Papers by Elke van der Meer
npj science of learning, Jun 19, 2023
In this randomized controlled trial (RCT), the digital socio-emotional competence training Zirkus... more In this randomized controlled trial (RCT), the digital socio-emotional competence training Zirkus Empathico was tested in 74 Central European children (5.1 (0.9) years; 34 females) within a longitudinal design (three time points: T1 = pre-training; T2 = immediately following 6-week training, T3 = 3-month follow-up). The pre-registered primary outcome was empathy, secondary outcomes included emotion recognition, prosocial behavior, and behavioral problem reduction; furthermore, children's neural sensitivity to facial expressions quantified with event-related potentials. Compared to controls (N = 38), Zirkus Empathico participants (N = 36) showed increases in empathy (d = 0.28 [−0.17, 0.76]), emotion recognition (d = 0.57 [0.01, 1.06]), prosocial behavior (d = 0.51 [0.05, 0.99]) and reduced behavioral problems (d = 0.54 [0.08, 1.03]). They also showed larger P3 amplitudes to happy vs. angry and neutral facial expressions post-training. Thus, Zirkus Empathico may be a promising digital training for social competence in preschoolers.
Scientific Reports, May 31, 2023
The perception of everyday events implies the segmentation into discrete sub-events (i.e. event s... more The perception of everyday events implies the segmentation into discrete sub-events (i.e. event segmentation). This process is relevant for the prediction of upcoming events and for the recall of recent activities. It is thought to involve dopaminergic networks which are strongly compromised in Parkinson's disease (PD). Indeed, deficits of event segmentation have been previously shown in PD, but underlying neuronal mechanisms remain unknown. We therefore investigated 22 persons with PD and 22 age-matched healthy controls, who performed an event segmentation task with simultaneous electroencephalography (EEG). Both groups had to indicate by button press the beginning of subevents within three movies showing persons performing everyday activities. The segmentation performance of persons with PD deviated significantly from that of controls. Neurophysiologically, persons with PD expressed reduced theta (4-7 Hz) activity around identified event boundaries compared to healthy controls. Together, these results point to disturbed event processing in PD. According to functions attributed to EEG activities in particular frequency ranges, the PD-related theta reduction could reflect impaired matching of perceptual input with stored event representations and decreased updating processes of event information in working memory and, thus, event boundary identification.
International Journal of School and Cognitive Psychology, 2014
Illiteracy is still present in the society these days. Several studies have shown that illiterate... more Illiteracy is still present in the society these days. Several studies have shown that illiterate individuals lack important cognitive prerequisites for literacy acquisition, such as auditory phoneme discrimination. Therefore, the current study investigated auditory phoneme discrimination in illiterate individuals before and after a one-year literacy course. We analyzed the characteristic event-related brain potential (ERP) marker for auditory phoneme discrimination, namely Mismatch Negativity (MMN).The results showed a significant enhancement of the amplitude of MMN from before to after a one-year literacy course. This finding indicates the close relationship between literacy acquisition and auditory phoneme discrimination. Further, it indicates the importance of considering discrimination training in literacy courses, especially for illiterate adults.
Music Perception: An Interdisciplinary Journal
The connections between musical expertise, working memory (WM), and intelligence have been examin... more The connections between musical expertise, working memory (WM), and intelligence have been examined repeatedly in recent years with, to some extent, conflicting evidence. For this reason, more studies are needed that can clarify this matter. The present study investigated connections between musical expertise, WM, and intelligence. Fifty musicians and 50 nonmusicians solved tasks to measure WM (phonological and visuospatial) and intelligence (crystallized and fluid). The results provided further evidence that musical expertise is associated with a superior phonological WM, but not with a superior visuospatial WM or crystallized and fluid intelligence.
Wichtiger Hinweis: Die Tagungsgebiihren konnen vor Ort nur in bar (keine Kreditkarten, keine Sche... more Wichtiger Hinweis: Die Tagungsgebiihren konnen vor Ort nur in bar (keine Kreditkarten, keine Schecks) entrichtet werden. 8. Namensschild Alle Teilnehmer erhalten bei der Anmeldung ein Namensschild. Bitte tragen Sie dieses Schild wahrend der Tagung standig sichtbar. Die Organisatoren der Tagung, Mitarbeiter des Tagungsbiiros und studentische Hilfskrafte tragen orange-farbene Namenschilder. Sie stehen Ihnen als Ansprechpartner fur alle die TeaP'97 betreffenden Fragen zur Verfiigung. 9. Parkmoglichkeiten_ Die Parkmoglichkeiten in der Umgebung des Hauptgebaudes sind sehr eingeschrankt. Einige wenige gebiihrenpflichtige Parkplatze gibt es auf dem Mittelstreifen Unter den Linden und in der DorotheenstraBe. Das nachstgelegene Parkhaus (ca. 3 Gehminuten vom Tagungsort entfernt) befindet sich an der Ecke Dorotheen-ZCharlottenstraBe. 10. Anreise zum Tagungsort_ • Anreise mit der Bahn Vom Bahnhof Zoo nehmen Sie die S-Bahn Richtung Osten. Alle Linien (S3, S5, S7, S75 und S9) fahren iiber FriedrichstraBe. FriedrichstraBe ist die 4. Station. Vom Bahnhof Lichtenberg nehmen Sie die S-Bahn Richtung Westen. Die Linien S5, S7 und S75 fahren iiber FriedrichstraBe (9 Stationen). Vom Hauptbahnhof konnen Sie jede S-Bahn Richtung Westen benutzen (4 Stationen). • Anreise mit dem Flugzeug Vom Flughafen Tegel Bus Nr. X9 zum Bahnhof Zoo und weiter mit der S-Bahn bis FriedrichstraBe Bus Nr. 128 zum U-Bahnhof Kurt-Schumacher-Platz und weiter mit U-Bahn Nr. 6 in Richtung Alt-Mariendorf bis FriedrichstraBe Vom Flughafen Tempelhof U-Bahn Nr. 6, Einstieg Station Platz der Luftbrucke Richtung: Alt-Tegel bis FriedrichstraBe • Anreise mit dem PKW Aufgrund der zahlreichen und standig wechselnden Baustellen im Stadtgebiet von Berlin kann keine Garantie fur die Richtigkeit der nachfolgenden Wegbeschreibungen ubemommen werden. Von der A2 und A9 Abbiegen auf die A10 Richtung Frankfurt (Oder), Dresden; Dreieck Drewitz auf A115 Richtung Berlin; Abfahrt Dreilinden West, halb rechts auf Potsdamer Chaussee (Bl); immer auf B1 bleiben (wird von Potsdamer Chaussee zu Berliner Str. zu Unter den Eichen zu SchloBstraBe zu RheinstraBe zu HauptstraBe zu Potsdamer StraBe zu Leipziger StraBe), in der Leipziger StraBe links abbiegen auf die FriedrichstraBe, die kreuzt Unter den Linden-rechts abbiegen. 8 Von der A24 Auf die A10 Richtung Prenzlau, Autobahndreieck Pankow aufdie A114. Die Verlangerung der A114 fuhrt geradaus bis zur StraBe Unter den Linden. Von der A12, A13 Am Schonefelder Kreuz auf die A113 Richtung Berlin, Abfahrt Berlin Zentrum auf die B96a, die zum Adlergestell wird, weiter geradeaus bis Elsenstrafie, rechts uber die Elsenbriicke (Richtung Lichtenberg) hinter der Briicke gleich links in die Stralauer Alice, die zur Holzmarktstralk wird, immer geradeaus (rechterhand liegt der Femsehturm) bis zur groBen Kreuzung (auf der Ecke Universitatsbuchhandlung), links abbiegen auf die StraBe Unter den Linden.
The present study investigated the processing of music with pupillometrics. 25 musicians and 25 n... more The present study investigated the processing of music with pupillometrics. 25 musicians and 25 non-musicians participated in this experiment and were asked to solve the Audiation task (Gordon, 1989). Behavioral measures to examine speed and accuracy of processing as well as the pupil peak dilation as a measure of resource allocation were collected. In addition, phonological and visual-spatial working memory capacity and crystallized and uid intelligence were assessed. Musicians solved the Audiation task faster and more accurately than non-musicians. Musicians also outperformed non-musicians in the phonological working memory capacity, as well as in crystallized intelligence. Further and most importantly, musicians exhibited greater task-related pupil peak dilations. Behavioral evidence indi- cates a general enhancement of both phonological working memory and crystallized intelligence in musicians. The pupillometric findings indicate that musicians compared to non-musicians allocate...
Frontiers in Psychology, 2020
Aging has been associated with a motivational shift to positive over negative information (i.e., ... more Aging has been associated with a motivational shift to positive over negative information (i.e., positivity effect), which is often explained by a limited future time perspective (FTP) within the framework of socioemotional selectivity theory (SST). However, whether a limited FTP functions similarly in younger and older adults, and whether inter-individual differences in socioemotional functioning are similarly associated with preference for positive information (i.e., positivity) is still not clear. We investigated younger (20-35 years, N = 73) and older (60-75 years, N = 56) adults' gaze preferences on pairs of happy, angry, sad, and neutral faces using an eye-tracking system. We additionally assessed several parameters potentially underlying inter-individual differences in emotion processing such as FTP, stress, cognitive functioning, social support, emotion regulation, and well-being. While we found no age-related differences in positivity when the entire trial duration was considered, older adults showed longer fixations on the more positive face in later stages of processing (i.e., positivity shifts). This allocation of resources toward more positive stimuli might serve an emotion regulatory purpose and seems consistent with the SST. However, our findings suggest that age moderates the relationship between FTP and positivity shifts, such that the relationship between FTP and positivity preferences was negative in older, and positive in younger adults, potentially stemming from an age-related differential meaning of the FTP construct across age. Furthermore, our exploratory analyses showed that along with the age and FTP interaction, lower levels of worry also played a significant role in positivity shifts. We conclude that positivity effects cannot be solely explained by aging, or the associated reduced FTP per se, but is rather determined by a complex interplay of psychosocial and emotional features.
Psychology, Crime & Law, 2019
Present evidence regarding widely used risk assessment tools suggests that such tools may have in... more Present evidence regarding widely used risk assessment tools suggests that such tools may have inferior predictive validity for offenders with a migration background (MB), especially from Turkey and Arab countries. Based on a thorough literature review, we investigated additional risk and protective factors via a postdictive correlational study design. We assumed that delinquency is induced by discrimination, a conflict of values, norms of honour, a disapproval of sexual self-determination, and antisemitism. In contrast, we expected social support to diminish the risk of criminal behaviour. The sampling took place inside and outside prison, where adult men with an Arab or Turkish MB (n = 140) filled out a questionnaire. Individual norms of honour (r = .27 −.41), antisemitism (r = .31−.37), and a disapproval of sexual selfdetermination (r = .23−.26) were positively correlated with delinquency. The best predictor was the individual's perception of friends' norms of honour (r = .34−.56). However, only a few significant correlations were found for a perception of individual discrimination (r = .08−.14) and an internal conflict of values (r = .11−.15), whereas global discrimination (r = .20−.29) clearly emerged as a risk factor for delinquency. Social support by nondelinquent peers could be confirmed as having a protective influence against delinquency (r=−.25−.27). Theoretical and practical implications for risk assessment are discussed.
Chronobiology International, 2018
The synchrony effect (i.e. superior performance at optimal, inferior performance at suboptimal ti... more The synchrony effect (i.e. superior performance at optimal, inferior performance at suboptimal times of day) has been broadly studied within the context of circadian rhythms. Whether one chronotype copes better with the synchrony effect than the other received only insufficient empirical attention. We report on an applied experimental study investigating the impact of chronotype on the synchrony effect in a semantic analogy task. To detect an analogy, 36 participants (12 males) aged between 18 and 40 had to decide whether the relation between events of a source pair was mirrored by the relation between events of a target pair (e.g. to cook: to eat = to saddle: to ride). Temporal orientation of the relation within each event pair was varied corresponding either to the chronological or reverse order. Response times (RTs), error rates, as well as the psychophysiological parameters pre-experimental pupil baseline and peak pupil dilation replicate findings of a synchrony effect (shorter RTs and allocation of less cognitive resources at optimal times of day) and show an impact of chronotype (morning types generally outperforming evening types). Most importantly, morning types appeared to cope better with the synchrony effect than evening types: At suboptimal times, morning types solved the analogy detection task more efficient; that is faster with the same accuracy and without the investment of more cognitive resources. They also showed greater alertness and wakefulness indexed by greater pre-experimental pupil baselines. At optimal times of day, morning types have more cognitive resources available to allocate these to the more demanding conditions to outperform evening types. We interpret these findings to suggest that morning types are more able to adapt to unfavourable circumstances (for instance, by avoiding wasteful resource allocation when there are less cognitive resources available). Evening types appear less able to adapt to suboptimal times than morning types, because they have to deal with social jetlag and decreased self-control.
International Journal of Intelligence Science, 2011
About one tenth of the world's population cannot read and write sufficiently. Cognitive abilities... more About one tenth of the world's population cannot read and write sufficiently. Cognitive abilities, such as selective attention and crystallized as well as fluid intelligence, have been defined as crucial factors for the acquisition of written language skills. However, it is unclear whether these abilities are necessary also for the alphabetization of adults. Before and after a one-year alphabetization course, we compared the attention and intelligence of 47 illiterate individuals to 41 matched literate controls who did not take part in the alphabetization course. Illiterate individuals improved in selective attention and crystallized intelligence from before to after the alphabetization course; however, they did not reach the same level of functioning as literate controls. In addition, the fluid intelligence of illiterates did not improve. More importantly, when controlling for attention improvement, we found that improvement in crystallized intelligence was associated with alphabetization above and beyond the influence of attention. Our results suggest that alphabetization is closely related to improvements in attention and crystallized intelligence. Specifically, socio-cultural, knowledgespecific learning processes improve during the acquisition of written language skills and may not depend on only the enhancement of the ability to attend to relevant stimuli. Alphabetization programs may, therefore, benefit from distinct considerations of attentional, intellectual, and literacy related skill acquisitions.
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Papers by Elke van der Meer