The understanding of life as a complex system is becoming more and more prominent in many academic disciplines. This study applies this systems’ perspective to understand how transitional justice ...Show moreThe understanding of life as a complex system is becoming more and more prominent in many academic disciplines. This study applies this systems’ perspective to understand how transitional justice (TJ) practice contributes to reconciliation. Based on existing literature, a theoretical framework is constructed which theorizes that in the social network of TJ society, there is an emergent process towards reconciliation. This process is based on the value of interconnectedness. TJ practices emerge as part of this process and can serve as a catalysator. This emergent process is impacted by formal TJ structure and the TJ governance network. Consequently, this study applies this theoretical framework to the case of the post-genocide gacaca trials in Rwanda. The findings demonstrate that the model provides insights into the case. However, further research is needed to validate the theoretical framework.Show less
The current study examines how to introduce complex novelty in a way that people become more interested, motivated to know more about it, and less confused. We test the prediction that a focus on...Show moreThe current study examines how to introduce complex novelty in a way that people become more interested, motivated to know more about it, and less confused. We test the prediction that a focus on discovery of new information vs a focus on specific information that is missing creates more interest, more motivation to explore, and less confusion towards complex innovations, while perceived complexity is predicted to remain the same. In total 102 participants were tested. They were presented with message framing manipulation, which put their focus on either general discovery or specific information that is missing, after which they had to read texts containing complex information. In contrast to our expectations, complexity did not remain the same across conditions. Participants in the diversive frame condition rated the information about the innovations to be more complex than the specific frame condition. Moreover, participants in the diversive frame condition were not more interested, more motivated to and less confused about the complex innovations than in the specific frame condition. Implication and future research of these findings are discussed at the end.Show less
In second language (L2) research and in some types of L2 testing, measures of complexity, accuracy and fluency (CAF) are widely applied both to capture performance of language learners as well as...Show moreIn second language (L2) research and in some types of L2 testing, measures of complexity, accuracy and fluency (CAF) are widely applied both to capture performance of language learners as well as to assess L2 learners’ proficiency underlying their performance. In spite of the long research interest in CAF, many questions are still raised, including a significant question as to what extent L2 CAF measures are correct indicators of L2 proficiency. A speaking-oriented study by De Jong et al. (2015) indicates that measures of L1 and L2 fluency are strongly correlated and therefore concluded that there was a large overlap for many aspect of fluency. This study aimed to examine L2 complexity, accuracy and fluency measures and compared them to L1 behavior. Furthermore, the current study also considered whether such correlations are stronger for high-proficient L2 Speakers. Spontaneous speech of 10 native speakers of Armenian and 19 native speakers of Arabic with L2 Dutch is recorded and analyzed with regard to complexity, accuracy, and fluency. Analysis revealed that measures of Complexity, accuracy, and fluency (CAF) in L1 do not significantly correlate with the equivalent measures in L2. The findings would support the threshold hypothesis (LTH), indicating that some threshold of proficiency needs to be attained in L2 before L1 skills can be transferred in the L2.Show less
