Artistic expression of emotions on a human motive in preschool-aged children

Cilj ovog istraživanja bio je istražiti jesu li djeca sposobna likovno izraziti emociju na prikazu čovjeka, hoće li na prikaz emocije utjecati prethodno pročitana priča te postoji li razlika u prikazu emocija na crtežu s obzirom na dob. Istraživanje je provedeno u mlađoj i starijoj odgojnoj skupini DV „Zvrk“ Đakovo. Uzorak se sastojao od 27 djece, 14 djece u dobi od 4 godine i 13 djece u dobi od 6 godina. Istraživanje je uključivalo čitanje priče s nesretnim i sretnim završetkom, likovni zadatak i prikupljanje dječjih radova. Rezultati su dobiveni na osnovu kvalitativne analize dječjih likovnih radova. Osnovni zaključak istraživanja je da djeca u dobi od četiri godine nisu sposobna prikazati različite emocije na prikazu čovjeka za razliku od djece u dobi od šest godina.The aim of this research paper was to see if children were able to artistically express emotions on a human depiction, if a previously read story would affect their drawings and if there is a difference between children's drawings considering their age. The research was conducted with two groups of children (an older and a younger group) in Zvrk Nursery School in Đakovo. The sample consisted of 27 children, 14 children aged 4 and 13 children aged 6. The research included story reading with a happy and sad ending, a drawing task and collecting children's drawings. The results were obtained from a qualitative analysis of children's drawings. The final conclusion of this research is that children aged 4 are not able to express different types of emotions, while on the other hand children aged 6 are able to express emotions on image of a human

The effects of matching a persuasive message to a recipient's self-concept on attitude change

The paper addresses the question of whether matching a persuasive message to a recipient's self-concept can enhance message processing. A large body of experiments within the Elaboration likelihood model proved that framing a message so as to be perceived as selfrelevant led to more careful argument scrutiny. In this research, we matched the messages with previously assessed need for cognition - tendency to engage in and enjoy effortful cognitive tasks. Two possible sources of motivation to process a persuasive message were hereby confronted: dispositional (cognitive style) and situational (matching). Results showed a significant attitude change, but the main hypothesis was not confirmed: matched messages did not produce more argument processing activity than the mismatched. Manipulations did not have any significant effects on message processing of the high need for cognition participants. Contrary to expectations, participants low in their need for cognition elaborated the message more carefully when it was mismatched, that is when the message addressed them as persons inclined to careful thinking. Results can be explained within the framework of self-affirmation theory, which argues that providing people with an opportunity to affirm their sense of selfworth makes them more open to persuasion attempts, as well as more objective. Results are discussed from a wider theoretical and empirical perspective of motivation

Artistic expression of emotions on a human motive in preschool-aged children

Cilj ovog istraživanja bio je istražiti jesu li djeca sposobna likovno izraziti emociju na prikazu čovjeka, hoće li na prikaz emocije utjecati prethodno pročitana priča te postoji li razlika u prikazu emocija na crtežu s obzirom na dob. Istraživanje je provedeno u mlađoj i starijoj odgojnoj skupini DV „Zvrk“ Đakovo. Uzorak se sastojao od 27 djece, 14 djece u dobi od 4 godine i 13 djece u dobi od 6 godina. Istraživanje je uključivalo čitanje priče s nesretnim i sretnim završetkom, likovni zadatak i prikupljanje dječjih radova. Rezultati su dobiveni na osnovu kvalitativne analize dječjih likovnih radova. Osnovni zaključak istraživanja je da djeca u dobi od četiri godine nisu sposobna prikazati različite emocije na prikazu čovjeka za razliku od djece u dobi od šest godina.The aim of this research paper was to see if children were able to artistically express emotions on a human depiction, if a previously read story would affect their drawings and if there is a difference between children's drawings considering their age. The research was conducted with two groups of children (an older and a younger group) in Zvrk Nursery School in Đakovo. The sample consisted of 27 children, 14 children aged 4 and 13 children aged 6. The research included story reading with a happy and sad ending, a drawing task and collecting children's drawings. The results were obtained from a qualitative analysis of children's drawings. The final conclusion of this research is that children aged 4 are not able to express different types of emotions, while on the other hand children aged 6 are able to express emotions on image of a human

Determining the genetic basis of rare neurodegenerative diseases by clinical exome analysis

eurodegenerativne bolesti se odlikuju varijabilnom kliničkom slikom, vremenom početka bolesti, prognozom i odgovorom na lečenje. Najveći broj ovih oboljenja uključuje motorne i kognitivne poremećaje poput Alchajmerove i Parkinsonove bolesti koje su široko rasprostranjene, do izuzetno retkih poput Krojcfeld-Jakobove bolesti. Ovom doktorskom tezom istražena je genetička osnova kognitivnih poremećaja i poremećaja pokreta sekvenciranjem panela klinički egzom kod ukupno 57 nesrodnih bolesnika (15 sa kognitivnim poremećajem i 42 sa poremećajem pokreta). Prednost pri selekciji su imali porodični slučajevi sa ranim početkom bolesti ili složenim fenotipom. Sekvenciranje panela vršeno je na Illumina MiSeq platformi prema uputstvu proizvođača. Rezulati sekvenciranja su analizirani dostupnim softverom za analizu i prethodno razvijenim tokom rada (engl. pipeline). Interpretacija varijanti zasnovana je na analizi setova gena odabranih prema fenotipu bolesnika, pretraživanju literature i baza podataka, učestalosti alela, in silico analizama. Uzročne varijante su potvrđene sekvenciranjem po Sangeru i segregacionim analizama. Utvrđen je verovatan genetički uzrok kod devet nesrodnih bolesnika (četiri sa kognitivnim poremećajem i pet sa poremećajem pokreta). Detektovano je ukupno 11 patoloških varijanti u sedam gena (PSEN1, OPTN, TUBB4A, PANK2, SETX, MFSD8 i ARSA) od kojih su devet varijante sa promenjenim smislom (engl. missense), jedna varijanta bez smisla (engl. nonsense) i jedna varijanta u mestu splajsovanja (engl. splice site). Sve detektovane varijante su u genima koji su u skladu sa kliničkim fenotipom datih bolesnika. Pored toga, detektovane varijante u genima DCTN1, PDGFRB i POLG predstavljaju moguć uzrok bolesti kod tri dodatna slučaja sa poremećajem pokreta. Kod ostalih ispitanika genetička osnova bolesti ostaje nerazjašnjena. Rezultati ove teze ističu značaj analize panela klinički egzom u dijagnostici kognitivnih poremećaja i poremećaja pokreta i daju nam uvid u složenost genetičke pozadine ovih oboljenja.Neurodegenerative diseases are characterized by a variable clinical picture, disease onset, prognosis and response to treatment. The largest number of them includes motor and cognitive disorders such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, which are widespread, to extremely rare ones such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Here we analysed the genetic basis of cognitive and movement disorders by sequencing a clinical exome panel that comprise coding regions of 4813 genes with surrounding intronic sequencies in 57 unrelated patients (15 with cognitive and 42 with movement disorders). During selection, preference was given to family cases with an early onset of the disease or a complex phenotype. Panel sequencing was performed on the Illumina MiSeq platform according to the manufacturer's instructions. Results were analyzed with available software and an internal pipeline. The interpretation of variants is based on the analysis of gene sets selected according to the patient's phenotype, literature and database searches, allele frequencies, in silico analyses. Causal variants were confirmed by Sanger sequencing, as well as segregation analysis. A probable genetic cause was determined in nine unrelated patients (four with cognitive and five with movement disorder). We detected nine missense, one nonsense and one splice site pathological variants in seven genes (PSEN1, OPTN, TUBB4A, PANK2, SETX, MFSD8, and ARSA) which are in accordance with the clinical phenotype of the given patients. In addition, the detected variants in the DCTN1, PDGFRB, and POLG genes represent a possible cause of movement disorder in three additional cases. The rest of patients remain negative. The results of this thesis highlight the importance of clinical exome panel analysis in the diagnosis of cognitive and movement disorders and give us an insight into the genetic complexity of these diseases

Fighting the system: Challenges to diversity and equality in Social (and other) Psychology

We must face this fact: psychology is not sufficiently equal and diverse. Recent studies highlight inequalities within the discipline of social psychology and structural disadvantages faced by researchers from, among others, the region of South and Eastern Europe (Bou Zeineddine, Saab, Lášticová, Kende, & Ayanian, 2021; Nyúl, Lantos, Reicher, & Kende, 2021). Building on these insights, we proposed a project supported by the European Association of Social Psychology that aims to establish and empower a network of social psychologists from ten countries within the region of South and East Europe (Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Kosovo, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Ukraine, Latvia). This symposium is meant to be a local meeting of social psychologists to identify the challenges and possible solutions – practices and resources that can help. We want to present some insights and experiences to stimulate a discussion with our colleagues. In her talk, Bojana Bodroža will offer insights into the issue of how limited resources are a challenge to producing high-quality research and how these challenges can be overcome by relying on open-source practices and building international collaborations. Tijana Karić will discuss the challenges and opportunities for young researchers, as the early stage of their career is recognized as the turning point affecting the future international participation of researchers. Finally, Iris Žeželj will focus on examples of applicable practices aimed at increasing equality and diversity in the discipline that are overcoming the challenge of tokenism, such as inclusive editorial policies and fair crediting of co-authorship. The ambition of this symposium is thus to share experiences and empower researchers in future efforts at international participation, aware of challenges and biases but also more aware of their strengths and the opportunities for collaboration within the region

Nove predrasude i stare: Vrstizam i tradicionalni identiteti

Savremene neuronauke pružaju neospornu potvrdu da mnoge vrste životinja imaju mentalne kapacitete vrlo nalik ljudskim. Ipak, u većini društava i dalje ljudi koriste druge životinje za svoje potrebe i bez uvažavanja njihovog kapaciteta za strah i bol. U ovoj poglavlju prikazaćemo rezultate istraživanja odnosa ljudi prema ne-ljudskim životinjama sprovedenog na uzorku mladih iz Bosne i Hercegovine. Odnos ljudi prema ne-ljudskim životinjama merili smo na tri načina: kroz meru vrstizma (negativnog odnosa prema pravima životinja), opažanje prakse vegetarijanstva kao pretnje tradiciji i lokalnoj kulturi i meru učestalosti konzumacije mesa. Rezultati pokazuju da negativniji odnos prema životinjama imaju muškarci, osobe konzervativne političke orijentacije, kao i osobe sklonije autoritarnosti i odnosima dominacije među grupama. Vrstizam je povezan sa vrednovanjem tradicionalnih identiteta, prevashodno etno-religijskog, dok je negativno povezan sa identifikacijom sa čovečanstvom u celini. Takođe, mere vrstizma ostvaraju veze sa osećajem distance prema nizu različitih nepripadničkih grupa. Rezultati ukazuju da vrstizam deli psihološke osnove sa tradicionalnim formama predrasuda. Diskutovaćemo nalaze u svetlu prethodnih istraživanja iz regiona i širim internacionalnim okvirima

Strategije psihološke odbrane od straha od smrti

In the present study, we set out to explore the psychological strategies engaged to defend oneself from the basic existential insight: the one of the inevitable personal mortality. We wished to examine how young individuals reacted to reminders of mortality and whether these reactions were also related to the socio-cultural context and the important groups they identify with. For these goals, we applied the framework of Terror management theory proposing that people achieve protection from a potentially paralysing fear of death through investing in valued worldviews and maintaining a positive image of themselves as part of these worldviews. Individuals who believe that they are an important part of a meaningful universe can achieve a symbolic transcendence of their inherently mortal nature. We investigated the psychological strategies of defence in a series of five experiments, with a total of 465 participants. After subtle reminders of personal mortality, we investigated whether participants would engage in intensified efforts to enhance and protect the collective self-image stemming from identification with an important group (i.e. the ethnic group; Experiment II) or the individual self-image (Experiment III and IV). We also explored whether the preference for individual vs. collective enhancement would depend on personal value orientations, i.e. the level of individualism/ collectivism of the participants (Experiment V). To provide a more stringent test of the basic tenets of the theory, we compared the effects of mortality reminders to reminders of other existential concerns (i.e. life uncertainty), as well as more everyday concerns of the participants (i.e. exam anxiety). We also investigated the cognitive and affective mediating processes...U aktuelnoj studiji želeli smo da istražimo strategije psihološke odbrane kojima se ljudi služe prilikom suočavanja sa osnovnim egzistencijalnim uvidom: o neizbežnosti lične smrtnosti. Želeli smo da ispitamo kako mlade osobe reaguju na podsetnike na vlastitu smrtnost i da li su ove reakcije povezane sa socio-kulturnim kontekstom i značajnim grupama sa kojima se identifikuju. U ovom cilju, sagledali smo istraživački problem u okvirima teorije upravljanja strahom, koja pretpostavlja da ljudi postižu zaštitu od potencijalno parališućeg straha od smrti kroz ulaganje u vrednovane poglede na svet i očuvanje pozitivne slike o sebi samima, kao delu tih svetova. Osoba koja veruje da je značajan deo smislenog univerzuma, time postiže simboličku transcendenciju vlastite smrtne prirode..

The healthy, yet unhealthy choice: stereotypes about vegetarians and vegans in a meat-eating culture

Stereotypes about vegetarians and vegans influence behaviour toward these groups and the consumption of animal products. This affects the health and well-being of humans, other animals, and the environment. We studied these stereotypes in a meat-eating culture based on content analysis of open-ended responses in contrast to the more frequently used ad-hoc scales. We also compared the positivity and contents of stereotypes between men and women and between vegetarians/vegans and meat-eaters. We found that stereotypes about vegetarians are ambivalent, while stereotypes about vegans are more clearly negative, both to a greater extent among meat-eaters and among men. The open-ended responses were most frequently related to health, then to moral values, empathy, commitment, and unfavourable social traits. References to masculinity/femininity were not prominent in the spontaneous responses, and neither was the domain of competence. While meat-eaters mainly relate vegetarianism and veganism to health, vegetarians/vegans relate these choices to empathy and moral values. We discuss the implications of the findings for cross-cultural research and shaping public communications

Relationship between pet attachment and wellbeing: A matter of reduced stress?

The purpose of this study was to examine how attachment to pets relates to the psychological well-being of an individual. Previous research shows that relationship with pets has qualities of psychological attachment and can positively affect well-being: pets provide love and comfort to their owners, and they are perceived as support during difficult periods of life. We, therefore, expected that attachment to pets would be a significant predictor of psychological well-being. In addition, assuming that contact with pets can alleviate everyday stress, we tested whether a reduced experience of stress mediated this relationship. A survey was conducted among a community sample of pet owners (N =215). The sample consisted of respondents aged 13 to 66 years, with an average age of 30 (M = 29.92, SD =10.70; 81.4% women). Participants indicated their attachment to a favorite pet (using The Short Attachment to Pets Scale; SAPS, α =.89), subjective well-being (using The Pemberton Happiness Index, α = .91), and the current level of perceived stress (using The Serbian version of the Perceived Stress Scale, α = .65). The results revealed a positive relationship between pet attachment and well-being (r = .238, p =.001). However, the assumption that attachment to pets will reduce the experience of stress turned out to be unsupported. Conversely, participants who were more attached to their pets also expressed more experience of stress (r = .211, p = .005). Mediation analysis showed that the relationship between pet attachment and well-being was not mediated by the experience of stress (b = -0.01, SE = 0.02, 95%CI [-0.05, 0.01]). One possible interpretation is that individuals more attached to their pets are generally more caring and emotional so they might be more sensitive to stressors. Another possible interpretation is that taking care of pets in itself causes stress. The relationship between caring for pets, stress, and well-being appears to be more complex and needs further study. Still, current findings can be a significant starting point for future research on the relationship between pet attachment and psychological well-being in the local cultural context

Alternative Ways to Mental Health: Exploring Psychological Determinants of Preference for CAM Treatments

Research suggests a trend toward an increased interest in CAM, complementary and alternative therapies for treating mental health problems, which is paralleled by a relatively favorable attitude of mental health professionals. This study explored psychological predictors of attitude toward CAM therapies: frustration tolerance (measured by the 28-item Frustration Discomfort Scale), self-esteem (measured by the 16-item Revised Version of the Self-Liking/Self-Competence Scale), cognitive styles (measured by REI Scale-short version) and irrational health beliefs (measured by CAM Health Belief Questionnaire – CHBQ). Participants (N = 294) reacted to vignettes describing Bach flower remedies and neuro-linguistic programming to indi-cate their attitude toward CAM. CAM health beliefs (e.g., belief that health is a balance of life forces) and self-esteem positively predicted attitude toward CAM, while the rational style of thinking was a negative predictor. As suggested by mediation analysis, the intuitive thinking style affected the attitude toward CAM via an increase in CAM beliefs. We discuss the implications of our findings for encouraging rational decision-making when seeking help with mental health problems