Editor-in-Chief and ‘spirit’ of Mindwise, Tassos Sarampalis, passes the baton to Jeremy Burman

Eight years after its foundation, Mindwise’s founding editor in chief, dr. Tassos Sarampalis, has decided to pass the baton. His enthusiasm brought Mindwise to the platform of public understanding of science it is today. New in charge: dr. Jeremy Burman, who’s been part of the mindwise editorial team for several years already, but in sheer motivation to “give psychology away”. A good time to reflect on prior accomplishments and motivations for the future.

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The subtle spreading of sexist norms

Suppose you are in a conversation and someone makes a sexist remark. How do you respond? Do you actively confront the sexist person by engaging in discussion? Do you fall silent in search of a response? Or do you swiftly switch topics to avoid an awkward situation? In our recently published set of studies, we examined how such responses may contribute to (or undermine) the spreading of sexist norms. 

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Duo interview: Collaborating with the Foodbank

Stadjers Hand in Hand (SHH) is a community-building project aiming to tackle poverty in Groningen. Yasin Koc (a teacher) and Gido Metz (a student) got enthused by the project through a Master’s course, and became volunteers. “We used our knowledge of social psychology and helped develop the project to become larger and more sustainable.”

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Psychology starts 5 new international master’s tracks

In September 2016, the Department of Psychology starts five new international master’s tracks. These tracks link psychological knowledge to particular fields of application, to prepare students in the best possible way for the job market in their respective fields. All tracks seem promising, but how do you pick the track that is right for you?

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Duo-Interview: Perspectives on Social Coordination

People tend to coordinate their actions, feelings, and thoughts with others in social situations. But how does this work? We asked two experts of our department, Dr. Ralf Cox (Developmental Psychology) and Dr. Pontus Leander (Organizational Psychology), who examine this intriguing topic from two different perspectives.

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It has been smooth talking to you

Why do smoothly flowing conversations feel so good, whereas brief silences are often so awkward? On February 20, Namkje Koudenburg will defend her thesis “Conversational Flow”, in which she explains how conversational aspects such as brief silences, or small delays in computer-mediated communication influence our relationships, independently of what is being said.

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