Aim: This study aimed to find evidence for the theory of Epley et al. (2007), by testing whether people’s likelihood of anthropomorphizing animals is related to the following three self-reported...Show moreAim: This study aimed to find evidence for the theory of Epley et al. (2007), by testing whether people’s likelihood of anthropomorphizing animals is related to the following three self-reported psychological factors: 1) the availability and richness of knowledge structures about animals (elicited agent knowledge), 2) the need to control the environment (effectance motivation), and 3) the need and desire for social contact (sociality motivation). It was hypothesised that people are more likely to anthropomorphize when self-reported elicited agent knowledge is low and self-reported effectance and sociality motivation are high. Methods: A questionnaire was used to obtain the psychological factors. Next, Participants (N = 158; 42 males, 116 females) were instructed to record themselves watching zoo animals or videos of them at home. During these recordings, they had to express their thoughts, feelings, and observations about the animal. The recordings were then used to conduct a speech analysis to measure the participants' anthropomorphic speech. Finally, it was analysed whether anthropomorphic speech correlated with the self-reported psychological factors. Results: The results showed that none of the self-reported psychological factors had an effect on their own. To investigate whether this lack of effect was caused by cross-over interactions, a post-hoc analysis was performed using the interactions of the main predictors added to the model. Results of this analysis showed one significant cross-over interaction between selfreported elicited agent knowledge and effectance motivation. Discussion: Contrary to expectations, anthropomorphic speech was not correlated with any of the self-reported psychological factors separately and therefore all three hypotheses were rejected. However, the cross-over effect found indicates that anthropomorphic speech is more complexly related to self-reported elicited agent knowledge and effectiveness motivation than the theory of Epley et al. (2007) suggests.Show less
Research master thesis | Developmental Psychopathology in Education and Child Studies (research) (MSc)
closed access
One in 650-1000 individuals has sex chromosome trisomy (SCT), being born with an extra X or Y chromosome (XXX; XXY; XYY). SCT comes with various developmental risks. The present study was designed...Show moreOne in 650-1000 individuals has sex chromosome trisomy (SCT), being born with an extra X or Y chromosome (XXX; XXY; XYY). SCT comes with various developmental risks. The present study was designed to evaluate the relation between parental factors (parenting skills (parental reflective functioning, sensitivity, and intrusiveness) and family functioning) and the social cognitive skills and its rate of development of children with SCT. Literature suggests that parenting skills and family functioning influence social cognitive development in typical children, but this has not been researched in children with SCT. Included in this study were 106 children with SCT and 102 controls (age M = 3.65, SD = 1.78 range = .98-7.66). A free play task, the parental developmental interview, and a questionnaire were used for evaluating parental factors, and the social cognitive skills of the child were measured using the ASIEP-3. Children with SCT showed significant impairments in social cognitive skills while the rate of development of social cognitive skills proved identical to controls. Parental sensitivity, intrusiveness, and reflective functioning were similar across groups and were found to not significantly influence social cognitive development. Family functioning was found to be positively related to the social cognitive skills of SCT children. However, family functioning did not influence the rate of social cognitive development of either SCT or control groups. The findings imply other factors to be of more importance in the social cognitive development of children with SCT at the average ages of 1-2 years and 3-6 years. It is recommended to research other factors, namely brain maturation and timing of diagnosis. Further knowledge about which factors stimulate the development of the social cognitive abilities of children with SCT, to what extent and at what age, is of importance as this may help to develop and personalize prevention and intervention programs.Show less
Social skills are essential to function in our society. The aim of the present study is to improve understanding of i) the bidirectional influence of social cognition and social skills, ii) the...Show moreSocial skills are essential to function in our society. The aim of the present study is to improve understanding of i) the bidirectional influence of social cognition and social skills, ii) the impact of the behavior of parents, influenced by a parent course is, and iii) the effect of gender on the development of social cognition and social skills of children aged four to nine years. In this repeated measures design study, 293 primary school pupils with a mean age of 5 in 2009 and 6 years during the follow up in 2010, have participated. Social cognition and social skills are measured by the Social Cognitive Skills Task and the Social Skills Rating System respectively. Results indicated that i) social cognition appears to be a positive predictor for social skills a year later; ii) girls have further developed social skills and social cognition than boys at age 5. For this reason interventions to stimulate social functioning by a different approach for boys and girls are discussed in this manuscript.Show less
Research master thesis | Developmental Psychopathology in Education and Child Studies (research) (MSc)
open access
2017-02-10T00:00:00Z
The current study examined the predictive interrelations between social cognition, executive functioning, social skills, and psychopathology in 4-to-7-year-old typically developing children....Show moreThe current study examined the predictive interrelations between social cognition, executive functioning, social skills, and psychopathology in 4-to-7-year-old typically developing children. Furthermore, the moderating and mediating effects of social skills on the relationships between social cognition, executive functioning and internalizing/externalizing behaviour were examined. The sample consisted of 286 children from regular primary schools in the Netherlands. Both direct and indirect measures of social cognition (Theory of Mind, emotion recognition and social cognitive skills in daily life) and executive functioning (inhibitory control, visual spatial working memory, verbal fluency, planning abilities and EF in daily life) were used in the study. Social skills and psychopathology were measured using parent-rating scales (SSRS and CBCL respectively). Problems in the domain of social cognition and executive functioning, as well as internalizing and externalizing behaviour problems were highly correlated. Also, social skills were highly correlated with psychopathology. Social cognition only predicted internalizing behaviour, whereas executive functioning only appeared to be a unique predictor of externalizing behaviour. Moderation and mediation models demonstrated social skills to be a moderator and partial mediator in the relationship between executive functioning and externalizing behaviour problems. Mediation analyses indicated the relationship between social cognition and externalizing behaviour to be fully mediated by executive functioning. The results of this study suggest that training social skills may be important for children who show deficits in executive functioning and who are at risk for developing externalizing behaviour problems. Furthermore, the mediating role of executive functioning on the relationship between social cognition and externalizing behaviour possibly explains the absence of a moderating/mediating effect of social skills on the relationship between social cognition and externalizing behaviour problems. For more knowledge on precursors of psychopathology, future studies should focus on atypically developing children, should examine the prediction of specific psychiatric disorders, examine the possible differential results from direct and indirect measures and examine the development of the social cognition, executive functions, social skills and psychopathology in middle and late childhood, and during adolescence.Show less
