Recent research by Sharon et al. (2020) indicated an activating effect of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) on the locus coreleus noradrenergic (LC-NA) system. Given the...Show moreRecent research by Sharon et al. (2020) indicated an activating effect of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) on the locus coreleus noradrenergic (LC-NA) system. Given the mixed findings of previous research, we replicated this study to validate and extend their results. Twenty-one subjects participated in a repeated measures design using the same no-task paradigm as Sharon et al. (2020). Additionally, we extended the analysis to explore indicators of LC-NA activity in the EEG time domain. We compared EEG activity between sham (earlobe) and stimulation (cymba conchae) conditions. Our analysis found significantly less alpha activity during taVNS compared to sham stimulation. This confirms the finding of Sharon et al. (2020) - taVNS attenuates alpha oscillations. However, we found no differences in ERPs between conditions. This was likely due to methodological limitations that make the design inappropriate for ERP research. Our results support an effect of taVNS on phasic LC-NA activity, but the effect on tonic LC-NA remains unknown. This is discussed from the perspective of using taVNS as an intervention for disorders such as ADHD. Based on our exploratory analysis and literature findings, recommendations are made for future research.Show less
This paper provides new insight in the influence of the audience size and audience attitudes on the eye gaze frequency toward the audience via a screen display to develop a training program for non...Show moreThis paper provides new insight in the influence of the audience size and audience attitudes on the eye gaze frequency toward the audience via a screen display to develop a training program for non-diagnosed public speaking anxiety. Previous studies mostly used virtual reality head-mounted displays and focused on a clinical sample, where this paper focuses on a non-clinical sample. Forty-four adults that participated met the requirement of speaking English as a second language. They filled in a Personal Report of Public Speaking Anxiety (PRPSA) questionnaire and gave a public speech about movies. The speech was given in front of a small audience of two people or a big audience of six people where they received encouraging or critical feedback depending on the condition they got randomly assigned to. During the speech, the eye gaze of the participant was measured to find out if they made more or less eye contact in the different conditions. The results indicated that participants had more frequent eye gaze toward the audience in the big audience condition compared to the small audience condition, independent of the audience’s appearance and the participant’s PRPSA scores. The eye gaze frequency toward the audience plus looking at the background of the screen (nowhere) resulted in the total screen time (100%). The results of this paper lead to the conclusion that a non-clinical form of virtual exposure training could be helpful to decrease fear of public speaking in the general population when audience size is controlled.Show less
Non-verbal communication is an import social skill we humans have mastered. The eyes of others are of particular interest to us. Gaze direction in combination with the emotional expression on...Show moreNon-verbal communication is an import social skill we humans have mastered. The eyes of others are of particular interest to us. Gaze direction in combination with the emotional expression on someone’s face, provides a plethora of information about location and evaluation. Theory of mind is important in understanding this information. There is evidence that depression can cause a bias towards negative stimuli, however not all studies regarding this subject find similar results. To investigate whether depression influences attention in a negative matter a gaze cueing paradigm was used. The level of depression was measured using the BDI. Our findings indicated an effect of cue validity, but not of emotion. The level of depression did not influence attention.Show less
The prevalence rate of suicidal ideation among university students is high. Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), as a social determinant of mental health, are amongst many predictive factors that...Show moreThe prevalence rate of suicidal ideation among university students is high. Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), as a social determinant of mental health, are amongst many predictive factors that influence suicidal ideation. This research paper aimed to investigate the effect that different childhood maltreatment types (physical abuse/ neglect, emotional abuse/ neglect, and sexual abuse) have on adolescents’ suicidal ideation (aged 17-26). To investigate those effects in a non-clinical population, a cross-sectional study was conducted amongst Leiden University students (N = 133). The data was collected via two online Self-Report Questionnaires (the Suicidal Ideation Attribution Scale and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire Short Form). While adverse childhood experiences were reported in 35,3 percent of respondents, suicidal ideation was present in 51,9 percent of the respondents. Overall, the simple linear regression model provided clear results on the predictive effect ACEs have on adolescents’ suicidal ideation (F(1, 131) = 17.419, p < .001, R² = 0.117). According to the multiple linear regression model, only emotional abuse proved to be a significant maltreatment predictor of suicidal ideation (t(127) = 3.989, p < .001, f ² = .27). The obtained results can serve as a justification for the inclusion of social determinants as a direct predictor of suicidal ideation in existing theories and models. Further, the findings can provide vindication for policy changes and the execution of better suicide prevention work on multiple levels of society. If the findings are implemented successfully, then “one’s Beginning no longer has to be one’s End”.Show less
High levels of trait rumination put people at risk for developing multiple forms of psychopathology. Therefore, to be able to develop prevention programmes, it is essential to investigate the...Show moreHigh levels of trait rumination put people at risk for developing multiple forms of psychopathology. Therefore, to be able to develop prevention programmes, it is essential to investigate the mechanism underlying rumination. Although the connection between rumination and psychopathology has been investigated and neurocognitive networks involved in rumination have been identified, most of the studies focus on the neural correlates of rumination in individuals with a mental disorder, predominantly depression. Little is known about the relationship between trait rumination and the functioning of neurocognitive networks in healthy people. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate the relationship between level of trait rumination and functional connectivity within three core neurocognitive networks: Default Mode Network (DMN), Salience Network (SN), and Central Executive Network (CEN), in healthy volunteers with high or low trait rumination scores. It was hypothesised that the high-trait rumination group would show significantly stronger functional connectivity within the DMN, and within the SN compared to the low-trait rumination group and that the opposite pattern would emerge for the CEN. The results show that there are no significant differences between high- and low-trait ruminators in relation to functional connectivity strength within the three networks of interest. These findings indicate that the association between rumination and aberrant functional connectivity within the networks of interest may be unique to clinical populations. Therefore, aberrant functional connectivity within the DMN, SN, and CEN in relation to rumination may serve as a marker for psychopathology, rather than as a risk factor, in the future.Show less
Null hypothesis significance testing (NHST) has seen numerous criticisms over the past decades, aimed at its assumptions and the .05 threshold. This leaves a desire for alternative methods such as...Show moreNull hypothesis significance testing (NHST) has seen numerous criticisms over the past decades, aimed at its assumptions and the .05 threshold. This leaves a desire for alternative methods such as cross-validation. A side-by-side analysis using both methods has been performed to show how the two methods differ and might complement each other’s weaknesses. A dataset named the International Cognitive Ability Resource was used to apply the methods. Cross-validation offers flexibility during interpretation, while NHST can provide simplicity. When used in combination, both methods become stronger.Show less
Negotiating is an intricate process and crucial to finding success in all facets of life. Constructs such as stereotype endorsement and threat, social motives and power distributions play an...Show moreNegotiating is an intricate process and crucial to finding success in all facets of life. Constructs such as stereotype endorsement and threat, social motives and power distributions play an important role in negotiations. Negotiations are not limited to dyads; often they take place in a group setting. Whilst both men and women negotiate, there appear to be differences in performance between the two. The question that this paper looks to address is what the influence of stereotype endorsement and stereotype threat is on the outcome of both pro-self and pro-socially motivated, mixed gender groups, where power is dispersed unequally. The two main hypotheses that follow are that men in the leadership position will outperform women in the leadership position in the pro-self motivated condition. Furthermore, groups with a female leader will outperform groups with a male leader in the pro-socially motivated condition. To investigate this, 204 participants were recruited into 68 three person groups, comprising 105 men and 99 women. They played a negotiation game, emulating the owners of a beach club. Their scores and answers on a questionnaire following the game were brought into analysis. Results show that men and women perform better or worse depending on the social motive and the power distribution of the negotiation. Also, the leader is especially impacted by stereotypes surrounding their gender. The differences between men and women might be explained by the effects of gender stereotypes. Being aware of the influence of gender stereotypes on negotiation performance might serve individuals well in order to increase their performance in negotiations.Show less
Introduction: Childhood maltreatment (CM) is an increasing phenomenon, with lifelong consequences. Specifically emotional neglect (EN) still often goes unnoticed, while its devastating consequences...Show moreIntroduction: Childhood maltreatment (CM) is an increasing phenomenon, with lifelong consequences. Specifically emotional neglect (EN) still often goes unnoticed, while its devastating consequences are becoming more clear. One of them seems to be lowered empathy in adulthood, which affects people’s relationships, quality of life and can lead to antisocial or criminal behavior. Unfortunately there are not a lot of studies differentiating between the different types of CM and empathy. EN is also the least studied form of CM. Since the unique contribution of EN is not well researched, this study investigated the role of EN on empathy. Method: Online self-report questionnaires were used, measuring childhood maltreatment and empathy (cognitive and affective) in general population (N = 187). Multiple linear regression was applied to test the effects. Results: Emotional and physical neglect predicted lower empathy scores (total). EN also predicted lowered affective empathy. Furthermore emotional abuse predicted higher (total, cognitive and affective) empathy scores. Discussion: Neglect seems to play a role in reducing empathetic abilities, while emotional abuse increases them. These results need to be taken with caution as there are several limitations of this study, such as the self-report, retrospective method in a not representative sample. There is also not a lot of other studies to either confirm or challenge these findings. Future studies should differentiate between all types of CM and empathy. They should also be done in a representative sample, with a multi-method approach.Show less
Pathological identity-related functioning is a core feature of borderline personality disorder (BPD). Despite a high level of heterogeneity in the presentation of BPD, many of its defining features...Show morePathological identity-related functioning is a core feature of borderline personality disorder (BPD). Despite a high level of heterogeneity in the presentation of BPD, many of its defining features may stem from a poorly integrated sense of self. Early maladaptive schemas are self-defeating beliefs representing important pathways through which BPD features are caused and maintained. While literature suggests that most schemas are correlated with BPD as a whole, research on specific BPD features and specific schemas is needed to map out unique associations. The current self-report study examined the relationship between the BPD core feature of identity disturbance measured by the Personality Assessment Inventory-Borderline Feature Scale (PAI-BOR) and the enmeshment schema measured by the Young Schema Questionnaire-Short Form (YSQ-S3) in a non-clinical sample (N=398), while controlling for the remaining core BPD features (i.e., affective instability, negative relationships, and self-harm). There were significant unique effects found for identity disturbance and negative relationships, with higher levels on these constructs predicting more enmeshment. A significant unique effect was also found for nationality as a covariate. The findings may explain how individuals with elevated levels of identity disturbance as a BPD feature become overly dependent and enmeshed in relationships to compensate for an unstable sense-of-self and -direction. This indicates potential pathways between specific BPD features and cognitive schemas that could be targeted to foster a stronger self-identity and, consequently more stability in relationships. Future longitudinal and prospective studies are needed to follow the course and direction of the relationship for further understanding of its dynamics.Show less
