The research in this dissertation represents a multifaceted approach to understanding reading comprehension processes, and employs diverse methodologies to examine both internal and external... Show moreThe research in this dissertation represents a multifaceted approach to understanding reading comprehension processes, and employs diverse methodologies to examine both internal and external factors related to reading comprehension. More specifically, the research addresses attentional control processes during reading, the influence of dopamine on both attentional control and reading comprehension (i.e., internal factors; Chapter 2 and 3), and the effects of feedback on both reading comprehension and on cognitive and affective processes related to reading comprehension (i.e., external factors; Chapter 4 and 5). Show less
Children become more active participants in parent-child interaction by the time they reach primary school age, during the transition from dependence to greater autonomy. Parent-child interaction... Show moreChildren become more active participants in parent-child interaction by the time they reach primary school age, during the transition from dependence to greater autonomy. Parent-child interaction can shape children’s neurocognitive development, yet little is known about the nature of this relation in school-aged children. In this dissertation the associations between parent-child interaction and four- to eight-year-old children’s attentional control, executive functioning , social cognition and reasoning skills were investigated. Furthermore, it was investigated whether parents can be educated to improve interactions with their child through a compact psycho-educational program. It can be concluded that parental supportive presence, intrusiveness and questioning style adaptive to both the age and needs of school-aged children were associated with children’s neurocognitive functioning. Educating parents to adaptively modify their parent-child interactions can positively influence their supportive presence, intrusiveness and questioning style, which in turn may benefit their child’s neurocognitive functioning. These findings suggest that educating parents can benefit children’s neurocognitive development and the aspects of parenting strategies investigated in this dissertation could be useful objectives. A compact school-based group program for parents may already have a meaningful impact in promoting aspects of parent-child interaction that have been shown to be associated with children’s neurocognitive development. Show less
Spruijt, A.M.; Dekker, M.C.; Ziermans, T.B.; Swaab, H. 2017
Good parenting strategies can shape children’s neurocognitive development, yet little is known about the nature of this relation in school-aged children and whether this association shifts with age... Show moreGood parenting strategies can shape children’s neurocognitive development, yet little is known about the nature of this relation in school-aged children and whether this association shifts with age. We aimed to investigate the relation between parenting strategies observed during a home visit and children’s performance-based attentional control and executive functioning (N = 98, aged 4–8 years). Linear and curvilinear regression analyses showed that children of parents who were more supportive, were less intrusive, and asked more open-ended questions displayed better inhibitory control. In addition, children of parents who asked relatively more open-ended than closed-ended questions showed better performance on inhibition, working memory, and cognitive flexibility tasks. Curvilinear relations indicated the presence of an optimal amount of closed-ended and elaborative questions by parents—that is, not too few and not too many—which is linked to increased performance on attentional and inhibitory control in children. Higher parental intrusiveness and more frequent elaborative questioning were associated with decreased inhibitory control in younger children, whereas no such negative associations were present in older children. These results suggest that susceptibility to certain parenting strategies may shift with age. Our findings underscore the importance of adaptive parenting strategies to both the age and needs of school-aged children, which may positively affect their self-regulation skills. Show less
Angelidis, A.; Does, W. van der; Schakel, L.; Putman, P. 2016
Smoking and nicotine dependence are associated with an onset or an increased severity of the symptoms of depression and anxiety disorders, and this association is well-established. However, the... Show moreSmoking and nicotine dependence are associated with an onset or an increased severity of the symptoms of depression and anxiety disorders, and this association is well-established. However, the mechanisms underlying this association are not yet clear. In this thesis, we found that early-onset smokers have an early onset of an anxiety disorder. We also found that nicotine-dependent smokers have more severe symptoms of depression and anxiety than the other three groups, which are comparable in symptom severity. Moreover, the rate of improvement of symptoms in dependent smokers is slower than in the other groups. In a follow-up study with the same sample, we found that only those nicotine-dependent smokers have more severe symptoms of depression and anxiety who carry the Val66Val polymorphism of the BDNF gene. In individuals carrying the Val66Met genotype of the BDNF gene, there was no difference among the four smoking groups in symptoms severity. We further found that the levels of serum BDNF is higher in current smoking groups than in non-smoking groups. No association of nicotine dependence with serum BDNF was found. Finally, we investigated the moderating role of attentional control on smoking-related attentional bias, but no moderating effect was found. Smoking, Nicotine dependence, BDNFVal66Met, severity of depression/ anxiety, attentional control Show less
Schoorl, M.; Putman, P.; Werff, S. van der; Does, A.J.W. van der 2014
We investigated the effects of two novel treatments for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The first treatment is Attentional Bias Modification (ABM). This treatment for anxiety disorders has... Show moreWe investigated the effects of two novel treatments for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The first treatment is Attentional Bias Modification (ABM). This treatment for anxiety disorders has become quite popular in a relatively short time and was featured in recent articles in the New York Times and The Economist. ABM is a brief, computerized treatment in which patients are trained to keep their attention away from the threatening stimuli from which they automatically attend. Since attentional bias (AB) is considered an important feature of PTSD, we tested ABM in a randomized controlled trial. ABM did not effect PTSD, nor did it change AB. We also investigated an individualized version of ABM in a case series and saw no therapeutic effects. Since the current popularity of ABM is based on smaller studies than our RCT, dissemination efforts may have to be reconsidered. Next, we explored the usefulness of a 8-week course of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) in a pilot study with patients with chronic PTSD. No adverse effects were observed and patients evaluated the course positively. About half of the patients who finished MBCT demonstrated positive clinical effects. However, considering the early dropout rate, different formats may have to be developed to increase its acceptability in this group. Show less
