cosine similarities of embeddings and empirical correlations among items. We then demonstrate how to fit confirmatory factor analyses on the cosine similarity matrices produced by mpnet-personality and interpret the outcomes using modification indices. We found that relying on traditional fit indices when using SEMbeddings can be misleading as they often lead to more conservative conclusions compared to empirical results. Nevertheless, they provide valuable suggestions about possible misfit, and we argue that the modification indices obtained from these models could serve as a useful screening tool to make informed decisions about items prior to data collection. Discussion As LLMs become increasingly precise and new fine-tuned models are released, these procedures have the potential to deliver more reliable results, potentially transforming the way new questionnaires are developed.
2025
2024
Which character strengths may build organizational well-being? Insights from an international sample of workers
PLoS ONE 19(10): e0312934.
Abstract
The nature and composition of well-being has been the subject of ongoing debate in the field of positive psychology. Recent discussions identify Seligman’s PERMA dimensions as concrete pathways to achieve subjective well-being, rather than a distinct type of well-being. Four additional “building blocks” have been categorized to define positive functioning at work (PERMA+4). The present study adds another level of inquiry, by newly examining the relationships of character strengths and a general factor or character with PERMA+4 and life satisfaction in a large international sample of 5,487 employees. We found that 21 of the 24 character strengths were significantly (yet only slightly) more strongly correlated with PERMA+4 than with life satisfaction, and that PERMA+4 was consistently related to life satisfaction. The happiness strengths (hope, gratitude, zest, curiosity and love) and the general factor of character were also directly and indirectly related to life satisfaction. Taken together, these results suggest that the PERMA+4 dimensions may help bridge the gap between strengths and well-being, explaining how individuals with good character are also those who report higher life satisfaction. Future longitudinal studies should build on the present findings and examine whether character strengths can act as the “building blocks of the building blocks” of life satisfaction.
2024
Clusters that are not there: An R tutorial and a Shiny app to quantify a priori inferential risks when using clustering methods
International Journal of Psychology, 59 (6), 1183-1198.
Abstract
Clustering methods are increasingly used in social science research. Generally, researchers use them to infer the existence of qualitatively different types of individuals within a larger population, thus unveiling previously “hidden” heterogeneity. Depending on the clustering technique, however, valid inference requires some conditions and assumptions. Common risks include not only failing to detect existing clusters due to a lack of power but also revealing clusters that do not exist in the population. Simple data simulations suggest that under conditions of sample size, number, correlation and skewness of indicators that are frequently encountered in applied psychological research, commonly used clustering methods are at a high risk of detecting clusters that are not there. Generally, this is due to some violations of assumptions that are not usually considered critical in psychology. The present article illustrates a simple R tutorial and a Shiny app (for those who are not familiar with R) that allow researchers to quantify a priori inferential risks when performing clustering methods on their own data. Doing so is suggested as a much‐needed preliminary sanity check, because conditions that inflate the number of detected clusters are very common in applied psychological research scenarios.
2024
2023
2022
Differentiation of general and specific abilities in intelligence. A bifactor study of age and gender differentiation in 8- to 19-year-olds
Intelligence, 94. 101669.
Abstract
The structure of intelligence is not static. Differentiation hypotheses suggest that the contribution of g and specific abilities on tasks performance varies with age, but most research focused solely on g. Here we sought to test intelligence differentiation in both its general and specific components using a bifactor modelling approach that – previously ignored in literature – should be better suited to this aim. In parallel, the possible differences in intelligence differentiation between males and females are explored for the first time. A population of 8866 youths (8–19 years old) of the Philadelphia Neurodevelopment Cohort completed 12 tasks measuring four components of cognition (complex cognition, executive control, episodic memory, and social cognition) and the WRAT-4. Using bootstrap and meta-regression analysis, the bifactor-(S·I - 1) model shows that the variance explained differently changes over time according to peculiar development patterns of specific components. Executive functions lose specificity with age and their variance is explained only by g at the end of adolescence, episodic memory is increasingly explained by g, and complex cognition is explained more by g in males – and less in females – when age increases, also suggesting a possible role of gender in intelligence differentiation. We conclude discussing the importance of using adequate statistical models and we proposed studying differentiation also at the level of specific abilities to account for the complexity of the developmental phenomenon that could be better described by development priority theories.
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Social, emotional, and behavioral skills as resources for student engagement: A one-year longitudinal study in high school students
Pellegrino G, Feraco T., Meneghetti C, Carretti B.
Learning and Individual Differences, 131, 102988.
Abstract
Social, emotional, and behavioral (SEB) skills refer to capacities that support social relationships, emotion regulation, and engagement with new experiences. These skills are considered crucial for high school students' academic success and well-being. The present study examined the longitudinal associations between five SEB skill domains (self-management, social engagement, cooperation, innovation, and emotional resilience) and four dimensions of student engagement (affective, behavioral, cognitive, and agentic). A sample of 1555 Italian high school students completed self-report measures of SEB skills and engagement at the beginning (T1), middle (T2), and end (T3) of the academic year. Latent change score modelling showed that student engagement generally declined across the school year, particularly between T1 and T2. However, students with higher levels of self-management, innovation, and social engagement at T1 showed smaller declines in engagement. Overall, these findings suggest that SEB skills help students sustain engagement, especially during the first part of the school year. Educational relevance statement: Social, emotional, and behavioral (SEB) skills are increasingly recognized as key competencies that foster student engagement in learning and academic activities. Using a comprehensive SEB framework and a three-wave longitudinal design, our study examined whether SEB skills contribute to the maintenance of engagement across the school year. Results indicated that students who reported higher levels of self-management, innovation, and social engagement also experienced smaller decreases in engagement, although the effects varied across engagement dimensions. Overall, these findings highlight the educational value of integrating SEB skills instruction into school curricula. Strengthening these skills may help students sustain engagement throughout the academic year, with potential benefits for academic achievement and well-being.
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