Catálogo de publicaciones - libros

The educational process occurs within a very complex system, in turn characterized by the cognitive systems of both teachers and learners, as well as by their interactions and by the technological tools which mediate these latter. In order to gain some knowledge about the interrelationships on which such a system is grounded a possible strategy is to start by investigating, through the methods of experimental psychology, the role played by specific instructional strategies in improving the educational process itself. In particular, we compared two very popular strategies, the one based on usual frontal lesson done by a single teacher, and the other based on a suitable computer-supported hypertextual structure (even in the latter case, however, under teacher supervision and assistance).

The innovation process, which took place in recent years, in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) had a strong impact on training activities. Namely the push towards knowledge commercialisation seems to be oriented to a setting which is free from both spatial and temporal constraints. This, in turn, implies a redefinition of the concept of Open Learning that, in its ideal representation, should be the solution to all distance learning problems. The new form of computer based knowledge involves a different approach to didactics, through the learning object practice, and, in particular, a careful reflection on technological equipment intended to: 1) assure accessibility to every user, 2) grant for the fruition of a useful product to all recipients, 3) assure a perfect integration between the knowledge content and the different devices employed. The aim of this contribution is to propose a systemic reflection on some emerging aspects in e-learning contexts, related to the role of usability, and to accessibility and cognitive processing in designing phases.

The scope of research described in this contribution is to verify if the performance in a spatial reconstruction task is determined from mechanisms of visuo-spatial memory and from the characteristics of the subject, like the age and the sex, rather than from those of the environment, like landmarks or elements contained within it (in turn characterized by shape, size and color).

The object of the article is a company’s strategic management processes. The aim is to propose a dynamic model to explain how a company’s realised strategy does emerge from interactions of purposes, tensions, and pressures dynamically interplaying. The paper contributes to strategy literature in two directions. First, we expect the model will be useful to management as a reference frame for understanding and efficiently governing a company strategy-making behaviour, both in cases in which the aim is to transform it radically, and when it is to be innovated by means of gradual evolutive change. Second, the model constitutes a set of hypotheses to orient further empirical and theoretical analysis. The analysis which we conduct, examining theoretic contributions and empirical settings, is strongly influenced by the assumption that the subject of the strategic government of companies may benefit from a systemic approach which considers the dynamic interaction among the many processes which impact a company’s situation.

Organizational theory has construed complexity as an objective characteristic of either the structure or the behaviour of an organization. We argue that in order to further our understanding complexity should be understood in terms of human cognition of a structure or behaviour. This cognitive twist is illustrated by means of two theoretical approaches, whose relationship is discussed.

The main objective of this study was to examine the relationship between perceived organizational support (POS) and organizational commitment; more precisely, using a sample of 687 employees, we conducted a study to examine the relationship between POS and a) affective commitment and b) normative commitment; the study also aimed to examine the relationship between POS and self competence as its antecedent. Data confirm the hypotheses that: affective and normative commitment were found to be influenced by POS in an equal manner; POS was found to be influenced by self competence.

The aim of this work was to study the phenomenon of mobbing by adopting a systemic approach. This, in turn, implies a multivariate framework, relying on a structural equation model. In this regard several variables were taken into consideration and their consistence was evaluated through the QMP 1.5 questionnaire. We hypothesized the existence of a difference between victims and non-victims, related to variables like: isolation, exclusion, communication, overload, disheartenment, enthusiasm, and inadequacy. The model obtained in this study evidenced the systemic nature of the interrelations between the different variables: some of them, taken alone or summed together, could not predict the occurrence of mobbing, while this prediction could be based only on their reciprocal relations.

This article falls within the scope of one of the most recent interpretations of psychometrics, characterized by the concept of “representation”. Formal models and theories to define latent structures represent a particularly important research tool in modern psychometrics, in which psychological disciplines interact with disciplines that envisage formalization, such as mathematics and statistics. The study in question was used as a means of identifying a model that represents the structure of the typical constructs of a set of items in a job satisfaction scale. The results, consistent with the current literature, demonstrate the multidimensional nature of the construct even among the sample population of managerial staff, yet also identify some characteristic dimensions that, while distinct, are strictly correlated.

Although at the core of systems theorizing, the concepts of system’s identity and autonomy are still lacking remarkable empirical tests. Both the characteristics come from recursive self-organizing and self-referential processes. In the case of human systems, they are mainly based on self-observation. This property takes place through cognitive and communication patterns. The present paper analyzes the COMMORG case, an international research team which, besides the formal identity given by the European Union administration, built up its own identity and autonomy during its working life. The COMMORG system set up its self-observation by means of three different methodological tools: emailing list analysis, genre repertoire analysis, and self-survey analysis. They show the structure and evolution of the communication patterns forging its identity and autonomy. The use of an emailing list revealed as the central means of communication, which enabled the development of the system’s identity in the form of a (virtual) international research team. The system identity, the identification and trust of its members, the communication patterns, and the semiotic patterns are recursively related to structural and social aspects, and change over time.

In the history of western democracies, now degenerating into post-democracies, it is possible to identify a first phase during which aspirant leadership has been attempting to influence and involve people, by forcing masses to do something, to believe something, rather than by getting consent. The second phase relates to democracies where aspirant leadership must get consent thorough formal elections. The mass dimension is not related anymore to involvement, but to getting formal consent. Manipulating social techniques, based on sophisticated research in cognitive science and applied by using the mass-media, have been and are used for marketing exploiting knowledge of complex human behavior in order to turn individuals into customers. Similar technologies are used for to influence people to buy a political offer and leadership. The mass dimension is not anymore a warranty of democracy, but rather the basis for applying marketing techniques that make consent buyable. Democratic societies became degenerated post-democratic societies. The most significant aspect of such manipulating techniques is the manipulation and control of language used by applying approaches based on cognitive science. Some of those approaches are introduced. The purpose of this contribution is to focus on how the systems community may make people aware of the manipulating processes and able to recognize them, with special reference to language. The possibility to make consent buyable may be the end of the classic idea of democracy and this must be taken in count when dealing with so-called emergent social systems, often assumed to be non-democratic by western societies.