The relationship between financial scarcity and persistence was examined using an online performance-based measure of persistence, the Anagram and Riddles task (ART). It was hypothesized that...Show moreThe relationship between financial scarcity and persistence was examined using an online performance-based measure of persistence, the Anagram and Riddles task (ART). It was hypothesized that feelings of financial scarcity leads to less persistence, measured by time spent on the hard and unsolvable anagrams and riddles. The Household Task was used to provoke feelings of financial scarcity in the experimental group and the scores on the PIFS were used to measure each person’s financial scarcity in real life. Results showed a marginally significant relationship between persistence time on unsolvable trials and the ‘PIFS’. This would suggest that people who experience more financial scarcity, show more persistency than people without financial scarcity when trying to solve the unsolvable. Possible explanations for the lack of other significant findings include uncontrolled settings and absence of personal motivation during the task.Show less
The International Monetary Fund has often been criticised on account of its tendency to be lenient in loan conditionality to certain countries that it considers important. This research seeks to...Show moreThe International Monetary Fund has often been criticised on account of its tendency to be lenient in loan conditionality to certain countries that it considers important. This research seeks to narrow in on the effect of economic importance from the perspective of western donor states on IMF loan efficacy. Apart from providing a gap in the research, this topic is deemed important because of its value for developmental economics and upcoming issues in that field. Moreover, the results allow concrete policy decisions to be made. Employing a bivariate and multiple linear regression analysis, this paper seeks to answer the question what is the effect of the perceived economic importance of states for western actors on the efficacy of loans by the IMF? In foreshadowing results, this paper finds that a higher economic importance, and high rates of accountability and corruption, lead to a lower efficacy of IMF loans. It is argued that this is the case because of the moral hazard issue, time-inconsistency problem, and the structure of the IMF. The model does however lack full robustness.Show less
Presenteeism has negative consequences for both the individual and the employer, such as increased levels of stress and poorer psychological health. It can be found across countries and in various...Show morePresenteeism has negative consequences for both the individual and the employer, such as increased levels of stress and poorer psychological health. It can be found across countries and in various professions. Millennials will soon comprise the majority of the global workforce, however, this costly phenomenon is poorly understood in this population. The predictors and the reasoning behind opting for presenteeism in working millennials (n=192) were investigated in this study. Self-reports were used to measure presenteeism, neuroticism, optimism, and job satisfaction. Relationships between the variables were explored using partial correlations and hierarchical regression. The moderation pathway was examined using PROCESS macro. The results showed that job satisfaction was able to predict presenteeism regardless of the employee's age, level of education, and general health. Neuroticism and optimism shared significant negative associations with presenteeism but were unable to predict it. Optimism was also not found to moderate the relationship between job satisfaction and presenteeism. A qualitative exploration suggested that the most likely reason millennials opt for working while sick is not feeling sick enough or feeling able to work despite their illness. The findings of this study suggest that being satisfied with one’s job plays a more significant role in presenteeism, while personality characteristics such as optimism and neuroticism might not. Predictors of presenteeism should be further investigated in the millennial workforce. Finally, suitable interventions should be explored in order to decrease the negative effects of presenteeism.Show less
Százhalombatta-Földvár is one of the biggest and most extensively studied Bronze Age tell sites in Hungary. Due to its location on a dry loessy high bluff zone on the Western bank of the river...Show moreSzázhalombatta-Földvár is one of the biggest and most extensively studied Bronze Age tell sites in Hungary. Due to its location on a dry loessy high bluff zone on the Western bank of the river Danube, a sedimentary environment that is appropriate for pollen preservation to conduct pollen analysis was not found around the site (Sumegi & Bodor, 2000). Instead, regional pollen analysis has been conducted to study the environment relating to the Százhalombatta-Földvár site. This regional sediment sample was obtained by coring from an oxbow lake about 500 m away from the site. During the Százhalombatta-Földvár excavation in 2022, however, the lithological examination of the floor sediment from [House] 9000 indicated the possibility for pollen preservation, followed by palynological investigation including the comparison to the regional pollen record. This unconventional method of pollen analysis was successfully conducted, yielding a well-preserved pollen assemblage. The methods of pollen analysis applied are pollen counts, taxonomic identification and states of preservation analysis. These methods indicate that the well-preserved pollen assemblage obtained from the unconventional context does not reflect the pollen assemblage from the oxbow lake pollen record. Especially the absence of arboreal pollen at the site compared to that recorded in the regional pollen data is conspicuous. These results allow us to discuss and investigate the sample from [House] 9000. Specifically, in the sample, taphonomic agents contributing to the absence of arboreal pollen in contrast with the regional palynological signal are analysed and the predominance of Poaceae is explained with taphonomic processes. Furthermore, the taphonomic agents causing the primary pollen preservation states are investigated and the taphonomic processes resulting in the preservation biases are explored in archaeological interpretation. In consequence, the investigation of the taphonomic processes suggests anthropogenic agents causing the discrepancy and bias in the pollen assemblage with the construction and materials used for [House] 9000. The pollen preservation state analysis revealed that the primary states of pollen preservation are degraded and folded. These in turn are evidence of the taphonomic processes of oxidisation and physical stress, which in combination with archaeological evidence suggests anthropogenic activities as cause. To conclude, this thesis could contribute to multi-disciplinary research and greater understanding of the Bronze Age site, Százhalombatta-Földvár. Moreover, it demonstrates new potential of palynological analysis employing an innovative sampling method that directly relates to the human activities at the site. The results of this thesis have the potential to stimulate further application of this new approach.Show less
Kaput is about escaping hegemonical structures. Yet, I claim that these structures perpetuate themselves through escape, the harder we run the more rigid these structures get. So the question...Show moreKaput is about escaping hegemonical structures. Yet, I claim that these structures perpetuate themselves through escape, the harder we run the more rigid these structures get. So the question becomes, what can we do to get rid of these structures without resorting to fleeing from them?Show less
In de Nederlandse (archeologische) geschiedenis speelt het schip een belangrijke rol. Een schip staat voor het maritieme verhaal van Nederland, echter kunnen losse onderdelen van een schip, zoals...Show moreIn de Nederlandse (archeologische) geschiedenis speelt het schip een belangrijke rol. Een schip staat voor het maritieme verhaal van Nederland, echter kunnen losse onderdelen van een schip, zoals scheepshout en constructieonderdelen ook bijdragen aan dit maritieme verhaal. Deze losse vondsten worden veel in hergebruikte vorm teruggevonden in allerlei contexten en toepassingen in Nederland. Hergebruik betekent het opnieuw gebruiken of toepassen van voorwerpen vanuit de oude context in de nieuwe context waarbij de functie van het voorwerp veranderd. Bijvoorbeeld huidplanken van een schip (voorwerpen) worden hergebruik als onderdeel van een perceelscheiding in een gedempte 12e-eeuwse gracht. Hergebruik is ook het opnieuw gebruiken van een object waarbij de context en de functie van het object veranderd. Bijvoorbeeld een schip wordt afgezonken in de rivier de IJssel om de huidige rivierloop te verleggen. Hierbij veranderd de oude context van het object (schip gelegen in haven of werf) naar de nieuwe context (schip gelegen op de bodem van de rivier) en de oude functie (zeevarend object) krijgt een nieuwe functie (rivierverlegger of waterstaatkundig object). Als laatste kan hergebruik ook het opnieuw toepassen van voorwerpen vanuit de oude context in de nieuwe context zijn waarbij de functie van het voorwerp niet veranderd. Bijvoorbeeld een dekknie (voorwerp) wordt gebruikt om de het dek te ondersteunen. De dekknie wordt vervolgens uit het wrak gehaald en in een dakconstructie van een huis geplaats ter ondersteuning van de vloer. Hierbij veranderd de oude context (wrak of schip) in de nieuwe context (dakconstructie huis), maar veranderd de functie niet (dragen van dek of vloer). Onder hergebruik worden geen scheepsreparaties opgenomen, voorwerpen die tot de inventaris van schepen behoren, halffabricaten of hout of metaal dat is omgevormd tot een ander voorwerp, zoals een beeld. Het hergebruik van scheepshout en constructie-elementen verschilt per tijd en per context. In de Romeinse Tijd wordt voornamelijk eikenhout hergebruikt. Op basis van dit onderzoek worden in de Romeinse Tijd eikenhouten scheepsdelen voornamelijk gedeeltelijk in verband toegepast in constructies. Voor de Middeleeuwen ligt de focus voornamelijk op eikenhouten planken in waterputten en de Nieuwe Tijd worden voornamelijk eikenhouten, kromvormig houten onderdelen toegepast in waterputten. Al deze contexten hadden iets met wonen en werken te maken. De meeste hergebruikte scheepselementen worden voornamelijk kwantitatief gebruikt. Dat wil zeggen er is gewerkt met wat er beschikbaar is. Hout wordt het meest hergebruikt en constructieonderdelen als klinknagels zijn vaak bevestigd aan dit scheepshout. Soms blijven ze achter in de grond wanneer het scheepshout is weggerot of verbrand. Sintels en klinknagels kunnen een aanduiding zijn voor scheepvaart en/of hergebruik, maar een andere toepassing van sintels of klinknagels in bijvoorbeeld gebouwen of deuren is ook mogelijk. Dit is nooit goed onderzocht. De vorm van het scheepshout heeft ook invloed op de toepassing van het hout in bijvoorbeeld constructies. Planken en inhouten zijn bijvoorbeeld gemaakt van een goede kwaliteit hout en erg stevig. Dit maakt ze goed toepasbaar in bijvoorbeeld funderingen, omdat stevigheid een vereiste is voor het maken van een goede fundering. De belangrijkste redenen om scheepshout her te gebruiken zijn economische redenen, zoals schaarste. Naast deze gegevens kan het onderzoek naar scheepshout en constructieonderdelen nog veel data opleveren, zoals scheepstypen die per regio of gebied hebben gevaren. Scheepshout laat vaak belangrijke veranderingen één op één terugzien in het hergebruik, zoals landschapsontwikkelingen of veranderingen in de scheepsbouw. Dit maakt het onderzoek naar hergebruik een waardevolle bron voor de Nederlandse (maritieme) archeologie.Show less
Academic studies of nonduality tend to focus on the phenomenology of what is called “nondual experience” or “nondual awareness” that is universal to a wide range of diverse spiritual traditions...Show moreAcademic studies of nonduality tend to focus on the phenomenology of what is called “nondual experience” or “nondual awareness” that is universal to a wide range of diverse spiritual traditions such as Mahāyāna Buddhism, Advaita Vedānta, Daoism, as well as Christianity and Sufism among others. A popular way of approaching nonduality from a philosophical perspective is to assume or argue that these contradictory metaphysical systems are grounded in the same or similar phenomenological experience, which is then taken as a basis for the resolution of ontological differences between these diverse systems to arrive at a conclusion proclaiming a single absolute truth or reality revealed by all of them. This work challenges such an understanding of nonduality by engaging with an influential study in the field of intercultural comparative philosophy authored by David Loy and showing how this type of interpretation leads to epistemologically dualistic consequences, which render it untenable. What follows is a presentation of an alternative way of approaching nonduality based on the Tibetan Buddhist tradition of Dzogchen. By tracing its origins in the Indian Mahāyāna Buddhist thought, this work presents how two fundamental kinds of nonduality are understood in Dzogchen: the relative-ultimate nonduality, based on Madhyamaka, and the subject-object nonduality, based on Yogācāra. The conclusion this study aims to establish is that the most philosophically cogent presentation of nonduality is one where the negations of duality are understood to be nonimplicative, revealing the inseparable identity of any two poles under consideration. Nonduality as inseparability means that neither of the given two poles is reducible to the other, as a negation of duality is not seen to imply a unified or singular absolute reality.Show less
The first elections after the anti-establishment Arab Spring protests resulted in a victory for Islamist political parties in a number of MENA countries. This came as a surprise to the West, which...Show moreThe first elections after the anti-establishment Arab Spring protests resulted in a victory for Islamist political parties in a number of MENA countries. This came as a surprise to the West, which points of view are known to contradict Islam with the democracy and civil liberties that the Arab Spring protests called for. It comes as no surprise then that Islamist political success is often contributed to the inclusion of these parties in a pluralist and democratic playfield. Allegedly, this forces them to bargain and negotiate with other actors, resulting in the disappearance of Islamist ideological elements and making them viable options for the electorate. This prominent way of thinking - which has been called the moderation through inclusion theory - is much critiqued for being too shortsighted in its view of political Islamism. That is why this thesis argues in favor of an alternative approach that shifts the focus from the outcome of a period of political transition and whether or not this is moderate, to one that emphasizes the processes and internal and external factors that shape the ideological transformations of these parties. By looking at the most prominent Islamist parties of three countries (Tunisia, Morocco and Egypt) and tracing their historical developments and contexts based on these internal and external factors, this thesis then offers an alternative explanation to the popularity of political Islamism in the first elections after the Arab Spring uprisings.Show less
Peer acceptance and social standing become more important in adolescence. The consequence of this is that adolescents are more vulnerable to the effects of social stress. When exposed to social...Show morePeer acceptance and social standing become more important in adolescence. The consequence of this is that adolescents are more vulnerable to the effects of social stress. When exposed to social stress, the body produces an initial stress response which is then followed by an inflammation response by the immune system. Cytokines are proteins that have been implicated in the immune system inflammatory response after exposure to social stress. Victimisation by peers has been found to elevate cytokine reactivity after exposure to acute social stress. Social stress can be induced in a lab using the Trier Social Stress Test. Having quality relationships with peers and parents is a protective factor to the impact of peer victimisation. In adults, quality of relationships has been shown to reduce immune reactivity to social stress. Therefore, it was hypothesised that in adolescents’ quality of relationship would act as a mediator to acute social stress for those who have experienced peer victimisation. To investigate this hypothesis 79 Dutch adolescents (48% females, 52% males) with an age range of 14-16 years participated in the study. The procedure involved the completion of a series of questionnaires, a period of relaxation, pre-test dried blood spot sampling, participation in the TSST and then post-test dried blood spot sampling. Peer victimisation was measured using the Revised Experiences Questionnaire. The level of cytokines Il6, IL8, IL10 and TNFα detected in the pre and post test blood spot samples were used to measure the inflammatory response to social stress. Quality of relationship with best friend and primary parent were measured using the Network of Relationship Inventory. A mediation analysis was conducted with peer victimisation as the predictor variable, quality of relationship as the mediator variable and cytokine reactivity as the outcome variable; based on previous research BMI, sleep quality, physical health and cognitive stress appraisal were included as control variables. The results of the mediation analysis did not support the hypothesis that quality of relationship in adolescence mediates cytokine reactivity to acute social stress for prior peer victimisation. However, a post-hoc analysis with extreme outliers removed from the cytokine reactivity scores revealed a significant effect between negative quality relationships and TNF-α. This study extends previous research by exploring cytokine reactivity to social stress in a group of healthy adolescents. It highlights the need for further investigation in this population particularly in relation to negative quality relationships and cytokine reactivity, specifically TNF-α. This would enable a more comprehensive understanding of the interplay between social experience and immune response in typically developing adolescents.Show less
When an organisation offers help, the underlying motive can be strategic. In essence, the act of helping can not only benefit the recipient, but also the actor. How an observer judges the act of...Show moreWhen an organisation offers help, the underlying motive can be strategic. In essence, the act of helping can not only benefit the recipient, but also the actor. How an observer judges the act of helping in terms of warmth and hypocrisy, when it is clear that it is strategic, can fluctuate. This study aimed to investigate what happens when observers were presented with both ambiguous and non-ambiguous motives for strategic helping, offered by both non-profit and for-profit organisations. An experiment was conducted (N = 265) where participants read a scenario with either ambiguous or non-ambiguous strategic help motives, offered to a fictitious population by the different organisations. As predicted, non-profits were judged as warmer than for-profits, and perceived warmth was negatively correlated with perceived hypocrisy. Participants did not rate non-profit organisations as less warm and more hypocritical than for-profit organisations when the strategic motive for helping was non- ambiguous and non-benign. These results contradict our expectations. Our findings showcase the power of moral licensing and how it can affect the evaluation of strategic help motives.Show less
This research focuses on the willingness of people who experience(d) debt to contact their creditor and the role of the shame resilience theory, with two main components (feeling trapped and...Show moreThis research focuses on the willingness of people who experience(d) debt to contact their creditor and the role of the shame resilience theory, with two main components (feeling trapped and isolated and feeling powerless). The study had four different conditions and corresponding creditor letters. The first hypothesis was that reducing feeling trapped and isolated leads to more willingness to contact compared to baseline (H1). The second hypothesis was that inducing power leads to more willingness to contact compared to baseline (H2). Results showed that both conditions scored significantly higher on willingness to contact compared to the baseline condition. We explored if the combined condition leads to more willingness to contact compared to the reduced feeling trapped condition (Exploration analysis 1). Secondly, we explored if the combined condition scored higher on willingness to contact compared to the induced power condition (Exploration analysis 2). Results showed that the combined intervention was no more effective than a single intervention.Show less
This research focused on analysing the behaviour of ethnic leaders in autocratic ethnofederal regimes during changing economic situations of economic growth and contraction and in changing...Show moreThis research focused on analysing the behaviour of ethnic leaders in autocratic ethnofederal regimes during changing economic situations of economic growth and contraction and in changing political landscape of democratization and autocratization. More specifically, the focus was on the Russian Federation and its two ethnic republics: Republic Sakha and the Republic of Chuvashia. The cases were picked to represent a wealthy and a poor region of Russia. The analysis was conducted through qualitative content analysis of primary sourced speeches and secondary sourced interpretations of speeches given by ethnic elites such as heads of the republic, other political figures, or important business elites. The analysis was organized into two periods of democratization 1997-2000 and autocratization 2008-2011, and 4 sub-periods: 1997-1998 and 2008-2009 (economic contraction periods), and 1999-2000 and 2010-2011 (economic growth periods). The results found that Sakha as the wealthier republic is generally more secessionist during periods of economic contraction during both democratization and autocratization. Support was also found for the expectation that ethnic elites will prove more secessionist during democratization periods.Show less
Negotiations are important processes that can happen anywhere from an office to a private setting. Previous research has already stated that information exchange can help to come to a so called...Show moreNegotiations are important processes that can happen anywhere from an office to a private setting. Previous research has already stated that information exchange can help to come to a so called integrative agreement (win-win situation), which usually leads to better outcomes for both parties. However, there is still little known about the strategies to seek information. One way of seeking information is through asking either open or closed questions. Therefore, the current research investigates whether there is a difference between open and closed questions on negotiation outcomes. The prediction was that open questions generate a higher integrative agreement, higher subjective value and higher trust in the other party than closed questions. The experiment consisted of 48 duos who negotiated about organising a teamday. Both participants took on a role which was connected to a certain point distribution system. It has been found that, contradicting the predictions, there were no significant differences found between closed and open questions on integrative agreement, higher subjective value and higher level of trust. Certain experimental factors like the roleplay, time pressure and a participation lottery, could have influenced the results. Therefore, more research is needed on this topic to check if the results can be confirmed or rejected.Show less
