Leiden Psychology Blog

Plagiarism please!

The current practice of avoiding academic plagiarism costs millions of dollars per year. By allowing scholars to plagiarize, these costs can be reduced substantially and more scientific progress can be made.

Pascal Haazebroek • 25-09-2013

Adolescents in love: What makes a first love special?

“Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?” ― William Shakespeare. Although probably not as intense as Romeo and Juliet’s, most people will remember their own first love. What makes a first love so special?

Barbara Braams • 11-09-2013

When girl meets boy in utero: The twin testosterone transfer (TTT) hypothesis

Female fetuses gestated together with a male co-twin are thought to be ‘masculinized’ in their development. Is this really the case? And how does it work?

Jiska Peper • 05-08-2013

Why aren’t robots doing my laundry yet?

We are still waiting for robots that make our everyday life easier by doing the dishes and cleaning our homes. Of course, we have machines such as Roombas that can vacuum, sort of, but why do we still have to bother doing all those boring things ourselves?

Roy de Kleijn • 16-07-2013

Decision making in the game of life

Recent research has revealed a causal link between serotonin levels and people’s ‘sense of fairness’. A fascinating discovery because serotonin levels are in part dependent on what we eat. So, can you eat yourself toward a fairer world?

Jonathan Barnhoorn • 08-07-2013

Digital surveillance programs - safeguards or spies?

Do we perceive states that read our emails, web chats, and other (digital) communications as safeguards or as spies? Research indicates that these attitudes are largely influenced by how news reports about these controversial issues are framed.

Gerdien de Vries • 18-06-2013

The compensatory effects of food

The economic crisis has resulted in many budget cuts in health care and general care programs. The population as a whole is aging, and yet we desire to stay independent as long as possible. How can we retain the cognitive abilities supporting independence?

Laura Steenbergen • 10-06-2013

Can thinking of a professor really make you smarter?

Diederik Stapel's fraudulent practice has highlighted the importance of replication in psychology. Does the famous study of Ap Dijksterhuis, which shows that thinking of professors improves test scores, survive a replication attempt?

Sabine Peters • 06-06-2013

Can you ‘pose’ your way to success?

Have you ever wondered why is it that sometimes you perform extremely well at presentations or job interviews while at other times your brain seems to freeze? Your performance in such tasks depends on the levels of two hormones: testosterone and cortisol.

Tina van Dam • 03-06-2013

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