Most studies analyzing decision-making in individuals with impaired impulse control focus on decisions based on unimodal senses e.g., auditory or visual systems. Little is known about the effect of...Show moreMost studies analyzing decision-making in individuals with impaired impulse control focus on decisions based on unimodal senses e.g., auditory or visual systems. Little is known about the effect of impulsivity on overall performance in a decision-making task based on multisensory presentation. Therefore, the current study aimed to investigate the relationship between impulsivity, reaction time and performance accuracy in a multisensory decision-making task. The task consisted of three modalities (visual, auditory, and audiovisual) and two difficulty levels (easy and hard). Data were obtained from 37 participants between the ages of 16 and 18 years old. Participants were either diagnosed with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or Disruptive Behavioral Disorder (DBD) or were typically developing. Impulsivity was measured using a self-report questionnaire. Due to a small sample of clinical participants, all participants were median split into a low and high impulsivity group. To test the effect of modality, difficulty, and impulsivity on reaction time and performance accuracy two mixed ANOVAs were conducted. The mixed ANOVAs showed no significant effects of impulsivity on reaction time or performance accuracy, thus no significant differences between the low and high impulsivity groups were found. The main effect of modality on reaction time was significant, with a shorter reaction time on the audiovisual trials than on the visual and auditory trials. Moreover, analysis showed a higher performance accuracy on the audiovisual trials compared to the visual and auditory trials. This shows the beneficial effect of multisensory (audiovisual) presentation on reaction time and performance accuracy. The current study confirms that multisensory presentation benefits overall performance but did not find a significant relationship between impulsivity and behavioral performance. Future research could focus on possible differences in multisensory behavioral performance between typically developing individuals and individuals with ADHD or DBD and should include a continuous impulsivity variable.Show less
Uit eerder onderzoek is gebleken dat nieuwigheid gunstige effecten heeft op geheugenprestaties bij jongeren. Deze effecten van nieuwigheid op geheugen zijn echter nog niet eerder onderzocht bij...Show moreUit eerder onderzoek is gebleken dat nieuwigheid gunstige effecten heeft op geheugenprestaties bij jongeren. Deze effecten van nieuwigheid op geheugen zijn echter nog niet eerder onderzocht bij oudere volwassenen, waarbij individuele verschillen als motivatie (gemeten door Intrinsic Motivation Inventory) en spontaneous blinkrate (SBR) zijn meegenomen. In ons onderzoek verkenden participanten (n=14) een nieuwe of bekende virtuele omgeving, gevolgd door een onmiddellijke of vertraagde woordherinneringstaak of woordherkenningstaak. Uit de resultaten bleek dat het effect van nieuwigheid geen invloed had op de relatie tussen de geheugentaken, motivatie en SBR, en dat leeftijd mogelijk geen voorspellende factor was in deze relatie. Wanneer gecorrigeerd werd voor de variatie in dagen tussen de vertraagde geheugentaken per participant, vertoonde nieuwigheid wel een effect op verbeterde geheugenprestaties. In de analyses zonder leeftijd bleek dat het effect van geheugentaak en het effect van tijd van elkaar verschilden, wat zou kunnen suggereren dat de prestaties op de geheugentaken afnemen naarmate de tijd verstrijkt. Een belangrijke limitatie in het onderzoek was het beperkte aantal participanten en het minimale leeftijdsverschil. Hierdoor omvatte de variabele leeftijd mogelijk niet voldoende kracht om een werkelijk effect te detecteren over de variabelen geheugen en nieuwigheid tussen jongere en oudere volwassenen. Toekomstig onderzoek zou zich kunnen richten op het meten van motivatie en het manipuleren van nieuwigheid na verloop van tijd. Daarnaast zou het interessant zijn om de relatie tussen dopaminefuncties en nieuwigheid nader in kaart te brengen, om de ontwikkeling van interventies en behandelingen op het gebied van motivatie en mentale gezondheid te bevorderen.Show less
PTSD comes from a traumatic experience which is often re-experienced and relived, causing long-term stress. To weaken the connection with fear the extinction process is used. This is not always...Show morePTSD comes from a traumatic experience which is often re-experienced and relived, causing long-term stress. To weaken the connection with fear the extinction process is used. This is not always successful due to maladaptive fearful associations surviving the extinction. Therefore a novel aspect is added; by manipulating at stimulus level, and by manipulating the olfactory environment with a novel aspect. This study investigates if the novel aspect creates a new association, aiding in the weakening of the connection that causes fear. The reinstatement of the original context cues, when the fear was created, can cause the fear to return. This study therefore uses novelty in two ways to promote fear extinction. The participants (N=32) took part in a two day experiment were they performed different computer tasks; A working memory task, conditioning phase deciding if the scene was indoor or outdoor, extinction phase and post-extinction phase. The arousal was recorded with a subjective 9-point Likert scale and an objective eye tracker. To examine whether the olfactory environments had an effect on the arousal rate, a mixed subjects analysis of variance was conducted. It was expected that the arousal rate would decrease for the fearful stimuli in the post-extinction phase, compared to the extinction phase. Furthermore, it was expected that the novel olfactory environment would cause a stronger decrease in arousal rate for the fearful stimuli. An increase in arousal was found in the post-extinction phase compared to the extinction phase. Furthermore, there was no difference found between the two olfactory environments in effect on the arousal rate.Show less
Background The current study was the first to investigate the association between burn-out and Cerebral Autosomal Dominant Arteriopathy with Subcortical Infarcts and Leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL),...Show moreBackground The current study was the first to investigate the association between burn-out and Cerebral Autosomal Dominant Arteriopathy with Subcortical Infarcts and Leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL), a rare hereditary microangiopathy caused by mutations in the NOTCH3-gene. Previous research investigating burn-out and related factors provided evidence for a possible association between burn-out and mild cognitive impairment (MCI), lacune count, disease severity, stroke incidence and level of education. The current study investigated whether burn-out is an early symptom of incipient CADASIL. Methods The study population consisted of 151 individuals aged 20 years and older, with cysteine altering NOTCH3-mutations. For the current study, an MRI-scan of the brain and neuropsychological assessment (attention, executive functioning and memory) were performed. Results A history of burn-out was found in 33 participants. History of burn-out was associated with both MCI (p = .025, OR [Odds Ratio] = 3.46) and disease severity (p < .010, OR = 2.854), but not with lacune count (p = .926, OR = 1.038), stroke (p = .823, OR = .897) or level of education (p = .725, OR = 1.163). Conclusion In this sample of persons with a NOTCH3-mutation, burn-out was associated with MCI, and with disease severity. Hypothetically, in persons with a NOTCH3-mutation, burnout could be a consequence of MCI, and thus an early symptom of CADASIL. The ability to recognise the clinical onset of CADASIL more timely could be helpful in the clinical setting, because this could allow for better guidance and education of the patient and their support system.Show less
The aim of the present study was to explore how directional cues (arrows appearing next to the picture of food), the healthiness of the food items and the selfesteem of the participants influence...Show moreThe aim of the present study was to explore how directional cues (arrows appearing next to the picture of food), the healthiness of the food items and the selfesteem of the participants influence the choice of food items. In order to find out the role of these factors, we recruited participants through the crowdsourcing website Amazon Mechanical Turk. The participants completed a series of tasks: rating the desirability of food items, choosing between food items, and filling out questionnaires. The data were analyzed relying on Repeated Measures ANOVA and Pearson correlations, using SPSS, and on Bayesfactor analysis, using JASP. The most important positive finding is that there is an interaction effect between the factors of healthiness and cue, indicating that if the food is healthy then cues have a significant positive impact on choice. The degree of self-esteem and the healthiness of food (processed or unprocessed) are unrelated to food choice. The relevance of cues under certain conditions is a factor that health campaigns should take into consideration.Show less
