While honesty itself is a widely researched topic, most research has been done on human-human interactions. This laid the foundation for many similar studies and a rapidly expanding literature on...Show moreWhile honesty itself is a widely researched topic, most research has been done on human-human interactions. This laid the foundation for many similar studies and a rapidly expanding literature on honesty for human-avatar and human-robot interaction studies. This experiment builds on such research. In the current study, we intended to determine how much (dis)honest behavior participants would display during a coin-toss game with three agents: a robot, an avatar, and a human confederate. In all three conditions, the agents’ pupil size had been manipulated to be either dilated or constricted form. There were three blocks, with 18 trials each. The trials were counterbalanced. We hypothesized that the participants would be more honest with the agents with dilated pupils compared to constricted pupils, as previous studies have shown that people with dilated pupils are perceived more positively. Additionally, we hypothesized that overall, the participants would show more honest behavior when interacting with the confederate because human-to-human contact is familiar and not (yet) comparable to human-AI (Artificial Intelligence) contact. Curiously, results show that our first hypothesis is not met, as pupil size did not have a significant effect (p = .171). Our second hypothesis is partly met as there was a significant difference between the human condition and robot condition (p = .007), but not between human condition and avatar condition.Show less
Can people distinguish between abstract expressionist art made by humans and apes? Previous research indicates that people can distinguish between abstract expressionist art made by professionals...Show moreCan people distinguish between abstract expressionist art made by humans and apes? Previous research indicates that people can distinguish between abstract expressionist art made by professionals and children/animals (Hawley-Dolan et al., 2011; Snapper et al., 2015).These studies suggest that people see more intention and organization in paintings made by professional human artists. However, based on these studies, it remains unclear whether these properties are exclusive to professional paintings, or extend to all human paintings. Here we explored whether the properties found in professional paintings can also be found in nonprofessional human paintings. In study 1, 72 participants were presented with sets of 10 human and 10 non-human paintings, and tasked with identifying the artist. Study 2 involved 102 participtans rating these paintings on several characteristics: intentionality, organization, balance and complexity. In line with our expectations participants: (1) successfully distinguished between human and non-human paintings, even after controlling for differences in artistic materials (2) perceived more organization, balance and intentionality in human paintings, (3) were affected by artist labels. Intriguingly, upon controlling for saturation and texture variations, we infer that some perceived perceptual differences between human and non-human artist paintings may be attributed to material differences. The results of this study indicate that paintings made by untrained human artists are anything but random, and highlight the importance of details in abstract expressionism.Show less
The purpose of this study is to further our understanding of the social skills deficit vulnerability model, which states that individuals with inadequate social skills are at an increased risk for...Show moreThe purpose of this study is to further our understanding of the social skills deficit vulnerability model, which states that individuals with inadequate social skills are at an increased risk for developing various psychological problems. Therefore, the aim is to i) examine whether daily stressors predict internalizing and externalizing problems, and ii) if the specific social skills empathy, assertion, and self-control moderate this association. Additionally, it was tested whether iii) these relations differ across ethnic background groups. A total of 1297 secondary school students, aged between 11 and 17 years old (M = 13.42 years; SD = 0.92 years; 49.3 % male), from one of the major cities in the Netherlands were assessed as part of a larger randomized controlled trial that investigated the effectiveness of a school-based skills-training program. Daily stressors were measured with the Dutch shortened version of the Adolescent Stress Questionnaire (ASQ-S). Internalizing and externalizing problems were assessed via the Dutch translation of the Brief Problem Monitor for Youth (BPM-Y) and the Social Skills Rating System for Children (SSRS-C) was used for the measurement of assertion, empathy, and self-control. Ethnic background was measured by asking the adolescents to select the ethnic background they felt closest to. The comparisons between ethnic background groups were made between a single Dutch ethnic background group and a non-Dutch/combined ethnic background group. A hierarchical regression analysis was performed and after controlling for condition, sex, and ethnic background, low levels of assertion (β = −0.2, p < .005) predicted more internalizing problems. The positive association between daily stressors (β = 0.44, p < .005) and internalizing problems was dependent on the levels of self-control and empathy. We found that low levels of self-control were a predictor for more internalizing problems when adolescents experience moderate to high levels of daily stressors (β = −0.1, p < .005), which is in line with the social skills deficit vulnerability model. Empathy followed a different path, whereby not a deficit but high levels of empathy were predictive of more internalizing problems when faced with average to high degrees of daily stressors (β = 0.16, p < .005). For externalizing problems, daily stressors (β = , p < .005) and low levels of empathy (β = −0.23, p < .005) were significant predictors. These relations did not differ across ethnic background groups. The findings of this study yield valuable additions to theory, such as the social skill deficit vulnerability model, and have implications for future intervention programs.Show less
Suicide is a pressing, global concern, with a growing number of adolescents affected. Present research tends to focus on external factors, for example, stressful life events. Internal factors, like...Show moreSuicide is a pressing, global concern, with a growing number of adolescents affected. Present research tends to focus on external factors, for example, stressful life events. Internal factors, like defence mechanisms, remain understudied. This investigation aimed to explore variations between categories of defense mechanisms used by university students in the Netherlands, with respect to their suicidal ideation scores. A total of 115 participants engaged in the cross-sectional research design. The questionnaires used were the Suicidal Ideation Attributes Scale (SIDAS) and Defence Mechanisms Rating Scale-Self Report-30 Items (DMRS-SR-30). To assess these variations, a one-way ANOVA with a Bonferroni Correction was applied. The expectation was differences being present between used defensive categories, regarding varying scores of suicidal ideation. Gender was acknowledged as a potential influential factor. Significant differences were found within Category 1: Mature and Category 2: Neurotic in relation to the SIDAS scores (p < 0.001, p = 0.002), indicating differing scores of suicidal ideation within these groups. Category 3: Immature, as well as the subgroups Non-Depressive and Depressive, did not exhibit any significant variations within the SIDAS scores (p = 0.341, p = 0.882, p = 0.406), suggesting lack of differences in suicidal ideation scores among individuals in these categories. Gender was found to play a role in the association between suicidal ideation scores and each defensive category (all p < 0.05). The analysis revealed variations within the categories, due to the unavailability of finding the differences between them. Consequently, although the research question and hypothesis were not entirely validated, valuable information and findings were obtained pertaining to this subject. Implications of this research regard both practical aspects, such as new prevention strategies being designed, and theoretical factors, including further comprehension on psychological mechanisms of defence.Show less
Abstract Depression prevalence is increasing worldwide, especially among young people. Alarmingly, the majority of individuals are likely to suffer from recurring episodes of depression. With...Show moreAbstract Depression prevalence is increasing worldwide, especially among young people. Alarmingly, the majority of individuals are likely to suffer from recurring episodes of depression. With treatment developments lagging behind, there is an increasing need for preventing depression from an early age by investigating protective factors. Specifically, the thesis aimed to examine how behavioral emotion regulation (ER) strategies might mediate the association between self-efficacy (SE) and depression severity over four months. Additionally, the yearly stability of behavioral ER use was investigated. The sample comprised 738 participants, (Mage = 22.56, SD = 3.88), 80.6% were female. Of these, 298 individuals completed a yearly follow-up. Self-report questionnaires were used to assess SE, behavioral ER and depression severity at baseline. Depression was reassessed after four months. A multiple mediation analysis revealed that behavioral ER strategies did not mediate the relationship between SE and depression severity over time. With the exception of ignoring, no behavioral ER strategies were significantly associated with depression over time. Higher baseline SE at baseline was linked to the use of more helpful ER strategies and lower depression severity four months later. The additional analysis demonstrated stability in using some behavioral ER strategies over 1 year. The findings emphasize SE as a relevant protective factor in depression. Future research should explore additional factors and employ longitudinal designs to enhance our understanding of the complex interplay among SE and behavioral ER in buffering against depression.Show less
Each year, between 2700 and 2900 underage victims of sexual offenses are interrogated in the Netherlands. Shyness is a personality trait known to influence the memory and testimony of adult...Show moreEach year, between 2700 and 2900 underage victims of sexual offenses are interrogated in the Netherlands. Shyness is a personality trait known to influence the memory and testimony of adult witnesses. However, the influence of shyness on testimonies has not yet been thoroughly investigated in the case of underage witnesses. The aim of this study was to investigate to what extent shyness of children is related to level of detail and accuracy of their statement during interrogation and whether these variables differed based on the type of recall during the interrogation. The sample consisted of eight to eleven year old children (mean age = 9.91 years, SD = 1.221). First, the children participated in a standardized online yoga lesson. A week later, the children participated in an online interview to talk about the yoga lesson. These interviews were transcribed and coded for level of detail and accuracy. The Emotionality, Activity, and Sociability Temperament Survey for Children (EAS), filled out by one of the parents, was used to measure the children’s shyness. Both Pearson correlations and repeated measures ANOVAs showed no significant relations between shyness and the level of detail and accuracy of children’s statements during an interrogation. No differences on the relations between shyness and the level of detail and accuracy were found between free recall versus cued recall. This suggests that shyness might not be the best predictor of the level of detail and accuracy of children’s statements and that shy children may be equally good witnesses as non-shy children. However, the sample in this study was too small (n = 11) to draw a firm conclusion and a replication study with a larger sample is necessary.Show less
Children are known to rely on others’ facial expressions to guide their behavior and to use their own affective state to elicit desired reactions. Recent facial mimicry literature argues that...Show moreChildren are known to rely on others’ facial expressions to guide their behavior and to use their own affective state to elicit desired reactions. Recent facial mimicry literature argues that automatic imitation of others’ emotional expressions can be altered based on social motivations. The present study aimed to explore the impact of learning about children’s internalizing and externalizing behaviors on young adults’ facial mimicry to children’s sad dynamic displays. Potential moderations of implicit gender bias and time spent with children were also investigated. Our final sample included 25 young adults (80% females) between the ages of 18 and 30. Participants’ frowning responses to primary-school aged children’s video displays of sad facial expressions were measured via facial electromyography (fEMG). Using a within-subject design, facial mimicry was assessed before and after learning about children’s behaviors. Participants additionally estimated a total weekly hours they spend with children and completed an adapted Implicit Association Task (IAT) measuring their implicit gender bias towards children’s behaviors. Results did not reveal any significant change in young adults’ facial responses after learning about children’s behaviors, suggesting that internalizing behaviors did not elicit increased mimicry compared to externalizing behaviors and baseline. An interaction of participants’ implicit gender bias was found with behavior and time (p = .04). Adults with greater positive bias tended to mimic internalizing children more than externalizing children. Lastly, no moderation of time spent with children was found, which might be a result of a lack of variability in the sample. The present study tentatively points towards a moderation of implicit gender bias on adults’ affiliative motivations. Prevention and intervention programs may be needed to increase caregivers and teachers’ sensitivity and responsivity to high risk children’s emotional expressions.Show less
Aims and objectives. This study aims to describe behavioural aspects, cognition, and epilepsy course and identify predictors for Quality of Life (QoL) in adolescents and adults two to ten years...Show moreAims and objectives. This study aims to describe behavioural aspects, cognition, and epilepsy course and identify predictors for Quality of Life (QoL) in adolescents and adults two to ten years after achieving remission from epileptic encephalopathy with spike-wave activation in sleep (EE-SWAS). Background. Children with EE-SWAS, a childhood epilepsy syndrome, often experience neurodevelopmental arrest or regression, which consists of a heterogeneous combination of behavioural and cognitive deficits. Three-quarters of the patients in EE-SWAS remission have permanent deficits. Long-term follow-up studies are scarce but suggest a relation between the aetiology, EE-SWAS duration, and use of corticosteroid treatment with neurodevelopmental outcome of patients in remission. Design. This study utilised a cross-sectional observational design with questionnaires and retrospective data collection. Methods. Parents or caregivers of patients digitally filled out the Epilepsy Questionnaire and the Quality of Life in Childhood Epilepsy Questionnaire-55 (QOLCE-55). Results. A total of 35 adolescents and adults with a mean age of 18.2 (SD±3.76) years were included in the statistical analysis. The participants consisted of 18 male and 17 female adolescents and adults who were in ≥ 2 years in EE-SWAS remission. An established aetiology occurred in 19 participants, the median EE-SWAS duration was 4.3 (IQR 2.0-7.0) years, and 13 participants received corticosteroid treatment. The mean QOLCE-55 score for the sample size was 50.0 (SD±16.97). A significant difference of 10.3 points between the means of the QOLCE-55 score of patients with an established (M=45.3, SD±16.20) and an unknown (M=55.6, SD±16.65) aetiology has been found (t=1.841, df=33, p=.038). No difference was found in the QOLCE-55 means between patients with and without corticosteroid treatment (t=0.831, df=33, p=.226). Moreover, no correlation was found between the EE-SWAS duration and QOLCE-55 scores (ρ= -.298, p=.052 (n=31). No statically significant predictors of the QOLCE-55 scores were found in the multivariate regression analysis with an established aetiology (B=-4.5, p=.430), duration (B=-0.1, p=.108), and corticosteroid treatment (B=3.2, p=.595). Conclusions. Although no statistically significant predictors of QoL in EE-SWAS remission in adolescents and adults were found, an established aetiology and longer duration of EE-SWAS showed a potential trend as predictors of a poorer QoL. The study’s findings confirm the presence of cognitive deficits experienced in EE-SWAS remission, aligning with previous literature.Show less
The current study investigated the mediating role of social-evaluative anxiety in the relationship between self-concept clarity and body dissatisfaction in a sample of 160 adolescents (aged between...Show moreThe current study investigated the mediating role of social-evaluative anxiety in the relationship between self-concept clarity and body dissatisfaction in a sample of 160 adolescents (aged between 11 and 21 years). Participants completed self-report questionnaires to measure their self-concept clarity and level of social-evaluative anxiety. To measure body dissatisfaction, participants undertook an fMRI task measuring physical self- concept and completed the physical domain of the Competence Experience Scale for Adolescents (CBSA). A correlational analysis revealed that low self-concept clarity is related to higher body dissatisfaction, regardless of gender. The relationship was found to be partially mediated by social-evaluative anxiety. Gender comparisons did not reveal any significant gender differences. Findings suggest that targeting low self-concept clarity as well as social-evaluative anxiety might be an important part of interventions aiming to reduce body dissatisfaction among adolescents. In addition, the results underline the necessity to equally include both genders in future research and potential interventions.Show less
Experiencing child maltreatment and domestic violence can have significant short- and long-term impacts, including increased risks of mental health issues and psychopathology. Previous research has...Show moreExperiencing child maltreatment and domestic violence can have significant short- and long-term impacts, including increased risks of mental health issues and psychopathology. Previous research has shown that child maltreatment not only can affect direct victims but also the children of parents who have experienced maltreatment. This study examines the relationship between mother’s experienced child maltreatment and their children’s behavioral problems, and investigates whether this relationship is moderated by maternal psychopathology. Based on previous research, it was hypothesized that a positive relationship would exist and that this relationship would be stronger for mothers with more psychopathology. The study focuses on mothers and their children residing in Dutch women’s shelters following domestic violence by the mother’s (ex-)partner. A sample of 29 mother-child dyads was recruited with the average age of mothers being 31.6 years (SD = 6.2 years) and of children being 3.2 years (SD = 1.5 years). The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form (CTQ-SF) was used to measure mother’s experiences of child maltreatment in their childhood, with the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) children’s behavioral problems were evaluated and the Brief Symptom Inventory-18 (BSI-18) was used to assess maternal psychopathology. The results indicated no significant main effect of mother’s experienced child maltreatment on children’s behavioral problems, and no significant moderation effect of maternal psychopathology on this relationship. However, significant main effects were found for mother’s experienced child maltreatment on maternal psychopathology and for maternal psychopathology on children’s behavioral problems, suggesting a potential mediation effect. Possible explanations for not finding the expected main effect and moderation are a low statistical power due to the small sample size and resilience. Therefore, replication studies are warranted. This study enhances the understanding of the complex interplay between child maltreatment, maternal psychopathology, and children’s behavioral outcomes, emphasizing the need for systemic interventions.Show less
Introduction: Relatively little research has assessed predictors of both treatment outcomes and attrition in binge eating disorder (BED) treatment. Even fewer studies did so for digital forms of...Show moreIntroduction: Relatively little research has assessed predictors of both treatment outcomes and attrition in binge eating disorder (BED) treatment. Even fewer studies did so for digital forms of therapy. This study thus aims to contribute to the current pool of knowledge by examining the predictive value of various variables in a recently developed digital BED-treatment: BED-online. Methods: This study was part of a RCT into the effects of BED-online therapy. Participants were over the age of 18, Dutch-speaking and diagnosed with the DSM-V BED. A total of 180 participants were found to be eligible, of whom 40 (22.2%) dropped-out before the last session. Post-treatment measurements from an interview (EDE) and a self-report questionnaire (EDE-Q) were used to determine the immediate treatment effects. A follow-up (24 weeks post-treatment) EDE-Q measurement determined the long-term effects. These variables served as the dependent variables in three different hierarchical linear regression analyses. A fourth logistical regression analysis was conducted, where treatment-related drop-out formed the dependent variable. The following eight predictor variables were chosen based on literature research: ethnicity, age, gender, educational level, comorbidity, frequency of binge eating episodes, levels of BED pathology and treatment condition. The predictor variables served as the independent variables. Results: BED pathology at baseline was found to be the only significant predictor of treatment outcomes as measured by the EDE (β=.41, t=3.71, p<.001), EDE-Q (β=.57, t=8.23, p<.001) and at follow-up (β=.47, t= 6.24, p< .001). Attrition could be predicted by both ethnicity and gender, where males were 5.63 times more likely to discontinue treatment prematurely (OR=5.63, 95%CI [1.81, 17.53]) and participants born abroad were 3.91 times more likely to discontinue treatment (OR=3.91, 95%CI [1.43, 8.76]). Other independent variables did not significantly contribute to the final regression models. Discussion and conclusion: All predictor variables are discussed in detail, reflecting on the results found and comparing them to findings of previous studies. Limitations are elaborated in depth. Due to these limitations, and the modest number of previous studies, further research is encouraged, exploring both the current and other dependent variablesShow less
Research master thesis | Developmental Psychopathology in Education and Child Studies (research) (MSc)
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Prediction-based and repetition-based learning are two learning strategies, differing most profoundly in their depth of processing. In repetition-based learning, students repeat information shortly...Show morePrediction-based and repetition-based learning are two learning strategies, differing most profoundly in their depth of processing. In repetition-based learning, students repeat information shortly after learning it, while in prediction-based learning, students make a prediction before learning the information. This study aims to compare the effectiveness of the two learning strategies for memory recall, as well as consider the influence of age, the magnitude of the prediction errors, and the involved brain areas. It seeks to enhance the educational debate on these learning strategies by uncovering the strategies' mechanisms and guiding educators on their effective use. To accomplish this, 28 young adolescents and 46 young adults were scanned in an MRI scanner while learning numerical facts using both strategies: predicting and repeating. The study explored the influence of strategy, age group, and prediction error on memory recall. Furthermore, it investigated strategy-specific and age-specific differences in the medial temporal lobe (MTL), striatum, anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). While it was expected that prediction-based learning would result in better learning for both age groups as it requires deeper processing, results showed that adults had improved memory for repetition compared to prediction, whereas adolescents did not show a significant difference between the two learning strategies. Within prediction-based learning, adults showed increased memory for small and large prediction errors, while adolescents only did for large prediction errors. Lastly, among the investigated brain areas, the ACC, which is involved in error detection, showed the most prominent role in prediction-based learning.Show less
May people are dealing with debts and this has negative consequences. Therefore, it is important that they seek out for help. However, not everyone seeks out for help. Research suggest that...Show moreMay people are dealing with debts and this has negative consequences. Therefore, it is important that they seek out for help. However, not everyone seeks out for help. Research suggest that autonomy could be of influence. This study investigated the relationship between the need for autonomy and the level of help acceptance, of which was expected that a higher implicit need for autonomy was related to a lower level of help acceptance when experiencing debts. The PSE was used to measure the implicit need for autonomy in a sample of 91 (recently graduated) students. The level of help acceptance was measured with a self-developed questionnaire. The correlation analysis showed that autonomy and help acceptance were positively associated (r (91) =.180, p = .044). Future research should focus on investigating the relationship between autonomy and help acceptance in the specific debt domain. In general, more theoretical research is needed to understand the factors influencing the level of help acceptance. This study provides evidence that a higher need for autonomy is associated with a higher level of help acceptanceShow less
This research paper aims to investigate the safety and efficacy of the newly emerging online approach to psychedelic ceremonies as well as explore the impact set and setting have on the experience....Show moreThis research paper aims to investigate the safety and efficacy of the newly emerging online approach to psychedelic ceremonies as well as explore the impact set and setting have on the experience. Previous research has demonstrated and explored the benefits of psychedelics and their impact on mental health. Nonetheless, no study has yet investigated the potential benefits of psychedelics in an online setting. Therefore, this study recorded the experiences of average people who participated in Spinoza’s online psychedelic ceremonies by means of a voluntary questionnaire. Results showed a significant increase in mental health, compared to baseline, for almost all participants. Additionally, individual differences and setting seemingly had no significant impact on the trip experience. This study provides an insight into the potential experiences of virtual psychedelic ceremonies, contributing to the growing research within the field of psychedelics.Show less
