Background: This study on gut feelings investigates the correlation between microdiversity in the gut and cognitive reactivity in the brain, with sex as a potential moderator. Research on potential...Show moreBackground: This study on gut feelings investigates the correlation between microdiversity in the gut and cognitive reactivity in the brain, with sex as a potential moderator. Research on potential correlations and moderators is relevant to gain further insight into the networks involved in the gut-brain axis. The findings can influence treatment approaches in the field of clinical psychology to a greater focus on the gut- brain axis. Two hypotheses were examined: 1) a higher microdiversity in the gut is correlated with less emotion regulation difficulties, and 2) there are sex differences in the correlation between microdiversity and emotion regulation. Methods: This research was an observational between-subjects design with a total number of 75 participants. The primary outcome was the alpha score, assessed with the Shannon Index, which gives insight into individual microdiversity. The Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale was used to assess self-reported difficulties in emotion regulation to have insight into individual cognitive reactivity. Sex was conceptualised as the moderator variable. A correlational analysis for alpha scores and DERS scores was carried out, followed by a multiple regression analysis, which tested for a moderation with the variable sex. Results: There was no evidence for a negative correlation between high microdiversity and few emotion regulation difficulties. Sex did not have a significant moderation on this correlation either. Implications: Further research is needed on the gut-brain axis and sex differences in gut microdiversity and emotion regulation to adapt the treatment of stress-related disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), or other anxiety-related disorders from a cognitive- to a more holistic approach.Show less
Loneliness affects both autistic and non-autistic children. Nevertheless, differences exist in the prevalence and characteristics of loneliness experienced by these two groups, especially in school...Show moreLoneliness affects both autistic and non-autistic children. Nevertheless, differences exist in the prevalence and characteristics of loneliness experienced by these two groups, especially in school settings. This study investigated how four school environment factors, i.e., physical connection, perceived emotional connections, received emotional connections, and recess enjoyment impact loneliness in school-aged children, focusing on the differences between autistic and non-autistic children. Conducted in 2 Dutch special education primary schools, this cross-sectional, between-group study included 104 students (Μ age = 10.4, age range: 6.8 – 14 years): 47 autistic (Μ age = 10.2) and 52 non-autistic (Μ age = 11.4). Loneliness levels were measured with the self-report questionnaire Children’s Loneliness Scale (CLS). For physical connection, the total time children spent in social contact during school recess was measured with proximity sensors (Radio Frequency Identification Device, RFID). Perceived emotional connections was measured with friendship nomination and received emotional connections with the “Like to play” (LITOP) questionnaire. Recess enjoyment was measured with Lunchtime Enjoyment of Activity and Play Questionnaire (LEAP). A regression analysis measured the relationship between feelings of loneliness and the four school environment factors, and the moderating role of autism. An independent sample t-test compared differences between groups for all variables. The results showed a significant relationship between physical connection and loneliness (β = -.409, t = -3.040, p = .003) and recess enjoyment and loneliness (β = .333, t = 2.690, p = .009). Autism moderated the impact of physical connection on loneliness: increased physical connection is associated with reduced loneliness in non-autistic children but heightened loneliness in autistic children (β = .596, t = 2.236, p = .028). Lastly, levels of physical connection (t (97) = 3.393, p = .001) were significantly lower in autistic (M = .539, SD = .221) than in non-autistic children (M = .695, SD). Our findings highlight the importance of understanding the distinct social needs and experiences of social interactions of autistic children. Policymakers and educators should prioritize gaining a deeper understanding of these differences between autistic and non-autistic children in order to develop more effective programs. With this knowledge, tailoring interventions specifically for autistic children can more effectively address loneliness.Show less
The placebo effect is a learning phenomenon strongly associated with cognitive mechanisms. Placebo conditioning, particularly, combines threat learning with verbal instructions and expectations....Show moreThe placebo effect is a learning phenomenon strongly associated with cognitive mechanisms. Placebo conditioning, particularly, combines threat learning with verbal instructions and expectations. These processes are central in shaping subjective pain experience and threat-related episodic memory. However, the specific influence of placebo conditioning on episodic memory accuracy and generalization is not yet known. It is hypothesized that threat associations enhance memory recognition and generalization by increasing arousal; thus, introducing a placebo manipulation in a threat conditioning paradigm might impair memory recognition by decreasing arousal. This can offer insights into the broader clinical implications of placebo, as threat-related responses and memory bias are hallmarks of anxiety disorders. This study used a within subjects experimental design with 72 healthy participants undergoing a pain calibration/placebo conditioning procedure, a Pavlovian threat conditioning paradigm with a placebo manipulation using pictures, and a memory test. Participants completed pain, mnemonic, and confidence ratings. We predicted that the placebo condition would correlate with lower subjective pain experience, and the CS+ condition with increased recognition memory and generalization compared to the CS+ placebo and CS- conditions. Although the placebo manipulation was successful, it did not significantly affect memory recognition, generalization or discrimination. There were indications that the CS+ condition correlated with higher recognition compared to the CS- condition, but these should be interpreted with caution. We conclude that the placebo manipulation’s subtle effects may not have reached the necessary threshold of arousal and motivational engagement required to alter memory processes. Limitations and suggestions for future research are discussed.Show less
Keuzegedrag is een belangrijk cognitief proces dat binnen de wetenschap veel wordt onderzocht. Uit onderzoek van Damaso en collega’s (2022) bleek dat de reactietijd van participanten toeneemt na...Show moreKeuzegedrag is een belangrijk cognitief proces dat binnen de wetenschap veel wordt onderzocht. Uit onderzoek van Damaso en collega’s (2022) bleek dat de reactietijd van participanten toeneemt na het maken van een fout. Dit fenomeen, genaamd post-error slowing, komt mogelijk voort uit de afleiding van aandacht na een fout, om te proberen accurater te handelen. De speed-accuracy trade-off toont aan dat reactietijd toeneemt als mensen accurater zijn. In dit onderzoek werd post-error slowing onderzocht en gekeken naar de invloed van feedback en moeilijkheid hierop. Dit werd getoetst aan de hand van een twee- alternatieven geforceerde keuzetaak, afgenomen bij 43 participanten, waarin trials varieerden in moeilijkheid en trial- of blockwise feedback. Uit de resultaten bleek geen significant effect van zowel moeilijkheid als van trial- of blockwise feedback. Mogelijke limitaties lagen bij de moeilijkheid en de deadline van de trials. Voor toekomstig onderzoek was het advies de huidige taak enigszins aan te passen en een grotere/diversere sample te onderzoeken.Show less
People in debt often avoid contacting their creditors, a behaviour likely driven by feelings of shame. In the Netherlands, around one million households face significant debt, leading to stress and...Show morePeople in debt often avoid contacting their creditors, a behaviour likely driven by feelings of shame. In the Netherlands, around one million households face significant debt, leading to stress and shame, which exacerbates financial problems by hindering communication with creditors. This study investigates the impact of building shame resilience on reducing avoidance behaviours among debtors. Enhancing shame resilience means increasing individuals' sense of control over their situation and reducing feelings of being trapped. These factors can empower debtors to confront their financial problems rather than avoid them. Thus, an experiment involving 308 participants with financial distress evaluated the effectiveness of different versions of the same creditor letter. These messages were adjusted to either increase a sense of control, reduce feelings of being trapped, or serve as a baseline with no specific emotional content. The study hypothesised that these adjustments would lead to greater willingness to contact creditors and that gender might moderate the impact. Results showed that messages enhancing control or reducing feelings of being trapped significantly increased participants' willingness to engage with creditors. Although the hypothesis regarding gender moderation was not supported overall, women responded more positively to messages reducing feelings of being trapped. These findings suggest that supportive communication strategies addressing emotional barriers like shame can facilitate better debt management. The study's implications for policy and creditor practices emphasise prioritising psychological well-being to enhance financial stability.Show less
Introduction: The Locus Coeruleus (LC) is a small structure residing in the midbrain and is the primary source of Noradrenaline (NA) in the brain. The LC-NA system’s roles include focusing...Show moreIntroduction: The Locus Coeruleus (LC) is a small structure residing in the midbrain and is the primary source of Noradrenaline (NA) in the brain. The LC-NA system’s roles include focusing attention towards salient stimuli. Animal studies suggest that the LC-NA system plays a role in reward related functions, an aspect primarily attributed to the Ventral Tegmental Area (VTA) Dopamine (DA) system. Animal studies suggest that habituation of the LC to salient stimuli occurs rapidly. The Dorsal and Ventral attentional networks (DAN and VAN respectively) are other regions relevant in attentional focus. Thus, we hypothesise that the reward and salient stimuli will elicit higher responses in the LC compared to the control, the LC will habituate across trials, the DAN network will respond highest to reward, and the VAN highest to salience. Methods: Forty-five healthy participants were recruited to complete a reward-oddball task during fMRI scanning. Repeated Measures (RM)-ANOVAs assessed changes in BOLD levels in our regions of interest (LC, VTA, DAN, VAN) as participants responded to the different stimuli oddballs (reward, salient, no reward). Results: A main effect for stimulus type on LC activity was not found (p=.079). Activity in the LC did not significantly habituate (p=.469). The DAN had overall higher activation than the VAN and had higher activation to the reward oddball compared to the salient (p<.001). The VAN region also had higher activation to the reward compared to the salient condition (p<.001). Conclusion: Results suggest that the LC had a similar degree of activation to each stimulus. This may suggest that the LC responds to contextual saliency and may not account for how goal relevant a stimulus is. We did not find a statistically significant habituation across trials. This may suggest that habituation in humans happens at a slower/less extensive rate than rats. The DAN region had globally higher activation than the VAN, reflecting this region’s role in sustained and goal related attention. The lack of activation within the VAN may suggest an orientation response was not required during this task. Strengths, limitations, and directions for future research are discussed.Show less
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized primarily by motor symptoms due to the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons. However, non-motor symptoms such as cognitive...Show moreParkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized primarily by motor symptoms due to the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons. However, non-motor symptoms such as cognitive decline are prevelant in up to 80% of PD patients. Multi-system degeneration and neurotransmitter decifiences are likely the cause. One of the systems implicated in PD-related cognitive decline is the cholinergic system but it remains unclear to what extent the system is affected and how it links to different disease stages. This retrospective cohort study explores the integrity of the cholinergic system in PD through the measurement of alpha reactivity using electroencephalography (EEG). EEG data from 191 participants, including 46 early-stage PD patients, 17 late-stage PD patients, and 128 healthy controls was analyzed. Alpha reactivity, measured as the difference in alpha power between eyes closed and eyes open conditions, was assessed via EEG. Cognition was assessed via the Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE). Results revealed significantly reduced alpha reactivity in PD patients compared to healthy controls. ANCOVA analyses demonstrated reductions in alpha reactivity in both early-stage and late-stage PD groups when compared to healthy controls. However, no significant reduction in alpha reactivity was found between early and late-stage PD patients. These findings provide neurophysiological evidence of a reduction in alpha reactivity in PD patients, which could indicate a cholinergic dysfunction in PD, irrespective of disease stage. This study also highlights the potential utility of alpha reactivity as a biomarker for assessing disease severity.Show less
An SCT is a genetic disorder in which children are born with an extra sex chromosome that arises during pregnancy. Even though SCTs are one of the most common chromosome duplications, many people...Show moreAn SCT is a genetic disorder in which children are born with an extra sex chromosome that arises during pregnancy. Even though SCTs are one of the most common chromosome duplications, many people with SCTs go undiagnosed due to a lack of evidence or visible symptoms. Previous studies showed that the neurocognitive functioning, especially executive functions and social cognition of children with SCT differ from those of children without SCT. However, that research focuses mostly on older children, so there was a need for knowledge of the development of children under 4 years with an SCT. Research also showed that ADHD symptoms in children with an SCT increased as these children got older and that there are differences in social-emotional development between boys and girls. This study examined which factors influence the difference in social-emotional development between children with and without SCT. Social-emotional development is about the social and emotional skills that children acquire to communicate and deal with emotions. Differences between SCT and no SCT and between boys and girls as well as the influence of age on social-emotional development were examined. The sample of this study is part of a larger ongoing project investigating development in different domains of children with an SCT. The total score on the Ages & Stages Questionnaires was used to measure social-emotional development. This research shows that there is a significant difference in social-emotional development between children with and without an SCT. Specifically, children with an SCT grow into a deficit as they get older. It could not be shown that gender has an influence. The recommendation is to perform more research towards the early diagnosis of SCTs in children in order to be able to intervene at a young age. This will prevent them from growing into deficit when they get older.Show less
Given the profound environmental impact of single-use plastic packaging, this study addresses the influence of moral appeals and environmental attitudes regarding plastic-free consumer choices in...Show moreGiven the profound environmental impact of single-use plastic packaging, this study addresses the influence of moral appeals and environmental attitudes regarding plastic-free consumer choices in the UK. Utilizing an experimental between-subject design (N = 263), moral appeals were expected to influence plastic-free choices. Stronger pro-environmental attitudes were expected to increase plastic-free choices following an individualizing moral appeal, whereas weaker pro-environmental attitudes were expected to increase plastic-free choices following a binding appeal. Results did not support the hypotheses, as plastic-free choices did not differ between the moral appeal conditions and the control condition, and pro-environmental attitudes did not moderate this relationship. Surprisingly, the individualizing appeal prompted more plastic-free choices than the binding appeal. The roles of price, culture, and self-construal, as well as the partially failed manipulations, are discussed as possible explanations for the findings. In conclusion, using an individualizing moral appeal effectively promotes plastic-free purchasing behaviour in the UK.Show less
Research implies that stroke rehabilitation might benefit from music as an add-on in physical therapy. Nevertheless, it is still not widely used and researched. This research aims to examine if...Show moreResearch implies that stroke rehabilitation might benefit from music as an add-on in physical therapy. Nevertheless, it is still not widely used and researched. This research aims to examine if sonification, translating movement into sound, or rhythmic auditory stimulation (RAS) of movement, using background music, shows a greater learning process while playing the Pizzicato game. As both have shown to be a profitable add-on, the current research question is, “Which auditory-motor training method is most suitable for stroke rehabilitation?”. Here, we predict that sonification will show a greater learning increase over RAS, while a combination of the two exceeds all the conditions. 75 participants were randomly assigned over four conditions to play the Pizzicato game. The results arising from a 1x4 ANOVA show a lack of overall significant effects, even though significant effects are seen in sonification, and RAS compared to no sound. Concluding sonification and RAS can possibly enhance motor learning performance, while a combination of the auditory stimuli could result in a cognitive overload. Sonification or RAS could cautiously be implemented in stroke rehabilitation only if it is to increase enjoyability in rehabilitation.Show less
Education serves as a pivotal driver of societal advancement, yet persistent obstacles hinder universal access to quality education in low-middle-income countries. Concurrently, the phenomenon of...Show moreEducation serves as a pivotal driver of societal advancement, yet persistent obstacles hinder universal access to quality education in low-middle-income countries. Concurrently, the phenomenon of brain drain, characterized by the migration of skilled individuals to foreign shores, poses a considerable challenge to these nations. This study employs linear regression analysis to delve into the impact of educational assistance on emigration rates, with a particular focus on the dynamics of brain drain. Drawing from diverse theoretical frameworks, including Schumpeter's theory and insights gleaned from entrepreneurship studies, this research formulates hypotheses to elucidate the relationship between educational development and emigration. It undertakes a comprehensive examination of perspectives surrounding brain drain and delineates the role of education in nurturing sustainable development, with the overarching goal of unraveling the intricate interplay between education and emigration. This research contributes to the discourse on development by offering evidence-based insights into the complications of education assistance affecting brain drain. By understanding the nexus between education and emigration, policymakers can formulate targeted strategies to harness youth talent and drive economic progress in low-middle-income countries, without driving them abroad.Show less
This thesis explores the concept of linguistic secession and its implications within the framework of international law, focusing on the case studies of Québec and Abkhazia. Through a detailed...Show moreThis thesis explores the concept of linguistic secession and its implications within the framework of international law, focusing on the case studies of Québec and Abkhazia. Through a detailed examination of historical contexts, it highlights how linguistic identity can fuel secessionist movements and evaluates the extent to which linguistic discrimination can justify claims for independence. By analysing legal doctrines and international treaties, the study assesses the applicability of remedial secession as a response to linguistic subjugation. The findings suggest that while language plays a pivotal role in shaping national identity, the legitimacy of secession based on linguistic grounds remains contentious. The research underscores the importance of ensuring that internal self-determination is properly implemented and the need of protecting linguistic rights within existing state structures, offering insights into the evolving nature of self-determination in the global legal landscape.Show less
The actual numbers of international climate-related migration are not as large as expected, considering the rapid increase in the uninhabitability of these places in the Global South. This...Show moreThe actual numbers of international climate-related migration are not as large as expected, considering the rapid increase in the uninhabitability of these places in the Global South. This discrepancy may partly stem from the complex and multifaceted nature of migration, with the climate factors influencing economic opportunity and conflict, making it difficult to differentiate between people that migrate for climate reasons and people that migrate for other reasons, such as economic opportunities. However, it more likely arises from people being trapped within their increasingly uninhabitable homes, because they do not have the capacity to move or willingness to leave their home. Therefore, policymakers and researchers should redirect their attention to immobility, as the ‘trapped populations’ are an urgent and underexposed problem. This thesis will examine the term 'trapped populations,' by using conceptions of Zickgraf (2019, 2023) and De Shalit (2011) and clarifying the complexities inherent in their immobility. I will argue for ‘the right to stay’ as the most protective right for the interests of the trapped populations, as it respects the importance of a home in a person their life.Show less
