OPUS documents https://opus.constructor.university/index/index/ Fri, 27 Jan 2023 15:18:20 +0100 Fri, 27 Jan 2023 15:18:20 +0100 https://opus.constructor.university/frontdoor/index/index/docId/1135 In our daily life, we are continuously required to learn new motor skills and adapt these skills to new situations, such as during tool-use. Tool-use as one of the hallmark skills in humans serves to functionally extend our body to overcome physical limitations to interact or manipulate other objects or organisms in an environment. In the present dissertation, I used behavioral and neural oscillation correlates of body schema plasticity during virtual tool-use in young and older adults to investigate the embodiment of virtual tools into the body schema, body image and the association between body ownership and agency as well as their mutual dependency on action-related sensory feedback. To do so, an arm-shaped virtual tool-use paradigm was employed in order to study forearm sensorimotor body schema, and its level of plasticity in young and older individuals during a sequential motor learning task. Overall, our findings suggest that virtual tools can be incorporated into the existing body schema of the forearm in younger adults but not in older adults, while showcasing how future work may further disambiguate the contributions of tactile and visual feedback. Additionally, resting-state beta power and task-related theta, alpha and beta power predicts stronger practice effect during virtual tool-use in younger adults compared to older adults. All together, I conclude that a sense of agency may strongly relate to improvement in tool-use in older adults dependent on practice effect but independent of alterations in the body schema, while ownership did not emerge due to a lack of body schema plasticity. Additionally, I concluded that the stronger practice effect during virtual tool-use training is positively related with resting-state relative beta power, higher task-related relative theta power and lower task-related alpha across frontal, parietal and occipital regions in younger adults but not in older adults. Amir Jahanian Najafabadi doctoralthesis https://opus.constructor.university/frontdoor/index/index/docId/1135 Fri, 27 Jan 2023 15:18:20 +0100 https://opus.constructor.university/frontdoor/index/index/docId/1105 The COVID-19 pandemic as a crisis has been associated with changes in daily interaction, social connectedness, mental health, support structures, and the provision of (mental) health care treatment. This thesis aims to examine 3 main targets: psychological well-being during crises, psychological mechanisms related to reactions and consequences of individuals and systems, and the effectiveness of digital interventions to support mental health. In 5 studies the following were examined: (1) triggers of preventable adverse events (pAEs) through evaluating the psychometric properties of a questionnaire; (2) hand hygiene behavior along the Health Action Process Approach (HAPA) through structural equation modeling; (3) differences in worries and mental health of the general population and psychosomatic rehabilitation patients; (4) evaluation of the intercorrelation between psychological variables along the Evolutionary Theory of Loneliness via a serial mediation model; (5) evaluation of the effectiveness of digital (psycho)therapeutic interventions. In study 1, 5 areas of triggers of pAEs were defined and the questionnaire showed good psychometric properties. Study 2 has shown that hand hygiene behavior could be explained along the HAPA with the pattern being invariant for mental health. Study 3 has demonstrated higher mental health-related symptoms for psychosomatic rehabilitation patients who also reported different worries than the general population. Study 4 has shown a serial and individual mediation effect of loneliness and anxiety between distress and depression. Adding digital interventions to the traditional therapy approach supported the reduction of psychological symptoms as shown in study 5. The findings of this thesis contribute to a greater understanding of psychological mechanisms evaluated by reactions and consequences associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and allow for several practical, theoretical, and methodological conclusions to be drawn. Franziska Maria Keller doctoralthesis https://opus.constructor.university/frontdoor/index/index/docId/1105 Tue, 26 Jul 2022 11:38:55 +0200 https://opus.constructor.university/frontdoor/index/index/docId/1106 As children develop, they learn to copy from others, interpret their intentions, and evaluate their reliability as sources of information (social learning). Today, these ‘others’ include not only children's peers, parents, or teachers, but also technological devices with which they can interact, including in educational settings. Social robots occupy a particular niche among such technologies, with the ability to embody specific social behaviours such as gaze, gesture, and verbal communication. Nonetheless, the technology underlying the design of social robots remains far from perfect, and opportunities for failures are rife. Understanding how the social capabilities inherent with social robots interact with these inevitable failures is therefore necessary for the design of robust educational interactions with robots. Consequently, the goal of this thesis is to develop an understanding of how errors impact children's social attitudes and behaviour towards social robots. First, a meta-analysis on children's trust in social robots was conducted, creating a theoretical baseline from which to study robot errors. Second, a learning task and measurements for use in child-robot-interaction (cHRI) were developed, through which robot errors could be manipulated and their effect on constructs such as trust, liking, and perceived agency captured. Third, the role of robot errors in a real-world implementation of the learning task was examined. Finally, how current social cognition paradigms can be used to explain children's perceptions of robot errors was explored. Throughout these studies, a theme emerged towards errors not being detrimental to children's perceptions of social robots, at least for more short-term interactions. The significance of robot errors and, more generally, social behaviour when evaluating social robots as tutors is discussed. The thesis concludes with recommendations for how cHRI research can draw from psychology in the design of future cHRI studies. Rebecca Stower doctoralthesis https://opus.constructor.university/frontdoor/index/index/docId/1106 Thu, 14 Jul 2022 09:50:59 +0200 https://opus.constructor.university/frontdoor/index/index/docId/1064 The present dissertation aimed to contribute to the attempt of decomposing interindividual aging trajectories and to provide empirical evidence about the potential role of brain aging in emotion processing by using different methodological approaches. Study 1 revealed attenuated arousal-modulated BOLD signals in older adults with low (vs. high) levels of executive functioning, for both negative and positive emotional stimuli in different brain areas, including bilateral premotor area (BA 6), dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, inferior parietal lobule, and left putamen. Functional connectivity of amygdala and visual cortex with various other brain regions was as well found. Study 2 revealed that brain functioning related to executive functioning moderates the relation between subjective arousal and level of executive functioning. Moderation effects were found for brain activity in several brain regions including lateral and medial frontal cortex, medial temporal cortex, occipital cortex, insula, and cerebellum. Older adults with brain functioning associated with brain aging and low executive functioning showed high levels of positive as well as negative arousal. Study 3 investigated changes in subjective negative arousal after a 12-month aerobic intervention training. It revealed that, overall, older adults decreased in negative arousal, most likely due to improvements in emotion regulation. However, one subgroup increased in negative arousal. This subgroup showed high levels of executive functioning and compensatory brain activity at T0. The preliminary results of study 4 revealed that lower white matter in the frontal cortex went along with higher negative arousal. Katja Glinka doctoralthesis https://opus.constructor.university/frontdoor/index/index/docId/1064 Mon, 09 May 2022 16:01:08 +0200 https://opus.constructor.university/frontdoor/index/index/docId/1066 Background: Digital physical activity interventions can be effective, but how their components influence complex health behavior change processes has rarely been investigated in older adults. Objective: Applying principles from social cognitive theory, missing value treatment and person-centered analyses, this thesis aims to tackle three research gaps in the form of barriers to physical activity behavior change in digital interventions targeted at older adults. Methods: Study 1 covers social-cognitive mechanisms in the effect of tailored, theory-based digital interventions on movement in the physical activity stage of change. In study 2, lifestyle profiles consisting of six self-reported, health-related behaviors were researched using latent profile analysis. Adjusted risk ratios were calculated to identify dropout-vulnerable risk profiles. In Study 3, latent class growth analysis was used to determine trajectory subgroups regarding physical activity and sedentary behavior. Results: In study 1, the hypothesized positive effects on stage of change were partly mediated by social-cognitive predictor changes. There were heterogenous intervention mechanisms. Four latent health-related lifestyle profiles were identified in study 2. Membership of the “socially inactive lifestyle” profile was associated with an elevated risk of dropping out. Study 3 identified two latent physical activity and sedentary behavior change trajectories, respectively. Significant positive trajectories were only observed in the highly sedentary. Discussion and Conclusion: This thesis lays out a theoretical and methodological basis of how areas of heterogeneity in the physical activity behavior change process of older adults participating in digital interventions can be analyzed. Characterizing distinct subgroups and their needs can advance tailoring of intervention components and behavior change strategies, and ultimately improve acceptance, retention, and long-term intervention effectiveness. Tiara Ratz doctoralthesis https://opus.constructor.university/frontdoor/index/index/docId/1066 Fri, 18 Mar 2022 10:14:17 +0100 https://opus.constructor.university/frontdoor/index/index/docId/1014 Despite numerous attempts to reduce socioeconomic disparity in education, the gap in educational attainment and expectations among students with different socioeconomic backgrounds persists. This thesis is an attempt to extend our understanding of the social-psychological mechanisms that could explain this gap and inform solutions that would promote greater equality in education. It presents three manuscripts, which together propose that (1) the link between socioeconomic background and educational attainment can be explained by self-efficacy beliefs, and (2) childhood socioeconomic status and self-efficacy bias the process of judgement that precedes achievement-oriented behaviour. Building on the existing literature and research, in the first study I assess the roles of self-efficacy antecedents in the relationship between socioeconomic background and educational expectations. The findings demonstrate that self-efficacy antecedents fully explain the effects of income, social class, and primary caregiver’s education on educational expectations of students. Further, in a theoretical piece, I propose that pre-existing self-efficacy beliefs guide the selection and interpretation of the immediate information relevant in the process of appraisal of problem-focused coping potential. Finally, building on the results of the first study and the proposed theoretical framework, I test the effects of childhood status on the appraisal of coping potential and attribution of the outcome when people solve cognitive tasks. The findings demonstrate that the effect of childhood status varies across tasks with different difficulty and among people who succeeded and failed. I situate these findings within broader research on socioeconomic disparity in education and discuss their implications for theory, research, and practice. Olga Poluektova doctoralthesis https://opus.constructor.university/frontdoor/index/index/docId/1014 Mon, 17 Jan 2022 12:42:06 +0100 https://opus.constructor.university/frontdoor/index/index/docId/959 As insomnia is recognized as a globally prevalent mental disorder with a high comorbidity rate, attempts to cure insomnia have been increasing. Primary insomnia is not attributed to other medical conditions or substance usage but may be due to impaired brain network and dysregulated brain activities. Normally, a bottom-up thalamocortical pathway is targeted with pharmaceutical interventions for neurological and psychiatric disorders, but possibilities to modulate brain mechanisms with a top-down corticothalamic pathway are re-gaining attention and being considered as a potential treatment option. This study focuses on identification of hallmarks of EEG patterns in insomniacs and effects of a combination of two neuromodulation methods: Neurofeedback (NFT) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). The 12 participants diagnosed with primary insomnia first received 20 sessions of NFT, which was followed by additional 10 sessions of tDCS, and their EEG patterns were measured at baseline and after the completion of the training. The EEG power and coherence in each of theta (1-4 Hz), delta (4-8 Hz), alpha (8-12 Hz), beta (12-30 Hz), gamma (30-50 Hz) frequency bands was analyzed and compared with the EEG of healthy control group. Throughout the research, I found that primary insomniacs tend to have elevated beta and high beta relative power and excessive coherence compared to the norm of healthy population saved in the NeuroGuide database and the healthy control group, respectively. After the intervention, a noticeable reduction in beta power and coherence was observed. Amir Jahanian Najafabadi; Hanseul Oh; Hadis Imani; Ben Godde workingpaper https://opus.constructor.university/frontdoor/index/index/docId/959 Thu, 04 Mar 2021 10:16:10 +0100 https://opus.constructor.university/frontdoor/index/index/docId/955 Models of cognition-based brain networks and functions are enormous in number and intricate in function. However, it is possible to compare modules of hierarchically segregated models against one another and model them based on a range of empirical data. It is essential to elucidate the neurobiological contribution of executive functions (EFs) to cognitive functions such as decision making (DM) and creative thinking. The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is associated with several EFs. The PFC is part of a deliberate inhibitory control (IC) network; it is also a central node for problem-solving and the creative ideation process. Nevertheless, several cognitive domains for inhibition and flexibility correspond to distinct cortico-frontal networks. An integrated computational–experimental framework could provide insight into the root of EFs. This PhD thesis aims to explore the role of models of cognition-related brain networks and functions. The thesis addresses 1) the computational perspective on decision-making and creative thinking and 2) the experimental perspective on creative thinking, supported by relevant peer-reviewed publications. The computational perspective on DM and creative thinking is concerned with validating computational modeling through spiking neural network (SNN) and connectionist models. The experimental perspective on creative thinking is concerned with the relationships among creative cognition, creative drive, and their associated neuromodulator systems––a subject on which information has, until now, remained scattered and elusive. The experimental study used a non-invasive brain stimulation method (transcranial direct current stimulation [tDCS]) to examine the role of the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) in divergent thinking (DT) and whether changes in the activity of the IFGs and IC would mediate variations in DT. Radwa KHALIL doctoralthesis https://opus.constructor.university/frontdoor/index/index/docId/955 Tue, 02 Mar 2021 10:09:16 +0100 https://opus.constructor.university/frontdoor/index/index/docId/946 Autism Spectrum Disorder is a neurological and developmental disorder that starts early in adolescence and lasts throughout a person’s life affecting information flow in the brain leading to secondary problems for the patient. Early detection of ASD is vital in enhancing the efficiency of the treatment. Current diagnostic approaches for autism are time-consuming, to accelerate this process of diagnosing the disease as early as possible with fewer efforts and better accuracy machine learning methods have been proposed recently. This paper presents the diagnosis of ASD based on resting-state eyes-closed EEG signals using machine learning algorithms. The research study population consists of 100 children with ASD (82 male and 18 female) between 5-19 years and 88 healthy developing children in the same range of age with equal proportion of males and female. Power spectrum analysis was used for the analysis of EEG as feature extraction. In addition, feature selection is applied based on principal component analysis for dimensionality reduction. The Logistic Regression, K-Nearest Neighbours, Decision Trees, Random Forest, Extra Trees and Extreme Gradient Boosting classifiers are used for the classification of autistic versus typically developing children. Evaluating the performance of the best classifier among the baseline models results in a classification accuracy of 67.7%, AUC 0.74, 83.3% recall, 61% precision and 54.3% specificity using Extra Trees Additionally, the results revealed that the children with ASD showed convincingly higher power in theta delta and beta bands and low power in alpha than normal group. Chaitra Bhaskarachary; Amir Jahanian Najafabadi; Ben Godde workingpaper https://opus.constructor.university/frontdoor/index/index/docId/946 Thu, 07 Jan 2021 14:27:10 +0100 https://opus.constructor.university/frontdoor/index/index/docId/930 Diverse adaptive visual processing mechanisms allow us to complete simple discrimination and more complex visual search tasks in a wide visual photopic range (> 0.6 cd/m2). Despite extensive research ranging from the psychophysical to neurophysiological disciplines, none has examined how these processes behave in the scotopic and low - mesopic luminance ranges, even though we still utilize these processes daily albeit facing considerable decreases in performance. Characterization of perceptual and environmental limitations are needed. Furthermore, visual performance is often enhanced by innate visual - tactile mechanisms, and if patterned properly, application of additional tactile information could attenuate observed decreases in the low luminance spectral ranges. This dissertation will first demonstrate novel behavioural performance efficiency functions for visual discrimination and visual search as one traverses the scotopic to low - mesopic luminance ranges. Second, will demonstrate how various properties of tactile encoding can either attenuate behavioural deficiencies or even facilitate normal performance. Third, these results are supported from both behavioural (eye tracking) and neurophysiological (event related potential) analyses, isolating critical temporal gating windows with more efficient search patterns mediated via a central - parietal network. Mathew Hunter doctoralthesis https://opus.constructor.university/frontdoor/index/index/docId/930 Wed, 30 Sep 2020 11:12:33 +0200 https://opus.constructor.university/frontdoor/index/index/docId/922 A healthy lifestyle plays a key role in maintaining both the quality and the length of life. Interrelation of behaviors (internet use and health behaviors) and higher-level goals (perceived quality of life, work-life balance) are examined in this research. The first study focuses on the interrelation between internet use and physical activity. While doing so, it identifies the differences across age groups. The second study focuses on the different contributions of work-time and leisure-time internet use to perceived quality of life, taking stress management and health behaviors into account. The third study focuses on the interrelation between multiple health behaviors and work-life balance, as well as the mediator roles of perceived stress and problematic internet use, and the moderator role of the resident countries. The results of the first study show positive associations between physical activity variables. Positive associations between internet use and physical activity emerges in late adolescents, whereas negative associations between internet use and physical activity planning emerges in middle-aged adults. The results of the second study reveal that leisure-time internet use, but not work-time internet use, is positively associated with problematic internet use. Participants whose work-time internet use could be considered balanced indicates a higher perceived quality of life. The results of the third study indicate the mediator roles of perceived stress and problematic internet use between health behaviors and work-life balance. Among the residents of Germany, a partial mediation is revealed, whereas among the residents of China, a full mediation is found. Conclusions are given in the form of research, practical and theoretical implications. In today’s digital society, a proper combination of multiple health behaviors and appropriate internet use can benefit individuals’ quality of life and work-life balance. Lingling Gao doctoralthesis https://opus.constructor.university/frontdoor/index/index/docId/922 Fri, 03 Jul 2020 14:07:27 +0200 https://opus.constructor.university/frontdoor/index/index/docId/911 Marc Wyszynski doctoralthesis https://opus.constructor.university/frontdoor/index/index/docId/911 Tue, 03 Mar 2020 12:29:40 +0100 https://opus.constructor.university/frontdoor/index/index/docId/889 The 2N-ary choice tree model, a computational cognitive process model of multi-alternative multi-attribute preferential choice is proposed, revised, tested for its ability to simulate three benchmark context effects and interactions between them, and compared with earlier and more recent theories. The 2N-ary choice tree model assumes that the decision maker, given a set of N choice alternatives that are described by the same attributes, repeatedly compares pairs of attribute values and counts how often each alternative wins and loses a comparison. The number of favorable and unfavorable comparisons is stored in two separate counters per alternative and the difference of the counter states forms the preference state for the respective alternative. If the preference state for an alternative hits a negative threshold, this alternative is eliminated from the choice set and the comparison process continues without it. On the other hand, if the preference state for an alternative hits a positive threshold, this alternative is chosen and the whole process stops. The simple choice tree model, a revised version of the 2N-ary choice tree model, introduces an additional parameter for regulating the focus on the winning or losing alternative in a comparison, which has an effect on the proportion of choices and eliminations that take place. The 2N-ary choice tree model and the simple choice tree model are both able to explain similarity, attraction, and compromise effects, three context effects that have been observed after adding a third option to a set of two choice alternatives. With its additional parameter, the simple choice tree model beyond that accounts for recently observed correlations between these effects. It is the only model that accounts for the whole range of related findings, including negative similarity, attraction, and compromise effects. Lena Maria Wollschläger doctoralthesis https://opus.constructor.university/frontdoor/index/index/docId/889 Thu, 24 Oct 2019 11:25:33 +0200 https://opus.constructor.university/frontdoor/index/index/docId/812 Personality development has been implicated in theory as one important antecedent to the development of wisdom, but there is very little longitudinal evidence directly relevant to the proposition. This dissertation sets out to investigate the longitudinal relationship between wisdom and two trajectories of positive personality development, personality adjustment and personality growth. The first of three empirical papers establishes partial measurement invariance for unique new Personality Adjustment and Personality Growth scales across adulthood in a longitudinal sample from approximately 34 to 73 years of age. The second paper uses a latent growth curve modeling approach in the same sample to establish trajectories for Personality Adjustment and Growth, and then latent class growth analysis to test for the presence of groups whose personality development paths towards later life wisdom are relatively similar. In the final paper, the same conceptual framework was applied to two adolescent samples to establish pre-adult validity. The key findings were as follows: a) the distinction between personality adjustment and growth is viable and useful throughout adulthood and in adolescence, with a consistent cross-sectional association between personality growth and wisdom; b) there are adolescence-specific features of personality growth and adjustment; and c) there is a longitudinal relationship between early adulthood personality growth and later life wisdom, and a class of people who had high levels of Personality Growth throughout adulthood and increasing levels of Personality Adjustment also had relatively high levels of wisdom at later life. Together, these findings indicate that personality development indeed plays a substantial role in the development of wisdom: As expected, personality growth even in early adulthood is an important antecedent of wisdom development, and personality adjustment has an important role as a scaffold to sustain personality growth. Alan Law doctoralthesis https://opus.constructor.university/frontdoor/index/index/docId/812 Wed, 25 Jul 2018 10:57:37 +0200 https://opus.constructor.university/frontdoor/index/index/docId/802 Many lifestyle factors can contribute to the deterioration of health. The rise in non-communicable diseases and high-level of stress can result in being less productive at work, shorter lifespans, and a more significant burden on the healthcare system. Therefore, the primary goal of this thesis is to identify the interrelations among multiple health behaviors, and their associations with subjective health, quality of life, and sleep quality. Little is known about sleep as another lifestyle-related health behavior, thus, the second goal is to include sleep as health behavior. As health and engagement in health behaviors vary with age and subjective perspectives, the third goal of this thesis is to investigate age-group differences on multiple health behaviors, and their associations with subjective health, quality of life and sleep quality.This thesis utilized theory-based and empirical investigations based on quantitative questionnaire data. Results suggest that individuals who were physically active were more likely to perceive their health as better, over a period of up to eight years (N=640). Some initial insights were provided regarding how sleep interrelates with physical activity and healthy diets among older adults (N=126). The results further suggest that these multiple health behaviors are associated with increased subjective health, quality of life, and sleep quality, and show significant age group differences (N=790). The findings based on the Compensatory Carry-Over Action Model reflect (1) that carry-over mechanisms of one health behavior may facilitate other health behavior; (2) the understanding of self-regulation of multiple health behaviors in achieving higher-level goals could enhance health and well-being. Adapting lifestyle management with multiple health behaviors, including sleep, may be informative for practical implications of health promotion. Future study should identify the causal pathway of health behaviors and social cognitive factors. Shu Ling Tan doctoralthesis https://opus.constructor.university/frontdoor/index/index/docId/802 Tue, 08 May 2018 09:38:27 +0200 https://opus.constructor.university/frontdoor/index/index/docId/758 This thesis is concerned with intergroup difference in the context of nationhood. One of the main aims of this thesis is to problematize certain taken-for-granted assumptions of intergroup relations research in social psychology. The research area of intergroup relations departs from a tacit acceptance of difference as a natural given. Differences between individuals and groups lie at the heart of fundamental concepts like prejudice, conflict or tolerance, and processes like identification or categorisation. In this thesis, I have attempted to develop an approach that incorporates both the consequences of differentiation and the contents of difference. In doing this, I have drawn upon a theoretical approach, social representations theory (Jovchelovitch, 2007; Marková, 2003; Moscovici, 1961/2008), which offers the resources to make sense of the consensual realities and the communication processes through which social knowledge is constructed, maintained and challenged. I have investigated representations of intergroup differences in the context of Turkish nationhood. This allowed me to explore the fluid nature of nationhood as a social category. Empirical studies and a conceptual study allowed me to show how different manifestations of the Turkish nationhood have been reproduced and contested. As such, this thesis has contributed to intergroup relations research through its emphasis on problematizing, contextualising and distinguishing contents of categories in relation to the fluid nature of boundary-making and differentiation. Such a focus might contribute towards a better conceptualisation of inclusivity, as clarification of taken-for-granted contents of categories are advocated. I hope to have emphasised the importance of deconstructing mechanistic understandings of intergroup relations and the need to construct a more organic conception of superordinate (inclusive) categories.j Resit Kislioglu doctoralthesis https://opus.constructor.university/frontdoor/index/index/docId/758 Fri, 01 Dec 2017 08:26:30 +0100 https://opus.constructor.university/frontdoor/index/index/docId/720 Informal learning is a main form of learning in the workplace today, and is expected to increase in importance. Blue-collar workers profit from informal learning situations, because they generate action-oriented knowledge ad hoc, which makes it easy to apply in a new situation. Study I performs a meta-analytic summary on the current state of the research on informal workplace learning. After developing and applying a taxonomy for important antecedents, it compares several classes of learning factors and context factors in their relation to informal learning. Important findings are that peer support correlates higher with informal learning than supervisor support, Asian samples make more use of informal learning than Western samples, and blue-collar workers profit more from contextual factors than white-collar workers. Study II examines the context in depth, using age climate as an important antecedent of learning and productive working in demographic change. As in study I, study II also identifies a difference between blue-collar and white-collar workers in that younger blue-collar workers perceive the age climate in their team much better than their older coworkers. In the informal learning sector in particular, motivation to learn is a crucial antecedent. Therefore, study III examines correlates of motivation to learn in a blue-collar sample. While in a cross-sectional general analysis, person-related factors seemed to have more weight than supervisor support and job demands, an intervention study suggested that shift leader training is more effective in raising employees’ motivation to learn than individual training of the workers themselves. The thesis has a strong emphasis on the practical applicability of its findings. All studies focus on factors that can be addressed in interventions, and reflect on the practical implications of all findings for managers who aim to enhance informal learning and learning culture in their organization. Jana Loos doctoralthesis https://opus.constructor.university/frontdoor/index/index/docId/720 Mon, 24 Jul 2017 09:52:13 +0200 https://opus.constructor.university/frontdoor/index/index/docId/691 Current societal shifts are moving us into an increasingly globalized world. For such changes to be successful, a deeper understanding of individuals and their behaviours is required. A key area where such an understanding is lacking is in the relationship and communication between doctors and immigrant patients, which is often challenging and can negatively influence the patients (Ng, 2011). This thesis explores attitudes of immigrant patients and host culture doctors towards immigrants, and how these attitudes interrelate with immigrants’ health behaviours and quality of life. Main theoretical assumptions include the notion that attitudes toward and from members of a host culture can influence a migrant's behaviours, as proposed by Berry's acculturation orientations (Berry, 1998, 2001), and that behaviour change depends on environment, people and behaviour (Bandura, 1986; Ward & Geeraert, 2016). Acculturation orientations of immigrant patients and their host culture doctors towards immigrant patients are examined for effects on (1) perceived quality of care, (2) immigrants’ health behaviours, and (3) immigrants’ quality of life. Measures were collected via interviews, medical visit video recordings, and questionnaires; health behaviours included nutrition, physical activity, and medical advice adherence, while quality of life was measured via the World Health Organization Quality of Life Instrument (WHOQOL) (WHO, 1991). Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted to assess similar topics in greater depth. Qualitative (Thematic Analysis and the Verona Coding System) and quantitative (ANOVA, regression and structural equation modelling) analyses were used. These investigations provide insights into how increased contact between cultures may impact health on an individual level, and how misunderstandings can be acknowledged and potentially intervened upon, to minimize detrimental effects and foster improved functioning for diverse members of society. Amanda Whittal doctoralthesis https://opus.constructor.university/frontdoor/index/index/docId/691 Mon, 23 Jan 2017 13:36:58 +0100 https://opus.constructor.university/frontdoor/index/index/docId/465 Planned encounters between members of groups in conflict aiming to contribute to reconciliation have long been practiced in regions of intractable conflicts. However, there is an evident scarcity of rigorous experimental studies, and there have been almost no assessment of the durability of the effects after participants return to their communities. Addressing these deficits, this thesis examines the effectiveness of a two-day encounter program for Jewish and Palestinian youth in Israel. This program uses a mixed model approach by integrating techniques focusing on harmony and coexistence, with ones emphasizing differences and disagreements. To properly compensate for selection bias, this quasi-experimental study utilized the Solomon Four Group Design, with delayed posttests to assess intermediate- and long-term effects (total N = 938). It assessed the impact of the encounters on Coexistence Orientation (CO), a hierarchical index with emotional, cognitive, motivational, behavioral, and political domains of attitudes that are associated with coexistence, a minimally acceptable state of post-conflict positive relations. The results indicate that the encounters had a significant positive effect on CO in both groups. The effects were stronger for participants who exhibited low motivation to take part in encounters at baseline, compared to participants who were highly motivated for the activity. The analysis of pretesting effects indicated possible reactive but not interactive effects, largely ruling out the possibility of pretest sensitization. Finally, there was limited evidence that the encounters have durable effect on the examined variables, and most effects completely faded in the range of one year after the encounter.Considering these results, it is recommended that practitioners use various means to increase hope among participants, and create opportunities for follow-up activities that may increase the sustainability and durability of revealed positive effects. Maor Shani doctoralthesis https://opus.constructor.university/frontdoor/index/index/docId/465 Tue, 15 Nov 2016 14:42:12 +0100 https://opus.constructor.university/frontdoor/index/index/docId/641 Social identity theory suggests that when studying ‘the self’, both personal identity and social identity should be considered. Within the frame of social identity theory, the dissertation analyzes the role of personal self-esteem (PSE) and in-group attitudes in well-being and out-group negativity. Developments in implicit measures have demonstrated that people can hold different attitudes both at the explicit and implicit level. Therefore, the dissertation examines not only explicit, but also implicit attitudes towards the self and the in-group. Chapter 1 provides a theoretical background to the empirical studies and emphasizes the research gaps and inconsistent results in the literature. Chapter 2, Article 1, which focuses on the link between PSE and well-being as well as in-group attitudes and well-being, presents the results of a study conducted with a Turkish majority (Turks in Turkey) and a minority group members (Turks in Germany and Bulgaria) in different contexts. The study draws conclusions regarding the consistent positive relation of explicit PSE to well-being across the three samples and the beneficial effect of in-group attitudes only for the well-being of the majority group. The study does not indicate a consistent relation of implicit attitudes to well-being across the groups. Chapter 3, Article 2 analyzes the main effects and intervening roles of immigrant (minority) and national citizenship identities for the relationship between perceived discrimination and well-being. The research, which was conducted with a peculiar immigrant group -Turkish immigrants from Bulgaria- who migrated to a country where their ethnic group is the majority, indicates the negative influence of perceived discrimination on well-being and the positive relationship of citizenship identification, rather than immigrant group identification, and well-being. Chapter 4, Article 3, analyzes the interrelation of PSE and in-group attitudes with out-group negativity for a majority (Turks in Turkey) and minority groups (Turks in Germany and Bulgaria). Additionally, this research investigates the interaction of explicit and implicit PSE and the interaction of explicit and implicit in-group attitudes as predictors of out-group negativity. The findings suggest that while the increases in positive in-group attitudes predict out-group negativity for majority group members, increases in PSE associate with lower out-group negativity for the minority group members (Turks in Germany). Besides, the study highlights the negativity of people with damaged PSE: Among the majority group, people with damaged PSE direct their negativity toward out-group members, however, among the minority group (Turks in Bulgaria), people with damaged PSE are more negative toward in-group members. Chapter 5, Article 4 analyzes the roles of in-group identification and implicit in-group attitudes in predicting out-group negativity in a sport context by considering the possible effect of identity threat. This study, which was conducted with the supporters of Werder Bremen, examines the explicit evaluations and physiological reactions towards both the stimuli representing in-group (Werder Bremen) and the stimuli shown in the neutral and identity threat conditions. Results demonstrate that people who are highly identified with Werder Bremen evaluate stimuli representing in-group more positively and they evaluate stimuli inducing identity threat more negatively. Chapter 6, the discussion, provides a summary of the empirical chapters (chapters 2, 3, 4 and 5). In this section, theoretical and methodological contributions of the dissertation are highlighted and the findings of the studies are discussed within the frame of the research goals of the dissertation. This section also includes limitations and implications for further research that are the outcomes of the dissertation. Leman Korkmaz doctoralthesis https://opus.constructor.university/frontdoor/index/index/docId/641 Wed, 12 Oct 2016 11:19:27 +0200 https://opus.constructor.university/frontdoor/index/index/docId/602 Preferences and ways of life have in the literature been described as both stable and forever malleable. The Theory of Socio-Cultural Viability, of cultural theory for short, is approaching the puzzle from the angle of Anthropology and is commonly used in Political Science. In order to not only test the theory’s value and reliability, but also to develop new ways of employing it in assessing individuals’ and groups’ biases, the present dissertation is structured into three co-dependent papers. The first study, Four Angles to Every Issue, investigates in how far an open-ended discussion of wicked problems leads to an emergence of all four cultures, as predicted by the theory, and supports the assumption of clustering and polarization of preferences in open debates. The second paper, Measuring the Malleable, then takes the analysis to the individual level. The results show that they do in fact remain the same within one context, but do not across life domains. This supports the assumption of multiple selves in the theory and is in line with much of psychological research. The third article then builds on this idea by illuminating cultural theory’s overlap with multiple theories from the field of Psychology. By identifying overlaps and potential links, the paper is able to explain the underlying processes and mechanisms of cultural theory with psychological findings. The last chapter is the general discussion, which offers a synthesis of the presented findings, as well as options for further research. Continuing in the direction that this thesis has shown would allow a better understanding of human interaction and bias formation, as well as transmissions. The focus should from here on out lie on the mechanisms that enable the identified processes and thereby allow a better and more holistic understanding of how biases come about and change malleably. Margret Aenne Schoop doctoralthesis https://opus.constructor.university/frontdoor/index/index/docId/602 Thu, 01 Sep 2016 10:11:48 +0200 https://opus.constructor.university/frontdoor/index/index/docId/579 The present dissertation investigates how workplace flexibility and the aging workforce shape the work/nonwork interface, i.e., the intersection of work and nonwork lives. Based on three independent samples relying on cross-sectional and experience sampling data, significant contributions to the work/family literature emerge from three empirical chapters. Results demonstrate that workplace flexibility and age impact workers’ work-nonwork boundaries, affective well-being, and work-life balance. Overall, the findings suggest that workplace flexibility regarding start, end, and break times, if used in moderation, helps workers to maintain strong boundaries. Strong boundaries, in turn, were consistently related to better well-being and favorable interactions between work and nonwork lives. Goal completion, individual preferences for boundary strength, and boundary management strategies strengthened workers’ boundaries at work and at home, whereas the need to be available for the employer during nonwork time weakened the boundary at home. Further, older as compared to younger workers seem to be more successful in reconciling competing work and nonwork demands, over and above age-related changes in life contexts. A reason for this seems to be their active boundary management strategy use, which emerged as a mediator in the link of age with boundary strength. Finally, the present research highlights the dynamic nature of the work/nonwork interface and shows the importance of considering both day- and person-level associations when analyzing processes at the work/nonwork interface: Whereas occasional flexibility use positively related to nonwork goal completion and boundary strength, its enduring use constitutes a resource-depleting demand that undermines work goal completion. The dissertation adds to the development of an analytical framework of the work/nonwork interface with implications for research and practice. Ines Spieler doctoralthesis https://opus.constructor.university/frontdoor/index/index/docId/579 Tue, 26 Jul 2016 11:17:41 +0200 https://opus.constructor.university/frontdoor/index/index/docId/563 Many societies in different parts of the world have witnessed intractable conflicts. People living in these societies construct conflict frames to understand the ongoing conflicts. Based on Lederach’s (1999) pyramid approach to peace building, the current study investigates how people understand the Kurdish conflict in Turkey in three segments of society: a) politicians, b) scholars and journalists and c) lay people. The Kurdish conflict was approached based on the frame analysis of Entman (1993), which includes four domains: a) problem definition, b) causal interpretation, c) moral evaluation, and d) treatment recommendation. In a first phase, focus group discussions and open-ended questionnaires were used to explore alternative conflict understandings among lay people. In a second phase, Q methodology, a method suitable to uncover socially shared viewpoints, was used to understand the conflict frames of parliamentarians, experts and lay people. In a third phase, after analyzing each participant group’s frames separately, a second-order analysis was performed to see the similarities and differences between the different segments. Five different frames of the Kurdish conflict could be distinguished. In general, the meaning of the different frames, differences and commonalities within and between the segments, the usefulness of Q methodology to explore representations of conflict, and implications for conflict resolution will be discussed. Özden Melis Uluğ doctoralthesis https://opus.constructor.university/frontdoor/index/index/docId/563 Wed, 01 Jun 2016 15:18:18 +0200 https://opus.constructor.university/frontdoor/index/index/docId/564 The primary purpose of this dissertation is to investigate emotional and empathic responses to humans and to artificial entities. This thesis explores the similarities and differences in how we respond to each other, and to artificial entities. In addition, it uses research on human-artificial entity interaction to better understand what makes a response empathic and differentiates it from emotional responding. Finally, it examines how we emotionally and empathically respond to destruction of certain objects, and how responses differ based on the meaningfulness of the objects being harmed. This dissertation uses experimental results to explain how and why we feel emotions and empathy for things that are only sort of alive and what this means for us as humans in a world where our digital culture is constantly evolving. Christina Anne Basedow doctoralthesis https://opus.constructor.university/frontdoor/index/index/docId/564 Tue, 31 May 2016 13:35:47 +0200 https://opus.constructor.university/frontdoor/index/index/docId/555 Lifestyle-related diseases such as cardiovascular diseases and musculoskeletal diseases are the leading cause of work disability and death worldwide. As regular physical activity and sufficient intake of fruit and vegetables play a key role in the prevention and treatment of such diseases, the promotion of these behaviours constitutes a major topic in health psychology. Yet approaches for multiple health behaviour change, as well as the incorporation of work-related outcomes, and quality of life warrant further research. The research questions were examined in one observational and three experimental studies in various settings (medical rehabilitation; primary prevention) and across different health behaviours (physical activity; fruit and vegetable consumption). The results of this thesis highlight the importance of incorporating quality of life and vocational outcomes in activity-based treatment programmes. The findings of this thesis further suggest that improving a person’s confidence in their abilities may not only set the stage for successful behaviour change by strengthening intentions, but may also diminish the negative effects of compensatory health beliefs. Finally, especially if accompanied by self-regulatory strategies such as self-efficacy and planning, increases in desired behaviour for even more than one behaviour may be reached. The findings show that web-based computer-tailored interventions for multiple health behaviours can be an effective means to improve habit strength for physical activity and fruit and vegetable consumption if they make use of such self-regulatory strategies. The practical implications for public health, medical rehabilitation, and workplace health promotion on changing employee’s health behaviours given may provide a promising basis for disease prevention, sustaining quality of life and employability, and reintegration of already sick-listed employees. Vera Storm doctoralthesis https://opus.constructor.university/frontdoor/index/index/docId/555 Wed, 25 May 2016 12:00:28 +0200