Emotional intelligence buffers the effect of physiological arousal on dishonesty

We studied the emotional processes that allow people to balance two competing desires: benefitting from dishonesty and keeping a positive self-image. We recorded physiological arousal (skin conductance and heart rate) during a computer card game in which participants could cheat and fail to report a certain card when presented on the screen to avoid losing their money. We found that higher skin conductance corresponded to lower cheating rates. Importantly, emotional intelligence regulated this effect; participants with high emotional intelligence were less affected by their physiological reactions than those with low emotional intelligence. As a result, they were more likely to profit from dishonesty. However, no interaction emerged between heart rate and emotional intelligence. We suggest that the ability to manage and control emotions can allow people to overcome the tension between doing right or wrong and license them to bend the rules

When peer performance matters: effects of expertise and trait information on children’s self-evaluations in a social comparison setting

People often evaluate their own skills in relation to others’ performance. Two experiments examined the influence of peer characteristics on children’s responses to upward social comparisons (i.e., peers who outperformed them). In Experiment 1, a total of 126 5-, 8-, and 10-year-olds were told that they were outperformed by an expert or novice peer on a familiar task and a novel task. Five-year-olds reported high self-evaluations and expectations of winning a competition regardless of peer expertise and task type, and this effect decreased with age. Eight-year-olds reported high self-evaluations after comparisons to an expert for both task types, whereas 10-year-olds did so only for the familiar task. Finally, 8- and 10-year-olds were more optimistic about their ability to win a competition after comparisons with a novice than an expert peer, but 8-year-olds felt this way only for the familiar task and 10-year-olds felt this way only for the novel task. In Experiment 2, a total of 98 5- to 6-year-olds and 9- to 10-year-olds were told that the peer had a positive or negative trait that was task-relevant (i.e., intelligence) or task-irrelevant (i.e., athleticism). Younger children reported high-self evaluations and expectations of winning a competition indiscriminately. Older children reported higher self-evaluations and competition expectations after hearing about positive rather than negative traits, irrespective of task relevance. This research documents an emerging sensitivity to relative failure and peer characteristics in self-evaluation. Taken together, the studies provide insight into the development of children’s expertise and trait conceptualizations as related, but distinct, competence cues in early to middle childhood. By middle childhood, children consider whether they were outperformed and who outperformed them. These results have implications for understanding how children’s self-evaluations can be altered by the way in which teachers and parents frame relative failure

Zirkus Empathico 2.0, A serious game to foster emotional and collaborative skills in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

Autismus-Spektrum-Störung (ASD) ist eine neurologische Entwicklungsstörung, die durch eine Reihe von Entwicklungsstörungen gekennzeichnet ist, die zu einem Mangel an sozialen, kommunikativen und kooperativen Fähigkeiten führen. Sozio-kommunikative Beeinträchtigungen können durch von Verhaltenstherapeuten konzipierte und durchgeführte Trainingsprogramme für soziale Kompetenzen verbessert werden. Computergestützte Therapien zur Lösung sozio-kommunikativer Schwierigkeiten bei Kindern, Jugendlichen und Erwachsenen mit ASD haben ermutigende Ergebnisse gezeigt. Das Serious-Game-Format ist eine Form der Intervention. Seriöse Spiele sind pädagogisch wertvoll, aber oft attraktiver als offensichtliche pädagogische Hilfsmittel. Zirkus Empathico 2.0 ist ein Serious Game für mehrere Spieler mit verschiedenen Levels und Bühnen in einer Zirkusumgebung. Die Auswertung erfolgte über einen Zeitraum von acht Wochen. Sechzig Kinder mit ASD im Alter von fünf bis elf Jahren wurden vor und nach der Behandlung untersucht. Zu den primären Ergebnissen gehörten die Empathiebewertung durch die Eltern und objektiv gemessene Fähigkeiten zur Emotionserkennung. Die Bewertung der Effektivität und Verwendbarkeit des Spiels für das Training sozialer Kompetenzen zeigte, dass es eine plausible Lernumgebung schuf, indem es das Bewusstsein der Studienteilnehmer für Fähigkeiten und neurotypisches Verhalten steigerte und ihre vorhergesagte Angst in zukünftigen sozialen Situationen verringerte. Nach der Behandlung wurden signifikante Behandlungseffekte festgestellt. Sowohl bei Kurz- als auch bei Langzeitbeurteilungen. Zirkus Empathico 2.0 ist erfolgreich bei der langfristigen Verbesserung der sozio-emotionalen Fähigkeiten in realen Situationen. Zukünftige Forschung sollte sich auf die spezifischen Prozesse konzentrieren, die den Übertragungs- und Aufrechterhaltungsvorteilen von Empathie und Emotionserkennung zugrunde liegen.Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by a spectrum of developmental abnormalities that result in a lack of social, communicative, and collaborative abilities. Socio-communicative impairments can be improved through behavioral therapist-designed and delivered social-skills training programs. Computer-based therapies to resolve socio-communicative difficulties in children, adolescents, and adults with ASD have demonstrated encouraging outcomes. The serious game format is one type of intervention. Serious games are educational but often appeal more than overt pedagogical tools. Zirkus Empathico 2.0 is a multi-player serious game set with various levels and stages in a circus environment. It was evaluated over eight weeks. Sixty children with ASD aged five to eleven years were evaluated before treatment and post-treatment. Primary outcomes included empathy rating by parents and objectively measured emotion recognition abilities. Secondary outcomes were assessed as emotional awareness, emotion management, well-being, and personal therapy goals. The assessment of the game's effectiveness and usability for social-skills training indicated that it established a plausible learning environment by boosting trial participants' awareness of abilities and neurotypical behavior and decreasing their predicted fear in future social situations. Following treatment, significant treatment effects were detected. In both short- and long-term assessments, moderate impacts were observed on emotional awareness, emotion management, and autistic social symptomatology. Parents reported that therapy goals were met, and that treatment was transferred well. Zirkus Empathico 2.0 is successful at improving long-term socio-emotional abilities in real-world situations. Future research should focus on the specific processes behind empathy and emotion recognition's transmission and maintenance benefits

The Association Between Reading and Emotional Development: A Systematic Review

Reading practice is associated with numerous psychological benefits. However, its influence over individual emotional dimensions has generally been underestimated by research. Only recently has it been recognized across different developmental stages but evidence is still scarce. The aim of this systematic review is to shed light over the association between reading and the several (and sometimes hardly distinguishable) socio-emotional constructs that we have identified in literature: interpersonal skills and prosocial behavior; emotional and behavioral symptoms; emotional regulation and expression; empathy and theory of mind; emotional knowledge and comprehension; and emotional responses. A total of 50 studies were analyzed, including all age groups, various settings, research drawings, and different emotional constructs in order to create a comprehensive view of the association between reading and emotions. Results show that overall reading practice has a positive impact on socio-emotional development, whatever its declination, regardless of age, gender or setting of implementation

Boosting children's creativity through creative interactions with social robots

Creativity is an ability with psychological and developmental benefits. Creative levels are dynamic and oscillate throughout life, with a first major decline occurring at the age of 7 years old. However, creativity is an ability that can be nurtured if trained, with evidence suggesting an increase in this ability with the use of validated creativity training. Yet, creativity training for young children (aged between 6-9 years old) appears as scarce. Additionally, existing training interventions resemble test-like formats and lack of playful dynamics that could engage children in creative practices over time. This PhD project aimed at contributing to creativity stimulation in children by proposing to use social robots as intervention tools, thus adding playful and interactive dynamics to the training. Towards this goal, we conducted three studies in schools, summer camps, and museums for children, that contributed to the design, fabrication, and experimental testing of a robot whose purpose was to re-balance creative levels. Study 1 (n = 140) aimed at testing the effect of existing activities with robots in creativity and provided initial evidence of the positive potential of robots for creativity training. Study 2 (n = 134) aimed at including children as co-designers of the robot, ensuring the robot’s design meets children’s needs and requirements. Study 3 (n = 130) investigated the effectiveness of this robot as a tool for creativity training, showing the potential of robots as creativity intervention tools. In sum, this PhD showed that robots can have a positive effect on boosting the creativity of children. This places social robots as promising tools for psychological interventions.Criatividade é uma habilidade com benefícios no desenvolvimento saudável. Os níveis de criatividade são dinâmicos e oscilam durante a vida, sendo que o primeiro maior declínio acontece aos 7 anos de idade. No entanto, a criatividade é uma habilidade que pode ser nutrida se treinada e evidências sugerem um aumento desta habilidade com o uso de programas validados de criatividade. Ainda assim, os programas de criatividade para crianças pequenas (entre os 6-9 anos de idade) são escassos. Adicionalmente, estes programas adquirem o formato parecido ao de testes, faltando-lhes dinâmicas de brincadeira e interatividade que poderão motivar as crianças a envolverem-se em práticas criativas ao longo do tempo. O presente projeto de doutoramento procurou contribuir para a estimulação da criatividade em crianças propondo usar robôs sociais como ferramenta de intervenção, adicionando dinâmicas de brincadeira e interação ao treino. Assim, conduzimos três estudos em escolas, campos de férias, e museus para crianças que contribuíram para o desenho, fabricação, e teste experimental de um robô cujo objetivo é ser uma ferramenta que contribui para aumentar os níveis de criatividade. O Estudo 1 (n = 140) procurou testar o efeito de atividade já existentes com robôs na criatividade e mostrou o potencial positivo do uso de robôs para o treino criativo. O Estudo 2 (n = 134) incluiu crianças como co-designers do robô, assegurando que o desenho do robô correspondeu às necessidades das crianças. O Estudo 2 (n = 130) investigou a eficácia deste robô como ferramenta para a criatividade, demonstrando o seu potencial para o treino da criatividade. Em suma, o presente doutoramento mostrou que os robôs poderão ter um potencial criativo em atividades com crianças. Desta forma, os robôs sociais poderão ser ferramentas promissoras em intervenções na psicologia

Investigating Aggressive Behavior among Urban Adolescents: The Role of Parental Monitoring and the Dark Triad Personality

Aggressive behavior is an intentional act of hurting other people or creatures, either verbally or non-verbally, and can be influenced by various internal and external factors. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the relationship between parental monitoring and dark triad personality in relation to aggressive behavior in adolescents. The participants were 150 adolescents aged 12 to 15 years, who filled out the Parental Monitoring Scale (PMS), Short Dark Triad (SD-3), and Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire (BPAQ). The results showed that parental monitoring and dark triad personality, consisting of machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy, collectively predicted aggressive behavior in adolescents (R2=0.441, p<0.05). In comparison to parental monitoring, the dark triad personality was a stronger predictor of aggressive behavior. Machiavellianism contributed the most to aggressive behavior in adolescents (29%). The implications of this study served as a valuable reference for parents, counselors, and communities, emphasizing the importance of addressing and preventing aggressive behavior among adolescents

SUNDANESE TRADITIONAL GAMES AS MEDIA FOR PROMOTING CHILDREN’S COGNITIVE, AFFECTIVE AND PSYCHOMOTOR DEVELOPMENT IN CIKAUM SUBANG

Preschool age that ranges from three to five years old is considered as a critical period for children’s development in several aspects. This development is  highly suggested to be stimulated through activities that can be enjoyed by the children. Starting from this point, this study aims to investigate how Sundanese traditional games can promote the development of children’s cognitive, affective, and psychomotor abilities that are widely recognized as the three crucial learning domains proposed by Bloom (1956). The study that was conducted in Early Childhood Education (PAUD) in Cikaum Subang employed a descriptive qualitative method.  The data of this study were taken from questionnaires that were distributed to 92 PAUD teachers as the participants. The study reveals that about 85% of the participants implemented traditional games as one of the teaching methods in their classes. Based on the analysis, it was found that the various types of traditional games employed by singing, guessing riddles,  doing role play, and involving physical activities could promote the development of children’s cognitive, affective, and psychomotor capacities in three main ways. First, they provided children with game activities that could stimulate their thinking, counting, remembering, and solving problems capacity. Second, they helped develop children’s emotional quotient through the values learned and rules implemented in the games. Lastly, they involved physical activities that could improve the children’s strength, durability, flexibility,and balance. &nbsp

SUNDANESE TRADITIONAL GAMES AS MEDIA FOR PROMOTING CHILDREN’S COGNITIVE, AFFECTIVE AND PSYCHOMOTOR DEVELOPMENT IN CIKAUM SUBANG

Preschool age that ranges from three to five years old is considered as a critical period for children’s development in several aspects. This development is  highly suggested to be stimulated through activities that can be enjoyed by the children. Starting from this point, this study aims to investigate how Sundanese traditional games can promote the development of children’s cognitive, affective, and psychomotor abilities that are widely recognized as the three crucial learning domains proposed by Bloom (1956). The study that was conducted in Early Childhood Education (PAUD) in Cikaum Subang employed a descriptive qualitative method.  The data of this study were taken from questionnaires that were distributed to 92 PAUD teachers as the participants. The study reveals that about 85% of the participants implemented traditional games as one of the teaching methods in their classes. Based on the analysis, it was found that the various types of traditional games employed by singing, guessing riddles,  doing role play, and involving physical activities could promote the development of children’s cognitive, affective, and psychomotor capacities in three main ways. First, they provided children with game activities that could stimulate their thinking, counting, remembering, and solving problems capacity. Second, they helped develop children’s emotional quotient through the values learned and rules implemented in the games. Lastly, they involved physical activities that could improve the children’s strength, durability, flexibility,and balance. &nbsp