Chiara Imperato
Biographic Data
| ID | 169407 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Chiara Imperato |
| GIVEN NAMES | Chiara |
| FAMILY NAME | Imperato |
| SIGNATURE | IMPERATO C |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Parma |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-4787-0631 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 20 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 30 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 20 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2020 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
The Rubik’s Cube of Identity
Starting from the assumption that identity has a multifaceted, dynamic, and changeable nature, the proposed contribution aims to navigate the Rubrik’s Cube identity axes across four empirical tools drawn from different epistemological and theoretical traditions in psychology: the Twenty Statement Test, the Social Identity Mapping, the Identity Motives Questionnaire, and the Personal Positioning Repertoire. We describe the theoretical background a…
Evaluating bridge‐building strategies
According to Allport's Contact Hypothesis, contact with individuals from different social groups fosters positive intergroup relations under certain conditions. Building on this theoretical framework, we examined the effects of direct (Study 1) and indirect (extended; Study 2) contact with refugees within (two different types of) Italian welcome projects in promoting positive intergroup relations. In Study 1, we surveyed 99 professionals and volu…
Ethnic-Racial Identity, Interethnic Contact, and Reddit Community Identification Relate to Monoculturals’ Intercultural Sensitivity
The Internet has reshaped communication, bringing together people from varied cultural backgrounds, especially within social media sub-communities such as Reddit. These interest-based spaces can foster intercultural encounters. Framed by Ethnic Racial Identity (ERI) and Allport’s Contact theory, this study examines how monocultural Reddit users experience interculturality. We tested whether ethnic-racial identity exploration, resolution, and affi…
Mapping the Landscape of Online Discrimination
Online discrimination is an alarming phenomenon that draws growing attention across academic disciplines. However, this interest has led to fragmented knowledge, with research often confined within disciplinary boundaries. This study introduces an innovative hybrid approach that combines a scoping review with textual analysis to bridge this gap by (1) mapping the existing literature, (2) identifying key concepts across disciplines, and (3) offeri…
Between Love and Stigma
Nowadays, an increasing number of people are opting for alternative forms of Consensual Non-Monogamy (CNM), an umbrella term which includes all the different kinds of relationships where all the people involved have chosen by common accord to have more than a single romantic partner. Since this relational arrangement challenges mononormativity (i.e., the assumption that monogamy is healthier or more natural), the present study explored whether an…
Unveiling the hidden face of discrimination
Exploring intercultural sensitivity in bicultural and multicultural Reddit users
The Internet has revolutionized communication, enabling interactions between individuals from diverse cultures. This is especially true for social media which encourages participation in millions of online communities on a wide range of topics, such as Reddit. Research has largely neglected the intricate relationship between new media and intercultural issues. This study aims to address this gap by exploring the use experience of bicultural and m…
Solving online conflicts by sensing the other. The role of social presence and closeness in improving the effectiveness of online intergroup contact
While intergroup contact in online contexts has been acknowledged as effective in reducing stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination, i.e. intergroup bias, the underlying processes remain unclear. This study focuses on intersubjective processes and tests perceived social presence and closeness, as a means for strengthening the effects of online intergroup contact on attitudes towards the outgroup member and intergroup bias. We conducted a pre-po…
Can Personal Identity Protect against Problematic Gaming? A Study on the Relationships between Identity Motives, User-Avatar Bond, and Problematic Gaming in a Sample of MMORPG Players
A positive relationship between user–avatar bond (UAB; i.e., avatar identification and avatar idealization) and problematic gaming (PG) has been well established among Massive Multiplayer Role-Playing Games (MMORPG) players. However, no study has examined how players' personal identity relates both to UAB and PG. Based on the Motivated Identity Construction Theory, the current study examined the relationships between actual levels of identity mot…
Longitudinal associations between maladaptive daydreaming and psychological distress during the Covid-19 health crisis
“All Is Fair in… Meme!” How Heterosexual Users Perceive and React to Memes, News, and Posts Discriminating against Sexual Minorities
Digital discrimination against sexual minorities is becoming prevalent. It increasingly spreads through discriminatory content that mixes text and images (e.g., memes), thus, making online discrimination more difficult to detect. The present survey study focused on digital content that is discriminatory towards sexual minorities, aiming to analyze whether a sample of heterosexual social network users (65.2% female; Mage = 27.13) perceived differe…
Has Covid-19 Threatened Relational Identity? Risk Representation, Identity Threats, and Perceived Health during Quarantine
Based on the Identity Process Theory, this study wondered whether COVID-19 risk representation threatened relational identity and health perception. A sample of 976 Italian university students (Mage = 24.2; females: 73.8%) and a sample of 204 university staff members (Mage = 50.86; females: 57.4%) completed an online survey during the 1st phase of COVID-19. The results confirmed that in both samples the COVID-19 risk representation has been relat…
Exploring the Role of Problematic Social Network Site Use in the Link Between Reflective Functioning and Identity Processes in Adolescents
Literature highlighted that problematic social network site use might have relevant detrimental consequences on users’ well-being, particularly in adolescence. However, it is still not clear which variables could be considered protective or risk factors for such problematic use. The present study aimed to fill this gap, examining the relationship between reflective functioning and adolescents’ identity development, while taking problematic SNS us…
Psychometric Properties of the Italian Version of the Assessment of Identity Development in Adolescence (Aida)
Identity diffusion is a core element of the borderline personality organization. A valid and reliable assessment tool is needed to identify at-risk adolescents in the Italian context. In this study, we investigated the psychometric properties of the Assessment of Identity Development in Adolescence (AIDA), a self-report questionnaire designed to assess identity diffusion vs. identity integration, in an Italian sample (N = 1,102) of clinical and n…
Intergroup Dialogues in the Landscape of Digital Societies
The effects of intergroup dialogues on intercultural relations in digital societies and the growing conflict, inflammatory and hate speech phenomena characterizing these environments are receiving increasing attention in socio-psychological studies. Based on Allport’s contact theory, scholars have shown that online intercultural contact reduces ethnic prejudice and discrimination, although it is not yet clear when and how this occurs. By analyzin…
Does Facebook ‘threaten’ romantic relationships? Online surveillance and couple visibility behaviours in romantic jealousy and couple relationship quality in a sample of Italian women
Facebook has been identified as one of the most influential social network site (SNS) in the formation, maintenance and interruption of romantic relationships. Over the last decade, several studies have been carried out on Facebook and romantic relationships; however, there is still lack of evidence on how the reciprocal perceptions of partners’ behaviours on Facebook relate with couple relationship quality. This study aimed to fill this gap exam…
Digital Communication at the Time of Covid-19
The study aims to evaluate the usefulness and effectiveness of digital communication tools implemented by an Italian NGO during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) emergency period, considering their relations with perception of health-related risk, sense of belonging to host community, psychological distress, and wellbeing of the refugees taken in charge by the association. The study was conducted through an anonymous questionnaire proposed …
Allport meets internet
Does Intercultural Contact Increase Anti-Racist Behavior on Social Network Sites
Empirical attention on online intercultural contact and prejudice reduction are increasing. Nevertheless, still little is known on processes that could influence the contact-prejudice relation as well as the relation between online contact and anti-racist behavior. Based on literature on intergroup contact, the present study aims to fill these gaps, focusing on online intergroup relationships between people from different countries. Specifically,…
Can Social Networks Make Us More Sensitive to Social Discrimination? E-Contact, Identity Processes and Perception of Online Sexual Discrimination in a Sample of Facebook Users
In recent years psychosocial studies have given a growing attention to online intergroup contact in reducing prejudice. Nevertheless, there is still a lack of evidence on processes that could mediate this relation. The present study aimed to fill this gap. Focused on intergroup relationships between people with different sexual orientations, it examined whether and to what extent identity processes-i.e., sexual identity commitment and exploration…
Allport meets internet
Can Social Networks Make Us More Sensitive to Social Discrimination? E-Contact, Identity Processes and Perception of Online Sexual Discrimination in a Sample of Facebook Users
In recent years psychosocial studies have given a growing attention to online intergroup contact in reducing prejudice. Nevertheless, there is still a lack of evidence on processes that could mediate this relation. The present study aimed to fill this gap. Focused on intergroup relationships between people with different sexual orientations, it examined whether and to what extent identity processes-i.e., sexual identity commitment and exploration…
Does Intercultural Contact Increase Anti-Racist Behavior on Social Network Sites
Empirical attention on online intercultural contact and prejudice reduction are increasing. Nevertheless, still little is known on processes that could influence the contact-prejudice relation as well as the relation between online contact and anti-racist behavior. Based on literature on intergroup contact, the present study aims to fill these gaps, focusing on online intergroup relationships between people from different countries. Specifically,…
Intergroup Dialogues in the Landscape of Digital Societies
The effects of intergroup dialogues on intercultural relations in digital societies and the growing conflict, inflammatory and hate speech phenomena characterizing these environments are receiving increasing attention in socio-psychological studies. Based on Allport’s contact theory, scholars have shown that online intercultural contact reduces ethnic prejudice and discrimination, although it is not yet clear when and how this occurs. By analyzin…
Exploring intercultural sensitivity in bicultural and multicultural Reddit users
The Internet has revolutionized communication, enabling interactions between individuals from diverse cultures. This is especially true for social media which encourages participation in millions of online communities on a wide range of topics, such as Reddit. Research has largely neglected the intricate relationship between new media and intercultural issues. This study aims to address this gap by exploring the use experience of bicultural and m…
Does Facebook ‘threaten’ romantic relationships? Online surveillance and couple visibility behaviours in romantic jealousy and couple relationship quality in a sample of Italian women
Facebook has been identified as one of the most influential social network site (SNS) in the formation, maintenance and interruption of romantic relationships. Over the last decade, several studies have been carried out on Facebook and romantic relationships; however, there is still lack of evidence on how the reciprocal perceptions of partners’ behaviours on Facebook relate with couple relationship quality. This study aimed to fill this gap exam…
Digital Communication at the Time of Covid-19
The study aims to evaluate the usefulness and effectiveness of digital communication tools implemented by an Italian NGO during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) emergency period, considering their relations with perception of health-related risk, sense of belonging to host community, psychological distress, and wellbeing of the refugees taken in charge by the association. The study was conducted through an anonymous questionnaire proposed …
Can Social Networks Make Us More Sensitive to Social Discrimination? E-Contact, Identity Processes and Perception of Online Sexual Discrimination in a Sample of Facebook Users
In recent years psychosocial studies have given a growing attention to online intergroup contact in reducing prejudice. Nevertheless, there is still a lack of evidence on processes that could mediate this relation. The present study aimed to fill this gap. Focused on intergroup relationships between people with different sexual orientations, it examined whether and to what extent identity processes-i.e., sexual identity commitment and exploration…
Psychometric Properties of the Italian Version of the Assessment of Identity Development in Adolescence (Aida)
Identity diffusion is a core element of the borderline personality organization. A valid and reliable assessment tool is needed to identify at-risk adolescents in the Italian context. In this study, we investigated the psychometric properties of the Assessment of Identity Development in Adolescence (AIDA), a self-report questionnaire designed to assess identity diffusion vs. identity integration, in an Italian sample (N = 1,102) of clinical and n…
Intergroup Dialogues in the Landscape of Digital Societies
The effects of intergroup dialogues on intercultural relations in digital societies and the growing conflict, inflammatory and hate speech phenomena characterizing these environments are receiving increasing attention in socio-psychological studies. Based on Allport’s contact theory, scholars have shown that online intercultural contact reduces ethnic prejudice and discrimination, although it is not yet clear when and how this occurs. By analyzin…
Does Facebook ‘threaten’ romantic relationships? Online surveillance and couple visibility behaviours in romantic jealousy and couple relationship quality in a sample of Italian women
Facebook has been identified as one of the most influential social network site (SNS) in the formation, maintenance and interruption of romantic relationships. Over the last decade, several studies have been carried out on Facebook and romantic relationships; however, there is still lack of evidence on how the reciprocal perceptions of partners’ behaviours on Facebook relate with couple relationship quality. This study aimed to fill this gap exam…
Digital Communication at the Time of Covid-19
The study aims to evaluate the usefulness and effectiveness of digital communication tools implemented by an Italian NGO during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) emergency period, considering their relations with perception of health-related risk, sense of belonging to host community, psychological distress, and wellbeing of the refugees taken in charge by the association. The study was conducted through an anonymous questionnaire proposed …
Allport meets internet
Does Intercultural Contact Increase Anti-Racist Behavior on Social Network Sites
Empirical attention on online intercultural contact and prejudice reduction are increasing. Nevertheless, still little is known on processes that could influence the contact-prejudice relation as well as the relation between online contact and anti-racist behavior. Based on literature on intergroup contact, the present study aims to fill these gaps, focusing on online intergroup relationships between people from different countries. Specifically,…
Has Covid-19 Threatened Relational Identity? Risk Representation, Identity Threats, and Perceived Health during Quarantine
Based on the Identity Process Theory, this study wondered whether COVID-19 risk representation threatened relational identity and health perception. A sample of 976 Italian university students (Mage = 24.2; females: 73.8%) and a sample of 204 university staff members (Mage = 50.86; females: 57.4%) completed an online survey during the 1st phase of COVID-19. The results confirmed that in both samples the COVID-19 risk representation has been relat…
Exploring the Role of Problematic Social Network Site Use in the Link Between Reflective Functioning and Identity Processes in Adolescents
Literature highlighted that problematic social network site use might have relevant detrimental consequences on users’ well-being, particularly in adolescence. However, it is still not clear which variables could be considered protective or risk factors for such problematic use. The present study aimed to fill this gap, examining the relationship between reflective functioning and adolescents’ identity development, while taking problematic SNS us…
Longitudinal associations between maladaptive daydreaming and psychological distress during the Covid-19 health crisis
“All Is Fair in… Meme!” How Heterosexual Users Perceive and React to Memes, News, and Posts Discriminating against Sexual Minorities
Digital discrimination against sexual minorities is becoming prevalent. It increasingly spreads through discriminatory content that mixes text and images (e.g., memes), thus, making online discrimination more difficult to detect. The present survey study focused on digital content that is discriminatory towards sexual minorities, aiming to analyze whether a sample of heterosexual social network users (65.2% female; Mage = 27.13) perceived differe…
Unveiling the hidden face of discrimination
Exploring intercultural sensitivity in bicultural and multicultural Reddit users
The Internet has revolutionized communication, enabling interactions between individuals from diverse cultures. This is especially true for social media which encourages participation in millions of online communities on a wide range of topics, such as Reddit. Research has largely neglected the intricate relationship between new media and intercultural issues. This study aims to address this gap by exploring the use experience of bicultural and m…
Solving online conflicts by sensing the other. The role of social presence and closeness in improving the effectiveness of online intergroup contact
While intergroup contact in online contexts has been acknowledged as effective in reducing stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination, i.e. intergroup bias, the underlying processes remain unclear. This study focuses on intersubjective processes and tests perceived social presence and closeness, as a means for strengthening the effects of online intergroup contact on attitudes towards the outgroup member and intergroup bias. We conducted a pre-po…
Can Personal Identity Protect against Problematic Gaming? A Study on the Relationships between Identity Motives, User-Avatar Bond, and Problematic Gaming in a Sample of MMORPG Players
A positive relationship between user–avatar bond (UAB; i.e., avatar identification and avatar idealization) and problematic gaming (PG) has been well established among Massive Multiplayer Role-Playing Games (MMORPG) players. However, no study has examined how players' personal identity relates both to UAB and PG. Based on the Motivated Identity Construction Theory, the current study examined the relationships between actual levels of identity mot…
Mapping the Landscape of Online Discrimination
Online discrimination is an alarming phenomenon that draws growing attention across academic disciplines. However, this interest has led to fragmented knowledge, with research often confined within disciplinary boundaries. This study introduces an innovative hybrid approach that combines a scoping review with textual analysis to bridge this gap by (1) mapping the existing literature, (2) identifying key concepts across disciplines, and (3) offeri…
Between Love and Stigma
Nowadays, an increasing number of people are opting for alternative forms of Consensual Non-Monogamy (CNM), an umbrella term which includes all the different kinds of relationships where all the people involved have chosen by common accord to have more than a single romantic partner. Since this relational arrangement challenges mononormativity (i.e., the assumption that monogamy is healthier or more natural), the present study explored whether an…
The Rubik’s Cube of Identity
Starting from the assumption that identity has a multifaceted, dynamic, and changeable nature, the proposed contribution aims to navigate the Rubrik’s Cube identity axes across four empirical tools drawn from different epistemological and theoretical traditions in psychology: the Twenty Statement Test, the Social Identity Mapping, the Identity Motives Questionnaire, and the Personal Positioning Repertoire. We describe the theoretical background a…
Evaluating bridge‐building strategies
According to Allport's Contact Hypothesis, contact with individuals from different social groups fosters positive intergroup relations under certain conditions. Building on this theoretical framework, we examined the effects of direct (Study 1) and indirect (extended; Study 2) contact with refugees within (two different types of) Italian welcome projects in promoting positive intergroup relations. In Study 1, we surveyed 99 professionals and volu…
Ethnic-Racial Identity, Interethnic Contact, and Reddit Community Identification Relate to Monoculturals’ Intercultural Sensitivity
The Internet has reshaped communication, bringing together people from varied cultural backgrounds, especially within social media sub-communities such as Reddit. These interest-based spaces can foster intercultural encounters. Framed by Ethnic Racial Identity (ERI) and Allport’s Contact theory, this study examines how monocultural Reddit users experience interculturality. We tested whether ethnic-racial identity exploration, resolution, and affi…
Psychology (15 works) · Social Psychology (13 works) · Social Psychology (9 works) · Social and Intergroup Psychology (8 works) · Perception (7 works) · Hate Speech and Cyberbullying Detection (5 works) · Identity (music (5 works) · Medicine (5 works) · Social identity theory (5 works) · Social Media and Politics (5 works)