Due to global warming and unsustainable raw-material use, the necessity of a circular transition of industries has become evident in recent years. This study examines if employees’ green motivation...Show moreDue to global warming and unsustainable raw-material use, the necessity of a circular transition of industries has become evident in recent years. This study examines if employees’ green motivation (intrinsic, extrinsic, and amotivation) influences organisational endorsement of the Green Deal. A total of 51 participants from 13 organisations participated in the experiment. The Motivation Towards the Environment Scale was used to assess the level of motivation. For the dependent variable, we used the dichotomous measure of endorsement of the Green Deal. We hypothesised that higher levels of green intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, and lower levels of green amotivation, would predict endorsement. Using a mixed-effects logistic analysis, we found no significant evidence that any motivation type significantly predicted Green Deal endorsement. However, due to the limitations of our sample, we cannot draw reliable conclusions. Notably, significant differences in all motivation types were observed between management board and non-management board employees (pi = 0.033, pe = 0.004, pa = 0.000). Additionally, we found that employees who work on the circular transition exhibited significantly higher levels of extrinsic motivation compared to those who do not (pe = 0.042). Our research contributes to the growing body of research on the influence of motivation on sustainable behaviour.Show less
Institutions of higher learning increasingly incorporate Active Blended Learning (ABL) into their curricula. This transition faces challenges, as students’ negative perceptions and reluctance to...Show moreInstitutions of higher learning increasingly incorporate Active Blended Learning (ABL) into their curricula. This transition faces challenges, as students’ negative perceptions and reluctance to adapt hinder effective integration. To address the gap between the pedagogical benefits driving ABL integration and students’ experiences, this study aimed to understand the factors contributing to a supportive and motivating learning environment in the context of the current educational transition towards ABL. A mixed-methods approach was used, combining a literary review to identify possible factors influencing tutor and student adaptability, with three surveys conducted among students and tutors of a Leiden University Bachelor course. The results underscore the complex nature of student motivation and engagement within ABL, highlighting a need for multifaceted support strategies. Noteworthy factors contributing to student motivation and perceived teaching effectiveness include perceived support, psychological safety, trust, and clear and transparent instructions. The findings also suggest possible interplay between these factors, indicating a need for further research into their combined effects. Additionally, this study reveals a possible effect of social comparisons on learning outcomes and emphasises the importance of both context-specific and conventional measures in ABL research. Growth mindset students were found to prefer autonomy-oriented help. Yet, matching tutor behaviour with student preferences only increased perceived support when based on student reports of tutor behaviour. This suggests that addressing discrepancies between tutor and student perceptions could improve teaching strategies. Increased autonomy and relatedness did not significantly predict student motivation. Competence, however, did – underscoring the importance of fostering student confidence. Finally, the results emphasise the significance of task-related and relational factors in enhancing student perspectives of teaching, with salient social groups potentially influencing students’ perceptions of tutors. These insights provide valuable guidance for future research aimed at creating an informed ABL implementation strategy that caters to the needs of both students and educators.Show less
A phenomenon called “email apnea” (EA), defined as a combination of shallow breathing and breath holds during screen usage, is circulating on blogs and news articles, yet lacks scientific support....Show moreA phenomenon called “email apnea” (EA), defined as a combination of shallow breathing and breath holds during screen usage, is circulating on blogs and news articles, yet lacks scientific support. This study directly explores the existence of EA an its impact on working memory performance with a mixed factor design. Sixty participants (mean age 21,1) were divided into a screen versus paper condition and performed a reading and writing task during which respiration patterns and blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) were measured with a respiration band and pulse oximeter. Measurements were taken in 5-minute epochs: baseline , two reading task epochs (R1, R2) and two writing task epochs. Afterwards, the participants performed a 3-level n-back task measuring working memory performance. The hypotheses predicted that there would be a difference in the respiration and SpO2 between the screen and paper conditions, coupled with a decrease in n-back performance in the screen condition. Bayesian repeated measures ANOVA showed no differences between the conditions for the mean breath durations, inhalation/exhalation ratio and SpO2. The results of the Bayesian independent samples T-test analyzing n-back task performance were also inconclusive. Interestingly, participants showed a strong effect of time for mean breath duration decreasing during the reading task and decreasing further during the writing task while the inhalation/exhalation ratio was lowest during R1 and highest during R2. This study provides evidence against EA, although subsequent research should explore if adding the variable stress could provide more insight.Show less
Previous research has shown that children’s art viewing behaviour is influenced by bottom-up factors, as opposed to top-down factors in adults. This study examines the influence of painting...Show morePrevious research has shown that children’s art viewing behaviour is influenced by bottom-up factors, as opposed to top-down factors in adults. This study examines the influence of painting descriptions tailored to children aged 10-12 on their visual attention and aesthetic appreciation of art. Sixty-two participants viewed a set of three painting in the halls of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, while their eye movements were recorded. One group received a description tailored to their age-group before viewing each painting (Child Description Condition), while the two other groups either received the museum’s description (Adult Description Condition) or no description at all (Free-Viewing Condition). After viewing, each participant’s aesthetic appreciation was measured. Findings indicate significant differences in visual attention between conditions, where participants with child-tailored description viewed more areas of interest for a longer period compared to other conditions. However, no difference in aesthetic appreciation was found between conditions. These results highlight the importance of tailoring art descriptions to the knowledge level of specific demographics, children in particular. Furthermore, it shows that adult-level descriptions are just as effective at modulating children’s visual attention as giving no description or information at all. Going further, this knowledge can be applied to enhance children’s understanding and maintain engagement in various real-world settings, such as education and safety.Show less
The current study aims to investigate the mediating role of social presence in the relationship between conflict structure – cooperative, competitive, and neutral – and physiological synchrony (PS)...Show moreThe current study aims to investigate the mediating role of social presence in the relationship between conflict structure – cooperative, competitive, and neutral – and physiological synchrony (PS), as measured through interbeat interval and skin conductance. Previous literature on this relationship is limited and somewhat contradicting, providing the rationale for the present research. It was hypothesized that there would be no significant difference in PS between the conflict structures and that social presence would significantly predict the occurrence of PS. To investigate this association, dyads of strangers engaged in an Iterated Prisoner’s Dilemma game, in a cooperative, competitive, or neutral condition, which was manipulated by means of instruction. After the game, the Social Presence in Gaming Questionnaire (De Kort et al., 2007) was administered to measure social presence. In line with the first hypothesis, results showed no significant difference in PS between the conflict structures. The second hypothesis was rejected, as social presence did not significantly predict PS. These findings suggest that PS is consistent across different conflict structures, and is not influenced by social presence. However, the study is subject to several limitations, which have to be taken into account when drawing these conclusions. Directions for future research are discussed, as well as the study’s theoretical and practical implications.Show less
Public speaking anxiety can interfere with academic and professional aspirations, especially when anxiety leads to avoidance. Previous studies have shown that people with high and low anxiety...Show morePublic speaking anxiety can interfere with academic and professional aspirations, especially when anxiety leads to avoidance. Previous studies have shown that people with high and low anxiety differ in their subjective and objective arousal during a public speaking task. Interoception plays a key role in the integration of objective and subjective arousal and might be related to differences in anxiety experience between high and low-anxious public speakers. Virtual environments offer a great opportunity to practice and investigate exposure to different types of public speaking situations. The current study aimed, firstly, to investigate differences in subjective and objective arousal in high- and low-anxious public speakers, secondly, to investigate correlations between subjective and objective arousal as a proxy of interoception, and thirdly, to investigate the influence of virtual audience size and attitude in high- and low-anxious speakers. To this aim, we set up an impromptu virtual public speaking task with 102 participants. After measuring their public speaking anxiety level via a questionnaire, the participants prepared and gave their speech to the virtual audience. The virtual audience differed in size and attitude (2x2 between-subject design). We measured their subjective and objective arousal via questionnaire and physiological signals respectively before and during the speech. Interoception was estimated by the correlations between matching subjective and objective arousal measures. In line with previous studies, results showed heightened subjective arousal in high-anxious speakers while similar objective arousal compared to low-anxious speakers. Results showed slightly more significant correlations between subjective and objective arousal measures for low-anxious speakers, but not between matching arousal measures, indicating poor interoceptive ability in both anxiety groups. Lastly, we did not find a significant effect of audience size or attitude. These results differ from previous findings, which indicated lower arousal for encouraging compared to critical audiences. Limitations and future recommendations will be presented.Show less
With increased media use, the research interest in media violence and its effect on behavior is also increasing. It is often reported that people watch aggressive acts on television and acquire...Show moreWith increased media use, the research interest in media violence and its effect on behavior is also increasing. It is often reported that people watch aggressive acts on television and acquire this behavior through for example observational learning. Multiple theories suggest that an interplay between person, situation, environment, and biology is accountable for the effect of media violence on behavior. However, investigating this topic in humans is often neither convenient nor ethical. Due to existing genetic and cognitive similarities between humans and chimpanzees, it is possible to do this research in captive chimpanzees. This study investigates the effect of media representations of conspecific aggression on chimpanzee behavior and how this relationship changes over time. Three observers focused on one individual and observed him for four months. Data was categorized into three conditions: test (aggressive stimuli), control (non-aggressive stimuli), and control-control (no stimuli). It was expected that the chimpanzee would show more aggressive behavior on test days compared to non-test days and that this display would increase over time due to desensitization. However, Kruskal-Wallis F-tests revealed no such significant differences for aggressive behavior, and no effect of time was found for this relationship. Therefore, the hypotheses were not supported by the data. It appeared there was no effect of viewing videos of conspecific aggression on chimpanzee behavior. The lack of significant findings might be due to a lack of power, the complexity of interactions described by multiple theories, and methodological issues. This research contributes to the theoretical framework, poses new challenges for future research, and provides implications for policy on media use.Show less
Human-induced global warming drives climate extremes across the entire globe. Thus, people need to understand the consequences of already accumulated CO2, and why reaching the net-zero CO2...Show moreHuman-induced global warming drives climate extremes across the entire globe. Thus, people need to understand the consequences of already accumulated CO2, and why reaching the net-zero CO2 emissions has to be achieved as soon as possible. A communication tool that has power to spread the environmental awareness is data visualisation. The current research aims to find empirical evidence for the effects of three design guidelines (shade, annotations, animation) applied to carbon emissions scenario figures on following outcome measures: climate change risk perception, climate beliefs, climate policy support and real-world action. By testing different ways of visualising the carbon emission figures, we investigated how best to visualise data to convey the message concerning the urgency of taking a climate action due to cumulative impact of CO2. We expected people exposed to visualisations including the most cognitive cues (e.g. annotations) to score highest on the outcome measures. The final sample consisted of 314 non-climate scientists, who were randomly assigned to eight experimental groups and one control group. Our results did not show any effects of the chosen design techniques on any of the outcome measures. The main limitation of this study is a small and homogenous sample. We also concluded that there is some vagueness in the literature concerning how data visualisation design guidelines should be applied. Future research should focus on specifying the data visualisation guidelines and their application, as well as investigating user-cantered and transdisciplinary approaches to improve climate data communication to all types of audiences.Show less
Pupil mimicry is a phenomenon where social species such as humans, take on the pupil size of the other person for various reasons. The objective of this research was to investigate whether human...Show morePupil mimicry is a phenomenon where social species such as humans, take on the pupil size of the other person for various reasons. The objective of this research was to investigate whether human participants (N=48) would show pupil mimicry towards humans, bonobos and dogs, and if there would be differences in mimicry strength towards the species. Further investigation dove deeper into pupil mimicry towards dogs, and if this would be influenced by familiarity. Familiarity was measured in (prior) dog ownership experience through a questionnaire filled out by the participants, 27 participants had ownership experience. Results showed that participants had pupil mimicry towards all three species, but no interaction effect was found between pupil action (dilating/constricting) and species. The results focussing on dogs and familiarity did not find an effect of familiarity on pupil mimicry. Current research aimed to fill in the literary gap about humans mimicking cross- and conspecifics and providing more knowledge about the influence of familiarity on pupil mimicry. This research could not give conclusive answers to the research questions, however pupil mimicry towards humans, bonobos and dogs was found, though not influenced by the interaction of species with pupil action, or familiarity. It is suggested that future research keeps expanding in this field of mimicry and various species. Furthermore, it is suggested that stimuli get more testing prior to the study, since this might have influenced the results. Additionally, make the participant group bigger to ensure enough statistical power.Show less
The present study investigates the restorative effects of natural and urban environments on attentional control and emotional states. Utilizing the Additional Singleton task, participants were...Show moreThe present study investigates the restorative effects of natural and urban environments on attentional control and emotional states. Utilizing the Additional Singleton task, participants were tested for reaction times and accuracy before and after exposure to images of nature and urban settings. Contrary to the Attention Restoration Theory (ART), which posits a superiority of natural settings in restoring directed attention, our results indicated that exposure to urban environments enhanced attentional control in situations where distractive stimuli are present. The results revealed that exposure to urban scenery can have restorative benefits on attentional capture, mitigating attentional fatigue and resulting in improved reaction times and accuracy in a visual search task following exposure. Exposure to urban environments resulted in a decline in positive affect, while both types of scenery led to reduced negative affect. Participants exhibited a preference for natural over urban scenery, although this preference did not correlate with changes in attentional or emotional measures. The findings challenge the prevailing notion of the distinct advantage of natural environments in cognitive and emotional restoration and suggest that urban settings also might possess restorative qualities. Future studies should investigate the specific aspects of urban environments that contribute to these outcomes, emphasizing the importance of comprehensively understanding how different environmental factors affect overall well-being.Show less
This research explored students' trust in ChatGPT, in answering challenging trivia questions on an online multiple-choice questionnaire. Despite extensive research on ChatGPT's capabilities, a...Show moreThis research explored students' trust in ChatGPT, in answering challenging trivia questions on an online multiple-choice questionnaire. Despite extensive research on ChatGPT's capabilities, a significant gap in the literature remains regarding human trust in this AI system, particularly in educational contexts. This study aimed to assess to what extent do university students trust this novel AI, uncovering biases towards or against AI-generated responses. Using a between-subjects design, we manipulated answer source transparency and correctness. Each question presented participants with one human-generated and one AI-generated answer option. The results were analysed through paired samples and independent two-sample t-tests, alongside Ordinary Least Square (OLS) regression models. The findings revealed a distinct preference for human-generated content, which persisted even when answers were incorrect. This indicated a lower level of trust in ChatGPT among our participants, implying that they did not over-rely on AI-generated content. Surprisingly, the trend leaned towards an over-reliance on human-generated responses.Show less
Previous research has shown that children’s art viewing behaviour is influenced by bottom-up factors, as opposed to top-down factors in adults. This study examines the influence of painting...Show morePrevious research has shown that children’s art viewing behaviour is influenced by bottom-up factors, as opposed to top-down factors in adults. This study examines the influence of painting descriptions tailored to children aged 10-12 on their visual attention and aesthetic appreciation of art. Sixty-two participants viewed a set of three painting in the halls of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, while their eye movements were recorded. One group received a description tailored to their age-group before viewing each painting (Child Description Condition), while the two other groups either received the museum’s description (Adult Description Condition) or no description at all (Free-Viewing Condition). After viewing, each participant’s aesthetic appreciation was measured. Findings indicate significant differences in visual attention between conditions, where participants with child-tailored description viewed more areas of interest for a longer period compared to other conditions. However, no difference in aesthetic appreciation was found between conditions. These results highlight the importance of tailoring art descriptions to the knowledge level of specific demographics, children in particular. Furthermore, it shows that adult-level descriptions are just as effective at modulating children’s visual attention as giving no description or information at all. Going further, this knowledge can be applied to enhance children’s understanding and maintain engagement in various real-world settings, such as education and safety.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
This study examines the effects of pupil dilation and iris brightness on the prosocial behavior of people and their attitudes toward primates. We hypothesize that these factors influence...Show moreThis study examines the effects of pupil dilation and iris brightness on the prosocial behavior of people and their attitudes toward primates. We hypothesize that these factors influence perceptions of primates and have an impact on monetary donations as well as ratings of attractiveness, friendliness, and cuteness. The study used a modified dictator game as the primary methodology, with 81 participants completing an online survey and meeting the criteria. Participants were randomly assigned to different iris brightness conditions, either dark or light. During the survey, participants were presented with a total of 64 image pairs, each containing facial portraits of 32 different primate species. We manipulated iris brightness and pupil size of the portraits. Analysis of the data, conducted using mixed repeated measures ANOVA, revealed that pupil dilation significantly influenced several variables. Primates with dilated pupils received higher donation amounts. Although the effects of iris brightness did not reach statistical significance, there was a notable trend indicating increased generosity toward primates with lighter irises. Interestingly, when the pupil was more visible, as shown in the light iris condition, the effects of pupil dilation tended to be more pronounced, although they did not reach the threshold for statistical significance. This research contributes to our understanding of the complex mechanisms behind prosocial behavior when exposed to specific facial features and provides insight into how humans perceive and interact with non-human species, particularly in the context of eye appearance.Show less
This study examines the efficacy of a climate label intervention to affect consumer buying behaviour in an Amsterdam based grocery store. Three label categories were introduced, green, yellow, and...Show moreThis study examines the efficacy of a climate label intervention to affect consumer buying behaviour in an Amsterdam based grocery store. Three label categories were introduced, green, yellow, and red, representing low, medium, and high climate impact, respectively. Data from one month before the label implementation of the labelling system and one month after were collected and analysed. The results show no significant differences between the three label groups when analysing a change score between pre- and post-label implementation. However, when combining red and negative labels into a negative label group to raise power, we find marginally significant differences between changes in the positive label group and the negative label group, showing that the intervention may have had a marginally statistically significant negative impact on negative label product purchases. In addition to these findings, our research expresses the importance of policy changes, including climate labels, to influence climate change and explores future avenues for research.Show less
Feminist language critics have argued that the use of a masculine generic, i.e., a masculine noun in reference to people irrespective of their gender, contributes to the under-representation of...Show moreFeminist language critics have argued that the use of a masculine generic, i.e., a masculine noun in reference to people irrespective of their gender, contributes to the under-representation of women (Backer & Cuypere, 2012). There are two alternatives available: feminization, in which both the masculine and feminine form are used, and neutralization, in which a gender neutral form is used. Given the differences between different languages regarding grammatical gender, there might be differences in which alternative is most effective to counteract the under-representation of women in each language. In this study we examined these differences between Dutch as spoken in the Netherlands and Dutch as spoken in Belgium, as the former only uses two grammatical genders and the latter seems to use three. The purpose of this study was to examine which alternative has the most potential to balance the mental representation of gender in each country, and to compare the countries to each other. We hypothesized that neutralizations would be a more effective alternative in the Netherlands compared to Belgium and for feminizations vice versa. Furthermore, we hypothesized that both alternatives would generally lead to a more balanced mental representation of gender than masculine generics. To examine this mental representation of each type of noun, a modified version of the EAST was used. The final sample consisted of 31 participants: 29 from the Netherlands and 2 from Belgium. The results showed no significant differences between the countries or the different types of nouns, which means that none of the hypotheses were supported. For the comparisons between the two countries, this was likely due to the small Belgian sample. Therefore, we could not draw any valid conclusion about whether there is a difference between the Netherlands and Belgium. Future research should be able to draw a more reliable conclusion about that. Additionally, future research could focus on the influence of stereotypicality on the effectiveness of alternatives to the masculine generic, or on increasing gender neutrality in languages.Show less
Human factors remain a key contributor to patient harm. However, healthcare organizations struggle to learn from mistakes, hindering the reduction of medical errors. Psychological safety (PS)...Show moreHuman factors remain a key contributor to patient harm. However, healthcare organizations struggle to learn from mistakes, hindering the reduction of medical errors. Psychological safety (PS) enhances team functioning and reduce medical errors by stimulating open communication and giving and receiving feedback while a punitive working culture can lower PS, leading to decreased team performance and increased patient harm. Similar to a punitive working culture, when group norms (GN) are present, non-normative behavior can lead to rejection, causing physical and emotional distress that could undermine PS. This study therefore explores the impact of GN on PS. This study examined the impact of GN on PS using qualitative and quantitative methods. Different outcomes were observed when analyzing the impact of GN on PS, depending on whether a homogeneous or heterogeneous dataset was used. The homogeneous dataset showed no relationship between PS and GN, while the heterogeneous dataset indicated a significant positive correlation. The study had some limitations, including a small sample size and the use of self-constructed surveys to assess GN. Despite the non-significant results in the homogeneous dataset, the role of GN in evaluating PS should not be disregarded. Future research should focus on exploring the influence of GN on PS and address methodological challenges associated with studying implicit behavioral rules. In conclusion, understanding the impact of GN on PS is crucial for improving patient safety in healthcare settings. By addressing the limitations of this study and conducting further research, healthcare organizations can develop interventions to enhance PS, reduce medical errors, and create a culture of safety.Show less
