ABSTRACT
En la Psicología, el concepto de perspectiva temporal introducido por Lewin (1935) se define como la dirección preferencial de los pensamientos de un sujeto hacia el presente, pasado o futuro, dimensión más o menos estable de la personalidad, que influye sobre la motivación, el pensamiento y diversos aspectos de su conducta. Zimbardo define el concepto como un proceso no consciente mediante el cual el flujo de las experiencias personales y sociales se encuadran en categorías temporales que ayudan a dar orden, coherencia y significado a esas experiencias y lo operacionaliza, introduciendo también el concepto de perspectiva temporal balanceada (BTP). Se presentan los resultados de datos recogidos en una muestra de 329 estudiantes argentinos de nivel medio, terciario (nivel superior no universitario) y universitario, a partir de los que se exploró la posible relación entre perfiles de perspectiva temporal y estilos de personalidad y se evaluó el rol de la perspectiva temporal balanceada en la relación entre ambos constructos. Se aplicó el Inventario de Perspectiva Temporal (ZTPI - Zimbardo & Boyd, 1999), el Cuestionario de Perspectiva Temporal Futura Trascendental (PTFT - Boyd & Zimbardo, 1997) y la adaptación para Argentina del Inventario Millon de Estilos de Personalidad (Casullo & Castro Solano, 2000). Los análisis de correlaciones y de variancia arrojan evidencia empírica acerca de las relaciones significativas entre perfiles de perspectiva temporal y estilos de personalidad y se verifica, en particular, que hay un perfil de perspectiva temporal más adaptativo que el resto. Se interpretan los resultados como bidireccionales.
The time notion has a central place both in the philosophical reflection and in Psychology, indicating a systematical position with regard to the man's mode of existence in the world. In Psychology, the time perspective concept was introduced by Lewin (1935), and defined as the totality of the individual's views of his psychological future and psychological past existing at a given time, a more or less stable trait of the personality, which influences the motivation, thinking, and various aspects of their behaviour. Zimbardo is the author that more has been busy of the operationalization of this concept, which he defined as a non conscious process through which the flow of personal and social experiences is assigned to temporal categories that help give order, coherence and meaning to those experiences. The relative weight of the time frames introduce considerable differences in the decisions and behaviours and this preference for any of the dimensions can function as a static personality trait that can be non-adaptive. Hence, the authors introduce the concept of balanced time perspective (BTP) according to which the present, past and future are combined in a flexible manner, in response to the demands of the times and tasks in the life of the people, as well as to their dominant values. In this work we present the results of data collected in a sample of 329 students of secondary, tertiary and university levels, from which explored the possible relationship between profiles of temporal perspective and personality styles in Argentinean students and evaluate the role of balanced temporal perspective in that relationship. The ZTPI (Inventory of Temporal Perspective -Zimbardo & Boyd, 1999), the Questionnaire of Transcendental Future Time Perspective (PTFT -Boyd & Zimbardo, 1997), and the MIPS adaptation to Argentina (Casullo & Castro Solano, 2000) are applied. For the data analysis was used the following statistical: analysis of correlations, analysis of variance (ANOVA one way), tests of significance of the proportional differences and K-Means Cluster Analysis. We used the SPSS.20. Using cluster analysis, three profiles of time perspective and three personality styles are obtained. It is also estimated the deviation of balanced temporal perspective (DBTP) for each subject and three conglomerates were determinated. The correlations and variance analysis show empirical evidence about the meaningful relationships between profiles of temporal perspective and personality styles. It was verified, in particular, that there is a profile of temporal perspective more adaptive than the rest. In fact, 55% of the subjects who are identified with a profile of equilibrate-transcendent PT are within the group with open, active, strong and sociable personality stile, while 40% of subjects with conflicting PT are located in the style of conflicted personality. The inclusion of the future transcendental time scale, unified with the ZTPI allows us to see this perspective influences, in particular in the profiles of PT and its relationship with the personality styles. Some of these relationships and their difference with those found by the authors of both scales of PT are interpreted as a result of cultural differences. All the links found are confirmed on the basis of the determination of the balanced time perspective (BTP), which in our sample corresponds to the 28 per cent of the total number of subjects. There would be a two-way relationship, a mutual influence; on the one hand, certain personality traits would glances spreads to the temporal dimensions of the lived and living life and, on the other hand, the profile of temporal perspective that is being consolidated as personality trait refluxes on the rest of the traits, to contribute to the achievement of a identity with greater or lesser degree of adaptation and completeness.
ABSTRACT
Se presentan los resultados de una investigación cuyos objetivos fueron evaluar los siguientes puntos: (a) el nivel de razonamiento espacial en alumnos del Ciclo Básico Común (CBC) de la Facultad de Arquitectura, Diseño y Urbanismo de la Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA), (b) la relación entre razonamiento espacial y rendimiento académico, (c) la relación entre razonamiento espacial y educación media de origen, (d) el progreso en razonamiento espacial al finalizar el CBC y (e) las posibles diferencias en razonamiento espacial y en rendimiento académico según sexo. La muestra estuvo compuesta por 596 alumnos que cursaban la materia Dibujo. Se usó un diseño cuasi-experimental de clases intactas, con pre y post-test. Resultaron diferencias significativas en el nivel de razonamiento espacial entre el comienzo y el final del CBC, consideradas como un efecto de la enseñanza. Los varones superaron a las mujeres en capacidad de razonamiento espacial. Las mujeres registraron una menor tasa de deserción, mayor incremento en los puntajes de razonamiento espacial post-test y en el rendimiento final, que se interpretan en relación con el rol del esfuerzo. El rendimiento de la primera parte del año, en combinación con el nivel de razonamiento espacial en el momento del ingreso, permitió predecir el 60% del resultado final. Se verifican diferencias en razonamiento espacial y en los índices de deserción en relación con la variable Carrera.
The paper reports an enquiry aimed at: (1) assessing the spatial reasoning level reached by students admitted to the university entrance course at the Architecture, Design and Urban Planning School of the University of Buenos Aires, (2) examining the relation between spatial reasoning and academic achievement, (3) exploring the relation between spatial reasoning and secondary schooling, (4) evaluating spatial reasoning progress at the end of the course, and (5) ascertaining possible gender - related differences in spatial reasoning and academic achievement. Current literature is reviewed, focusing on the concept of spatial reasoning, the skills involved, gender - related differences and academic achievement, with special reference to technology studies. Two prevailing trends are identified: the factorial approach and cognitive. Explanations of male spatial skills advantage stress biological or environmental aspects or a combination of both. Students' poor spatial reasoning performance at the start of university highlights the need to develop spatial competence at the lower levels of schooling, particularly in secondary school, within an integral education approach. This would en- compass all the essential dimensions of the human being, rather than concentrate on disembodied rationality. Research points to mental visualisation and graphic communication abilities as necessary components of drawing and design. Training in object manipulation, block building and the sketching of observed objects has been found to enhance performance in activities specifically related to the contents taught, although transfer to test situations would seem harder to accomplish. Spatial skills training should, therefore, become part of university curriculum, especially in the case of technology courses. The sample was made up of 596 students enrolled in the Drawing Course. A quasi-experimental pre-test post-test intact group design was used and the results were linked to gender-related attribution patterns. Students' initially low spatial reasoning level would point to secondary schooling shortcomings. Significant differences in spatial reasoning level have been observed between the beginning and the end of the course, which might be ascribed to instructional intervention, consistently with research findings on the effects of training on spatial reasoning ability. Results for the whole sample reveal that male subjects scored higher on spatial reasoning ability, but no significant gender-related differences have been detected in the case of subjects with a technologically oriented secondary education. This might be associated with gender-based differences concerning the role of specific training. Drop-out rates were lower among women, who, together with higher post-test score increases and final achievement scores would point to the part played by effort in compensating for skills deficits. Female subjects would appear to make better use of the instruction received. Spatial reasoning has been found to be a good predictor of achievement, with initial spatial reasoning level combined with first semester achievement predicting 60% of the final achievement scores. Academic achievement levels were lower than spatial reasoning ones, especially in the first test. The gap narrowed in the second, which suggests that students learned to use their ability to better advantage during the course. It is concluded that the spatial reasoning capacity of students newly admitted to university may be characterised as limited, which might pose a major hurdle to the completion of technology entrance courses. Secondary schooling should be redefined in terms of the relationship between spatial skills and the capacity to assign representational content to conceptual knowledge, which is required for the latter to become fully possessed and transferable. Far from being restricted to the sphere of technical performance, the need to integrate the conceived and the perceived is rooted in the very nature of human knowledge. A relation has been identified between differences in spatial reasoning and drop-out rates, on the one hand, and degree course choice, on the other.