Collaborative international open science in times of COVID: the start of my Rubicon project A year ago, I received great news: I’d been awarded a Rubicon grant! This grant enabled me to work with Prof. Daniel Pine, based at the National Institute of Mental Health (US). But how could I perform an innovative, international scientific project in a pandemic? Janna Marie Bas-Hoogendam • 11-10-2021
Raise the age limits for junk food advertising How come some people find it easy not to give that fast food joint a second glance, while others find their mouth watering as soon as they see it? And do children find it even harder to resist such temptations? Maybe the answers lie in our brain? Floor van Meer • 04-07-2019
Bullying and autism: blaming the victim? When it comes to bullying, we often focus on the victim, who is then often offered social skills training. Yet, when children with autism are bullied, is this really appropriate? Carolien Rieffe • 01-04-2019
Videoblog: Got a friend in me? The neural signature of friendships and social motivations Friends provide emotional support and help us define who we are. Lisa Schreuders examined how social interactions contribute to adolescent social development. She examined neural processes implicated in forming and maintaining friendships. Lisa Schreuders • 25-02-2019
Videoblog: Risky business? Why only some teens are risk-takers and why risk-taking is okay Teens are often described as notorious risk-takers. But is that true of everyone? Neeltje Blankenstein • 10-02-2019
How to resist your smartphone Notifications on your phone – like a nice WhatsApp message – trigger the reward system in the brain, which makes you want to check your phone constantly. Being aware of the processes underlying phone addiction can help you resist the temptation! Lisa Kool • 30-04-2018
What motivates adolescents? Adolescence is marked by a peak in activity in the reward center of the brain. In our recent study, we found that various motivational factors contribute to these developmental changes from early adolescence to early adulthood. Lisa Schreuders • 25-03-2018
Take a chance! But what if you don’t know the odds? Many of our everyday decisions involve risk. We run a red light, or we flip a coin with our partners to decide who should do the dishes. What influences our risky decisions? One important factor is the uncertainty surrounding chance. Neeltje Blankenstein • 19-06-2017
Hanging out with the right crowd: positive peer pressure in adolescence Peer pressure in adolescence often has negative connotations for worried parents and in the media. Jorien investigated the positive influence of peers on decision-making and examined the neural underpinnings of peer influence in the adolescent brain. Jorien van Hoorn • 12-01-2017
