We still have limited knowledge about why some therapists outperform others. This may be due to our little understanding about which variables predict higher facilitative interpersonal skills (FIS)...Show moreWe still have limited knowledge about why some therapists outperform others. This may be due to our little understanding about which variables predict higher facilitative interpersonal skills (FIS). With the aid of a Pearson correlation analysis, we aimed to determine whether therapists with higher self-efficacy (GSE) were more likely to perform better in the FIS-task. Previous literature that has analysed self-efficacy’s effect on performance is contradictory and incomplete in the therapist population. We also still have little understanding on whether and to what extent therapists’ physiological arousal impacts their performance. Hence, we also aimed to determine whether skin conductance mediated the relationship between therapists’ self-efficacy and their FIS-scores. In this randomised, counterbalanced study, 74 therapists filled in the general self-efficacy scale (GSE-S) and participated in the FIS-task, which measured their verbal and non-verbal behaviours while responding to pre-recorded video clips of benign and difficult client case stories. Inconsistent with a priori expectations, our results revealed that in the challenging condition, therapists with higher GSE performed worse in the FIS-task. Furthermore, skin conductance did not mediate the relationship between therapists’ self-efficacy and their FIS-performance. We suggested the possibility of an inverted U-model relationship between GSE and therapists’ FIS-scores, and the importance of including more therapists with low GSE in future replications. We also addressed several limitations in our study, which if remedied, hold promising prospects for future investigations regarding the effect of therapists’ self-efficacy and physiological arousal on therapists’ performance.Show less
Research master thesis | Developmental Psychopathology in Education and Child Studies (research) (MSc)
open access
2018-07-01T00:00:00Z
The aim of the present study was to examine the concept of social defeat in a human sample. Relationships between an ethnic minority position, implicit and explicit self-esteem, heart rate, skin...Show moreThe aim of the present study was to examine the concept of social defeat in a human sample. Relationships between an ethnic minority position, implicit and explicit self-esteem, heart rate, skin conductance, and social support were examined. In addition, the relationship between self-reported behavioral problems on the one hand, and self-esteem and physiology on the other hand was explored. The sample consisted of 56 male adolescents 12-18 years of age, who were divided, based on self-report behavioral problems into a high and low risk group. The implicit association task and the Rosenberg self-esteem scale were used to measure self-esteem. Measures of heart rate and skin conductance were collected during an affective research paradigm. There were no relationships between an ethnic minority position and any of the behavioral measures. Individuals reporting a significant degree of behavioral problems had lower explicit self-esteem. Average heart rate was found to be related to internalizing behavior in a low-risk group regardless of SES, self-esteem or social support. Social support did diminish the effect of average heart rate on externalizing behavior in the low-risk group. In conclusion, no clear picture of the social defeat concept is revealed by this study, more research is required.Show less
Research master thesis | Developmental Psychopathology in Education and Child Studies (research) (MSc)
open access
2018-01-01T00:00:00Z
The aim of the present study was to examine infant emotion regulation, expressed in autonomic nervous system-reactivity, during the Still-Face Paradigm (SFP). In addition, the effect of maternal...Show moreThe aim of the present study was to examine infant emotion regulation, expressed in autonomic nervous system-reactivity, during the Still-Face Paradigm (SFP). In addition, the effect of maternal risk status on children’s emotional and behavioural development was examined. The sample consisted of 51 mothers and their 6-month-old infants. Measures of heart rate, pre-ejection period (PEP), skin conductance level (SCL), and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) were collected during baseline and during the SFP episodes. Infant behavioural responses were coded as well. The SFP was able to elicit sympathetic and parasympathetic activity. In response to the still-face an increase in sympathetic activity was found, but only by SCL and heart rate, not by PEP. In addition, the still-face elicited an inhibition of the parasympathetic nervous system, the RSA decreased and the heart rate increased. In the transition from still-face to reunion, an effect of risk status was found on the pattern of heart rate and SCL. Infants from the high-risk group showed more sympathetic activity, indicating more stress and less emotion regulation. Overall, the SFP is able to elicit physiological features of emotion regulation and is able to indicate early differences in the autonomic nervous system activity in response to stress. Future studies should replicate these findings and should further investigate the role of maternal risk status.Show less
