Green gardens are a solution to heat, dryness, and flooding, which is a big problem in Leiden. However, the majority of gardens in Leiden is grey. The municipality of Leiden would like to stimulate...Show moreGreen gardens are a solution to heat, dryness, and flooding, which is a big problem in Leiden. However, the majority of gardens in Leiden is grey. The municipality of Leiden would like to stimulate their citizens to create more green gardens. Previous research found intentions and motivations to be positively associated with environmental behaviours. Moreover, autonomous motivation is thought to moderate the intention- behaviour relationship. Therefore, we investigated the relationship between intention towards garden greening, autonomous motivation and actual garden greening behaviour. This study found intentions to significantly predict garden greening behaviour, explaining 13% of the variance. With a dichotomous approach, autonomous motivation was found to be a predictor of garden greening behaviour, but not a moderator of the intention- behaviour relationship. In order for the municipality of Leiden to stimulate their residents to green their garden, follow-up research looking into possible moderators of the intention-behaviour gap and autonomous motivation is necessary.Show less
We are exposed to vast amounts of information each day, especially in stimuli-laden environments like supermarkets. Research indicates that distractions in the environment promote unhealthy food...Show moreWe are exposed to vast amounts of information each day, especially in stimuli-laden environments like supermarkets. Research indicates that distractions in the environment promote unhealthy food choices. Nudges like front-of-package nutrition labels are a promising intervention to counteract recent obesity developments and promote healthy food choices. To date, there is no consensus on which FOP nutrition label is most effective in encouraging healthy food choices. This results in uncertainty for policymakers about which nutrition labels to implement. This study tested the effect of different types of nutrition labels that differ in their directiveness on the healthiness of participants’ food choices under varying cognitive load. Our results suggest that people generally make unhealthier food choices while distracted. Further, semi-directive nutrition labels turn out to not only buffer, but actually, reverse the negative effect of distraction on participants’ food choice healthiness. Further research is needed to clarify the processes underlying these findings.Show less
How are effects of social motive affected by asymmetric power dispersion in a three-person negotiation, and does this effect differ between groups of friends and strangers? It was hypothesized that...Show moreHow are effects of social motive affected by asymmetric power dispersion in a three-person negotiation, and does this effect differ between groups of friends and strangers? It was hypothesized that pro-social groups would reach the highest joint outcomes with a leader operating under an unanimity decision rule, followed by groups with a dictator, followed groups without a boss. A pro-self group with a dictator was thought to reach the lowest joint outcomes, followed by one with a leader, followed one without a boss. It was furthermore hypothesized that the effects of a pro-self motive would be stronger in a group of strangers, and the effects of a pro-social motive were thought to be stronger in a group of friends. Results of the three-person Aloha Beach Club negotiation game supported only the hypotheses about the amplifying effect of power differences on social motive.Show less
It has been suggested that power provides both opportunities for promoting the achievement of one's own goals and responsibilities for the outcomes of those who are dependent on the power-holder....Show moreIt has been suggested that power provides both opportunities for promoting the achievement of one's own goals and responsibilities for the outcomes of those who are dependent on the power-holder. In our study we investigated whether sex and gender identity influence the construal of power as either opportunity or responsibility in a variety of power contexts, while also examining the possible moderating role of personality traits. Power was manipulated by priming participants in a high or low power condition, by requesting them to describe a situation in which they felt powerful or powerless. There were also questions about the meaning they ascribed to that power, while their gender identity was measured by a recently developed scale. Our results showed that participants in the high power condition were more likely to construe their power as both an opportunity and a responsibility than the participants in the low power condition and that femininity is associated with the construal of power as a responsibility irrespective of the level of power. Females construed their power as a responsibility more than males only when we controlled for neuroticism, openness to experience and their stability of power. Limitations and implications of the study are discussed.Show less
In this study we were interested in seeing what factors influence whether people share videos of a misfortune online. Previous research has pointed out a relationship between schadenfreude, sharing...Show moreIn this study we were interested in seeing what factors influence whether people share videos of a misfortune online. Previous research has pointed out a relationship between schadenfreude, sharing, deservingness and envy and explored the link between social stereotyping and scha- denfreude. Therefore, the present study (N= 150) explored whether the two dimensions of the Stereotype Content Model, warmth and competence have an effect on schadenfreude and whether schadenfreude is related to sharing videos. We also tested whether competence and warmth are related to schadenfreude through envy, deservingness, and expectancy. Results showed that schadenfreude is related to sharing videos. Furthermore, we obtained evidence that high competence and low warmth elicit schadenfreude. Additionally, unlike we anticipated competence and warmth did not lead to deservingness and envy. However, a main effect of high competence on expectancy was found which states that perceiving a person as highly competent leads to more expectancy of their misfortune. Finally, this research concludes that people find it pleasing when highly competent and cold individuals go through a bad experi- ence, and this increases their willingness to share their schadenfreude with others.Show less
People are exposed to a wide range of aversive conditions, including climate change and pandemics, which can have a profound impact on individual wellbeing and communal functioning. While there is...Show morePeople are exposed to a wide range of aversive conditions, including climate change and pandemics, which can have a profound impact on individual wellbeing and communal functioning. While there is evidence suggesting that exposure to threat and the prospect of punishment promote cooperation, the necessity of punishment in cooperation’s maintenance under threat is largely unexplored. In the current study, we examined whether the presence of threat requires less punishment to maintain cooperation. In a laboratory experiment individuals in groups of three (N=60) were exposed (or not) to the threat of electric shocks while deciding how much to contribute to the common pool. Additionally, half of the tested groups (N=30) were subjected to a peer-punishment procedure in which individuals had the option to deduct money (MU’s) from other group members’ accounts. Heart rate and skin conductance were continuously measured while participants were exposed to the aforementioned procedure. In comparison to the nothreat condition, the threat of shock resulted in a neurophysiological freezing response characterized by a reduction in heart rate and an increase in skin conductance. We find that in contrast to our expectations, threat by itself does not promote cooperation and punishment is needed in cooperation’s maintenance. Overall, our results suggest that the presence of threat does not diminish the role of punishment in increasing cooperation. Our results have implications for policy interventions designed to sustain cooperation under threat.Show less
Introduction: Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is associated with many uncertainties, which may cause patients to experience uncertainty and anxiety. Clinicians’ communication about these uncertainties may...Show moreIntroduction: Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is associated with many uncertainties, which may cause patients to experience uncertainty and anxiety. Clinicians’ communication about these uncertainties may affect patients’ wellbeing. Practical recommendations have been provided for how to optimally communicate uncertainty during medical consultations but these largely lack empirical support. The current research aimed to map how the use of recommended uncertainty communication (i.e., explicit statements and affective strategies) during diagnostic PD consultations predicts patients’ experienced uncertainty and anxiety. We additionally investigated whether patients’ uncertainty tolerance moderates the relationship between the use of recommended uncertainty communication and patients’ experienced uncertainty and anxiety. Methods: This prospective observational longitudinal study used both questionnaires and structured observationally coded data. The two video-recorded diagnostic consultations of every patient were observationally coded by two researchers, using a coding manual. The Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale assessed patients’ uncertainty tolerance. Patients’ experienced uncertainty and anxiety were assessed at four different time points (prior to and after the diagnostic consultations) using the Mishel Uncertainty of Illness Scale and State-Trait Anxiety Index respectively. Results: 22 PD patients (6 females) were recruited (mean age = 76, SD = 10). Multiple regression analyses showed that patients’ experienced uncertainty was only related to the use of recommended uncertainty communication directly after the second consultation (F(2,15) = 5.158, p = .020). Only higher ratios of affective strategies contributed to this predictive relationship (t = 3.109, p = .007), not higher ratios of explicit statements (t = 0.612, p = .550), suggesting that a greater use of affective strategies by the clinician during both consultations is related to a bigger decrease in patients’ experienced uncertainty after the second consultation. Other multiple regression analyses showed no significant relationships between recommended uncertainty communication and patients’ anxiety. Repeated measures ANOVAs showed that patients’ uncertainty tolerance did not moderate any effects. Discussion: These findings suggest that clinicians’ use of affective strategies when communicating uncertainty during diagnostic PD consultations reduces patients’ feelings of uncertainty. No relationship between recommended uncertainty communication and patients’ anxiety was found. The small sample size, Covid-19 pandemic, other personality factors and limitations of the observational coding might have affected these results. Additional research should expand knowledge about the effects of recommended uncertainty communication taking other personality traits and situational factors into consideration. Practical implementation of these results should improve PD patients’ care.Show less
Fluctuations in self-esteem help us monitor social acceptance and potential social threats, such as rejection. However, how people interpret and react to social acceptance and rejection depends on...Show moreFluctuations in self-esteem help us monitor social acceptance and potential social threats, such as rejection. However, how people interpret and react to social acceptance and rejection depends on individual differences in how sensitive people are to rejection. Highly rejectionsensitive individuals anxiously expect, readily perceive and overreact to rejection. This study examined how individual differences in rejection sensitivity modulate self-esteem fluctuations in response to social feedback. Participants (n = 190; age - range = 17 - 38) performed a task that entailed receiving acceptance and rejection feedback from raters who differed in their propensity to provide acceptance feedback. Participants were asked to indicate whether they expected the raters to like them and repeatedly reported on their momentary self-esteem after receiving feedback. The findings indicate that self-esteem increased in response to acceptance feedback and decreased in response to rejection feedback, and these effects were exacerbated when rejection was unexpected. Further analyses with a subset of participants (n = 165; age - range = 17 - 31) who completed a rejection sensitivity questionnaire revealed a potential mechanism through which rejection sensitivity may give rise to psychopathology. In addition to expecting rejection more often than participants with low rejection sensitivity levels, highly rejection-sensitive participants showed larger decreases in self-esteem in response to rejection and larger increases in self-esteem in response to acceptance feedback. This sensitivity may exacerbate declines in self-esteem in response to rejection instances in their day-to-day interactions, making them more vulnerable to developing persistent low self-esteem and, ultimately, mental health issues.Show less
The current research investigated gardening motivations, the difference between the desired and actual garden and their effect on gardening behaviour and intentions for residents of Leiden. It was...Show moreThe current research investigated gardening motivations, the difference between the desired and actual garden and their effect on gardening behaviour and intentions for residents of Leiden. It was hypothesised that a high motivation to garden, a strong wish to have a greener garden and their interaction had a positive effect on past greening behaviour and current greening intentions. Furthermore, it was expected that social, ecological and personal/practical gardening motivations would differ in their influence on current greening intentions and past greening behaviour. Results indicate that current greening intentions are significantly predicted by the motivation to garden, the garden wishes and their interaction. Explaining past greening behaviour was judged difficult due to a non-normal distribution of past greening behaviour scores. When investigating the three gardening motivation types, results indicated that an ecological motivation to garden significantly explained current greening intentions, but not past greening behaviour.Show less
Adolescence is a sensitive period for the onset of internalizing problems. Previous studies showed that internalizing problems in adolescence may stem from lack of parental warmth and critical...Show moreAdolescence is a sensitive period for the onset of internalizing problems. Previous studies showed that internalizing problems in adolescence may stem from lack of parental warmth and critical parenting. However, most research between parenting and adolescent well-being is based on longitudinal designs, that do not account for the dynamic nature of daily parenting processes and the daily fluctuations in the adolescent affective states. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate to what extent perceived critical parenting and lack of parental warmth of both fathers and mothers are associated with negative affect of adolescents in daily life. Parental attachment was included to investigate the influence of attachment on the link between (negative) parenting behaviour and negative affect. The sample consisted of 80 Dutch adolescents (Mage = 15.90, 63.7% female) who completed ecological momentary assessments for a total of 14 days (4 surveys a day). The multi-level regression models showed that adolescents experienced significantly more negative affect on days when parents showed more criticism or less warmth. In addition, no significant interaction-effect was found between attachment and daily parental criticism from father and mother on adolescent's negative affect. Parental attachment only influences the association between lack of daily parental warmth from fathers and adolescent negative affect. The results showed that daily warmth from father has a stronger positive influence on adolescent negative affect when adolescents had a more secure attachment to their father. In addition, no significant interaction effect was found between attachment with mother and mother's warmth on adolescent's negative affect. These current findings could aid in developing new parental interventions to prevent internalizing problems in adolescents.Show less
Itch can produce significant problems and diminish quality of life because it requires a great deal of attention. The studies conducted on attentional bias towards itch differ greatly in results....Show moreItch can produce significant problems and diminish quality of life because it requires a great deal of attention. The studies conducted on attentional bias towards itch differ greatly in results. The primary aim of the current meta-analysis is to determine the overall extent of attentional bias towards visual itch stimuli which healthy individuals display when measured with the dot-probe task. A secondary aim is to investigate how strongly the individual character trait neuroticism predicts attentional bias towards itch in healthy individuals. In total, 563 healthy participants from seven different studies had been included in this meta-analysis for the first hypothesis, and 408 healthy participants from five studies for the second hypothesis. The main findings of the present meta-analysis do not support the notion that healthy individuals display attentional bias towards itch pictures and words (ES = 0.76, SE = 3.43, t (4.27) = 0.22, P = 0.835, 95% CI: -.3.39 to 4.04). Furthermore, it does not support the notion that individuals who score higher on neuroticism have an attentional bias towards itch pictures and words (ES = 0.33, SE = 0.38, t (326.33) = -0.88, P = 0.381, 95% CI: -3.24 to 3.87). This meta-analysis leads to prospective directions to further explore different factors of attentional bias towards itch stimuli. Future researchers need to investigate whether itch stimuli may potentially be biased in patients with chronic itch. Furthermore, studies are needed to investigate whether attentional bias is not reflected in these studies and how the differences in results are caused, for instance by researching other character traits.Show less
Wrongful convictions in lawsuits are mainly caused by human biases. Yet, little empirical research focuses on brightness biases in video evidence. The aim of this study is to investigate the...Show moreWrongful convictions in lawsuits are mainly caused by human biases. Yet, little empirical research focuses on brightness biases in video evidence. The aim of this study is to investigate the difference between day and night-time camera evidence on the estimated likelihood of guilt and actual guilt assessment of a suspect, in criminal trials. It also investigates the effect a bias warning has, and whether the difference between day and night- time camera evidence on the estimated likelihood of guilt is mediated by people’s perceptions of danger and safety.Show less
Humans are equipped with performance monitoring mechanisms rooted at the neural levels that allow monitoring actions and correcting deviations from intended states. One performance monitoring...Show moreHumans are equipped with performance monitoring mechanisms rooted at the neural levels that allow monitoring actions and correcting deviations from intended states. One performance monitoring process, the error-related negativity (ERN), consists of a negative deflection that peaks around 50-70ms after a mistake is made. ERN abnormalities have been observed in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Hence, enhanced ERN amplitudes have been proposed as an endophenotype for OCD. The present study consists of a between- and within-groups design aimed to investigate the relationship between obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OC; as measured by the OCI-R questionnaire) and the ERN amplitudes of healthy participants while immersed in two different social contexts (i.e., harmful vs. non-harmful condition). The experiment utilizes a novel social variant of the Flanker’s task, the error responsibility task (ERT), where the participants were informed that a confederate would hear either a harmful or non-harmful sound when they commit a mistake. 24 healthy participants (N=24) with high (n=11) and low OC (n=13) symptoms performed the ERT while their event-related potentials were measured. A general linear repeated measures model was utilized for analysis. Three hypotheses were studied: (1) the high OC trait group will exhibit enhanced ERNs overall (p=.975), (2) enhanced ERNs will be observed for harmful vs. non-harmful mistakes (p=.057), (3) high scorers will display enhanced ERNs from non-harmful to harmful mistakes (p=.706). The findings highlight the importance of conducting ERN research in social contexts and methodological limitations and future directions are discussed.Show less
Adults who have experienced trauma in their childhood risk having a wide range of mental health problems, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, there may be protective factors...Show moreAdults who have experienced trauma in their childhood risk having a wide range of mental health problems, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, there may be protective factors that could explain why not all victims develop psychopathology in adulthood. One of these potential factors is ‘psychological resilience’: a cognitive process that determines if an individual is able to bounce back from a negative experience through flexible adaptation. The current study aims to examine the relationship between childhood trauma and PTSD symptoms, along with the possible moderating impact of psychological resilience on this relationship. This was investigated with a cross-sectional design, by means of an online selfreport questionnaire performed by 26 Dutch women aged 25 to 62 years of whom most had experienced some type of trauma. The data was collected using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form (CTQ-SR), the PTSD Checklist for DSM-V (PCL-5) and the Resilience Evaluation Scale (RES). The results of a multiple regression analysis demonstrated that, as expected, women who experienced more childhood trauma showed an increased amount of PTSD symptoms (R² = .614, p ≤ .000), and that women with a higher level of resilience showed a lower amount of PTSD symptoms (R² = .74, p ≤ .000). However, resilience cannot be considered as a moderator of the relationship between childhood trauma and PTSD symptoms, as the interaction between childhood trauma and resilience was not significant (p = .179). Instead, the study did find that women who experienced more childhood trauma show lower levels of resilience (r = -.574, p = < .005). The current study recommends future studies to examine what exact role resilience has in the relationship between childhood trauma and PTSD symptoms. In addition, it emphasizes to boost resilience in victims of childhood trauma, because it may decrease the likelihood of developing PTSD symptoms in adulthood.Show less
