Selection, Evocation, and Manipulation: How Do They Shape Our Social Interactions?

In this post, Annika Astengo explores the concepts of selection, evocation, and manipulation to describe how we actively shape our social environments. These ideas range from choosing the situations we find ourselves in to the subtle ways our personality traits evoke responses from those around us. The post reflects on how individual differences influence others and the situations within the social environments we are immersed in.

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Who makes sure that research is done ethically? And what does that even mean?

For a little over three years now, I’ve been a member of the Ethics Committee Psychology (ECP). One of the things I have learned on this committee is that, as a researcher—and as a participant—I was largely unaware of the systems, laws, and protocols in place. Now, viewing research from both sides, I have a new perspective on all this.
How is a study evaluated, and what rights and laws come into play? And what else goes through the mind of an ECP member when they review a study?

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Is ADHD a trend diagnosis? Between TikTok, Self-Diagnosis, and Misinformation

With an increasing number of diagnoses, as well as increasing attention to the disorder in popular media, some voices have been calling ADHD a trend diagnosis. But how serious is ADHD actually? Is the increasing number of diagnoses really due to the disorder trending? And if that is the case, what would that mean? And what role does TikTok play in all of this?

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The Mask of Sanity

Psychopathic leaders have emotions, too! But how do they express them – and what does this do with their subordinates? This blog post is a short reflection on a paper about the use and effects of emotion regulation strategies in relation to leader psychopathy written by Barbara Wisse, Ed Sleebos, and Anita Keller.

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When Ethology Meets the Social Sciences: A Primatological Perspective on Human Behavior during Conflicts

Virginial Pallante, a visiting researcher from the Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement, explains how ethology intersects with the social sciences. Through a primatological lens, Virginia examines human behavior during conflicts, exploring the role of emotions and bystander responses. Her interdisciplinary approach not only enriches the understanding of human behavior but also emphasizes the necessity of collaborative work in addressing complex societal questions.

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Empowering Children with Autism at School – the role of vocabulary skills

Dr. Purnama Sari explains how the method of “propensity score matching” (PSM) aids the understanding of neurodiversity in the classroom. Her study unravelled that vocabulary skills contribute to academic skills in autistic children, and not their gestational age, sex, birth weight, age, ethnicity, parental income, parental education, mother’s IQ, mother’s autistic traits, or mother’s depression score. This blog post may empower children with autism and their parents.

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