Past experiences influence our attitudes in social interactions, particularly negative experiences. Negative experiences and attitudes shape our present-day behaviour. Research identifies empathy...Show morePast experiences influence our attitudes in social interactions, particularly negative experiences. Negative experiences and attitudes shape our present-day behaviour. Research identifies empathy and attitude as precursors to mimicry. Pupil mimicry can indicate trust and bonding in human-human interactions, as the pupil provides a look into people’s mental state or intentions. It is unclear whether pupil mimicry in human-human interactions extends to other species. This research investigates how factors such as, negative experience and attitude, can change pupil mimicry responses with conspecifics (humans) and cross-species (bonobos and dogs). Using a Repeated-measures ANOVA, the effect of Species (human, bonobo or dog) and Pupil action (dilating or constricting) on pupil mimicry was investigated. This analysis found that while the interaction was not significant, the main effects of Species and Pupil action were. Secondly, the impact of negative experiences with dogs on pupil mimicry with only dog stimuli was investigated using an ANOVA, this was not significant. Lastly, an ANCOVA was conducted, using Species and Pupil action, with Attitude as a covariate, on pupil mimicry. The results of this analysis were insignificant for both interaction and main effects. The current study was unable to find evidence of negative experience or attitude influencing pupil mimicry cross-species. Areas for improvement on the study design include a more in-depth analysis of the non- human stimuli prior to data collection and pre-conceived biases towards dog breeds used in the experiment. Additionally, more information on context and severity of negative experiences with dogs would be beneficial to future research.Show less
Research master thesis | Linguistics (research) (MA)
open access
Metaphors effectively explain a complex (scientific) topic in terms familiar to the non-expert audience. However, metaphors also affect attitude. This thesis investigated the effects that the path...Show moreMetaphors effectively explain a complex (scientific) topic in terms familiar to the non-expert audience. However, metaphors also affect attitude. This thesis investigated the effects that the path metaphor and the wildfire metaphor have on the personal control people experience over the further course of the COVID-19 pandemic. For this purpose, participants received a text about the ongoing yet hidden threat of COVID-19, in which a new outbreak was either described as a wrongly taken path, as a wildfire flaring up, or without a metaphor. To measure the experienced amount of personal control, the participants were asked about their feelings of fear and control of the virus and the measures, and how they would bring these feelings into practice by reacting to multiple scenarios involving the risk of COVID-19 transmission. Statistical testing revealed no significant effect of the metaphors on the participants’ responses, potentially due to (amongst others) the time frame of the research. It is necessary to research in which circumstances a metaphor does and does not affect attitude. Then, it can be determined how and when a metaphor can best be employed in daily life to influence the hearer’s perception of a message, for example in the contexts of climate change, disease, and politics.Show less
Deze scriptie komt voort uit het onderzoek van Werner et al. (in ontwikkeling), dat zich richt op de effectiviteit van een video-feedback interventie (de VIPP-CCC) in het verbeteren van de...Show moreDeze scriptie komt voort uit het onderzoek van Werner et al. (in ontwikkeling), dat zich richt op de effectiviteit van een video-feedback interventie (de VIPP-CCC) in het verbeteren van de sensitiviteit van pedagogisch medewerkers in kinderdagverblijven. Deze scriptie richt zich op de effectiviteit van de VIPP-CCC in het verbeteren van de globale kwaliteit van de kinderdagverblijven en de attitude van de pedagogisch medewerkers. Het belang van dit onderzoek is dat de verbetering van deze aspecten belangrijk kan zijn voor de ontwikkeling van kinderen. In totaal zijn 37 pedagogisch medewerkers van Nederlandse kinderdagverblijven aselect verdeeld over de interventie- en controlegroep. De attitude van de pedagogisch medewerkers tegenover een sensitieve opvoeding bleek na de VIPP-CCC in de interventiegroep significant hoger te zijn dan in de controlegroep. De globale kwaliteit van de kinderdagverblijven bleek niet te verbeteren door de VIPP-CCC. Een van de mogelijke oorzaken is dat de kleine steekproefgrootte het lastig maakt significante verbanden in de analyses terug te vinden. Een andere mogelijke oorzaak is de korte periode tussen de interventie en de posttest. Er was wel een trend waar te nemen, namelijk een sterkere stijging in globale kwaliteit in de interventiegroep ten opzichte van de controlegroep. Vervolgonderzoek kan de resultaten van deze scriptie en mogelijke andere uitkomsten van de VIPP-CCC in een breder perspectief plaatsen.Show less
