This study examined the interface design of an augmented reality (AR) system that was being developed by the Dutch Police Force to assist police officers on horseback in navigating unknown terrain....Show moreThis study examined the interface design of an augmented reality (AR) system that was being developed by the Dutch Police Force to assist police officers on horseback in navigating unknown terrain. The main research objective was to investigate the effect of visual notifications on the officers’ responsiveness to navigation-assisting stimuli (i.e. ‘user performance’). These stimuli consisted of buzzer sounds and direction indicators. Since navigation support was the primary goal of the interface, attention focused on navigation-supporting stimuli was regarded endogenous. Because information provision was a secondary goal, attention drawn to notifications was regarded exogenous. To investigate the influence of exogenous stimuli on the quality of endogenous information processing, a virtual environment was created. In this environment, ninety-nine participants walked both a route with notifications and a route without notifications. (Endogenous) response times of both conditions were compared to determine the effect of the exogenous stimuli. Subsequently, both the role of timing and the effect of endogenous-exogenous competition on travel speed were investigated. Several repeated measures analyses of variance have been conducted. Exogenous stimuli were found to have a significant negative effect on user performance, F(1,87) = 11.193, p = .001, η2 = .114. In addition, the range between approximately 600 and 1000 milliseconds before the appearance of endogenous stimuli is probably the region in which endogenous user performance starts to be prone to exogenous stimuli, F(1,9) = 10.005, p = .011, η2 = .526. Lastly, it turned out that notifications caused participants to run faster, F(1,86) = 8.162, p < .05, η2 = .087. This study showed that stimuli in AR interfaces can enhance the travel speed of users. This is a desirable effect, since it is important for police officers to arrive at their destination as quickly as possible. This study also showed that exogenous stimuli can decrease user performance, as a result of which they could jeopardize users and others in the (traffic) environment. However, this study also provided an indication of the timing range in which exogenous stimuli are most likely to cause this undesired effect. Based on this range, timing-related blockages of distracting stimuli can be built into AR systems in an effective and efficient way, through which the performance-reducing effect of exogenous stimuli could be avoided. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- In deze studie is onderzoek gedaan naar een ‘augmented reality’ (AR) navigatie systeem dat de politie wil gebruiken bij evenementen. Met de AR technologie kan door middel van een digitale bril een virtuele laag over het gezichtsveld van politieagenten worden geplaatst. Deze laag bestaat deels uit richtingaanwijzers en deels uit notificaties. Hierdoor kunnen politieagenten worden geholpen met het vinden van de weg en kunnen zij daarnaast worden geïnformeerd over de omgeving of noodsituaties. Het effect van notificaties op de ‘gebruikersprestatie’, die aan de hand van reactietijden is gemeten, stond centraal in dit onderzoek. Het idee hierachter is dat de gebruikersprestatie iets zegt over de mate waarin iemand zich kan concentreren op de richtingaanwijzers en het verkeer. Dit is onderzocht aan de hand van een virtuele omgeving, waarin participanten zowel een route met notificaties als een route zonder notificaties hebben gelopen. Het onderzoek heeft aangetoond dat de snelheid waarmee de participanten door de virtuele omgeving liepen door de notificaties werd verhoogd. Dit is een gewenst effect, omdat het in noodsituaties van belang is dat politieagenten snel ter plaatse zijn. Ook is gebleken dat het tonen van notificaties de gebruikersprestatie verlaagt, hetgeen een ongewenst effect is omdat het in het kader van de navigatiedoelstelling en de verkeersveiligheid belangrijk is dat politieagenten snel op richtingaanwijzers en hun omgeving kunnen reageren. Echter kwam uit het onderzoek ook naar voren dat de gebruikersprestatie minder sterk werd beïnvloed wanneer een notificatie minimaal 1000 milliseconden na een navigatie-ondersteunend signaal werd weergegeven dan wanneer een notificatie maximaal 600 milliseconden na een dergelijk signaal werd weergegeven. Dit resultaat stelt ontwerpers van AR-systemen in staat om te voorkomen dat notificaties de gebruikersprestatie verlagen, omdat zij op basis van deze informatie een specifiek kader hebben waarmee zij notificaties afhankelijk van hun timing tijdelijk kunnen blokkeren. Zo kan op een effectieve en efficiënte manier worden voorkomen dat agenten op kwetsbare momenten worden afgeleid, zonder dat dit ten koste gaat van tijdige communicatie van informatie die de agenten nodig hebben om hun overige taken uit te voeren.Show less
Recent research reveals concerning rates of burnout in students, with worrisome consequences. Therefore, interventions to prevent burnout symptoms are desirable. This review aims at exploring...Show moreRecent research reveals concerning rates of burnout in students, with worrisome consequences. Therefore, interventions to prevent burnout symptoms are desirable. This review aims at exploring existing burnout prevention interventions for higher education students and their effectiveness. A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to create an overview of existing interventions. To be eligible for this review, a study must be an intervention study, it must be aimed at (a component of) burnout prevention or stress prevention/reduction, it must include a student population and it must be written in English, Dutch or Greek language. Both qualitative and quantitative studies were eligible. Finally, ten studies where included in the qualitative analysis. Qualitative analysis revealed that the included interventions are useful in stress source recognition, stress reduction and increasing relaxation. Therefore, they are seen as helpful in preventing burnout in students. Five of the included studies (239 participants in total) contained enough data to be included in the meta-analysis. The quantitative analysis revealed that the included interventions significantly reduce levels of stress (Hedges’ g intervention-control comparison studies: 0.544; pre-post comparison studies: 0.692), but did not significantly reduce burnout symptoms (Hedges’ g omnibus intervention-control comparison studies: 0.127; focused intervention-control comparison studies: 0.110; omnibus pre-post comparison studies: 0.040; focused pre-post comparison studies: -0.049). In conclusion, results from this review and meta-analysis provide support that effective stress reduction interventions for students exist. However, these interventions are not effective in reducing burnout symptoms. Equalization and operationalization of terms and constructs in this area of research is needed.Show less
Abstract International and domestic university students suffer extraordinarily from mental health problems. More and more universities are using digital mental health interventions (DMHI) to...Show moreAbstract International and domestic university students suffer extraordinarily from mental health problems. More and more universities are using digital mental health interventions (DMHI) to counter their negative consequences but do not distinguish between these two groups of students. So far, no research has included the different sources of experienced stress between international and domestic students and its effect on mental health. This research investigated the relationship between the students' origin status (international or domestic) and depressive symptoms where perceived stress was included as a mediator. Furthermore, the study focused on the effect of the students' origin on the outcomes and ratings of a Dutch DMHI named 'Moodpep.' We analyzed the data provided from a student mental health initiative (Caring Universities), which conducted multiple measurements from the online Moodpep intervention at four Dutch universities. A mediation analysis and two independent t-tests analyses were conducted to test for differences between international and domestic students regarding baseline conditions and the post-intervention outcomes. There was no observation of a mediating role of perceived stress in the relationship between the students' origin and the development of depressive symptoms. No significant differences were found in terms of the digital intervention's effect and rating amongst the two student groups. Both international and domestic student groups benefited from the Moodpep intervention to the same extent. Further research needs to be done to investigate the effects of the different circumstances, origins, and cultural backgrounds of the students conducting DMHI.Show less
The sector for food and agriculture has an extensive impact on climate change, there the understanding of sustainable consumer behaviour from a psychological stance is more important than ever. The...Show moreThe sector for food and agriculture has an extensive impact on climate change, there the understanding of sustainable consumer behaviour from a psychological stance is more important than ever. The present study explores the association between the extent to which consumers perceive themselves as sustainable and their attributions made regarding sustainable and non- sustainable foodstuffs. It is hypothesized that in-group identity has a significant main effect on the experience of sustainable foodstuffs. A cross-sectional survey was conducted on higher education students (n=166), using the Adjusted In-Group Identity Scale and the Food Attributes Assessment (FAA). In a mixed-model design, one-sample t-tests and repeated measures ANOVAs were run. Analysis showed that in-group identity only had a small influence on food attribution. Overall, the presence of a sustainability label prompts a sustainability halo regardless of ones’ identity. The effect was strongest for non-hedonic foodstuffs among participants that do not identify as being sustainable.Show less
In the face of expanding needs and demand for mental healthcare, coupled with rising costs and limited resources in Western countries, Value-Based Health Care (VBHC) is proposed as a structural...Show moreIn the face of expanding needs and demand for mental healthcare, coupled with rising costs and limited resources in Western countries, Value-Based Health Care (VBHC) is proposed as a structural framework to improve achieved outcomes per encountered costs, and evaluate the quality of care accordingly. The present study aims to compare quality indicators based on principles of VBHC, and to evaluate whether treatment outcome alone, or in combination with cost and duration, provides the best information on quality of care. Data of patients with common mental disorders from a Dutch outpatient mental health care provider were used. Treatment outcome was operationalized as pre-to-posttreatment difference in severity of symptoms (ΔT), and as reliable change (improved) and clinical significant change (recovered). We distinguished three quality indicators: ΔT, efficiency (ΔT divided by costs) and time performance (ΔT divided by duration). These indicators were compared on their ability to distinguish quality of care in teams and subgroups of patients differing in clinical complexity. The results showed that the indicators’ ability to distinguish between treatments, does not increase when cost or duration are taken into consideration, in comparison to outcome alone, when analyzed at a patient-based level. The patient-based indicators denoted suboptimal validity. A comparison with indicators developed at a group-based level did not confirm the patient-based results. We suggest for future research to elaborate a robust operational framework to define value with VBHC principles and use this for the urgently needed improvement of value in mental health care.Show less
The effect of hormones on mood and cognition has been widely recognized yet often ignored in neurocognitive research. The error-related negativity, an event-related potential supposed to index...Show moreThe effect of hormones on mood and cognition has been widely recognized yet often ignored in neurocognitive research. The error-related negativity, an event-related potential supposed to index performance monitoring, is thought to be driven by dopamine and has been shown to be amplified by anxiety and reduced by mood. The current study utilized a within‐subject design to examine the association between menstrual cycle phase, spontaneous eye blink rate (as putative marker of dopamine) and the error-related negativity. 42 normal-cycling females performed a Flanker task during the early follicular phase, which is characterized by low levels of estrogen and progesterone and during the mid-luteal phase, which is characterized by high levels of estrogen and progesterone. It was hypothesized that females with a lower eye blink rate have a larger error-related negativity in the mid-luteal phase compared to the early follicular phase and females with a higher eye blink rate have a larger error-related negativity in the early follicular phase compared to the mid-luteal phase. Results showed no main or interaction effect of cycle phase and eye blink rate on the ERN. However, there was an interaction of cycle phase and eye blink rate on reaction times and a link between eye blink rate and estrogen in the mid-luteal phase. These findings point to a link between ovarian hormonal fluctuations and dopaminergic functioning and might aid future research in understanding the influence of the menstrual cycle on women’s mental and emotional health.Show less
The purpose of this research was to look at how lateral entrants in the technical sector transfer their abilities. Many new employments in this industry are necessary as a result of the energy...Show moreThe purpose of this research was to look at how lateral entrants in the technical sector transfer their abilities. Many new employments in this industry are necessary as a result of the energy transition, but they can't be filled with the current workforce. Therefore, this study focused on researching the perceived relevance of lateral entrants and employers regarding transferable skills within the technical sector, and expanding on skill transfer theory by researching differences of skills within lateral entrants in the technical sector. The main hypothesis was to test if soft skills are perceived as more important than hard skills by employers and lateral entrants. Moreover, if lateral entrants score higher on average on soft skills than on hard skills. The general design of this study was both a between, and within-subject design. In this study, a single data collection approach (questionnaires) was used, and observatory explanations were established. The results of the study identified soft skills as the most transferable skills among technical lateral entrants. The findings show that, when it comes to skills, both lateral entrants and employers perceive soft skills to be the most relevant. Furthermore, the research indicates that, on average, lateral entrants scored substantially higher on soft skills than on hard abilities. Due to limitations regarding the acquisition of participants, the number of respondents was low (N=13). In relation to the procedure of this study, there may also be some possible constraints regarding the time and timing of the data acquisition. To better understand the implications of these results, future studies could focus on a bigger sample size and include ‘earlier employment sector’ as a control variable.Show less
Evidence suggests that the emotion regulation strategy positive reappraisal offers a constructive approach in dealing with difficult emotions. Positive reappraisal involves viewing difficult events...Show moreEvidence suggests that the emotion regulation strategy positive reappraisal offers a constructive approach in dealing with difficult emotions. Positive reappraisal involves viewing difficult events and emotions as being productive, such as being valuable or beneficial. These benefits were linked, among others, to well-being and decreased depressive symptoms. Previous research indicated empathy and cognitive flexibility’s role in processes related to positive reappraisal. Therefore, this study investigated the interrelatedness between three empathy dimensions, cognitive flexibility, and positive reappraisal. In a within-subjects design, 74 Dutch adolescents filled in the following self-report questionnaires: The Empathy Questionnaire for Children and Adolescents’ (EmQue-CA) cognitive and affective empathy subscales, the Interpersonal Reactivity Index’s (IRI) personal distress subscale, the Cognitive Flexibility Scale (CFS), and the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire’s (CERQ) positive reappraisal subscale. While our findings indicated increased cognitive empathy and cognitive flexibility relating to an increased use of positive reappraisal, relationships between affective empathy and personal distress and positive reappraisal were not found. Furthermore, exploratory additional analyses identified the relationships between cognitive empathy and cognitive flexibility and positive reappraisal being curvilinear U-shaped. In the light of an accentuated and amplified social-cognitive development throughout adolescence, our findings particularly suggest that young adolescents with deficits in cognitive empathy and cognitive flexibility benefit from interventions to increase positive reappraisal’s practise. Replicatory research is needed to confirm our findings.Show less
For successful social adjustment, it is important for children to be able to deal with negative social feedback and to regulate emotions triggered by this type of feedback. In middle childhood,...Show moreFor successful social adjustment, it is important for children to be able to deal with negative social feedback and to regulate emotions triggered by this type of feedback. In middle childhood, children are spending a growing amount of time with their peers which makes that social skills are becoming more important. The current study is focused on examining the relationship between sensitive parenting and self-control in the context of social evaluation during middle childhood, and examining whether household chaos could be found as a moderating factor in this relationship. The current study was performed within the longitudinal twin study of the Leiden Consortium Individual Development and consisted of a sub-sample of 215 participants (7-9 years old). Self-control was measured in a well-validated experimental task (the Social Network Aggression Task), parental sensitivity was measured with a parent-child interaction task (the Etch-a-Sketch) and household chaos was measured by a parent report questionnaire (the Confusion, Hubbub, and Order Scale). No relationship was found between sensitive parenting and self-control in the context of social evaluation. Also household chaos was not found as a moderating factor. This study contributes to a better understanding of what factors influence this less studied type of self-control, suggesting that besides parental influences additional factors such as peer influences may play a bigger role on self-control in a social context in middle childhood.Show less
Adverse childhood experiences (ACE) have been consistently mentioned as risk factor for the development of borderline personality disorder (BPD). However, the exact developmental pathways, as well...Show moreAdverse childhood experiences (ACE) have been consistently mentioned as risk factor for the development of borderline personality disorder (BPD). However, the exact developmental pathways, as well as the question how the severity and type of abuse and neglect are related to different features of BPD, are still not well understood. An important underlying mechanism might be an insecure attachment, while perceived social support is believed to function as protective factor. Thus, the present study examined the predictive effects of distinct ACE on individual BPD features, and the role of attachment anxiety and perceived social support in linking ACE to BPD. Questions were investigated using multivariate, mediation, and moderated mediation analyses in a large, diverse sample of international participants (N = 1966). Differential effects of distinct ACE were found with emotional abuse demonstrating the strongest effects on all four BPD features. Attachment anxiety mediated the relationship, while no moderated mediation effect in combination with perceived social support was observed. Given these findings, the prevention of ACE seems critical and should be regarded as first-line intervention in stopping the vicious cycle of BPD symptom manifestation. Still, adequate treatment with a focus on developing secure attachment could be beneficial to counterbalance the effects of ACE.Show less
Novel complexity, such as a new scientific discovery, can be evaluated as interesting and enjoyable, but can also sometimes be evaluated as too complex and cause avoidance when people feel too...Show moreNovel complexity, such as a new scientific discovery, can be evaluated as interesting and enjoyable, but can also sometimes be evaluated as too complex and cause avoidance when people feel too confused to fully appreciate it. The present research aimed to investigate whether novel-complex information would be evaluated as being more interesting and enjoyable when in an explorative mindset (focused on the discovery of any new information) versus a specific mindset (focused on the specific information that is missing). This was tested by conducting an evaluation study on scientific titles, where participants were randomly assigned to two conditions: a specific mindset condition versus an explorative mindset condition. Results showed that unlike what was predicted, no differences were found between the two mindset conditions in the ratings of complexity, interest, or enjoyability for the evaluation of the complex scientific titles. Limitations and future recommendations are discussed.Show less
Reward processing abnormalities have been observed in individuals with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in both behavioral and neuroimaging studies. Models of reinforcement learning...Show moreReward processing abnormalities have been observed in individuals with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in both behavioral and neuroimaging studies. Models of reinforcement learning in healthy individuals have laid the foundation for neurobiological theories addressing reward processing in ADHD. In healthy individuals, dopamine responses in ventral striatum (VS) gradually shift from actual rewards received (prediction error [PE]), toward cues which reliably predict such rewards (reward expectancy [RE]). Drawing on these observations, two theories posit that either low striatal dopamine (dynamic developmental theory) or failed signal shifts per se (dopamine transfer deficit theory) are behind reward-processing deficits in individuals with ADHD. However, the predicted signal abnormalities have not been examined directly. Forty-two participants with ADHD and 56 typically developing (TD) controls participated in a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) reward paradigm examining whole-task and temporal-change measures of PE and RE. Results showed that, contrary to theoretical predictions, the groups did not differ in either an overall measure of RE, or a composite index of PE-RE signal shifts. Furthermore, while overall PE activity was higher in the ADHD group (partly supporting the dopamine transfer deficit theory, which allows for high PE), observed decreases over time were similar between the groups (which was unexpected). Exploratory dimensional analyses showed that while a positive linear relationship between hyperactive/impulsive symptoms and RE was present in the full group, a quadratic (inverse U-shape) model better explained this relation in a sub-sample with currently-diagnosed ADHD, possibly supporting a model of downregulation due to higher symptoms. Finally, there were no significant associations between the index of temporal signal shifts and symptoms, or between overall PE and symptoms. In sum, results do not support the dynamic developmental theory, and only partially support the dopamine transfer deficit theory. Additionally, results suggest that overall signals, rather than dynamic changes, are better able to differentiate ADHD whether at the group level (PE) or at the individual level (RE). Increased PE in ADHD also suggests that immediate rewards (versus delayed reward anticipation cues) may be a useful strategy for interventions.Show less
