When trying to understand texts, readers engage in various cognitive processes. If all goes well, the engagement in these cognitive processes during reading results in the construction of a... Show moreWhen trying to understand texts, readers engage in various cognitive processes. If all goes well, the engagement in these cognitive processes during reading results in the construction of a coherent mental representation of the text, the essence of successful reading comprehension. To construct such a representation, readers need to monitor the coherence of the text and of their emerging mental representation of what the text is about. The central aim of the empirical studies described is to examine coherence-monitoring processes across development by measuring reader’s ability to detect coherence breaks during reading of narratives. The first part of this dissertation consists of three empirical studies (chapter 2-4). The first study examined whether good and poor comprehenders at age 8-9 and 10-11 detected coherence-breaks during and/or after reading. The second study builds on the first study by examining the protracted development of coherence monitoring in an adolescent population (ages 10-22) using the same task under more challenging circumstances. The third study explored the neural correlates of coherence-break detection in young adults in an fMRI study. The second part of this dissertation consists of two conceptual chapters in which the results are summarized and discussed in a broader theoretical perspective (chapter 5-6). Show less
The aim of this set of studies was to provide more insight in individual characteristics that influence care-giving abilities, in particular precursors of harsh and abusive parenting. We examined... Show moreThe aim of this set of studies was to provide more insight in individual characteristics that influence care-giving abilities, in particular precursors of harsh and abusive parenting. We examined how different subtypes of childhood abuse were related to child abuse potential in adulthood. Emotional neglect in childhood was related to child abuse potential, which is in line with earlier research showing the long-lasting effects of emotional maltreatment and neglect in childhood. With regard to the effects of oxytocin on the neural basis of parenting, we used fMRI to examine how oxytocin influenced emotion recognition using pictures of both adult and infant faces, taking experiences of maternal love withdrawal into account as potential moderator. Oxytocin enhanced neural activity in regions involved in emotion processing, such as the IFG, insula and STG. Our findings regarding the moderating role of experiences of maternal love withdrawal are inconsistent for emotion recognition in adult faces and in infant faces. Lastly, a new paradigm (LISSA) to observe sensitivity in response to standardized infant cues was developed and tested. Our results show that sensitivity can be reliably assessed using this procedure, making the LISSA a promising method for future research and clinical practice. Show less
As infants are fully dependent on their parents, correct perception and interpretation of infant signals is crucial for infant survival. It is therefore not surprising that specific brain circuits... Show moreAs infants are fully dependent on their parents, correct perception and interpretation of infant signals is crucial for infant survival. It is therefore not surprising that specific brain circuits and neuroendocrine processes have evolved to perceive infant signals correctly and to respond adequately. However, parents vary in their ability to respond to their infants in a sensitive way and several factors may be involved in parental sensitive responsiveness. One important factor influencing parenting behavior is the neuropeptide oxytocin. Of all the hormones involved in parenting and other social behaviors, oxytocin has received the most interest, as evidenced by the high number of scientific studies over the past decade (Bos, Panksepp, Bluthé, & Honk, 2012; Van IJzendoorn & Bakermans-Kranenburg, 2012). Many studies suggest that oxytocin is related to sensitive parenting (Bakermans-Kranenburg & Van IJzendoorn, 2008; Feldman, Weller, Zagoory-Sharon, & Levine, 2007), although the exact mechanism underlying this positive association is not entirely clear yet. Another factor that influences parenting behavior is adult state of mind with respect to attachment (Van IJzendoorn, 1995). In the current dissertation, the role of oxytocin and adult attachment in parenting is examined with a series of functional magnetic resonance imaging experiments. Show less
The research described in this thesis aimed to gain insight in risky behavior in adolescence, by examining the development of decision-making in relation to brain development. Chapter 1 describes... Show moreThe research described in this thesis aimed to gain insight in risky behavior in adolescence, by examining the development of decision-making in relation to brain development. Chapter 1 describes two existing possible explanations for adolescent risky behavior, the first explanation focuses on the development of cognitive control, and states that adolescents’ immature ability to control their impulses may bias them to act risky. The second explanation focuses on emotional/motivational processes, and suggests that adolescents engage in risky behavior because they respond stronger to the possible rewards associated with risks than children and adults do. Chapters 2, 3, and 7 describe studies on developmental changes in the processes that form the building blocks of more complex decision-making under risk; probability estimation, reward processing and working memory. Chapters 4, 5, and 6 explore the relative contributions of reward sensitivity and cognitive control to decision-making across development. This thesis shows knowledge about brain maturation can inform models of adolescent risky behavior. And that adolescent risk-taking can be explained as the consequence of the earlier maturation of reward related relative to cognitive control related brain circuitry. Show less
