Inaction inertia occurs when one is less likely to take an attractive opportunity, after refusing an even more attractive opportunity. In their experiment, van Putten and colleagues (2007) tried to...Show moreInaction inertia occurs when one is less likely to take an attractive opportunity, after refusing an even more attractive opportunity. In their experiment, van Putten and colleagues (2007) tried to decouple the inaction inertia effect by using ambiguous information. Their results yielded that ambiguous information did in fact decouple. However, the authors came to these conclusions by using optional stopping and p-hacking. This influenced the reliability of the results, so we decided to replicate this study, for good research practices and because it can give us valuable insight into how decoupling works when given an attractive offer. We made use of the replication recipe of Brandt and colleagues (2014) to conduct the replication.Show less
Disgust, rooted in human evolutionary history, serves as a vital defense mechanism against pathogens, manifesting in varied behaviors. This paper explores the intricate relationship between disgust...Show moreDisgust, rooted in human evolutionary history, serves as a vital defense mechanism against pathogens, manifesting in varied behaviors. This paper explores the intricate relationship between disgust and visual attention, employing the eye-tracking method. Drawing insights from primate studies, habituation, and human facial expressions, the research aims to address three key questions: Does gaze aversion occur in humans when exposed to disgusting stimuli, extending avoidance behavior into the visual domain? Do individuals exhibit prolonged attention to facial area, indicating a social imperative to assess the risk of pathogen contamination? How does gaze aversion change with repeated exposure to disgust-inducing stimuli? The study employs three conditions, including scenes of feces ingestion in the test condition, to assess total looking time. Results reveal significant gaze aversion towards feces as compared to control conditions, supporting the hypothesis of avoidance behavior. Participants displayed prolonged attention to faces during non-disgusting conditions, challenging assumptions about social necessity for risk assessment. Repeated exposure across trials to disgust-inducing stimuli did not significantly alter gaze behavior, highlighting the nuanced nature of responses to aversive stimuli. Discussion of the findings and implications are also addressed.Show less
Onverwachtse voorvallen kunnen in het dagelijks leven hinder veroorzaken, tenzij er goed op wordt aangepast. Een verminderd aanpassingsvermogen zou dus risico’s met zich mee kunnen brengen. In de...Show moreOnverwachtse voorvallen kunnen in het dagelijks leven hinder veroorzaken, tenzij er goed op wordt aangepast. Een verminderd aanpassingsvermogen zou dus risico’s met zich mee kunnen brengen. In de literatuur zijn vooral onderzoeken te vinden die de invloed van stress op cognitief, maar niet op motorisch aanpassingsvermogen belichten. Om dit gat in de literatuur te vullen, is het van belang om onderzoek te doen naar de invloed van stressniveau op motorisch aanpassingsvermogen. In dit onderzoek deden 80 participanten een VR game en vulden de PSS-10 in om stress te meten. In de VR game moesten participanten objecten vangen en deze in een gat voor zich gooien door controllers te gebruiken. In bepaalde levels was er echter een temporele en/of spatiele asynchronie tussen de avatar en de participant. Het motorisch aanpassingsvermogen werd gemeten door te kijken hoe goed de participanten hierop corrigeerden. De hypothese luidt als volgt: ‘De aanwezigheid van stress is gerelateerd aan een verminderd motorisch aanpassingsvermogen.’ Door middel van een simpele lineaire regressie is aangetoond dat de hypothese verworpen moet worden: stressniveau is geen significante voorspeller van motorisch aanpassingsvermogen (p = .127). Dit onderzoek laat zien dat de VR game mogelijk ingezet kan worden in situaties waarin stress een rol speelt, bijvoorbeeld om af te leiden van stress. Verder toont dit onderzoek dat stress niet altijd een negatieve connotatie zou moeten hebben.Show less
This research aimed to investigate whether food choices can be affected by placebo suggestions and the role of body image satisfaction and Body Mass Index (BMI) in this placebo effect. This study...Show moreThis research aimed to investigate whether food choices can be affected by placebo suggestions and the role of body image satisfaction and Body Mass Index (BMI) in this placebo effect. This study involved 22 participants aged 18-35. In the placebo group, participants received suggestions that a vagus nerve stimulation will decrease their hunger, while the control group received no suggestions. The vagus nerve stimulation was a sham procedure and did not stimulate the nerve. Participants' BMI was calculated followed by measuring body image satisfaction by completing the Body Self Image Questionnaire (BSIQ). Hunger was measured at baseline and post-suggestions. Additionally, food choice was measured with a computer task, in which participants had to choose between healthy and unhealthy food items. The statistical analysis showed no significant differences between the placebo and control groups for food choice (p = 0.56), baseline hunger (p = 0.69), and hunger post suggestions (p = 0.96). Additionally, hunger did not predict healthy food choice (p = 0.89) and body image (p = 0.77) and BMI (p = 0.32) did not moderate the effect of the suggestions on food choice. These results indicate that short suggestions might not be enough to affect hunger and food choices. The lack of effect found might be due to a small sample size and future research should include larger samples and longitudinal research design. Understanding the role of expectations and placebo effects in hunger, can in the future help develop strategies to promote healthier eating.Show less
Background. Picky eating behavior and physical activity are strongly associated with health in children (Karklina et al., 2011). By investigating the associations between shyness, picky eating...Show moreBackground. Picky eating behavior and physical activity are strongly associated with health in children (Karklina et al., 2011). By investigating the associations between shyness, picky eating behavior and physical activity in children and parental stress we could potentially define better intervention programs to prevent health disorders such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, anaemia, heart problems and earlier death, by identifying if physical activity, shyness and parental stress are potential areas of treatment. Aims. To investigate (1) if parental stress predicts shyness in ten-year-old children; (2) the association between shyness and picky eating behavior; and (3) the association between shyness and physical activity in ten-year-old children. Methods. A total of 3610 parents of Dutch children (50.6% girls) participated in the study. The mean age of the children was 10.19 (SD=.501; ranging from 8 to 12) Multiple regression analyses were conducted. Results. Shyness was predicted by parental stress (F(4,3601)=44.693, p<.00), picky eating behavior (F(4, 3479) = 12,942, p < .001) and higher levels of shyness were associated with being a boy and older age. Picky eating behavior was predicted by shyness (F(4, 3479) = 60,957, p < .001). Higher levels of picky eating behaviour were associated with lower levels of shyness and having the male gender and the family situation. Higher levels of physical activity were associated with lower levels of shyness and having the male gender. Conclusion. More research must be done with more reliable assessment tools and more universally accepted definitions of the variables. Lower levels of shyness were associated with more picky eating behavior, which is reassuring but our effect sizes and internal consistencies were low. Parental stress and shyness were positively associated with each other. Shyness and physical activity were negatively associated with each other. Since a lack of physical activity has risks such as developing cardiovascular disease, it is important to identify parental stress and shyness in 10-year-olds and provide support and advice to the parents of these 10-year-olds to be able to avert more serious outcomes.Show less
Klimaatverandering wordt versneld door de mens en klimaatvriendelijk gedrag stimuleren kan helpen om de gevolgen van klimaatverandering te verminderen. Kennis over klimaatverandering zorgt ervoor...Show moreKlimaatverandering wordt versneld door de mens en klimaatvriendelijk gedrag stimuleren kan helpen om de gevolgen van klimaatverandering te verminderen. Kennis over klimaatverandering zorgt ervoor dat mensen beter op de hoogte zijn van klimaatverandering en dus wat zij hieraan kunnen doen, maar het werkende mechanisme in de relatie tussen kennis en gedrag is nog onduidelijk. Aan de hand van de Theory of Planned Behavior zou self-efficacy als mediator de relatie tussen kennis en klimaatvriendelijk gedrag kunnen verklaren. Dit is onderzocht bij 428 adolescenten tussen 16 en 24 jaar met een online zelfrapportage vragenlijst over kennis, klimaatvriendelijk gedrag en self-efficacy. De resultaten lieten zien dat zowel de relatie van kennis over klimaatverandering en klimaatvriendelijk gedrag als het indirecte effect via self-efficacy significant en positief zijn. Exploratieve analyses lieten zien dat de significante resultaten niet werden gerepliceerd als er gekeken werd naar specifiek kennis over koolstofdioxide en het broeikaseffect. Echter, er bleek wel een significant en positief direct en indirect verband voor kennis over klimaatverandering en oorzaken hiervan kennis over gevolgen van klimaatverandering. Daarbij bleek een significant positief verband tussen kennis over gevolgen van klimaatverandering en klimaatvriendelijk gedrag wanneer rekening werd gehouden met self-efficacy. Ofwel, deze studie heeft laten zien dat het onderscheid maken in verschillende soorten klimaatkennis belangrijk is als er wordt gekeken naar verbeteren van klimaatvriendelijk gedrag. Door de juiste soort kennis over te dragen, kunnen adolescenten worden gestimuleerd om zich klimaatvriendelijker te gedragen.Show less
The sunk cost bias is a common fallacy that people fall victim to. It entails placing a higher value on an option because of the resources already invested in it, rather than rationally evaluating...Show moreThe sunk cost bias is a common fallacy that people fall victim to. It entails placing a higher value on an option because of the resources already invested in it, rather than rationally evaluating its current worth. This economic fallacy goes beyond financial investments and is found to also be present in romantic relationships. Our research investigates this effect, and whether age and gender play a role in it. This was investigated through a questionnaire with a total of 93 participants in the Netherlands. Our main hypothesis was that the temporal investment in the relationship significantly influences the likelihood of staying during difficult circumstances, such as a period of emotional distress or cheating. This prediction was confirmed. However, a difference in influence of temporal investment in the decision to stay in the relationship, between males and females, was not found to be significant. Moreover, age was only found to have a significant influence on the effect of temporal investment for the predicted length of staying. In conclusion, these findings demonstrate the presence of the sunk cost effect of temporal investment in romantic relationships, without a significant difference between males and females, or a significant effect of age that is attributable only to the sunk cost fallacy.Show less
Het pyrrhonisme is een praktische filosofie die kan leiden tot gemoedsrust. Volgens de oorspronkelijke wijsgeer Pyrrho van Ellis zelf verloopt dit middels uitstel van oordeel omtrent non-evidente...Show moreHet pyrrhonisme is een praktische filosofie die kan leiden tot gemoedsrust. Volgens de oorspronkelijke wijsgeer Pyrrho van Ellis zelf verloopt dit middels uitstel van oordeel omtrent non-evidente zaken. In dit onderzoek is deze eeuwenoude leer onderzocht. De eerste hypothese om deze doctrine te onderzoeken was dat een pyrrhonistische denkwijze positief gecorreleert zou zijn aan gemoedsrust. Daarnaast is de mogelijke invloed van geloof op deze relatie bestudeert. Hiervoor was de verwachting dat de relatie tussen pyrrhonistisch denken en gemoedsrust minder sterk is voor gelovige mensen. Om dit te testen is een testbatterij opgesteld, bestaande uit de Non Evident Questionnaire, Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 en Perceived Stress Scale. Aan de hand van de responses van 175 deelnemers, bleek de hoofdanalyse niet significant te zijn bij zowel de GAD-7 als de PSS. Uit de moderatie analyse bleek tevens een insignificant effect. Beide hypotheses kunnen dus worden verworpen. Mogelijke verklaringen hiervoor kunnen zijn dat de verkregen data relatief weinig gelovige mensen bevatte en relatief veel transgender mensen, waardoor conclusies voorzichtiger getrokken dienen te worden. Daarnaast waren de stellingen in de NE-Q voornamelijk gericht op hedendaagse onderwerpen, en is wellicht niet geschikt voor het meten van een dergelijk tijdloos construct.Show less
This paper investigates the effect of nocebo suggestions on food craving levels and explores whether personality traits, specifically neuroticism and impulsivity, moderate this impact. The study...Show moreThis paper investigates the effect of nocebo suggestions on food craving levels and explores whether personality traits, specifically neuroticism and impulsivity, moderate this impact. The study was conducted using a sample of 21 volunteers which were recruited from Leiden University, and used a randomised controlled trial design. The two groups that were used in the analysis were control and nocebo groups (increase hunger). Nocebo group participants received a sham vagus nerve stimulation and were exposed to suggestions that this stimulation will increase their hunger. Food craving was measured using a Visual Analogue Scale at different time points throughout the experiment, and self-report inventories were used to assess neuroticism and impulsivity. A repeated measures Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and a moderation analysis were performed to analyse the data. The results showed significant changes in craving intensity, F(3, 57) = 11.14, p < .001, with higher craving levels in the control group compared to the nocebo group. Neither neuroticism F(3, 17) = 0.37, p = .77, nor impulsivity, F(3, 17) = 2.11, p = .14, were significant in moderating the relationship between nocebo suggestions and food cravings. However, impulsivity independently showed a significant negative effect on craving ratings, where higher impulsivity was related to lower food cravings, b = -11.07, t(df) = -2.18, p = .04. The study’s limitations included a small sample size and ambiguous definitions of nocebo effects, which could have affected the results. Future research should focus on exploring other personality traits to deepen our understanding of their effect on nocebo suggestions and food cravings.Show less
Mental health issues impact a significant portion of the population worldwide, and result in the acquisition of therapy. Despite its efficaciousness, individuals experience several barriers in...Show moreMental health issues impact a significant portion of the population worldwide, and result in the acquisition of therapy. Despite its efficaciousness, individuals experience several barriers in entering therapy. External factors such as financial constraints or availability can impact internal factors such as one’s motivation or self-stigma. Previous literature has established that motivation influences treatment entry and therapeutic outcomes, and that self-stigma impacts such motivation. It is also established that self-stigma may impact self-disclosure during therapy; however, the manner in which motivation, self-stigma, and self-disclosure interact cohesively is unknown. Therefore, the present study investigated the following research question: How does self-stigma in seeking help and motivation to join therapy impact an individual’s self-disclosure during therapy? It was hypothesised that high levels of self-stigma would lead to low levels of self-disclosure during therapy, mediated by motivation. It was further hypothesised that this relationship would correlate with the unsolved issues after therapy. A custom-made questionnaire was utilised, consisting of pre-existing scales. An ANOVA, mediation analysis, and MRA all yielded non-significant results. The effect of the proposed relationship on therapeutic outcomes could not be investigated. Thus, two other relationships were investigated, yet both yielded non-significant results. The direct effect of self-stigma on self-disclosure was significant. The non-significant results may be attributed to confounding variables, or the study’s limitations. This study encourages future research into the relationship between variables influencing the therapeutic process and its outcomes given the prevalence of mental health issues.Show less
Dit onderzoek gaat na of er een verband is tussen BMI en de predispositie voor psychopathologie. Die samenhang zou gemedieerd worden door het waargenomen gevoel van veiligheid. Eén recent...Show moreDit onderzoek gaat na of er een verband is tussen BMI en de predispositie voor psychopathologie. Die samenhang zou gemedieerd worden door het waargenomen gevoel van veiligheid. Eén recent wetenschappelijk artikel stelt dat obesitas een onbewuste stressor is, wat resulteert in een lager gevoel van waargenomen veiligheid: een minder fit lichaam zou de stressrespons aanwakkeren. Daarnaast ondersteunen onderzoeken het verband tussen obesitas en depressie. De huidige onderzoekspopulatie is niet-klinisch en géén extreme gevallen van BMI zijn bekend. Dit huidige onderzoek onderscheidt zich daardoor van andere onderzoeken, omdat er hier wordt gesproken van een predispositie. 86 participanten zijn geanalyseerd. Hierbij zijn de BMI, het waargenomen gevoel van veiligheid (m.b.v. de NPSS) en de zelf-gerapporteerde mate van Depressieve-, Angst- en Stress-symptomen (m.b.v. de DASS-42) in kaart gebracht. Dit onderzoek heeft deel uitgemaakt van een groter geheel. Participanten die hebben deelgenomen dienden één week ademhalingsoefeningen te verrichten en vragenlijsten te voltooien, zodat de invloed op waargenomen stress duidelijk werd. De eerste hypothese stelde dat indien je BMI hoger is, er sprake is van een lager gevoel van waargenomen veiligheid. De tweede hypothese stelde dat een lager gevoel van waargenomen veiligheid correspondeert met een toename van DASS-symptomen. Dat zou fungeren als een predispositie voor psychopathologie. De analyses tonen een sterk verband aan. Wij kunnen concluderen dat de invloed van BMI op de predispositie voor psychopathologie geheel via het waargenomen gevoel van veiligheid verloopt. Vervolgonderzoek zou de lichamelijke mobilisatie kunnen uitvragen, omdat een hogere BMI niet hoeft te betekenen dat een lichaam minder fit is.Show less
The present study examined the relationship between arousal, enjoyment, and cognitive performance after musical tapping tasks. Participants performed a series of tapping tasks, followed by a few...Show moreThe present study examined the relationship between arousal, enjoyment, and cognitive performance after musical tapping tasks. Participants performed a series of tapping tasks, followed by a few questions about their arousal, enjoyment, and recall of background objects. We assessed the arousal level of each participant before and after the musical task to investigate music-induced arousal. The participants' memory of background items, as well as their enjoyment of the musical activity, were assessed. While arousal and enjoyment levels fluctuate during the musical activities, the arousal change had no significant effect on enjoyment levels. Levels of enjoyment had no significant effect on memory recall. These findings show evidence that refutes the idea that arousal and enjoyment have distinct effects on recall. Instead, the present findings support previous research that enjoyment of the musical experience and musical arousal interplay a critical role in the relationship between music induced arousal and memory.Show less
