Manuel Moyano

University of Cordoba (Spain) | UCO · Department of Psychology

The present studies examined the hypothesis that loss of personal significance fuels extremism via the need for cognitive closure. Situations of significance loss-those that make one feel ashamed, humiliated, or demeaned-are inconsistent with the desire for a positive self-image, and instill a sense of uncertainty about the self. Consequently, indi...

Adventure and excitement have often been invoked to explain why people engage in political violence, yet empirical evidence on the topic has thus far been anecdotal. The present research sought to fill this gap in knowledge by examining the role of sensation seeking in political violence and integrating this concept with Significance Quest Theory (...

Social exclusion is one of the most complex and sensitive social problems nowadays. Of all social groups, adolescents are among the most vulnerable to social exclusion, which can interfere with their social development. Consequently, the evaluation of this construct in adolescents is an important matter. The aim of this investigation was to develop...

This paper aims to study the process of violent radicalization in El Puche, a marginal neighborhood of Spain with a high percentage of disenfranchised Muslims. Particularly, we explore whether this neighborhood exhibits the factors proposed by the 3N model of radicalization: needs, networks, and narratives. We present two studies in which we analyz...

Preventive approaches have gained weight with regard to violent extremism. However, although the number of interventions aimed at prevention has increased, many of them do not have a solid theoretical basis and very few have been evaluated, so we do not know the real impact of these interventions. Based on these limitations, a sport-based intervent...

Fundación Española de Psiquiatría y Salud Mental

Identity conflict and the loss of meaning experienced by some Muslim young people in Western countries are key factors behind fanaticism, leading some of them to find purpose in life within extremist groups (Adam-Troian et al. 2021; Moyano and González 2021). The narrative that emerges from the radicalisation process provides a rich source for psyc...

Some public officials have expressed concern that policies mandating collective public health behaviors (e.g., national/regional "lockdown") may result in behavioral fatigue that ultimately renders such policies ineffective. Boredom, specifically, has been singled out as one potential risk factor for noncompliance. We examined whether there was emp...

Objectives: How individuals perceive the risk of COVID-19 influences their mental health and protective behaviors. Therefore, the development of an instrument to capture COVID-19-related worries and fears is relevant. This study aims to develop and validate the CoV-WoFe to measure COVID-19-related worries and fears. Methods: An online questionnaire...

The educational project “Memory and prevention of terrorism” is made up by a series of Units of Work that deal with terrorism which could be used for school subjects. This Unit of Work is presented as a complete tool available for teachers to be implemented in the classroom. All content, as well as its didactic implementation, is as it would be in...

Xenophobia and anti-immigrant attacks rose during the COVID-19 pandemic, yet this may not be solely due to the disease threat. According to theories of frustration and scapegoating, situational obstructions and deprivation can motivate prejudice against outgroups. Using a global natural quasi-experimental design, this study tests whether the restri...

Rehabilitation programs for terrorists have gained notoriety. Some issues still require thorough investigation, such as the social support they receive. The present research aims to examine the attitudes towards rehabilitation programs for terrorist offenders and the mediating and moderating mechanisms underlying these attitudes. To this end, two s...

Descripción en español (See English description below) Título base de datos: Actitudes sociales y políticas en Andalucía: entrevista telefónica a 1500 personas sobre populismo, inmigración, modelo territorial, instituciones españolas, pensamiento conspirativo, activismo, narcisismo colectivo y lengua. Proyecto: PRY025/19 “Democracia y actitudes p...

Descripción en español (See English description below) Título base de datos: Actitudes sociales y políticas en Cataluña: entrevista telefónica a 1500 personas sobre populismo, inmigración, modelo territorial, instituciones españolas, pensamiento conspirativo, activismo, narcisismo colectivo y lengua. Proyecto: PRY025/19 “Democracia y actitudes po...

Radicalization is a complex process given the fact that several factors interact in it. In order to gain an overview of these factors, a case study was performed of the cell that carried out the terrorist attacks in Barcelona and Cambrils. The 3N model of radicalization was used, which proposes three factors: needs, narratives and networks. The con...

One of the major challenges facing humanity is understanding the psychosocial mechanisms that underlie radicalization in order to effectively deal with its shift towards violent extremism and terrorism. From a scientific standpoint, there have been major theoretical-conceptual and technical-methodological advances which have led to the development...

Anxiety associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and home confinement has been associated with adverse health behaviors, such as unhealthy eating, smoking, and drinking. However, most studies have been limited by regional sampling, which precludes the examination of behavioral consequences associated with the pandemic at a global level. Further, few s...

Violent radicalization continues to be a global problem. One of the main proposals for understanding radicalization and support for political violence is based on social alienation as a trigger. That is, individuals who feel alienated from society try to get out of this situation by using violence, if necessary. However, social alienation alone is...

The present paper examines longitudinally how subjective perceptions about COVID-19, one’s community, and the government predict adherence to public health measures to reduce the spread of the virus. Using an international survey ( N = 3040), we test how infection risk perception, trust in the governmental response and communications about COVID-19...

Before vaccines for COVID-19 became available, a set of infection prevention behaviors constituted the primary means to mitigate the virus spread. Our study aimed to identify important predictors of this set of behaviors. Whereas social and health psychological theories suggest a limited set of predictors, machine learning analyses can identify cor...

Anxiety associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and home confinement has been associated with adverse health behaviors, such as unhealthy eating, smoking, and drinking. However, most studies have been limited by regional sampling, which precludes the examination of behavioral consequences associated with the pandemic at a global level. Further, few s...

Introduction: Radicalization leading to violence is a complex social process that frequently targets young people. In this study, we examine the 17-A cell, which carried out terrorist attacks in the Spanish cities of Barcelona and Cambrils on August 17, 2017. We focus on the psychological manipulation techniques used to radicalized members of the c...

Understanding the determinants of COVID-19 vaccine uptake is important to inform policy decisions and plan vaccination campaigns. The aims of this research were to: (1) explore the individual- and country-level determinants of intentions to be vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2, and (2) examine worldwide variation in vaccination intentions. This cross-s...

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0256740.].

Understanding how individual beliefs and societal values influence support for measures to prevent SARS-CoV-2 transmission is vital to developing and implementing effective prevention policies. Using both Just World Theory and Cultural Dimensions Theory, the present study considered how individual-level justice beliefs and country-level social valu...

The main objective of this study was to develop and validate a reliable and valid scale that allows the measurement of the perception that teachers have of attention to diversity in the classroom: the Perception of Attention to Diversity Scale (PADS). To this end, 456 teachers answered a survey. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses confirme...

The SPEY project combines sports practice and transversal skills with the aim of reducing the risk factors that can contribute to the process of youth radicalization. In addition, it seeks to improve the channels of integration of young people at risk of exclusion and maintains the gender perspective across the entire project. Taking a scientific a...

Tightening social norms is thought to be adaptive for dealing with collective threat yet it may have negative consequences for increasing prejudice. The present research investigated the role of desire for cultural tightness, triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, in increasing negative attitudes towards immigrants. We used participant-level data from...

El terrorismo y la violencia política son el pico de la pirámide de un problema más amplio que requiere anticipación. Por ello, las instituciones deberían priorizar el abordaje de la detección y la intervención temprana en los procesos de radicalización. A lo largo de este trabajo se enfatiza la necesidad de considerar a los jóvenes como un colecti...

During the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. conservative politicians and the media downplayed the risk of both contracting COVID-19 and the effectiveness of recommended health behaviors. Health behavior theories suggest perceived vulnerability to a health threat and perceived effectiveness of recommended health-protective behaviors dete...

During the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. conservative politicians and the media downplayed the risk of both contracting COVID-19 and the effectiveness of recommended health behaviors. Health behavior theories suggest perceived vulnerability to a health threat and perceived effectiveness of recommended health-protective behaviors dete...

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused a global health crisis. Consequently, many countries have adopted restrictive measures that caused a substantial change in society. Within this framework, it is reasonable to suppose that a sentiment of societal discontent, defined as generalized concern about the precarious state of socie...

Die Hauptzielsetzung dieses Ex-Post-Beitrags liegt darin, Risikofaktoren, Modelle und praktische Vorschläge zu identifizieren, um durch eine interkulturelle Linse an der Vorbeugung von Radikalisierung zu arbeiten. Die jüngste psychologische und kriminologische Forschung hat Nachweise dafür geliefert, dass Entfremdung, als ein Gefühl von sozialem Au...

L'objectif général de cet article ex post est d'identifier les facteurs de risque, ainsi que des modèles et propositions pratiques pour travailler sur la prévention de la radicalisation en adoptant une perspective interculturelle. Des recherches psychosociales et criminologiques contemporaines ont fourni la preuve que l'aliénation, comprise comme u...

The present study aims to identify potential barriers that women in the United Arab Emirates might face if they pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). For this purpose, a systematic review and subsequent applied analysis of the UAE context was developed. The systematic review was reported in accordance with the...

The current research examined the role of values in guiding people’s responses to COVID-19. Results from an international study involving 115 countries (N = 61,490) suggest that health and economic threats of COVID-19 evoke different values, with implications for controlling and coping with the pandemic. Specifically, health threats evoked prioriti...

We examine how social contacts and feelings of solidarity shape experiences of loneliness during the COVID-19 lockdown in early 2020. From the PsyCorona database, we obtained longitudinal data from 23 countries, collected between March and May 2020. The results demonstrated that although online contacts help to reduce feelings of loneliness, people...

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced the confinement of most populations worldwide, through stay-at-home orders. Children have continued their education process at home, supervised by parents, who, in most cases, have adopted the role of prime drivers of their learning processes. In this study, the psychological impact of confinement was explored, as w...

Introducción La pandemia resultante de la aparición y propagación del SARS-Cov-2 ha supuesto el confinamiento de gran parte de la población (Cohen & Kupferschmidt, 2020). El proceso educativo siguió su curso desde los hogares, en supervisión de los tutores legales, profesores improvisados que asumieron todo el peso del proceso de enseñanza (Doyle,...

Unidad editora: Secretaría General Técnica. Centro de Publicaciones. Ministerio de Educación y Formación Profesional. Propuesto por: Centro Nacional de Innovación e Investigación Educativa (CNIIE). En coedición con: Ministerio del Interior. Han colaborado en esta obra: Centro Memorial de las Víctimas del Terrorismo y Fundación Víctimas del Terroris...

Unidad editora: Secretaría General Técnica. Centro de Publicaciones. Ministerio de Educación y Formación Profesional. Propuesto por: Centro Nacional de Innovación e Investigación Educativa (CNIIE). En coedición con: Ministerio del Interior. Han colaborado en esta obra: Centro Memorial de las Víctimas del Terrorismo y Fundación Víctimas del Terroris...

Unidad editora: Secretaría General Técnica. Centro de Publicaciones. Ministerio de Educación y Formación Profesional. Propuesto por: Centro Nacional de Innovación e Investigación Educativa (CNIIE). En coedición con: Ministerio del Interior. Han colaborado en esta obra: Centro Memorial de las Víctimas del Terrorismo y Fundación Víctimas del Terroris...

Unidad editora: Secretaría General Técnica. Centro de Publicaciones. Ministerio de Educación y Formación Profesional. Propuesto por: Centro Nacional de Innovación e Investigación Educativa (CNIIE). En coedición con: Ministerio del Interior. Han colaborado en esta obra: Centro Memorial de las Víctimas del Terrorismo y Fundación Víctimas del Terroris...

Three studies (Study 1, with 354 teaching and administrative staff at the University of Córdoba, Study 2 with 567 teachers, Study 3, longitudinal, with 111 teachers) analyzed the role adopted by self-regulatory variables in the relationship between type D personality (TDP) and burnout. Moderated mediation analyses in the three studies confirmed: (1...

Sensation seeking is a bio-psychological construct characterized by the willingness to pursue new, exciting and intense experiences. Previous research has shown that sensation seeking is strongly related to a range of risky and disruptive behaviors, especially among the young. The Brief Sensation Seeking Scale (BSSS) is an eight-item scale that has...

Die Isolation von Jugendlichen hat sich durch die gesellschaftlichen Einschränkungen aufgrund der COVID-19-Pandemie verstärkt. JugendbetreuerInnen und LehrerInnen stehen bei ihren Versuchen, isolierte und gefährdete junge Menschen zu erreichen, vielen Herausforderungen gegenüber.

L'isolement des jeunes s’est accru avec les restrictions imposées à la société, liées à la pandémie de COVID-19. Les éducateurs et les enseignants rencontrent de nombreuses difficultés dans leurs efforts pour atteindre les jeunes isolés et vulnérables.

This paper examines whether compliance with COVID-19 mitigation measures is motivated by wanting to save lives or save the economy (or both), and which implications this carries to fight the pandemic. National representative samples were collected from 24 countries (N = 25,435). The main predictors were (1) perceived risk to contract coronavirus, (...

Preventing and countering violent radicalization: A guide for first-line practitioners

Prevención y afrontamiento de la radicalización violenta : Una guía para profesionales de primera línea

Cross-societal differences in cooperation and trust among strangers in the provision of public goods may be key to understanding how societies are managing the COVID-19 pandemic. We report a survey conducted across 41 societies between March and May 2020 (N = 34,526), and test pre-registered hypotheses about how cross-societal differences in cooper...

Background The effective implementation of government policies and measures for controlling the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic requires compliance from the public. This study aimed to examine cross-sectional and longitudinal associations of trust in government regarding COVID-19 control with the adoption of recommended health behaviou...

The COVID-19 pandemic presents threats, such as severe disease and economic hardship, to people of different ages. These threats can also be experienced asymmetrically across age groups, which could lead to generational differences in behavioral responses to reduce the spread of the disease. We report a survey conducted across 56 societies (N = 58,...

Bullying is a social problem characterized by intentional aggression over time, usually in school contexts and in cyberspace (cyberbullying). There has been growing interest in preventing that phenomenon to reduce its adverse effects. Different studies and reports suggest that Physical Education may be a setting of interest to promote attitudes and...

Background Although there are increasing concerns on mental health consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, no large-scale population-based studies have examined the associations of risk perception of COVID-19 with emotion and subsequent mental health. Methods : This study analysed cross-sectional and longitudinal data from the PsyCorona Survey that...

The 3N model of radicalization proposes that violent radicalization is the result of the contribution of needs, networks, and narratives. Although research has mainly been supportive of this perspective, a substantial amount of ground remains uncovered regarding the network component of the model. Within this framework, we examine why individuals l...

O bullying é um problema social caracterizado pela agressão intencional que ocorre ao longo do tempo, geralmente em contextos escolares e no ciberespaço (cyberbullying). Tem havido um interesse crescente na prevenção deste fenômeno, a fim de reduzir os efeitos adversos. Diferentes estudos e relatórios sugerem que o tema da Educação Física pode ser...

This research examines how social networks contribute to the process of radicalization, building on work showing that obsessive (vs. harmonious) passion for a cause is linked to greater support for political violence. Study 1 (N = 331) shows that obsessive (vs. harmonious) passion is related to affiliating with radical (vs. moderate) social network...

The Coronavirus is highly infectious and potentially deadly. In the absence of a cure or a vaccine, the infection prevention behaviors recommended by the World Health Organization constitute the only measure that is presently available to combat the pandemic. The unprecedented impact of this pandemic calls for swift identification of factors most i...

In this work, we study how social contacts and feelings of solidarity shape experiences of loneliness during the COVID-19 lockdown in early 2020. We draw on cross-national data, collected across four time points between mid-March until early May 2020. We situate our work within the public debate on these issues and discuss to what extent the public...

According to health behavior theories, perceived vulnerability to a health threat and perceived effectiveness of recommended health-protective behaviors determine motivation to follow these recommendations. Because the U.S. President Trump and U.S. conservative politicians downplayed the risk and seriousness of contracting COVID-19 and the effectiv...

The PsyCorona collaboration is a research project to examine processes involved in the COVID-19 pandemic, such as behavior that curbs virus transmission, which may implicate social norms, cooperation, and self-regulation. The study also examines psychosocial consequences of physical distancing strategies and societal lockdown, such as frustration o...

Youth isolation has been amplified by the restrictions in society due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Youth workers and teachers have encountered many challenges in their attempts to reach out to isolated and vulnerable young people. Some of the most important challenges for youth workers and teachers include: Youth isolation due to COVID-19. The curren...

The 3N model of radicalization proposes that violent radicalization is the result of the contribution of needs, networks, and narratives. Although research has mainly been supportive of this perspective, a substantial amount of ground remains uncovered regarding the network component of the model. Within this framework, we examine why individuals l...

Political countermessages are communication strategies intended to discourage people from supporting violent political activism; however, it is unclear whether they are indeed effective. The purpose of this research was to address this gap by testing the influence of political countermessages on individuals with a passion for a cause. Four studies...

Mapping the Moods of COVID-19: Global Study Uses Data Visualization to Track Psychological Responses, Identify Targets for Intervention

This paper examines whether compliance with COVID-19 mitigation measures is motivated by wanting to save lives or save the economy (or both), and which implications this carries to fight the pandemic. National representative samples were collected from 24 countries (N=25,435). The main predictors were (i) perceived risk to contract coronavirus, (ii...