A collection of hardstone/basalt artefacts from the celt-making industry was gathered from excavations at the Postclassic pre-Columbian sites of La Tigüilotada and Gualorita on El Tigre Island in...Show moreA collection of hardstone/basalt artefacts from the celt-making industry was gathered from excavations at the Postclassic pre-Columbian sites of La Tigüilotada and Gualorita on El Tigre Island in the Gulf of Fonseca. In an attempt to understand the poorly researched basalt industry in the pre-historic Gulf of Fonseca, the artefacts were analysed to determine if La Tigüilotada and Gualorita procured basalt from singular or multiple sources. A literature review was conducted to understand the use, procurement, circulation, and exchange of basalt tools and raw materials throughout Mesoamerica; it was determined that all sites used advanced trade routes to acquire basalt from multiple local and non-local sources. From the Early Formative period to the Historic period, substantial basalt industries with complex exchange networks existed throughout Mesoamerica. All objects (n=115) were inventoried, classified, and macroscopically examined for variations in their matrix; potential rock species were identified in the macroscopic analysis with the intent to be verified by the XRF results. In the classification chapter, the artefacts were classified into 7 categories of artefact types and 11 visually distinct matrices. This project aimed to determine the validity of using XRF to analyse basalts and distinguish different provenances. One object from each context (n=44) was tested using pXRF analysis to gather the bulk compositions of the artefacts in the assemblage; the XRF results were made into a database. The XRF results were interpreted by implementing the data into bivariate plots to examine potential provenance clusters. Elements Mg, Al, Si, Ti, Fe, K, Ca, Sr, Y, and Zr were plotted against each other to identify group variations. The XRF analysis could not accurately record light elements Mg, Al, and Si and was consequently unable to verify the species determinations from the macroscopic analysis. However, XRF analysis successfully established three main provenances in addition to 9 outliers that were also interpreted as unique provenances. The majority of the assemblage consisted of a fine-grained blue-grey stone; the three main provenance groups and two outliers were completely comprised of this matrix type, suggesting five unique provenances for this type of material. All completed celts were foreign to El Tigre; one provenance group was comprised solely of completed celts. The other two groups exhibited no completed celts but were made of many celt production implements with similar chemical compositions; these materials were noted to likely be local to El Tigre. La Tigüilotada was determined to be a preform production site and part of a wider network of basalt exchange which should now be studied. Gualorita’s basalt industry is connected to La Tigüilotada but remains uninterpreted. This project offers an opportunity for future studies to identify the species of rock and the true sources of these artefacts.Show less
Social anxiety can have a huge impact on adolescents’ lives, including emotional, social, and educational problems. The relationships between social anxiety, audience perception, and expressiveness...Show moreSocial anxiety can have a huge impact on adolescents’ lives, including emotional, social, and educational problems. The relationships between social anxiety, audience perception, and expressiveness are considered to play a role in the development of those problems, since they cause intense distress or even avoidance of social or performance situations. Effective treatment options are therefore important to prevent further problems. This study examined the relationship between social anxiety, audience perception, and expressiveness, and the feasibility of blended care. To examine this, 43 participants followed a 12 week blended care intervention consisting of psychoeducation, social skills training, cognitive restructuring techniques, exposure tasks, assertiveness training, and homework assignments. In addition, the Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents, the Audience Perception Questionnaire, and the Speech Performance Observation Scale for Youth were administered before and after treatment. A mediation analysis was done to study whether audience perception mediated the relationship between social anxiety and expressiveness. To test whether blended care was feasible in reducing symptoms of social anxiety, and increase audience perception and expressiveness, multiple paired samples t-tests were performed. No significant relationships were found between social anxiety and audience perception (β = -.054, p = .40), between social anxiety and expressiveness (β = .005, p =.37), and between audience perception and expressiveness (β = -.009, p =.75). Logically, the whole mediation model was also not significant (β = .005, p =.45). Results from the paired samples t-tests showed significant differences for social anxiety (t(29) = 2.66, p = .013), lowering the mean scores from 56.8 to 50.6, and audience perception (t(28) = -4.00, p < .001), increasing the mean scores from -3.2 to -0,8. No significant differences were found for expressiveness (t(13) = .10, p = .92). The results show no relationships between social anxiety, audience perception, and expressiveness, which could be explained by the unfamiliarity of the concept of expressiveness, a different mediator that has influence on these variables, having a small sample size, or participants’ level of education. Further research is needed on both, to gain more insight in relationships affecting social anxiety in adolescents. The results did show the feasibility of blended care in reducing social anxiety and increasing audience perception. Using blended care is encouraged to provide more and better care to adolescents.Show less
Background: Cognitive reappraisal ability (CRA) is an adaptive emotion regulation strategy that involves altering the meaning of emotional stimuli to reduce overtly expressed emotional responses....Show moreBackground: Cognitive reappraisal ability (CRA) is an adaptive emotion regulation strategy that involves altering the meaning of emotional stimuli to reduce overtly expressed emotional responses. This study explored whether CRA can be predicted by the electroencephalography (EEG) theta/beta ratio (TBR), a biomarker that typically reflects attentional and inhibitory control. It was further investigated if trait anxiety can predict CRA and moderate the association between TBR and CRA. Methods: EEG, ECG and self-report data were collected in a sample of 30 healthy students.The trait anxiety subscale of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-t) was used to assess trait anxiety. A resting-state EEG recording was taken to assess TBR. Using an experimental emotion induction task, participants were exposed to threatening pictures while heart rate measurements were taken to provide an index for CRA (reduction in fear bradycardia). Results: A significant negative correlation between TBR and CRA indicated that individuals with higher TBR showed less effective cognitive reappraisal. Unexpectedly, trait anxiety neither predicted CRA nor moderated the association between TBR and CRA. Discussion: The finding that TBR was negatively associated with CRA aligns with previous research and supports the idea that TBR reflects prefrontal cortical control over subcortical emotional processes. Theta/beta neurofeedback training should be explored as an intervention for emotion dysregulation. Future research should test the association between trait anxiety and CRA in a clinically anxious sample, incorporating additional measures of CRA and self-relevant emotional stimuli.Show less
Impairments in social cognition are common in dementia. However, tests to measure differences in social cognition are underrepresented in neuropsychological diagnosis of dementia. Measures of...Show moreImpairments in social cognition are common in dementia. However, tests to measure differences in social cognition are underrepresented in neuropsychological diagnosis of dementia. Measures of social cognition could aid the earlier diagnosis and differential diagnosis between AD and FTD. The Hinting Task - Dutch version (Hinting Task - NL) measures the ability to infer the true intent of indirect speech as an indicator of Theory of Mind ability, one aspect of social cognition. This study examined the Hinting Task - NL on its ability to differentiate between control participants (n = 99) and patients with dementia (Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), n = 26; Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) (behavioral variant (bv-FTD), n = 21; and primary progressive aphasia (PPA), n = 21)). Between-group differences on the Hinting Task - NL were examined and associations with demographic variables and neuropsychological tests were explored. The study also includes an exploratory analysis where the Hinting Task - NL was compared to the emotion recognition task (ERT), another measure of social cognition, on their ability to discriminate between control participants and patients with dementia. Results showed that the Hinting Task - NL discriminated well between control participants and patients with dementia (p < 0.001), but not between patients with AD and patients with FTD (p = 0.252). Performance on the Hinting Task - NL did not differ between patients with bv-FTD and PPA (p = 0.550). The Hinting Task - NL was found to have similar sensitivity and specificity as the ERT in discriminating between control participants and patients with dementia. To conclude, the Hinting Task - NL is a valid test and can be used in neuropsychological diagnosis of dementia, but not to discriminate between two common subtypes of dementia.Show less
Het aanleren van woordenschat aan NT2-leerlingen (leerlingen met Nederlands als tweede taal) in kleuterklassen is een cruciaal onderdeel voor de taalontwikkeling van de leerlingen en hun algehele...Show moreHet aanleren van woordenschat aan NT2-leerlingen (leerlingen met Nederlands als tweede taal) in kleuterklassen is een cruciaal onderdeel voor de taalontwikkeling van de leerlingen en hun algehele academisch succes. Echter is het effectief vormgeven van woordenschatonderwijs aan deze doelgroep een uitdaging voor basisscholen. Dit onderzoek richt zich op het identificeren van effectieve strategieën voor het geven van woordenschatonderwijs aan NT2-leerlingen in kleuterklassen alsmede onderzoek naar het gebruik van deze strategieën op een specifieke basisschool. Middels een literatuurstudie zijn er drie principes vastgesteld die bijdragen aan effectief woordenschatonderwijs: 1. Integreer de moedertaal in het onderwijs, 2. Verhoog de hoeveelheid verbale interactiemomenten 3. Werk met directe instructiemomenten. Uit semi-gestructureerde interviews met vijf werknemers van een basisschool die zich met het kleuteronderwijs bezighouden blijkt het volgende. Als eerste heeft de school de integratie van de eerste taal in haar onderwijs nog niet in grote mate geïmplementeerd. Daarnaast blijkt dat leerkrachten actief didactische impulsen geven om interactie tussen leerlingen te bevorderen. Ten slotte wordt vastgesteld dat de school bekend is met het concept van directe instructiemomenten, maar dat er niet altijd voldoende tijd beschikbaar is om dit toe te passen. Deze bevindingen bieden inzichten voor leerkrachten en ondersteunend personeel om woordenschat effectiever te implementeren voor NT2-leerlingen in kleuterklassen.Show less
Background: the vascular hypothesis of apathy suggests a link between vascular factors like cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) and apathy symptoms, through lesions in the brain’s reward network....Show moreBackground: the vascular hypothesis of apathy suggests a link between vascular factors like cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) and apathy symptoms, through lesions in the brain’s reward network. Previous studies found a cross-sectional association between lower blood pressure (BP) and symptoms of apathy in older persons with more CSVD, potentially through reduced cerebral blood flow (CBF). However, longitudinal research on these associations is lacking. This thesis investigated whether structural and dynamic vascular factors are associated with apathy symptoms over time in older persons. Methods: this longitudinal cohort study used participants of the Discontinuation of ANtihypertensive Treatment in the Elderly (DANTE)-Leiden, community-dwelling older persons on antihypertensive treatment with mild cognitive deficits. BP was measured at baseline and apathy was assessed with the Apathy Scale at baseline and after four years of follow-up (n=178). Additionally, a baseline MRI sub-study (n=109) was conducted to measure CSVD and CBF. Results: the mean age of the sample was 80 years (SD 4) and 63% was female. No significant association was found between the summary CSVD scores (β(95% CI)=0.018(-1.089-1.125), p=.975) or its separate features; WMH (β(95%CI)=0.012(-0.011-0.035), p=.318), CMB (β(95%CI)=-0.017(-0.605-0.572), p=.956), lacunar infarctions (β(95% CI)=-0.413(-1.266-0.440), p=.339), and a change in Apathy Scale score. Additionally, no significant association was found between the dynamic vascular factors; CBF (β(95% CI)=-0.029(-0.152-0.094), p=.640), systolic BP (β(95% CI)=-0.019(-0.056-0.018), p=.310) and diastolic BP (β(95%CI) =-0.029(-0.099-0.042), p=.425), and change in Apathy Scale score. The multiple linear regression model, incorporating all the structural and dynamic vascular parameters, was not significant (F(7,90)=1.32 , p=.250, R2=.093). Conclusions: in older persons with mild cognitive deficits, structural and dynamic vascular factors were not associated with apathy symptoms over time, in contrast to previous cross-sectional studies. Our findings did not support the vascular apathy hypothesis. Other factors, such as lifestyle, might confound the cross-sectional association between vascular factors and apathy. This study highlights the importance of further research into vascular factors and apathy, which acknowledge our limitations, or into other possible mechanisms for apathy.Show less
Aim: Effective self-management is essential for managing chronic kidney disease (CKD) and can enhance patients’ functioning and wellbeing. This study aims to examine the relationship between...Show moreAim: Effective self-management is essential for managing chronic kidney disease (CKD) and can enhance patients’ functioning and wellbeing. This study aims to examine the relationship between illness perceptions and self-management behaviors of CKD patients, as to whether illness perceptions are associated with improvements in self-management behaviors over time. Method: A randomized controlled trial was conducted to test an online self-management program with 121 participants, the majority of whom had received a kidney transplant (65.3%). Illness perceptions (helplessness, acceptance, emotional response, timeline and perceived control) were assessed using the ICQ and B-IPQ. Baseline self-management behaviors (medication adherence, healthy diet, physical activity, weight maintenance, and non-smoking) were measured with the PPPQ-self-management and the reported improvements or deterioration with regard to patients self-selected self-management goals with the PPPQ-self-management improvements at 6-months follow-up. Regression analyses were performed to examine the relationship between illness perceptions and self-management behaviors at baseline, as well as between illness perceptions at baseline and the reported improvements in self-management goals at 6-months follow-up. Analysis were controlled for the confounding variables gender, comorbidities, kidney transplantation, and participation in the E-GOAL study. Results: Helplessness showed a significant relationship with the reported self-management improvements at 6-months follow-up (R2= .040, β = -.20, p = .036), which remained significant after controlling for confounders. Patients who experienced greater helplessness at baseline reported smaller improvements in their self-management goals at 6- months follow-up. Conclusion: Helplessness was found to be significantly related to self- management improvements, yet no other significant relationships were found between the other illness perceptions and the self-management behaviors or their improvements in CKD patients. These findings suggest that addressing feelings of helplessness in self-management programs may be crucial, as it can interfere with self-management improvements. Healthcare providers could assess patients’ levels of helplessness and incorporate psychological interventions into self-management programs to reduce these feelings and support patients in improving their self-management behaviors, ultimately leading to better overall patient wellbeing.Show less
This master thesis investigated how social motives (prosocial vs. pro-self) and communication medium (headphones vs. no headphones) affect group negotiation outcomes. The study used a 2x2 factorial...Show moreThis master thesis investigated how social motives (prosocial vs. pro-self) and communication medium (headphones vs. no headphones) affect group negotiation outcomes. The study used a 2x2 factorial design with 41 three-person groups (N = 123), who engaged in a structured negotiation task. Hypothesis 1 predicted that prosocial groups would achieve higher joint outcomes than pro-self groups, and results of an ANOVA supported this prediction. Hypotheses 2 and 3, predicting that structured communication, using headphones to manipulate turn-taking behaviour, would improve prosocial and reduce pro-self groups negotiation outcomes, respectively, were not supported by an ANOVA. This suggests that while prosocial motives significantly improve outcomes, structured communication alone does not. Future research should explore additional communication structuring methods and broader contexts to validate these findings.Show less
Prior research indicates a positive correlation between affective empathy, encompassing both empathic concern and personal distress, and anxiety. Empathic concern is associated with pro-social...Show morePrior research indicates a positive correlation between affective empathy, encompassing both empathic concern and personal distress, and anxiety. Empathic concern is associated with pro-social behaviours, whereas personal distress is linked to avoidant behaviours. However little research has been done in a parental sample. This study explores whether empathic concern might mediate the relationship between parental anxiety and parental bonding. Parental bonding is the expected behavioural outcome of empathy and encompasses supportive parenting behaviours. Using data from the RE-PAIR study, a mediation analysis via regression was conducted. The sample consisted of 143 parents and their (adolescent) child. The parental bonding was measured through a questionnaire that the child had to fill in about their parents after the reminiscence task (REM). The REM was conducted in the lab, the task entailed that the child had to talk about an emotional event. Results showed that there was no mediating effect, though anxiety did seem to correlate significantly with empathic concern (β = 0.20, p = 0.01). There was no correlation found between anxiety and parental bonding or between empathic concern and parental bonding. This suggests that higher empathic concern does not necessarily translate into perceived supportive parenting behaviours. This may indicate issues in the communication of expressing empathy. Perhaps, family therapies or a training focusing on emotional communication could be beneficial. Future research could focus on conducting multiple lab measures in order to take out more situational variables.Show less
Measurement invariance of the Social Interaction Anxiety Scale (SIAS) was examined in secondary samples of young adults and adults from China and the USA. Confirmatory factor analysis found that a...Show moreMeasurement invariance of the Social Interaction Anxiety Scale (SIAS) was examined in secondary samples of young adults and adults from China and the USA. Confirmatory factor analysis found that a unidimensional structure of the SIAS, in which its three reverse- coded items were removed (S-SIAS), showed the best fit for both samples. Subsequently, this model was used in a hierarchical multi-group confirmatory factor analysis (MGCFA). The results of the MGCFA support the S-SIAS’ configural and metric invariance across these two countries. This is an indication of the S-SIAS being a unidimensional measure of social interaction anxiety in the USA and China. However, the results indicate the presence of only partial scalar invariance. Therefore, it is likely that individuals from these cultures interpret certain items of the SIAS differently, which complicates direct comparisons across these groups. What this implies for past and current research comparing individuals from these cultures, in terms of social anxiety, as well as implications for future research, are explored further.Show less
Sibling relationships are among the longest-lasting relationships in most individuals' lives and the majority of the Dutch population has at least one sibling. Sibling relationships are crucial, as...Show moreSibling relationships are among the longest-lasting relationships in most individuals' lives and the majority of the Dutch population has at least one sibling. Sibling relationships are crucial, as they offer daily opportunities for children to develop social skills. The quality of sibling relationships can be influenced by various factors, including adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), which include 10 types of possible traumatic experiences among which child abuse, neglect and household dysfunction. ACEs can negatively impact a child's social and emotional development, posing risks to their ability to form and maintain relationships and having a possibly negative effect on their mental health later on in life. Current research often only considers biological siblings while the step-sibling relationship was the fastest-growing type of sibling relationship in families with divorced parents between 1997 and 2017. Therefore, the current study aimed to investigate the association between ACEs and the quality of the relationship among both biological and step-siblings who have experienced parental divorce. Hundred young adults between the ages of 18 and 25 completed a questionnaire in which they answered questions about their relationship with their siblings and their ACEs. Multiple regression analyses revealed that ACEs were similarly associated with a lower quality of the sibling relationships for both biological and stepsiblings. Specifically, emotional abuse by a parent during childhood and having a parent with alcohol and/or drug problems during childhood were linked to lower quality of the sibling relationship, while other childhood experiences examined were not related to relationship quality. These results highlight the significance of improving sibling relationship quality, as these relationships may buffer the adverse impacts of traumatic experiences. Adopting a family-focused approach could reduce these negative impacts, addressing the shadow of the past that these experiences may cast on sibling relationships.Show less
