Vasten is steeds populairder geworden op sociale media in de afgelopen jaren. Er wordt geschreven dat vasten goed blijkt te zijn voor de gezondheid van de mens, maar in hoeverre vasten hierop...Show moreVasten is steeds populairder geworden op sociale media in de afgelopen jaren. Er wordt geschreven dat vasten goed blijkt te zijn voor de gezondheid van de mens, maar in hoeverre vasten hierop invloed heeft, wordt nog onderzocht. Deze studie onderzocht het effect van langdurig vasten (72 uur) op de reactietijd en wisselkosten met behulp van een taakwissel paradigma. Door middel van een mengvorm van een between- en within subject design is het effect onderzocht. Er hebben in totaal 47 participanten deelgenomen aan het onderzoek, waarvan 31 personen in de controlegroep en 16 personen in de vastengroep. Tijdens de taak-wisseltaak werd de reactietijd gemeten in milliseconden per herhaaltaak en wisseltaak. Dit gebeurde op drie verschillende testmomenten door twee verschillende groepen. Om erachter te komen of er een effect was van vasten op executieve functies, werden de wisselkosten berekend uit de reactietijden. Deze wisselkosten zijn gebruikt als maat van mentale flexibiliteit, de executieve functie die in dit onderzoek werd bekeken. De resultaten laten zien dat de reactietijd en de wisselkosten afnemen per testmoment en er een significant effect was van de gemiddelde reactietijden over de drie tijdspunten ( p < .001). Ook is er gekeken naar de invloed van BMI op de wisselkosten, waar geen significant effect is gevonden, maar wel de conclusie getrokken kon worden dat hoe hoger de BMI-waarde was, hoe hoger de wisselkosten werden.Show less
Studies on chronotype have found a significant cognitive difference between morning and evening types, with evening types generally showing better cognitive performance. These findings are not...Show moreStudies on chronotype have found a significant cognitive difference between morning and evening types, with evening types generally showing better cognitive performance. These findings are not universally replicated, making further investigation important. Furthermore, smaller subcomponents of cognition have not been researched much before in relation to chronotype. The purpose of this study is to shed light on the underexplored relationship between chronotype and visuo-spatial working memory (VSWM). Moreover, this study examines the effects of age and time of day as potential moderators in this relationship. The study uses the unique approach of using smartphone tappigraphy data, which refers to the timing of day to day smartphone touchscreen events, to infer sleep midpoints on free days as an indicator of chronotype. Data was sourced from an ongoing Age Study, and VSWM performance of participants (N = 299) was measured through the Corsi block tapping test. Results show a significant positive linear relationship of later sleep midpoint times and higher Corsi span scores, suggesting that a later chronotype is associated with better VSWM performance, as predicted in our hypothesis. Moreover, no significant moderation effect of age and time of day was found. Limitations and implications of these findings are more thoroughly discussed. Furthermore, benefits and limitations of the use of tappigraphy data as an assessment tool for chronotype are addressedShow less
The purpose of this research was to look at how lateral entrants in the technical sector transfer their abilities. Many new employments in this industry are necessary as a result of the energy...Show moreThe purpose of this research was to look at how lateral entrants in the technical sector transfer their abilities. Many new employments in this industry are necessary as a result of the energy transition, but they can't be filled with the current workforce. Therefore, this study focused on researching the perceived relevance of lateral entrants and employers regarding transferable skills within the technical sector, and expanding on skill transfer theory by researching differences of skills within lateral entrants in the technical sector. The main hypothesis was to test if soft skills are perceived as more important than hard skills by employers and lateral entrants. Moreover, if lateral entrants score higher on average on soft skills than on hard skills. The general design of this study was both a between, and within-subject design. In this study, a single data collection approach (questionnaires) was used, and observatory explanations were established. The results of the study identified soft skills as the most transferable skills among technical lateral entrants. The findings show that, when it comes to skills, both lateral entrants and employers perceive soft skills to be the most relevant. Furthermore, the research indicates that, on average, lateral entrants scored substantially higher on soft skills than on hard abilities. Due to limitations regarding the acquisition of participants, the number of respondents was low (N=13). In relation to the procedure of this study, there may also be some possible constraints regarding the time and timing of the data acquisition. To better understand the implications of these results, future studies could focus on a bigger sample size and include ‘earlier employment sector’ as a control variable.Show less
Our visuo-spatial working memory (VSWM), a cognitive component responsible for wayfinding and arithmetical challenges, is negatively related to aging according to prior studies. At the same time,...Show moreOur visuo-spatial working memory (VSWM), a cognitive component responsible for wayfinding and arithmetical challenges, is negatively related to aging according to prior studies. At the same time, aging is related to a decrease in sleep quality. However, the triangular relation of these three variables is unknown. This current research aims to identify the direct relation between VSWM and age and sleep. Additionally, we tested if the relation between VSWM and age can indirectly be explained by sleep duration and sleep variability. Finally, the explorative part of the study looked at the effect that sleep duration the night before testing has on VSWM performance. Unique about this study is the use of tappigraphy as a measure for sleep. Tappigraphy is a naturalistic way of deriving data from people’s smartphone touches, allowing for the calculation of sleep duration and variability. The study included 151 participants, 99 for the explorative analysis, who installed an app on their smartphone (tappigraphy measure) and additionally had to complete a VSWM performance task (Corsiblock task). The analysis confirmed the negative relation between age and VSWM, but did not find a relation between sleep duration, variability and sleep the night before testing and VSWM. Additionally, no mediating effect of sleep on the relation between age and VSWM was found. In conclusion, while age and VSWM seemed related the sleep variables of current study did not show any relation to VSWM. This could be partially be explained by the limitations of this study. Future research should focus on constructs of sleep that do not deviate much from current literature. Plus, future research should aim to validate tappigraphy for an older population.Show less
