Research master thesis | Psychology (research) (MSc)
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Background: about 5% of children experience childhood parental death, which has been associated with a higher risk for developing insecure attachment styles in adulthood. However, some people...Show moreBackground: about 5% of children experience childhood parental death, which has been associated with a higher risk for developing insecure attachment styles in adulthood. However, some people suffer more long-term consequences compared to others, even within the same family. Which factors play a role in the differential experiences following childhood parental death, even between siblings, who experienced the same objective life event? Objective: In the current study, we aimed to investigate the association between childhood parental death and adult attachment, and the role of parental bonding with each parent in this association. We also investigated this in a sibling-context, where we studied parental bonding as a family-wide and an individual factor. Design: 819 participants, aged between 25 and 45 years old, took part in this cross-sectional between-subject study. Questionnaires were administered to obtain information about parental bonding and adult attachment. The study included two parts, where in the first part the hypotheses were investigated in the main sample (i.e., a sample of nonrelated individuals), an in the second part in the sibling sample (i.e., a sample of sibling dyads and triads). Results: Both avoidant and anxiety attachment were more present in the target group compared to the control group in the main sample, but not in the sibling sample. Stronger maternal and paternal bonding were related to less insecure attachment in adulthood in the control group of the main sample, but no associations between bonding with the surviving and deceased parent were found the target group of the main sample. Stronger family-wide and individual maternal bonding were related to less avoidance attachment in the control group of the sibling sample, but not to anxiety attachment. In the target group of the sibling sample, stronger family-wide bonding with the surviving parent was related to less avoidance attachment and stronger family-wide bonding with the deceased parent was related to less anxiety attachment. Conclusion: Childhood parental death appears to be related to more insecure attachment in adulthood. The role of parental bonding seems to be different depending upon whether childhood parental death has been experienced. Within siblings, both familywide parental bonding and individual specific bonding seem to have individual effects on adult attachment, suggesting that including individual and family-wide experiences might shed light upon more complex processes of bonding and attachment formation within families. However, further research is needed to replicate these findings before conclusions can be drawn.Show less
Research master thesis | Psychology (research) (MSc)
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When learning new information, generating a prediction before receiving the information strongly improves the amount of learning. To this date, the mechanisms underlying why generating predictions...Show moreWhen learning new information, generating a prediction before receiving the information strongly improves the amount of learning. To this date, the mechanisms underlying why generating predictions increases learning are poorly understood. One potential factor that influences this effect is surprise: more surprising information has been demonstrated to deepen information processing when the information differs from our expectations, which occurs when we cannot explain the new information through our belief systems. However, too much surprise may be adverse to learning, as the information may be flagged as implausible and consequently be rejected from our belief network (Munnich & Ranney, 2019). In this study, we investigated the influence of surprise and plausibility on a numerical fact-learning task using three different kinds of learning outcomes: recall, recognition, and memory updating. Using multilevel modelling, we found a nonlinear influence of surprise on immediate recall, as well as a linear influence of surprise on the updating of beliefs. We did not find a significant association between surprise and delayed recognition, nor any significant effects of plausibility on the three measures of learning, although there appeared to be a trend effect of plausibility on the updating of beliefs. Future research should further investigate when newly presented information gets rejected from belief systems, and the role that implausibility of information plays in this phenomenon.Show less
Research master thesis | Psychology (research) (MSc)
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Patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) lack the full-length dystrophin protein. In muscle this protein contributes to membrane integrity. It is also found in the brain, but its function...Show morePatients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) lack the full-length dystrophin protein. In muscle this protein contributes to membrane integrity. It is also found in the brain, but its function there is unclear. Patients with DMD experience a number of cognitive and behavioral problems, and MRI studies have shown reduced gray matter and total brain volume. The current study aimed to assess whether these MRI findings are progressive and whether neural correlates of psychological problems in DMD are similar to those in healthy controls. Previously-acquired pediatric data was combined with newly-acquired data from adult DMD patients and age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Subjects underwent a magnetic resonance imaging scan and a neuropsychological evaluation. Linear mixed models were used to assess the effect of age and DMD on the ratio of gray matter to cerebrospinal fluid volume (GMV:CSFV) and total brain volume corrected for intracranial volume (TBV:ICV). An independent-samples t-test and a voxel-based morphometry analysis were used to compare gray matter volume in patients with psychological problems to patients without such problems, to identify global or local gray matter reductions in patients with psychological problems. Patients with DMD had reduced GMV:CSFV and TBV:ICV compared to healthy controls (b=-0.43, p<0.001; b=-0.02, p<0.001 respectively). Both GMV:CSFV and TBV:ICV linearly decreased in both groups (b=-0.09, p<0.001; b=-0.003, p<0.001 respectively), but this was not different between-groups (p>0.05). No global (p>0.05) or localized gray matter volume reductions were found in patients with DMD with psychological problems compared to patients without such problems. In both patients and healthy controls gray matter was displaced by cerebrospinal fluid over time, suggesting this process is not a pathological mechanism in DMD. Patients with DMD did have a lower GMV:CSFV and TBV:ICV ratio, suggesting this is a diseased mechanism. No global or local GM reductions were found in patients with DMD with psychological problems compared to patients without such problems.Show less
Research master thesis | Psychology (research) (MSc)
open access
Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) is a data collection method in which participants’ current behaviors and experiences are sampled repeatedly in their natural environment. EMA has advantages...Show moreEcological momentary assessment (EMA) is a data collection method in which participants’ current behaviors and experiences are sampled repeatedly in their natural environment. EMA has advantages over retrospective research methods, in that it reduces retrospective bias, increases ecological validity, and offers the possibility to observe dynamical changes of variables. However, EMA protocols are burdensome for participants and may interfere with their daily activities. This can lead to non-compliance over the course of a study. Missing data can subsequently decrease statistical power, and even induce bias. This paper explored whether missing data can be predicted by various variables related to students’ primary motivation to participate, mental health, stress levels, and demographics. We analyzed data of the first cohort (N = 418) of the ongoing WARN- D project on student mental health. Participants completed a comprehensive baseline survey and took part in an 85-day long EMA study. We predicted overall rates of non- compliance by participant characteristics at baseline (Analysis 1) and weekly rates of non- compliance by time-varying factors during the EMA stage (Analysis 2). Analysis 1 showed that overall non-compliance can be predicted by baseline measures such as age, depression, substance use, and primary motivation to participate. Analysis 2 showed that weekly assessed time-varying measures like time into study, enjoyment of the study, weekly stress, anxiety, and depression may predict weekly rates of non-compliance. Participant’s sex and smartphone operating system were not related to overall non-compliance. Summarizing, non-compliance rates of participants can be predicted by participant characteristics at baseline as well as by time-varying predictors. Our findings may inform future research on potential mechanisms behind noncompliance in EMA designs that should be considered to maximize participation rates while avoiding biased conclusions.Show less
Research master thesis | Psychology (research) (MSc)
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In this study, we investigated how people’s contribution decisions in a public goods game change when uncertainty about the effects of the contribution is introduced. Additionally, we investigated...Show moreIn this study, we investigated how people’s contribution decisions in a public goods game change when uncertainty about the effects of the contribution is introduced. Additionally, we investigated whether social value orientation (SVO) and subjective wealth (SW) might have moderating effects on contribution behavior. Using a mixed model, we found that participants contributed significantly less in the uncertain condition when there was a chance that the contributions may be wasted compared to the certain condition. However, we did not find any moderating effects on contribution behavior for SVO and SW. When it was uncertain whether incurring a personal cost would benefit the collective, both pro-socials and pro-selves contributed less to a public good. Overall, participants seemed to choose the option with the highest expected utility and the least uncertainty.Show less
Research master thesis | Psychology (research) (MSc)
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Negative Attention Bias (NAB) is suggested to have evolutionary functions; however, there is evidence that it also plays a role in the onset and maintenance of depression. Previous studies...Show moreNegative Attention Bias (NAB) is suggested to have evolutionary functions; however, there is evidence that it also plays a role in the onset and maintenance of depression. Previous studies investigating NAB and its links to depression were mainly conducted with clinical and at-risk adolescent and adult samples. Results of previous studies indicated depressed or at-risk individuals present NAB specifically towards depression-congruent stimuli (e.g., sad faces). This study is the first to investigate NAB and its links to depressive symptoms in non-clinical children. Moreover, the link between parental depressive symptoms and NAB in children was also investigated. In line with the previous studies, it was hypothesized children, like adults, will show NAB towards negative over positive emotional stimuli; children who have higher levels of depression will attend longer to sad faces in specific; children whose parents have higher levels of depression will attend longer to sad faces in specific. In a cross-sectional design, 90 8–12-year-old children and 84 parents (44 mothers) were tested. Children and parents’ dwell times to positive (happy) compared to negative (angry, fearful, sad) emotional expressions were measured using an eye-tracking task. Depressive symptoms were measured using the Children’s Depression Inventory (CDI) for children and the Beck’s Depression Inventory (BDI) for parents. While only one parent contributed to the eye-tracking task, both parents were asked to fill out the BDI. Results indicated although parents compared to children attended longer to all emotional expressions, both children and their parents attended longer to negative compared to positive emotions. No link between child depressive symptoms or parental depressive symptoms with NAB specific to sad faces was found in children. We conclude that children, like adults, show a negativity bias in their attention to emotional expressions; however, suggested links between child and parent depressive symptoms with NAB may not hold in non-clinical child samples. This study adds to the growing research on emotion-processing and vulnerability to depression in children.Show less
Research master thesis | Psychology (research) (MSc)
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Vicarious joy is the pleasure you experience when witnessing someone else’s happiness or success. The brain region that is typically associated with reward processes, namely the nucleus accumbens,...Show moreVicarious joy is the pleasure you experience when witnessing someone else’s happiness or success. The brain region that is typically associated with reward processes, namely the nucleus accumbens, also responds to positive experiences for others, such as winning for them. However, it has been found that the nucleus accumbens is only active upon winning for close others, such as friends or parents, but not strangers. However, the role of gender in these neural processes has previously not been investigated. In this study, I focused on the role of the gender combination of the parent-child dyad in the neural correlates of vicarious reward processing using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI). In the fMRI scanner, adolescents played a reward task where they could win money for either their mothers or fathers. They also reported how close they felt to each parent and how much they liked to win for them. Regardless of their gender, adolescents indicated feeling closer to their mother than to their father; they also reported liking winning for them better. A region-ofinterest analysis of the nucleus accumbens showed that there was no difference in neural activation between same-gender and opposite-gender parent-child dyads. Together, these findings demonstrate that regardless of behavioral gender differences in reports of closeness and liking to win, gender does not relate to the underlying neural responses to vicarious rewards for parents. Taken together, these results indicate that adolescent females and males show similar neural responses in the NAcc upon a vicarious reward task. Future research could aim to observe whether this holds true for other social brain regions as well.Show less
Research master thesis | Psychology (research) (MSc)
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The use of feedback interventions to inform treatment progress have increased in the past decades, but the mechanism of action is not sufficiently understood. It is hypothesized that feedback...Show moreThe use of feedback interventions to inform treatment progress have increased in the past decades, but the mechanism of action is not sufficiently understood. It is hypothesized that feedback interventions may work through adapting the expectation of therapists on the patient’s treatment outcome. The current study aims to investigate the effect of feedback (simple feedback, complex feedback, and no feedback) on therapists’ treatment expectations. Additionally, it is tested whether the effect of feedback on therapists’ treatment expectations is moderated by whether the patient is progressing or not. Lastly, an examination of the effect of feedback on therapists’ predicting treatment success, was evaluated, with an expectation that complex feedback would help therapists have a better prediction accuracy than simple feedback. To explore these hypotheses, therapists (N = 68) answered a few questions regarding their outcome expectations at sessions 1, 5, 10, and 15 while patients (N = 437) had to complete the Outcome Questionnaire-45 item prior to each session, for a maximum of 15 sessions. Results suggest that therapists’ expectations were not affected when they received feedback, neither the effect of feedback on therapists’ outcome expectations was moderated by patients’ progression. Additionally, it showed that feedback in general, led to better therapists' prediction accuracy than not receiving feedback. When a distinction between complex feedback and simple feedback was made, the results showed that therapists seem to benefit more from complex feedback. To conclude, feedback does not affect therapists’ treatment expectations over time. Moreover, feedback in general does affect therapists' prediction accuracy, and more specifically, complex feedback makes therapists’ have a more accurate prediction.Show less
Research master thesis | Psychology (research) (MSc)
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Female sexual dysfunction is a common problem. Problems with relaxation are often perceived as the cause for why these sexual difficulties occur. However, little is known about how relaxation...Show moreFemale sexual dysfunction is a common problem. Problems with relaxation are often perceived as the cause for why these sexual difficulties occur. However, little is known about how relaxation influences the sexual response. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate how relaxation is associated with the female sexual response. This was investigated by an experimental design in which 50 healthy women (age 18-45 years) performed a relaxation exercise with the help of a relaxation instrument. As a control condition, they had to quietly lay down. Pelvic floor and self-reported mental relaxation, pleasurableness of tactile non-genital stimulation in response to a tactile stimulation exercise, and genital and subjective sexual arousal in response to an erotic film were measured as dependent variables. It also exploratively examined whether having a history of sexual abuse influences the relationship between relaxation and the sexual response. Performing the relaxation exercise with the relaxation instrument did not induce more pelvic floor or mental relaxation compared to quietly lying down. Similarly, the relaxation exercise did not facilitate pleasurableness of tactile non-genital stimulation. Levels of pelvic floor or mental relaxation were not associated with genital sexual arousal in response to an erotic film, but were associated with subjective sexual arousal. Having a history of sexual abuse did not influence pelvic floor and mental relaxation and pleasurableness of tactile non-genital stimulation, and it was not associated with genital and subjective sexual arousal in response to an erotic film. These results show that the relaxation exercise was not effective in increasing pelvic floor or mental relaxation and that it does not lead to more pleasurableness of tactile stimulation when compared to quietly lying down. However, the findings might indicate that relaxation could indeed facilitate feelings of sexual arousal, but does perhaps not facilitate the physical sexual response. Nevertheless, more research is needed with a more effective relaxation exercise in order to get a greater understanding in the facilitating effects of relaxation on the female sexual response.Show less
Research master thesis | Psychology (research) (MSc)
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Background: Between 10-15% of women have a pathological fear of childbirth. An expectation of fear might contribute to an actual fearful childbirth experience, which is known as a nocebo effect....Show moreBackground: Between 10-15% of women have a pathological fear of childbirth. An expectation of fear might contribute to an actual fearful childbirth experience, which is known as a nocebo effect. Likewise, positive thoughts about childbirth may lead to positive experiences, known as a placebo effect. Negative expectations surrounding childbirth mainly occurs in women who are known with anxiety and depression. As a result of these negative expectations, women could have a prolonged labor and obstetric complications which can evoke traumatic symptoms. The purpose of this study was to research whether there is a predictive association between positive or negative expectations surrounding childbirth and the experience of childbirth and whether this differs in women with or without psychiatric problems. This is relevant because most research on women’s expectations of childbirth are focused on fear of childbirth and its potential impact in medical aspects, whereas in this study the focus is on a broader expectation base, including positive expectations and also the subjective experience of childbirth. Methods: In this prospective study we included in total 150 women from both the Psychiatric Obstetric Pediatric (POP) outpatient clinics, a clinic for pregnant women with psychiatric vulnerability, and the general obstetric clinic, between January 2020 and January 2022. All participants filled in the Wijma Delivery Expectancy (version A at T1) and Experience (version B at T2) questionnaire after providing an informed consent. Also, all participants filled in the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale (HADS) and the PTSS checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5), to evaluate current psychiatric complaints. Results: The expectation surrounding childbirth was a significant predictor for the childbirth experience after controlling for parity and pain relief, p <.001, whereas positive expectations are related to a positive childbirth experience (placebo effect) and negative expectations are related to a negative childbirth experience (nocebo effect). This was not different for women with or without psychiatric problems, p =.841. Conclusions: Women’s negative and positive expectations of childbirth are related to the childbirth experience, showing indications for both a nocebo and placebo effect. These results can be important for future experimental research to see whether changing the expectation of childbirth in a positive way, could improve the experience of childbirth.Show less
Research master thesis | Psychology (research) (MSc)
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Child social behaviour is indicative of psychosocial functioning. Familial factors, including positive and negative parental characteristics are proposed to be related to child adaptive and...Show moreChild social behaviour is indicative of psychosocial functioning. Familial factors, including positive and negative parental characteristics are proposed to be related to child adaptive and maladaptive social behaviour. The differential susceptibility (DS) theory suggests that the relationship between parental characteristics and child behaviour can only be understood after taking child characteristics into consideration. In this study, we explored the relationship between parental positive and negative affect/social anxiety and child positive shyness and avoidance while taking into account the potential moderating role of child temperament. The sample consisted of children aged 4 to 6 years (N = 68, Age M =5.16; 34 girls) and their primary caregivers. Parents reported their positive and negative affect and their child’s temperament. Child positive shyness and avoidance were observed during a social performance task. Parenting dimensions did not significantly relate to child social behaviour. No significant associations were found between parental positive affect and child observed positive shyness, or between parental negative affect/ social anxiety and child observed avoidance. Child temperament was not found to enhance the relationship between parenting dimensions and child observed behaviour. These non-significant results could be explained by the reflexive nature of inhibitory behaviour, or by methodological aspects of the study.Show less
Research master thesis | Psychology (research) (MSc)
open access
Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) is a data collection method that utilizes phone apps to gather data in daily life. EMA has many advantages, such as ecological validity. However, data...Show moreEcological Momentary Assessment (EMA) is a data collection method that utilizes phone apps to gather data in daily life. EMA has many advantages, such as ecological validity. However, data collection protocols are often intense, with multiple measurements per day, which can interrupt participants’ everyday activities and place a burden on them. This can reduce compliance. One way to tackle this is to provide participants with personalized data reports as an intrinsic reward. However, current frameworks to generate such reports are focused on single individuals in treatment, and not suitable for large-scale studies. Here we introduce a software to fill this gap, FRED (Feedback Reports on EMA Data), and showcase FRED by generating reports for 428 participants who took part in the WARN-D study. Participants were followed for 85 consecutive days, and received four daily and one weekly survey, resulting in up to 352 observations. We provided feedback to participants in the form of downloadable HTML-files, which were generated using the R programing environment. Reports included descriptive statistics, timeseries visualizations, and network analyses on selected variables. Furthermore, we assessed participants’ perceptions of the created reports (n=54), who judged reports mostly as understandable, insightful, and that reports resonated well with them. Given that FRED is flexible and can be adjusted to the needs of a particular research project, it provides a good basis to generate large numbers of personalized data reports.Show less
Research master thesis | Psychology (research) (MSc)
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This thesis examined factors that influence citizens’ food waste separation intentions through an extended norm activation model (NAM). Extensions comprised the incorporation of anticipated guilt,...Show moreThis thesis examined factors that influence citizens’ food waste separation intentions through an extended norm activation model (NAM). Extensions comprised the incorporation of anticipated guilt, anticipated disgust, and biodigester information in the model. Citizens of the municipality of Leiden, the Netherlands (N = 168) participated in an experimental survey study. One group of participants completed the survey while keeping their current waste separation options for food waste in mind, other participants received information about small-scale biodigesters and imagined a small-scale biodigester in their neighborhood. Results confirmed that the original NAM is a suitable model for explaining food waste separation intentions. In addition to previous studies, results supported our hypothesis that citizens’ outcome efficacy is positively associated with personal norms. Findings concerning extensions of the NAM were not in line with expectations. Anticipated guilt and anticipated disgust did not mediate the positive relationship between personal norms and behavioral intentions. Furthermore, outcome efficacy was not higher in participants that imagined a small-scale biodigester in their neighborhood in comparison to participants that did not. Implications regarding these findings are discussed.Show less
Research master thesis | Psychology (research) (MSc)
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Purpose. The current study aimed to research the relation between teleworking and distress levels, depressive symptoms, workload, work functioning and need for recovery. Age and gender were further...Show morePurpose. The current study aimed to research the relation between teleworking and distress levels, depressive symptoms, workload, work functioning and need for recovery. Age and gender were further tested as moderators on these relations, and workload was tested as a mediator between telework and distress level, depressive symptoms, work functioning and need for recovery. Methods. A sample of 87 employees working at a Dutch telecom organization were included. The group of employees who exclusively worked at the office (teleworkers; N = 37) was compared to the group of employees who worked remotely some of their time (teleworkers; N = 50) on all outcomes using independent t-tests. The indicators were measured cross-sectionally. Results. There was no significant difference between teleworkers and nonteleworkers in distress level (p = .161, d = 0.33), depressive symptoms (p = .575, d = 0.12), workload (p = .886, d = 0.01), work functioning (p = .266, d = 0.24) and need for recovery (p = .964, d = 0.01). Moreover, age and gender did not have a moderating effect on any of these relations. Results showed lastly that workload was not a significant mediator between telework and all four outcomes. Conclusion. The current study suggests that there is no difference between teleworkers in distress levels, depressive symptoms, workload, work functioning and need for recovery. Also, characteristics of the employees such as gender and age do not seem to relate to relations of telework with these outcomes. Results furthermore suggest that workload does not explain the effects of telework on the included outcomes.Show less
Research master thesis | Psychology (research) (MSc)
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Financial stress is a widespread issue that has a profound impact on the ability to make sound financial decisions. People experiencing financial stress are generally more prone to temporal...Show moreFinancial stress is a widespread issue that has a profound impact on the ability to make sound financial decisions. People experiencing financial stress are generally more prone to temporal discounting: valuing immediate (monetary) outcomes more than future ones. This tendency can prolong the problematic financial situation. In this study, we developed and tested an intervention to help individuals in financial stress increase their focus on their future financial goals. Based on the broaden-and-build theory, which suggests that positive emotions facilitate attentional broadening, we induced either joy or hope in the participants. Our online survey was filled out by 324 UK-participants with varying degrees of financial stress. First, the participants filled in a questionnaire that measured their experienced financial stress. To induce positive emotions, the participants then wrote about personal experiences that either make them feel joy or hope. Finally, they made a series of hypothetical financial decisions. Participants in the gains condition chose between receiving a small amount now, or a larger amount in the future. Participants in the losses condition decided between paying a sum now, or a larger amount later. We hypothesized that, compared to the control condition, temporal discounting would be lower in both the joy and hope condition (1); and that, compared to the control condition, the positive relationship between financial stress and temporal discounting would be weaker in both the joy and hope condition (2). Although our emotion manipulation was successful, linear regression analyses indicated that both hypotheses were not supported. First of all, financial stress and temporal discounting were not positively related in our sample. Additionally, inducing joy and hope did not lessen temporal discounting. We can conclude from this that further research is needed on how temporal discounting can be reduced.Show less
Research master thesis | Psychology (research) (MSc)
closed access
Perceiving and correctly interpreting emotional expressions is one of the most important abilities for social animals’ communication. It determines the majority of social interactions, group...Show morePerceiving and correctly interpreting emotional expressions is one of the most important abilities for social animals’ communication. It determines the majority of social interactions, group dynamics, and cooperation, being highly relevant for an individual’s survival. With the evolutionary implications of understanding emotions, and the phylogenetical closeness between humans and non-human primates, the core mechanisms of this ability have been hypothesized to be shared across closely related species. In the current study, we aimed to find homologies in human processing of different species’ facial expressions using eye-tracking. Introducing a prime-target paradigm, we tested the influences on human’s attention elicited by priming with differently valenced emotional stimuli depicting human and chimpanzee faces. We demonstrated a shift of attention towards the conspecific emotional target picture that was congruent with the valence depicted on the primer picture. We did not find this effect to occur with heterospecific primers, although based on post-hoc valence and arousal ratings, the emotional expressions in chimpanzees were interpreted correctly. Explanations of this finding, as well as implications about the involvement of related emotion processing mechanisms between humans and chimpanzees are discussed. Additional systematic investigations of emotional expressions across species are needed to unravel whether the emotion representation mechanisms can extend to process other species’ faces. Through cross-species investigations, we continue to address the gap of a shared evolutionary ancestry between humans and other animals to ultimately answer the question of “Where emotions come from?”.Show less
