Most nations are a mix of various ethnicities and backgrounds, especially prevalent within the European Union. With the emphasis that is currently based on nationality and ‘belonging’, the European...Show moreMost nations are a mix of various ethnicities and backgrounds, especially prevalent within the European Union. With the emphasis that is currently based on nationality and ‘belonging’, the European Migrant Crisis, brought these sentiments to the forefront. With the sudden rise in asylum applications, the shock was reverberated throughout the continent. Since its creation, the EU and its member states have always been a goal destination for those seeking asylum. When member states aim to join the union, they must adhere to certain regulations with regards to various concepts, such as the right to asylum. As each nation had its own asylum system that was not unified under supranational regulations, the communication between the nations were blocked. With the realisation that a unified asylum system had to be created, the EU set out to complete this. But with the unification of asylum processes and regulations, the member states had to change their national asylum systems in accordance with EU regulation as well. But unifying more than 20 asylum systems proved difficult. As an emphasis is primarily based on the EU perspective, this research will be conducted from a member state perspective. This an attempt will be made to further identify and consequently understand the causes of variation within the member states. Instead of focusing on the EU aspect of this, an emphasis will be made in understand the variation from a bottom-up aspect, essentially from the view of the case studies.Show less
The CBM maze task is used in education to indicate and monitor the progress in reading proficiency. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the CBM maze and reading...Show moreThe CBM maze task is used in education to indicate and monitor the progress in reading proficiency. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the CBM maze and reading comprehension. To examine this relationship the scores between the CBM standard maze (a maze that follows the standard rules) and the scrambled maze (a maze with distorted coherence) were compared. Furthermore, the effects of standards of coherence and genre on the difference in scores between the CBM standard maze and scrambled maze were examined. Expected was that the scores on CBM maze would reflect reading comprehension. A group of 40 Dutch bachelor-students participated in the study. The data were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA. The repeated measures ANOVA consisted of two within factors (type maze: CBM standard maze vs scrambled maze and genre: expository vs narrative) and one between factor (standards of coherence: high vs low). The results show a significant difference in scores between the CBM standard maze and the scrambled maze F(1, 38) = 103,349; p = < .001, η2 = .731 with scores on the CBM standard maze being higher than the scores on the scrambled maze, suggesting that scores on the CBM standard maze reflect text-level reading comprehension. No influence of standards of coherence, F(1, 38) = ,340; p = ,563, or genre, F(1, 38) = ,340; p = ,563, was found on the difference in scores between the CBM standard maze and the scrambled maze. A limitation of this study is its limited generalizability to the target group of the CBM maze. A study in which children are participants is recommended.Show less
In recent decades, there has been an increased scholarly interest in negotiation, both on distributive and integrative bargaining. The latter is characterized by the expansion of the resource pool...Show moreIn recent decades, there has been an increased scholarly interest in negotiation, both on distributive and integrative bargaining. The latter is characterized by the expansion of the resource pool or pie, in a way that both negotiators benefit from the outcome. The resource pool is only expanded when negotiators manage to create value by finding alternative solutions to issues that increase the joint gain of both parties. In this study, we used a two-person roleplay negotiation conducted face-to-face in an informal setting (N = 95) to explore the influence of alcohol and order of presented issues on joint gain. We find no systematic differences within the alcohol conditions and order conditions on joint gain. While some of the possible patterns we find are not conclusive yet, further research could yield interesting results.Show less
The decrease of vegetation in cities is a widespread trend that has severe consequences for humanity and the climate alike. Pro-environmental choices such as increasing the vegetation in a garden...Show moreThe decrease of vegetation in cities is a widespread trend that has severe consequences for humanity and the climate alike. Pro-environmental choices such as increasing the vegetation in a garden seem to depend on emotions especially guilt and pride. In the current study it was hypothesized that feelings of guilt led to higher intentions and current environmental behavior to add vegetation to the garden. This cross-sectional study employed an existing dataset with 301 participants that had previously provided information about guilt and pro-environmental choices. Increased feelings of guilt were associated with higher intentions to add vegetation to the garden but not with increased current environmental behavior to do so. Therefore, guilt only seems to influence the intentions to add vegetation to the garden but not the actual behavior.Show less
More than a quarter of the Dutch society claim to have experienced discrimination. Research shows that prejudice and discrimination have many negative effects on both individuals and society. In...Show moreMore than a quarter of the Dutch society claim to have experienced discrimination. Research shows that prejudice and discrimination have many negative effects on both individuals and society. In order to avoid these negative effects, it is important to investigate the underlying mechanisms of prejudice and discrimination. According to existing literature, social categorization is a factor associated with the emergence of discrimination and prejudice. Social categorization in young children is influenced by their environment, for example by (ethnic) socialization of parents. The present study examined whether there was a difference between ethnic socialization in the majority group and the minority group. This was also examined for social categorization based on ethnicity for these two groups. In addition, it was examined whether there was a relationship between ethnic socialization of the mother and social categorization based on the ethnicity of the child. Finally, it was examined whether the ethnicity of the child was a moderator for the relationship between ethnic socialization and social categorization based on ethnicity. Mother's ethnic socialization was measured by a picture book task. Social categorization was measured by the child's segregation preference through a grouping task. The study was conducted in mother-child pairs from the majority group (White-Dutch) and the minority group (Turkish-Dutch and Afro-Dutch). Two independent t-tests showed that there were no differences. No significant difference in ethnic socialization between the majority and minority groups was found. Also, no significant difference in social categorization based on ethnicity was found between the majority and minority groups. A simple regression showed that there was no significant relationship between ethnic socialization and social categorization based on ethnicity. Finally, no significant moderation effect of ethnicity was found. For further research it is advised to extend the measurement method for ethnic socialization and social categorization, so that more detailed measurements can be done.Show less
Children construct their conceptions of gender at an early age. At about 24 months, they begin to define themselves as either a “boy” or a “girl” (Kohlberg, 1966). About one percent of children do...Show moreChildren construct their conceptions of gender at an early age. At about 24 months, they begin to define themselves as either a “boy” or a “girl” (Kohlberg, 1966). About one percent of children do not feel at home in their birth genders to varying degrees and in different ways. What are the effects of parental emotions and parental gender stereotype concerning the parents and the social transitioning that children are undergoing to conform to their preferred gender? The current research investigated to what extent children’s social transition status mediates the relationship between the psychosocial functioning of children and their parents’ emotional response to gender(variance) and gender stereotyping. The results showed that children undergoing a complete social transition differ significantly from children undergoing an incomplete social transition, but only in terms of their parents’ emotional response to gender(variance). Second, the research considered whether the psychosocial functioning of children can be predicted based upon their parents’ emotional response toward gender(variance) and their gender stereotyping. The study also investigated whether children’s social transition status mediates a possible correlation. The results showed that the parents’ gender stereotyping rather than the children’s social transition status determines the psychosocial functioning of transitioning children. To support these children as much as possible in their search for identity, it is important that research examine the short- and long-term factors that influence psychosocial functioning in the development of children. It is especially important to follow children longer to investigate whether the various variables change over time and, if so, how they change.Show less
To examine the relationship between alexithymia and digital problem behaviour, a systematic review was conducted. Problematic internet use, problematic use of social media and problematic gaming...Show moreTo examine the relationship between alexithymia and digital problem behaviour, a systematic review was conducted. Problematic internet use, problematic use of social media and problematic gaming behaviour are included as types of digital problem behaviour. The main research question is: How is alexithymia related to problematic use of internet, social media and videogames? To examine the relationship, a systematic research was conducted. After having executed the research 266 articles were selected. However, after excluding all of the identical articles only 167 were left. Out of the 167 studied, 23 studies were included. Studies were excluded if they were not labelled as empirical, written in another language than English or Dutch; and lastly, if they had a clinical sample besides alexithymia. The selected studies were double coded on the methodological features: chosen study design, sample size, and used research instruments. Combining all 23 studies a total of 41.274 participants was established. The median of all these studies was 429 participants. From the 23 studies, 14 were about problematic internet use, 3 about problematic use of social media and 6 about problematic gaming behaviour. 20 of the 23 studies found a positive significant relationship between alexithymia and problematic internet use, problematic use of social media and problematic gaming behaviour. However, the reliability of the results is questionable. Due to the fact that the cross-sectional design and sample size of all studies do not allow to draw strong conclusions. Furthermore, the use of only self-report does not contribute to the quality of the studies. Follow-up research of better quality will be necessary to draw valid conclusions about the relationship between alexithymia and digital problem behaviour.Show less
Research master thesis | Developmental Psychopathology in Education and Child Studies (research) (MSc)
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Individual differences in behavior are best explained through a multisystem approach by integrating neurobiological, neurocognitive, and social environmental factors. This longitudinal study...Show moreIndividual differences in behavior are best explained through a multisystem approach by integrating neurobiological, neurocognitive, and social environmental factors. This longitudinal study examined whether early physical aggression could be predicted by stress regulation, inhibitory control, risk background, and sex. In addition, this study is among the first to investigate whether the four stress response patterns of the Adaptive Calibration Model (Del Giudice et al., 2011) could be generalized to 12-month-old children by studying: autonomic nervous system (ANS), sympathetic nervous system (SNS), parasympathetic nervous system (PNS), and hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis. ANS was indexed by heart rate, SNS by salivary alpha-amylase and pre-ejection period, PNS by respiratory sinus arrhythmia, and HPA axis by salivary cortisol. The sample consisted of 214 mother-child dyads (116 boys) with an equal number of high- and low-risk backgrounds. Physical aggression was assessed through maternal reports at 12, 20, and 30 months of age. At 12 months, children performed an inhibitory control task and the fear task (robot paradigm) was used to measure baseline, response, and recovery levels of the stress systems. Latent profile analysis revealed three profiles: (1) ANS Responders, (2) Moderate Arousal, and (3) Hormonal Responders. No significant differences were found between the profiles with regard to inhibitory control, average age of mother and child, number of boys and girls, and number of high- and low-risk children. Results showed that higher physical aggression scores were associated at 12 months with ANS Responders and lower inhibitory control, at 20 months with Hormonal Responders, boys and high-risk, and at 30 months with boys and high-risk. In addition, an interaction effect was found at 20 months: higher inhibitory control in girls was associated with lower physical aggression scores, but not in the Hormonal Responders. The discussion highlights the importance of using a multisystem approach to explain individual differences in early physical aggression.Show less
Background: Social-emotional skills are pivotal for children’s intra- and interpersonal well-being. Social-emotional learning (SEL) interventions have been shown to improve these skills, with self...Show moreBackground: Social-emotional skills are pivotal for children’s intra- and interpersonal well-being. Social-emotional learning (SEL) interventions have been shown to improve these skills, with self-awareness (SA) being the most influential intervention component. However, these interventions apply varying conceptualizations and operationalizations of SA. Therefore, the defining characteristics of SA interventions and their effect on children’s well-being are unknown. Identifying these could help educators, policy makers and researchers to optimise content and accessibility of SA intervention to the benefit of children’s mental health. Therefore, this systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to analyse the characteristics and effectiveness of currently available interventions targeting SA in children, and to examine children’s cultural background as potential moderator. Method: Eight electronic databases (PubMed, PsycINFO, EMBASE, EMCARE, ERIC, Cochrane Controlled Register of Trials (CENTRAL), Web of Science and Academic Search Premier) were searched for intervention studies investigating SA interventions in September 2019. Children’s SA was the primary outcome of interest, positive and negative mental health were the secondary. Of 7050 identified studies, 42 were included in the systematic review and 29 in the meta-analysis. Results: It was found that SA interventions had a small to moderate effect on children’s SA (g = 0.31 (0.05), 95% CI [0.21, 0.40], p < .001). Furthermore, they had a positive effect on children’s mental health. Cultural background did not significantly moderate SA intervention effectiveness. There was no evidence for publication bias. Conclusion: Overall, interventions targeting SA can positively influence the level of SA and mental health in children irrespective of their cultural backgrounds.Show less
Can people be motivated to experience an emotion solely due to the belief that this emotion reinforces their ideology? This study investigated whether people would be motivated to experience...Show moreCan people be motivated to experience an emotion solely due to the belief that this emotion reinforces their ideology? This study investigated whether people would be motivated to experience ideology-congruent and -incongruent emotions, if they believed these would reinforce their (left or right) ideology. A repeated-measures design showed that across ideologies, people were more motivated to experience fear when they believed it was ideology-reinforcing than when they had no such belief. Contrary to the hypothesis, for hope, the data suggested motivation to be high regardless of people’s beliefs about its usefulness for their ideology. This study also investigated potential differences between leftists and rightists in their motivation to experience ideology congruent and incongruent emotions. Whilst the data suggested rightists to be generally more motivated to experience both hope and fear, these results had to be disregarded, due to a great gender and age difference between the samples of the leftist and rightist supporters, which influenced the results. The significance and implications of the current findings are discussed.Show less
