Ricerc@Sapienza

The present research explores the role of epistemic correlates of voting intentions with respect to the Constitutional Referendum (proposed by the Government) held in Italy on 2016. By combining the motivated-cognition perspective with lay epistemic theory (Kruglanski, 1990), in our study we hypothesized that trust in the Italian Government would determine to vote in favor (vs. against) the Referendum as a function of individuals’ selfascribed epistemic authority (SAEA) and need for cognitive closure (NFC).

The present research aimed at expanding Pierro, Kruglanski, and Raven’s work examining the interweaving between the need for closure (NFC; the desire to form quick and unambiguous knowledge) and the Interpersonal Power Interaction model. In particular, this study explored the idea that the greater compliance to harsh power tactics of subordinates’ employees, that are high on NFC, can increase when their desire to achieve cognitive closure is made more salient by a high (compared to low) level of perceived job demands.

Although sympathy is a powerful other-focused motivation, not all individuals will experience sympathy when it is appropriate. Immigrants, as a disadvantaged out-group, are especially in need of sympathy and, given the tensions of the immigration debate, are at-risk for low sympathy. Indeed, past research has found that sympathy is less likely to be experienced toward disliked out-groups.

The present paper explored the idea that forgiveness of others may be related with the victims’ individual differences in three motivational factors, as described in the regulatory mode theory (Higgins et al. 2003) and in the need for cognitive closure theory (Kruglanski 2004): (1) individuals’ tendencies towards psychological motion (as captured in the locomotion construct); (2) individuals’ tendencies towards evaluation and comparison (as captured in the assessment construct); and (3) individuals’ sensitivity to epistemic uncertainty (as captured in the need for closure construct).

The present research addressed the question of whether need for closure (NFC; Kruglanski in The psychology of closed mindedness, Psychology Press, New York, 2004) biases individuals’ memory of female leaders. Merging research on role congruity theory of leadership (Koenig et al. in Psychol Bull 4:616–642, 2011. https ://doi.org/10.1037/a0023 557) and research on retrieval-induced forgetting (RIF, Anderson et al. in J Exp Psychol Learn Mem Cognit 20:1063–1087, 1994.

Recalling information from a particular category can reduce one's memory capability for related, non-retrieved information. This is known as the retrieval-induced forgetting effect (RIF; Anderson et al., 1994). The present paper reviews studies that show that the RIF effect is motivated. More specifically, we describe research showing that the need for closure (NFC; the motivation to attain epistemic certainty; Kruglanski and Webster, 1996) generally enhances the RIF, because this prevents uncertainty and confusion from the intrusion of unwanted memories during selective-retrieval.