
Vanessa Smith-CastroUniversity of Costa Rica | UCR · Instituto de Investigaciones Psicológicas (IIP)
Vanessa Smith-Castro
Dr.rer.nat
About
120
Publications
88,326
Reads
How we measure 'reads'
A 'read' is counted each time someone views a publication summary (such as the title, abstract, and list of authors), clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the full-text. Learn more
3,266
Citations
Introduction
Vanessa earned her Licenciatura degree in Psychology from the University of Costa Rica and her Ph.D. in Social Psychology from Philipps-Universität Marburg (Germany). She is professor at the Institute for Psychological Research of the University of Costa Rica. Her research interests are social cognition, intergroup relations, acculturation, social psychology of health, quantitative research methods, and psychometrics.
Education
January 1998 - September 2001
January 1994 - December 1995
January 1990 - December 1993
Publications
Publications (120)
Cuando una persona se enfrenta a una prueba realiza predicciones acerca de su rendimiento, estas estimaciones se conocen como juicios metacognitivos. Los juicios metacognitivos pueden diferir del rendimiento real por factores como la ansiedad, el género, entre otros. Frecuentemente la diferencia entre el juicio metacognitivo y el resultado real gen...
El sexismo ambivalente (SA) es un constructo multidimensional compuesto por creencias y actitudes hostiles y benevolentes que legitiman la desigualdad entre sexos. Para medirlo, se usa de manera muy difundida el Inventario de Sexismo Ambivalente (ISA), una escala originalmente creada en inglés que ha sido traducida y utilizada en el contexto latino...
In the present work, we addressed the relationship between parental leave policies and social norms. Using a pre‐registered, cross‐national approach, we examined the relationship between parental leave policies and the perception of social norms for the gender division of childcare. In this study, 19,259 students (11,924 women) from 48 countries in...
La migración presenta numerosos desafíos para los sistemas educativos de las sociedades modernas. En España, por ejemplo, una cuarta parte del profesorado de primaria y secundaria trabaja en centros educativos con un importante número de alumnos y alumnas de origen migrante. Ahora bien, pocos docentes manifiestan sentirse eficaces para afrontar los...
Este capítulo analiza la autoeficacia del profesorado de educación obligatoria en España para gestionar aulas interculturales. Los principales puntos son:
- Examina la influencia de variables sociodemográficas, ocupacionales y psicosociales en la autoeficacia intercultural de los docentes.
- Utiliza datos de una encuesta a 435 docentes en activo de...
The study aims to investigate biases related to socio-cognitive and psychosocial variables associated with misinformation. It examines cognitive reflexivity, metacognitive awareness, identification with a group, political ideologies and religiosity as predictors of both misinformation identification and intention to share. An online experiment was...
[Objective] Develop and validate a psychometric scale to assess the general population's attitude towards older adults as learners and users of Information and Communication Technologies (PAMTIC scale). [Methodology] A preliminary version of the scale was built based on a systematic review of the literature. In Study 1, the initial version was revi...
Una persona está expuesta a una amenaza contextual matemática si, antes de realizar una tarea, se enfatiza explícitamente el carácter matemático de la misma y se indica que a partir de su desempeño la persona será perfilada en matemática y comparada con otras personas. Se manipula experimentalmente la exposición a la amenaza contextual matemática p...
Objective
To generate normative data for the Verbal Fluency Test (VFT) and the Boston Naming Test (BNT) in the Costa Rican population.
Method
The sample consisted of 563 healthy older people (aged 59–90 years). Polynomial multiple regression analyses were run to evaluate the effects of the age, sex, and education variables on VFT and BNT scores....
El propósito del estudio fue estimar el tamaño del efecto de las diferencias de sexo de personas adultas, sobre su motivación para la participación en deporte o actividad física. Métodos: se realizó un metaanálisis, con el modelo de efectos aleatorios (método de máxima verosimilitud restringida). Se identificaron 14097 artículos en diversas bases (...
Evidencias de invarianza del Inventario de Sexismo Ambivalente en Costa Rica Resumen El sexismo ambivalente (SA) es un constructo multidimensional compuesto por creencias y actitudes hostiles y benevolentes que legitiman la desigualdad entre sexos. Para medirlo, se usa de manera muy difundida el Inventario de Sexismo Ambivalente (ISA), siendo una e...
This study aimed to characterize the network structure of pandemic grief symptoms and suicidal ideation in 2174 people from eight Latin American countries. Pandemic grief and suicidal ideation were measured using the Pandemic Grief Scale and a single item, respectively. Network analysis provides an in-depth characterization of symptom-symptom inter...
Abstract: Objective: In the context of the pandemic due to SARS-CoV-2, concerns were raised about how to
adequately assess its impact on the wellbeing of the population. The main reason of this paper is to present
the preliminary results of psychometric properties of measures created to evaluate such impact. Method: We
created and adapted several a...
Coronavirus Anxiety Scale (CAS) is a widely used measure that captures somatic symptoms of coronavirusrelated anxiety. In a large-scale collaboration spanning 60 countries (Ntotal = 21,513), we examined the CAS’s measurement invariance and assessed the convergent validity of CAS scores in relation to the fear of COVID-19 (FCV-19S) and the satisfact...
Coronavirus Anxiety Scale (CAS) is a widely used measure that captures somatic symptoms of coronavirus-related anxiety. In a large-scale collaboration spanning 60 countries (Ntotal = 21,513), we examined the CAS’s measurement invariance and assessed the convergent validity of CAS scores in relation to the fear of COVID-19 (FCV-19S) and the satisfac...
Objectives
The present study aimed to evaluate the measurement invariance of a general measure of the perception of governmental responses to COVID-|19 (COVID-SCORE-10) in the general population of 13 Latin American countries.
Methods
A total of 5780 individuals from 13 Latin American and Caribbean countries selected by non-probabilistic snowball...
The Social Anomie Brief Scale (SAS10) is a self-report measure of social anomie against new social standards implemented during the current COVID-19 pandemic. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the invariance of the cross-cultural measurement of the SAS10 in a sample of 12 Latin American countries. Additionally, the difficulty and dis...
The present study aimed to evaluate the measurement invariance of the Obsession with COVID-19 Scale (OCS) among seven Latin American countries: Bolivia, Brazil, Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Although the OCS has been used in several countries and languages, there is a need for approaches that better integrate the cross-cultur...
The present study aimed to apply a network analysis model to provide an exploratory empirical conceptualization of dynamic networks of posttraumatic growth (PTG) symptoms in 7,434 people who experienced the death of a loved one from COVID-19 in 16 Latin American countries. The Post-Traumatic Growth Inventory: Short Form of Eight Items was used. A n...
Objective
To generate normative data of the Verbal Fluency Test (VFT) and Boston Naming Test (BNT) for healthy older adults in Costa Rica.
Method
The sample consisted of 563 healthy Costa Rican adults aged 59–90 years (M = 67.15; SD = 7). Each participant was administered the VFT and BNT as part of a more comprehensive neuropsychological battery....
Objective
To generate normative data of the Word Memory List (WML) and Logic Memory (LM) for healthy older adults in Costa Rica.
Method
The sample consisted of 563 healthy Costa Rican adults, aged 59–90 years (M = 67.15; SD = 7), who were assessed with a complete neuropsychological battery.
Results
Multiple regression models showed a linear effec...
Objective
To generate normative data for the Trail Making Test (TMT) and the Target Cancellation Task for healthy older adults in Costa Rica.
Method
563 healthy Costa Rican adults aged 59–90 years (M = 67.15; SD = 7) were assessed. Each participant was administered the two attention tests as part of a more comprehensive neuropsychological battery....
Este capítulo aborda la migración intrarregional en Latinoamérica, destacando que alrededor de 30 millones de personas viven fuera de su país de origen en la región. Se menciona el aumento de la emigración a países vecinos y casos notables como la migración masiva de venezolanos a Colombia y Chile, así como la migración del Triángulo Norte de Centr...
It is widely known that test anxiety (TA) is associated with a decrease in test scores. The objective of this study is to provide evidence of the existence of two paths through which TA affects test scores: an indirect path that is associated with the mediation of the updating efficiency and a direct path moderated by the putting into perspective c...
The present study explored the predictive capacity of fear of COVID-19 on the intention to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and the influence in this relationship of conspiracy beliefs as a possible mediating psychological variable, in 13 Latin American countries. A total of 5779 people recruited through non-probabilistic convenience sampling partici...
Despite global commitments and efforts, a gender‐based division of paid and unpaid work persists. To identify how psychological factors, national policies, and the broader sociocultural context contribute to this inequality, we assessed parental‐leave intentions in young adults (18–30 years old) planning to have children (N = 13,942; 8,880 identifi...
Parenting styles are a risk factor for adolescents overweight/obesity worldwide, but this association is not well understood in the context of Latin America. This study examines the association between the parenting styles of mothers and fathers and the risk of overweight/obesity among Costa Rican adolescents. Data are cross-sectional from a sample...
The role of perceived social support in the acculturation process of immigrants remains unclear. In this study, we jointly evaluated the associations between acculturative stress and negative emotions associated with discrimination as antecedents of anxiety, depression, and stress symptoms in 283 immigrants living in Chile. Three competing models w...
Memoria científica del proyecto Actitudes hacia la aculturación y la interculturalidad del profesorado de educación obligatoria en España (Diverprof).
Proyecto financiado por Universidad Internacional de La Rioja/B0036
Más información en: diverprof.es
Previous research has stated a relationship between sexist ideologies and humour appreciation. However, most research has been done in North America and Europe. In the present study, we aimed to approach in an exploratory way to the social perceptions of sexist humour in Costa Rica. Data was gathered through an online survey, participants (N = 323;...
(Objective)
The purpose of the present study was to analyze the relationship between students' mathematical self-efficacy and performance in the national high school graduation mathematics test, taking into account other relevant psychosocial predictors and the moderating effects of sex and educational center.
(Methodology)
The design of the study...
Introducción: Siguiendo los procesos migratorios en la región, la Unión Europea de resalta en sus planes de acción la importancia de una educación inclusiva en todas las etapas educativas. Es así como las situaciones de contacto entre culturas que origina la inmigración en los centros educativos son unos de los principales retos de la educación int...
Marijuana use during adolescence may result in altered neurocognitive functioning; therefore, preventing or delaying the onset of marijuana use is a public health concern. Parenting styles have been consistently identified as influential risk factors for adolescent drug use. However, most relevant studies have focused on non-Latin American populati...
Work in progress presented in ISPP 2022 Annual Meeting (14-17 July 2022) in Athens, Greece
Objectives
Parental feeding styles (PFS) influence children's diet and weight; we aimed to evaluate this relationship in adolescents.
Methods
Cross-sectional study in 686 Costa Rican adolescents (13–18y). Parents responded to a questionnaire from which four validated PFS scores were derived: promotion (verbal encouragement of healthy eating); verb...
Background:
Whereas parental feeding styles (PFS) influence children's diet, less is known about this relationship in adolescents.
Methods:
A cross-sectional study in 686 Costa Rican adolescents (13-18 years) evaluated 4 validated PFS scores: healthy eating verbal encouragement; scolding; directly controlling diet; instrumental/emotional. Diet w...
The present article describes the development of a Modern Biased Information Test (MBIT) inspired by the work published by Donald Campbell in 1950 on indirect measures of prejudice. A biased information test aims to tap individuals' intergroup attitudes from the selective information they use to describe group members. Two biased information tests...
Background
Acculturation stress is associated with poorer physical and mental health and a lower level of psychological well-being. The causes of acculturation stress are diverse, but most are similar in the migrant population. Despite the importance of evaluating this variable, few studies have reported culturally adapted and validated instruments...
n recent years, questions have emerged regarding if it is possible to train executive functions and if music, for its high level of complexity, has an impact on these processes. Even though there is a relation between musical training and executive functions, this results are contradictory and there is no quantification of this potential associatio...
Of all the countries in Central America, Costa Rica is generally regarded as having the most stable and democratic government. In 1949, the Costa Rican Constitution abolished the army, gave women the right to vote, and provided several social, economic, and educational guarantees for all its citizens. The country has one of the highest literacy rat...
Little is known about how parenting styles can influence the adolescent’s consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB), fruits and vegetables (FV) and beans in Latin America. This study uses hierarchical moderated regression models to examine such association by area of residence, sex of the parent and of the adolescent in Costa Rica. Results sho...
This book addresses the psychosocial causes, consequences, and underpinnings of intraregional migration in Latin America.
War, political instability, and disparities in wealth and opportunity have long driven migration within Latin America, and this process shows no sign of slowing. In this book, cross-cultural and social psychologists address the...
Objective
To examine the association between family environment variables (parenting styles, family meal atmosphere), gender-based stereotypes, and food intake in Latin American adolescents.
Design
Structural equation modeling applied to cross-sectional data, 2017.
Setting
Urban and rural sites of San José, Costa Rica.
Participants
n = 813; 13-1...
We examined the role of authoritarianism, social dominance and attitudes towards political elites in predicting the voting behavior among Costa Ricans in the last presidential elections
Rica, se comparten bajo términos de la Licencia Creative Commons: Reconocimiento, No Comercial, Sin Obra Derivada 3.0 Costa Rica. Las autorizaciones adicionales a las aquí delimitadas se pueden obtener en el correo: educare@una.cr Resumen: Reconociendo que el género, como constructo, es expresión de una estructura de poder, se buscó explicar difere...
Esta investigación utiliza la perspectiva de la eficacia escolar considerando tres factores: características sociodemográficas, actitudes hacia la matemática y creencias sociales en torno al género en contextos matemáticos. El objetivo es explorar el valor predictivo de variables que podrían estar asociadas al rezago en asignaturas de contenido mat...
Se ha sugerido que la práctica profesional de un instrumento musical esta relacionada con mejores puntajes en tareas de funciones ejecutivas. Con el fin de examinar sistemáticamente esta hipótesis se realizó un metaanálisis para identificar el efecto de la interpretación de un instrumento en las funciones ejecutivas, así como las variables que podr...
Objective
To elucidate mechanisms across family function, home environment and eating behaviours within sociocultural context among Hispanic youth.
Design
Two models tested via path analysis (youth fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption; empty energy consumption) using data from the Study of Latino Youth (2011–2013).
Setting
Chicago, IL; Miami, FL;...
Knowledge of evolutionary influences on patterns of human mating, social interactions, and differential health is increasing, yet these insights have rarely been applied to historical analyses of human population dynamics. The genetic and evolutionary forces behind biases in interethnic mating and in the health of individuals of different ethnic gr...
En Chile, el incremento del flujo migratorio desde América Latina ha llamado la atención con respecto a los procesos de ajuste psicológico y sociocultural de los nuevos inmigrantes. Por tanto, con este trabajo se busca (a) establecer relaciones entre las orientaciones de aculturación, el estrés aculturativo y el bienestar psicológico, (b) identific...
Objective. The study aimed to develop and test the validity and reliability of a gender-based food intake stereotype scale (GBFISS) to further the understanding of gender stereotype influences on food intake. Design. Two cross-sectional studies were conducted among adolescents. In the first one (n = 611), exploratory and confirmatory factor analyse...
Research has shown that gender differences in Math performance are partially predicted by sociocultural aspects such as sexist ideologies and stereotypes. This study examined sexist ideologies as predictors of women´s achievement in standardized Math tests, and the mediation role of Math-gender stereotypes and Math self- efficacy, while controlling...
This paper describes how the use of Rasch Analysis (RA), compared with the Classical Test Theory (CTT) and other Item Re- sponse Theory (IRT) approaches, could enhance the study and in- terpretation of attitudinal scales. This is illustrated with data from 197 students from the University of Costa Rica who answered the Benevolent Sexism (BS) Scale...
We conducted preregistered replications of 28 classic and contemporary published findings, with protocols that were peer reviewed in advance, to examine variation in effect magnitudes across samples and settings. Each protocol was administered to approximately half of 125 samples that comprised 15,305 participants from 36 countries and territories....
We conducted preregistered replications of 28 classic and contemporary published findings with protocols that were peer reviewed in advance to examine variation in effect magnitudes across sample and setting. Each protocol was administered to approximately half of 125 samples and 15,305 total participants from 36 countries and territories. Using co...
We conducted preregistered replications of 28 classic and contemporary published findings, with protocols that were peer reviewed in advance, to examine variation in effect magnitudes across samples and settings. Each protocol was administered to approximately half of 125 samples that comprised 15,305 participants from 36 countries and territories....
Introducción: la discriminación social y la estigmatización de las personas por su pertenencia a un grupo determinado, en el presente caso por su lugar de residencia, es un problema relevante y que afecta el bienestar y la salud mental. Objetivo: establecer la influencia relativa de la identidad colectiva y la percepción de discriminación en el bie...
La presente investigación se dirigió a analizar el efecto del uso de un videojuego de simulación para el entretenimiento en la tendencia altruista de una muestra no probabilística de 56 personas con una edad promedio de 32,63 años, participantes de un programa comunal de capacitación en el uso de la computadora. Mediante un diseño cuasiexperimental...
La Escala de Competencia Intrasexual-Intergrupal, diseñada por Klavina, Buunk y Park (2009) evalúa el nivel de competencia intrasexual en la selección de pareja en contextos intergrupales, en relación con extranjeros. Con el fin de proporcionar evidencias de validez de constructo en población costarricense se realizaron dos estudios. Los resultados...
El presente estudio tuvo como objetivo analizar la activación de información estereotípica en contextos de selección de personal. Las hipótesis fueron contrastadas mediante un diseño experimental 2 (sexo del aplicante) x 2 (atractivo del aplicante) x 2 (sexo de la persona reclutadora) en un grupo de reclutadores profesionales. Los resultados indica...
This article reviews cognitive psychology's theoretical approximations to dehumanization, starting with Leyens et al. (2000) infrahumanization theory, following with Haslam's dehumanization (2006) model, continuing with Fiske, Cuddy, Glick and Xu (2002) Stereotype Content Model, and finishing with Jack, Dawson and Norr's (2013) approach to understa...
The psychometric trait approach to human life history, based on common factor modeling, has recently come under some criticism for neglecting to inquire into the developmental progression that orients and executes human life history trajectories (Copping, Campbell, & Muncer, 2014). It was asserted that the psychometric approach wholly focuses on cr...
The psychometric trait approach to human life history, based on common factor modeling, has recently come under some criticism for neglecting to inquire into the developmental progression that orients and executes human life history trajectories (Copping, Campbell, Muncer, 2014). It was asserted that the psychometric approach wholly focuses on crea...
Background:
In Latin America, more than 80% of adolescent girls are physically inactive. Inactivity may be reinforced by female stereotypes and objectification in the Latin American sociocultural context.
Methods:
We examined the influence of objectification on the adoption of an active lifestyle among 192 adolescents (14 -17 y/old) from urban a...
Previous cross-cultural studies have found differences in food attitudes. For example, Americans are more concerned about weight gain than people from France and India. This study aimed to add on the literature on cross-cultural differences in food attitudes by comparing Euro-Americans with Costa Ricans on three different food attitudes: concern ab...
We examined the influence of perceived parental sexual values, religiosity, and family environment on young adults' sexual values from the United States (n = 218), Spain (n = 240), Costa Rica (n = 172), and Peru (n = 105). On average, and across the four national groups, the messages young adults received from their parents about broad domains of s...
Resumen Esta investigación estudió las asociaciones implícitas entre prototipos de emociones y música de valencia afectiva positiva (música alegre, tempo rápido) y negativa (música triste, tempo lento). Para ello se recurrió a una versión modificada del Test de Asociaciones Implícitas, el cual se aplicó a 59 estudiantes universitarios, entre los 18...
Los instrumentos de medición representan una herramienta fundamental para recopilar observaciones numéricas, ya sea mediante el autoreporte o la ejecución de actividades específicas por parte de las personas; o bien mediante el registro de terceros, encuestadores, jueces, evaluadores,
observadores. El presente cuaderno metodológico es una compilac...
Purpose
To identify the influence of gender stereotypes on eating habits among Costa Rican adolescents.
Design
Qualitative, descriptive research was used in this study.
Setting
Adolescents and parents were recruited from socioeconomically diverse populations in rural and urban areas of San José, Costa Rica.
Subjects
Subjects were 92 adolescents...
Childrearing behaviors are often shaped by familial and cultural principles that function as guides for socialization goals and effective childrearing practices. For an increasing number of Latino families, the extended kin often acts as a source of childcare support. Due to a scarcity of research on the familial support configurations of Latin Ame...
Recent findings indicate that a slow Life History (LH) strategy factor is associated with increased levels of Executive Functioning (EF), increased emotional intelligence, decreased levels of sexually coercive behaviors, and decreased levels of negative ethnocentrism. Based on these findings, as well as the generative theory, we predicted that slow...
Recent findings indicate that a slow Life History (LH) strategy factor is associated with increased levels of Executive Functioning (EF), increased emotional intelligence, decreased levels of sexually coercive behaviors, and decreased levels of negative ethnocentrism. Based on these findings, as well as the generative theory, we predicted that slow...
The present study tests the two-dimensional model of stereotype content proposed by Fiske, Cudy, Glick and Xu (2002) among 121 Costa Rican students. Results show that warmth and ability represent two underlying principles of the stereotypical perception of social groups. Both, warmth and ability differentiate four stereotypical perceptions (paterna...