The relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and prosocial behaviour is a controversial topic in scientific literature. It remains unclear whether SES positively or negatively influences...Show moreThe relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and prosocial behaviour is a controversial topic in scientific literature. It remains unclear whether SES positively or negatively influences prosocial behaviour, as many other factors may be involved. This study introduced stress as a mediation variable between SES and prosocial behaviour, in order to better understand this complicated relationship. Aiming to fill this gap in knowledge, this research objective was to answer the question “Does stress mediate the relationship between SES and prosocial behaviour?”. Specifically, it was hypothesized that low SES would lead to increased stress, which in turn would lead to lower prosocial behaviour. In addition, as a second objective, we investigated whether stress would mediate the relationship between perceived socioeconomic status (PSES) and prosocial behaviour, and hypothesized similar findings as in the first model. 287 participants took part in an online study, where they performed a prosocial behavioural task, and completed several self-report measures. Both mediation analysis revealed non-significant results, except for the relationship between SES and stress. We suggest that this non-significance could have been driven by factors that were unaccounted for in this research. This study adds onto the current literature, suggesting that the relationship between SES, prosocial behaviour and stress may be too complex to be captured by a simple mediation model. It is suggested that future research should focus on expanding the literature on the relationship between SES and stress by looking into other factors that could influence it.Show less
In recent years, the effects of climate change and global warming have become more apparent. The cause and solutions thereof lie within cities. A solution that has an important and prominent role...Show moreIn recent years, the effects of climate change and global warming have become more apparent. The cause and solutions thereof lie within cities. A solution that has an important and prominent role is the implementation of more urban greenery. Urban greenery cools down the city, thereby ameliorating the Urban Heat Island effect. Furthermore, urban greenery has the ability to sequester carbon, makes the city have a nicer and healthier appearance, and has a positive impact on the physical and mental health of city dwellers. Urban greenery consists of large-scale and small-scale greenery. Large-scale can be understood as urban parks and forests, whereas small-scale is in the sense of gardening, such as tree border gardens and façade gardens. The focus of this thesis lies on the latter of these types of greenery. Specifically, on façade gardens, the implementation thereof, and the factors that influence this implementation. With use of literature and database research, structured observations, and a questionnaire, the main factors that influence the implementation of façade gardens in the city of Leiden was researched. It was discovered that the four main reasons are the structure of the neighbourhood, personal interests of inhabitants and their academic attainment level, information provisioning, and proximity to public parks.Show less
As individuals living in a society, our activities, diet, and health are influenced by our socioeconomic position in said society. This amongst others means that our socioeconomic standings play a...Show moreAs individuals living in a society, our activities, diet, and health are influenced by our socioeconomic position in said society. This amongst others means that our socioeconomic standings play a large part in our social and bodily experience, therefore also in the level and kind of labour we are involved in. Labour is often highly routinised, as certain actions and movements are performed day in day out. Therefore, labour is an important aspect of ones ‘lived experience’. Osteoarthritis, a condition causing the degeneration of synovial joints and surrounding soft tissue, is the most prevalent disease in past and current societies. It is also the most frequently used marker for establishing and examining activity patterns within archaeological populations. The aim of this study is to figure out how differences in socioeconomic status and strenuous labour are embodied in a post medieval Dutch city. In order to answer this, this study analyses the severity and prevalence of osteoarthritis in two skeletal population samples of different socioeconomic status from the same city, Eindhoven. The individuals of high status were buried inside of the St. Catharinakerk, while the low status individuals were buried in the cemetery outside of this church. The high status sample consists of 13 adult individuals and the low status sample consists of 52 adult individuals. In total 40 skeletal elements have been analysed per studied individual, 20 on the left side and 20 on the right side, by using the method proposed by Buikstra and Ubelaker (1994). Following this, the scores resulting from the study of the skeletal remains were statistically analysed using ANCOVA (Analysis of Covariance). This allows to control the sample population for a covariant, in this research age-at-death was controlled for. The statistical analysis showed that the low socioeconomic status individuals were significantly more affected by osteoarthritis in the acromial end of the left clavicle and right humeral head, while the high socioeconomic status individuals were significantly more affected in the distal radii and both left and right scaphoid. The most likely explanation for this is that the low and high socioeconomic status populations engaged in different types of activities. The low socioeconomic status individuals would have likely been subjected to repetitive and strenuous activities involving the shoulder such as lifting, pulling, holding, and carrying heavy objects. Yet, while the high socioeconomic status individuals of Eindhoven probably did not engage in the same repetitive and strenuous activities as the low socioeconomic status individuals, the prevalence and severity of osteoarthritis in the wrist does indicate that they too did experience strain on joints. This would have most likely been caused by the amount of writing the high socioeconomic status individuals had to withstand. Hence, this study concludes that osteoarthritis and thus strenuous labour is embodied differently among the high and low socioeconomic status populations of post-medieval Eindhoven.Show less
As children start school, more and more emphasis is placed on their academic performance, their cognitive capabilities, and their intelligence. Current forms of intelligence testing – static...Show moreAs children start school, more and more emphasis is placed on their academic performance, their cognitive capabilities, and their intelligence. Current forms of intelligence testing – static testing and assessment – have been heavily scrutinised for being biased due to for example the influence of socioeconomic status (SES), leading to unequal educational outcomes. Therefore, different forms of testing – dynamic testing and assessment – are being investigated, with this study focusing on a new form of the Dynamic Screener (DS). This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of the DS to increase children’s test performance. A second aim of this study was to determine the predictive value of SES for learning potential and DS outcomes. Participants included 52 children (mean age = 13.14) in the first year of secondary school. The study employed a single-session experimental test-training-test design. Half of the children (n= 27) received a graduated prompts training between the pre-test and post-test, while the other half (n= 25) were the control group and did not receive the training. Five different tests were administered, including a test for working memory, mathematics, language, planning, and inductive reasoning. No significant results were found for trained participants’ performance in comparison with the control group on any of the subtests. Furthermore, no significant difference was found for the predictive value of SES for learning potential, nor for results on pre- versus post-test for the training group. Overall, no definitive conclusions on the effectiveness of the DS, nor on the predictive value of SES for learning potential and DS outcomes, can be drawn from the current study. Future research is needed to determine whether these results are due to the small sample size or are inherent to the DS.Show less
Veel van het onderzoek dat heeft uitgewezen dat er een relatie is tussen de Sociaal Economische Status (SES) van ouders en het temperament van kinderen richt zich op kinderen in de...Show moreVeel van het onderzoek dat heeft uitgewezen dat er een relatie is tussen de Sociaal Economische Status (SES) van ouders en het temperament van kinderen richt zich op kinderen in de basisschoolleeftijd. Het doel van de huidige studie is te onderzoeken of een dergelijke relatie al bestaat als de kinderen 6 maanden oud zijn. Aan de huidige studie hebben 87 moeders tussen de 16 en 26 (M = 22.24, SD = 2.33) jaar deelgenomen. Tijdens het onderzoek waren de kinderen gemiddeld 6.37 maanden oud (SD = 0.47) en 51.7% van hen was een jongen. Het temperament van de kinderen is gemeten met de ‘Revised Infant Behavior Questionnaire’ en is afgezet tegen het gezinsinkomen en het opleidingsniveau van de ouders. Uit de resultaten blijkt dat er een verband is tussen het opleidingsniveau van de vader in combinatie met het gezinsinkomen en de negatieve emotionaliteit van het kind. Alleen voor kinderen van laag opgeleide vaders is er een negatief verband tussen het gezinsinkomen en de negatieve emotionaliteit van het kind. Er is ook een relatie gevonden tussen de opleidingsniveaus van de ouders, het gezinsinkomen en het regulatie- en oriëntatievermogen van het kind. Namelijk, er is een positief verband tussen het gezinsinkomen en het regulatie- en oriëntatievermogen van het kind, behalve bij kinderen met één hoog opgeleide ouder en één laag opgeleide ouder, dan is er een negatief verband te zien tussen het gezinsinkomen en het regulatie- en oriëntatievermogen van het kind. De studie bevestigt dat de omgeving die ouders voor hun kinderen creëren invloed kan hebben op het gedrag van hun kinderen.Show less
