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I was invited to a meeting of the international ROLES Consortium as a guest speaker to talk about the local energy transition in The Netherlands.

Presentatie op congres Science Works Hogeschool Rotterdam, 27 juni 2019

Policy seminar for the European Commission and SSH community where we presented the final results of ACCOMPLISSH

Floods can be approached at a given location with two different concepts in mind: defending against floods or adapting to floods (Saurí-Pujol et al., 2001) (further, the option of mitigation exists, but this is a rather long-term and large-scale approach). First, resistance-based flood protection is the traditional approach to flood risk; second is resilience, which is linked with the concept of flood risk management. Flood protection usually requires dykes, technical flood protection measures, and strong water management institutions with technical skills; resilient flood risk management asks for comprehensive and integrative concepts, encompassing many stakeholders and asking for collaboration at various levels. The advantage of resistance-oriented flood protection is that it facilitates using protected land efficiently without the necessity of making compromises because of the flood risk. However, this approach has boundaries and constraints when flood risk increases, protection measures fail, or extreme floods occur. Thus, complementary resilient flood risk management is necessary, which comes with costs for adaptation and compromises for land use, but allows for coping much better with the management of increasing risk and extreme events because it reduces vulnerabilities.

Floods can be approached at a given location with two different concepts in mind: defending against floods or adapting to floods (Sauri-Pujol et al., 2001) (further, the option of mitigation exists, but this is a rather long-term and large-scale approach). First, resistance-based flood protection is the traditional approach to flood risk; second is resilience, which is linked with the concept of flood risk management. Flood protection usually requires dykes, technical flood protection measures, and strong water management institutions with technical skills; resilient flood risk management asks for comprehensive and integrative concepts, encompassing many stakeholders and asking for collaboration at various levels. The advantage of resistance-oriented flood protection is that it facilitates using protected land efficiently without the necessity of making compromises because of the flood risk. However, this approach has boundaries and constraints when flood risk increases, protection measures fail, or extreme floods occur. Thus, complementary resilient flood risk management is necessary, which comes with costs for adaptation and compromises for land use, but allows for coping much better with the management of increasing risk and extreme events because it reduces vulnerabilities.

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In dit onderzoek werd bekeken hoe vaak combinaties van roken, excessief alcoholgebruik, te weinig bewegen en ongezond eten voorkomen in de Nederlandse bevolking. Vooral rokers blijken er een tweede ongezonde leefgewoonte op na te houden. Combinaties met roken komen vaker voor dan de percentages van de twee afzonderlijke gedragingen doen vermoeden. De combinatie van twee ongezonde gedragingen komt echter niet vaker voor in bepaalde bevolkingsgroepen of bij mensen met een betere of slechtere gezondheidstoestand. Ook blijkt het voorkomen van combinaties van ongezonde gedragingen onafhankelijk te zijn van factoren uit de sociale en fysieke leefomgeving van de persoon, zoals gezinssamenstelling en mate van verstedelijking. De combinatie van twee ongezonde gedragingen geeft wel een grotere kans op vroegtijdig overlijden dan de risicoberekening hierover voor het afzonderlijke gedrag, maar deze is niet excessief groter. Mensen die twee ongezonde gedragingen combineren maken niet meer gebruik van de gezondheidszorg dan mensen met enkelvoudig ongezond gedrag.

Samenvatting volgt. Translation from the Dutch by Julie Barnes. DOI: 10.1177/1024258913481295

Over the last few decades, researchers have become increasingly aware of the need to consider intraindividual variability in the form of cyclic processes. In this paper, we review two contemporary cyclic state-space models: Young and colleagues' dynamic harmonic regression model and Harvey and colleagues' stochastic cycle model. We further derive the analytic equivalence between the two models, discuss their unique strengths and propose multiple-subject extensions. Using data from a study on human postural dynamics and a daily affect study, we demonstrate the use of these models to represent within-person non-stationarities in cyclic dynamics and interindividual differences therein. The use of diagnostic tools for evaluating model fit is also illustrated.

We studied the influence of haptics on visual perception of three-dimensional shape. Observers were shown pictures of an oblate spheroid in two different orientations. A gauge-figure task was used to measure their perception of the global shape. In the first two sessions only vision was used. The results showed that observers made large errors and interpreted the oblate spheroid as a sphere. They also misinterpreted the rotated oblate spheroid for a prolate spheroid. In two subsequent sessions observers were allowed to touch the stimulus while performing the task. The visual input remained unchanged: the observers were looking at the picture and could not see their hands. The results revealed that observers perceived a shape that was different from the vision-only sessions and closer to the veridical shape. Whereas, in general, vision is subject to ambiguities that arise from interpreting the retinal projection, our study shows that haptic input helps to disambiguate and reinterpret the visual input more veridically.

This article examines how perceiving concealment in close relationships influences marital well-being. It suggests that the perception of concealment from a partner signals separateness from one's partner and contributes to feelings of perceived partner exclusion. These feelings of exclusion, in turn, should negatively affect relational quality. These predictions are tested in a prospective study among 199 newlywed couples. Results suggest that perceiving concealment reduced marital adjustment and trust and increased conflict over time. Importantly, change in perceived partner exclusion mediated these effects. This article demonstrates that the perception of concealment (a) has deleterious effects on relational well-being in the long run and (b) is harmful in part because it elicits feelings of exclusion. © 2009 by the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc.

Extending theory within the justice domain and work on the human alarm system, the current paper argues that the process by which justice judgments are formed may be influenced reliably by the activation of psychological systems that people use to detect and handle alarming situations. Building on this analysis, it is further proposed that if this line of reasoning is true then presenting alarm-related stimuli, such as exclamation points and flashing lights, to people should lead to more extreme judgments about subsequent justice-related events than not presenting these alarming stimuli. Findings collected using different experimental paradigms provide evidence supporting these predictions both inside and outside the psychology lab. Implications for the social psychology of justice and the human alarm system literature are discussed.

Successful aging is an important concept, and one that has been the subject of much research. During the last 15 years, the emphasis of this research has shifted from formulating criteria for successful aging to describing the processes involved in successful aging. The main purpose of the present article is to review psychological models of successful aging. The model of Selective Optimization with Compensation (SOC-model) proves to be one of the leading models in this field. Although evidence about its value is accumulating, we argue that this model mainly focuses on how people react to losses and that proactive coping aimed at preventing potential threats to goals may also be a valuable strategy. We propose that proactive coping may be important for successful aging, since it results in a prolonged availability of resources for optimization and compensation processes and a delay in disengagement from important goals.

Most asynchronous computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) environments can be characterized as functional environments because they focus on functional, task-specific support, often disregarding explicit support for the social (emotional) aspects of learning in groups which are acknowledged by many educational researchers to be essential for effective collaborative learning. In contrast, sociable CSCL environments emphasize the social (emotional) aspects of group learning. We define sociability as the extent to which a CSCL environment is perceived to be able to facilitate the emergence of a sound social space with attributes as trust and belonging, a strong sense of community, and good working relationships. Specific environmental characteristics, which we have designated social affordances, determine sociability. This explorative study deals with the construction and preliminary validation of a self-reporting (Dutch language) Sociability Scale for determining the perceived degree of sociability of CSCL environments. It is one-dimensional Scale consisting of 10 items and has an internal consistency of 0.92. It was further validated on the basis of a well-developed nomological network. The results of the explorative study are promising and show that the sociability scale has the potential to be useful as a measure for perceived sociability.

This contribution explores the analytical implications of using the concept of globalization in historical research. The article stresses that globalization deals with the transformation of the spatial organization of social relations and transactions. What makes the contemporary globalization different from earlier phases is that distance plays a much less distinctive role in the organization of production and consumption. History can increasingly be seen as a transnational history, focusing on the historical developments and their interaction in various parts of the world. Wat betekent globalisering voor de beoefening van de geschiedwetenschap? In dit artikel betoogt de auteur dat het hedendaagse globaliseringsproces gevolgen heeft voor een verdere toenadering tussen geschiedenis en de andere sociale wetenschappen én voor de manier waarop de geschiedwetenschap aandacht besteedt aan tijd en vooral aan ruimte

The goal of multiple imputation is to provide valid inferences for statistical estimates from incomplete data. To achieve that goal, imputed values should preserve the structure in the data, as well as the uncertainty about this structure, and include any knowledge about the process that generated the missing data. Two approaches for imputing multivariate data exist: joint modeling (JM) and fully conditional specification (FCS). JM is based on parametric statistical theory, and leads to imputation procedures whose statistical properties are known. JM is theoretically sound, but the joint model may lack flexibility needed to represent typical data features, potentially leading to bias. FCS is a semi-parametric and flexible alternative that specifies the multivariate model by a series of conditional models, one for each incomplete variable. FCS provides tremendous flexibility and is easy to apply, but its statistical properties are difficult to establish. Simulation work shows that FCS behaves very well in the cases studied. The present paper reviews and compares the approaches. JM and FCS were applied to pubertal development data of 3801 Dutch girls that had missing data on menarche (two categories), breast development (five categories) and pubic hair development (six stages). Imputations for these data were created under two models: a multivariate normal model with rounding and a conditionally specified discrete model. The JM approach introduced biases in the reference curves, whereas FCS did not. The paper concludes that FCS is a useful and easily applied flexible alternative to JM when no convenient and realistic joint distribution can be specified. © 2007 SAGE Publications.

This contribution explores the analytical implications of using the concept of globalization in historical research. The article stresses that globalization deals with the transformation of the spatial organization of social relations and transactions. What makes the contemporary globalization different from earlier phases is that distance plays a much less distinctive role in the organization of production and consumption. History can increasingly be seen as a transnational history, focusing on the historical developments and their interaction in various parts of the world.

Although the co-occurrence between adolescent depression and delinquency has been well-studied, the nature of the longitudinal associations is not yet clear. To clarify this we examined whether personality type is a moderator in the longitudinal co-occurrence of depression and delinquency. A total of 338 young and middle adolescents completed questionnaires about depression, delinquency and personality in 3 yearly waves of the CONflict And Management Of RElationships (CONAMORE). We found that the stable overcontrollers showed the highest mean level on depression and that the stable undercontrollers showed the highest mean level on delinquency. Furthermore, we demonstrated that the longitudinal co-occurrence between depression and delinquency was best described by means of a stability model, in which personality type membership proved to be an important moderator. The three personality types differed significantly on the rank-order stability of both depression and delinquency. Copyright#2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Key words: co-occurrence; depression; delinquency; person-centred approach; personality prototypes

At the end of January 2015 I was given a research assignment formulated and sponsored by two professors of professorships (hereafter lectoraten) associated with the Academy for Social Studies (SASS), and the manager of Professionals and Bedrijven (hereafter P&B). At a later stage, the research was expanded by the sponsorship of the educational managers of the bachelor and master studies of SPH and MWD. It is a complex assignment with several research perspectives and aims. The main goal was to find out how to make better use of the products of the lectoraten for educational purposes. This umbrella goal included many subordinate aims. One aim concerned identifying the products and prioritizing them according to the educational demands of clients in the field and of teachers of the SASS educational programmes. Another aim was to demonstrate which skills the teachers who develop educational materials need to have and to identify steps necessary to adapt the products. Yet another aim consisted of finding better ways for knowledge to circulate between the lectoraten and the teaching staff of SASS. Finally advising the staff of P & B on marketing and communications in relation to the products of the lectoraten was aimed at. Overview of the reportAs stated, there are multiple assignment-givers (hereafter sponsors). In the first section the general societal context which triggered the assignment has been sketched but contextual aspects related to each of the sponsors have also been identified (in Appendix 1). The individual contexts of sponsors were important because, although they agreed on the broad aims of the assignment, they naturally have specific expectations of the results based on their particular situations. After the background sketch, seven sub-tasks given by the sponsors have been turned into subordinate - research and consultation questions. The second section describes the methods used and measures taken to obtain findings. This includes an identification of the inventory structure, actors involved both intramurally and extramurally (the stakeholders). Next, a Delphi method for developing a profile of learner needs and a list of topics of products is described.In the third section, findings are set out in relation to the 7 sub-research and consultation questions. Some discussion and concluding remarks are given for most of the seven questions. The findings are written in English but most of the quotations from respondents have not been translated so they appear in Dutch. Section four summarises these findings in a compact manner since there were conclusions throughout the findings. Section five offers recommendations in Dutch. Attention is given to the different emphases of the sponsors in the details of recommendations. Please note that many end notes and appendices are offered for further reading since some of the approaches mentioned in the text may be unfamiliar to some readers. A word about terms Both Dutch and English employ a variety of terms to identify the provision (aanbod) of learning for adults in working environments and to identify the learning activities or programmes. This can be confusing but is, unfortunately, unavoidable. In Dutch, the terms ‘deskundigheidsbevordering, nascholing, bijscholing’ and ‘trainingsaanbod’ or occasionally ‘professionalisering’ are all used to indicate what in English is called ‘professional development’ (often abbreviated to PD) or ‘staff development’ or, recently, ‘professionalisation’ The typical Dutch use of the term ‘training’ for almost all stypes of learning activities has a somewhat more restricted meaning in English. Educational activities are often referred to as ‘learning trajectories’; ‘ learning opportunities’ or ‘interventions’ as well as, less commonly, ‘training sessions’ or ‘workshops’. All of the English terms are employed throughout this report. The most commonly used are ‘professionalisation’ or ‘PD’ for the provision and ‘interventions’ to indicate specific educational programmes or activities.

At the end of January 2015 I was given a research assignment formulated and sponsored by two professors of professorships (hereafter lectoraten) associated with the Academy for Social Studies (SASS), and the manager of Professionals and Bedrijven (hereafter P&B). At a later stage, the research was expanded by the sponsorship of the educational managers of the bachelor and master studies of SPH and MWD. It is a complex assignment with several research perspectives and aims. The main goal was to find out how to make better use of the products of the lectoraten for educational purposes. This umbrella goal included many subordinate aims. One aim concerned identifying the products and prioritizing them according to the educational demands of clients in the field and of teachers of the SASS educational programmes. Another aim was to demonstrate which skills the teachers who develop educational materials need to have and to identify steps necessary to adapt the products. Yet another aim consisted of finding better ways for knowledge to circulate between the lectoraten and the teaching staff of SASS. Finally advising the staff of P & B on marketing and communications in relation to the products of the lectoraten was aimed at. Overview of the reportAs stated, there are multiple assignment-givers (hereafter sponsors). In the first section the general societal context which triggered the assignment has been sketched but contextual aspects related to each of the sponsors have also been identified (in Appendix 1). The individual contexts of sponsors were important because, although they agreed on the broad aims of the assignment, they naturally have specific expectations of the results based on their particular situations. After the background sketch, seven sub-tasks given by the sponsors have been turned into subordinate - research and consultation questions. The second section describes the methods used and measures taken to obtain findings. This includes an identification of the inventory structure, actors involved both intramurally and extramurally (the stakeholders). Next, a Delphi method for developing a profile of learner needs and a list of topics of products is described.In the third section, findings are set out in relation to the 7 sub-research and consultation questions. Some discussion and concluding remarks are given for most of the seven questions. The findings are written in English but most of the quotations from respondents have not been translated so they appear in Dutch. Section four summarises these findings in a compact manner since there were conclusions throughout the findings. Section five offers recommendations in Dutch. Attention is given to the different emphases of the sponsors in the details of recommendations. Please note that many end notes and appendices are offered for further reading since some of the approaches mentioned in the text may be unfamiliar to some readers. A word about terms Both Dutch and English employ a variety of terms to identify the provision (aanbod) of learning for adults in working environments and to identify the learning activities or programmes. This can be confusing but is, unfortunately, unavoidable. In Dutch, the terms ‘deskundigheidsbevordering, nascholing, bijscholing’ and ‘trainingsaanbod’ or occasionally ‘professionalisering’ are all used to indicate what in English is called ‘professional development’ (often abbreviated to PD) or ‘staff development’ or, recently, ‘professionalisation’ The typical Dutch use of the term ‘training’ for almost all stypes of learning activities has a somewhat more restricted meaning in English. Educational activities are often referred to as ‘learning trajectories’; ‘ learning opportunities’ or ‘interventions’ as well as, less commonly, ‘training sessions’ or ‘workshops’. All of the English terms are employed throughout this report. The most commonly used are ‘professionalisation’ or ‘PD’ for the provision and ‘interventions’ to indicate specific educational programmes or activities.

This book describes and analyzes six novel conservation arrangements in eastern and southern Africa, illustrating how tourism is increasingly used and promoted as a key mechanism for achieving conservation and development objectives outside state-protected areas.

This book describes and analyzes six novel conservation arrangements in eastern and southern Africa, illustrating how tourism is increasingly used and promoted as a key mechanism for achieving conservation and development objectives outside state-protected areas.

Objectives: This article describes the development, content,feasibility andfirst results of a short educational program for preparing for aging, based on the process model of proactive coping [Aspinwall LG, Taylor SE. A stitch in time: self regulation and proactive coping. Psychol Bull 1997; 121: 417‐36]. The aim of the program is to increase proactive competencies and improve proactive orientations and behaviour. The program consists of four-weekly meetings with 8‐10 participants and is given by trainers of about the same age as the participants. Methods: Sixty-eight persons (M = 61.4 years) participated in the program. Feasibility included attendance, participants evaluations of the meetings and the applicability of the used techniques. Proactive coping was measured as proactive orientation, behaviour and competencies. Results: The program received positive evaluations, the attendance rate was very satisfying, and the applicability of the used techniques have been shown. Regarding the technique of mental simulation, improvements were suggested. We found gender differences concerning feasibility: women evaluated the program to be easier and reported to have profited more from mental simulation. Preliminary results of proximal outcome variables showed significant changes in proactive competencies, but no changes in proactive behaviour and proactive orientation. Conclusions: The educational program ‘‘In anticipation of the golden years’’ is a theoretical based minimal intervention which is highly feasible and effective in improving proactive competencies. # 2005 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Troubleshooting in a practice situation requires two types of information, namely for reasoning about the problem-cause and for finding an adequate solution (declarative information) and for manipulating the environment (procedural information). It is hypothesized that presenting this information piece-by-piece during practice (i.e., presentation of declarative and procedural information separately) frees up working memory and facilitates learning. Moreover, this effect is augmented when both information types are presented just-in-time (i.e., declarative information before practice and procedural information during practice). This should yield highest test performance and instructional efficiency, which is defined as higher test performance combined with lower mental effort during practice. Eighty-five students (49 male, 36 female; M = 15.2 years, SD = .59) participated in a 2 · 2 factorial experiment with the factors timing of declarative information and timing of procedural information, both before or during practice. Transfer test scores and transfer efficiency scores support the first hypothesis; the second hypothesis was not supported.

De titel van het gelijknamige boek was ook het onderwerp van de Toplezing gehouden door Edwin Vlems, gehouden op 15 december 2014 bij Fontys BEnT. Met behulp van vele verschillende onderzoeken is aangetoond dat de kennis of intelligentie van de groep (heterogeen samengesteld) groter is dan de individuele kennis of die van enkele experts. Dit biedt nieuwe vergezichten voor vormen van meer directe democratie en meer economische veldexperimenten.

De titel van het gelijknamige boek was ook het onderwerp van de Toplezing gehouden door Edwin Vlems, gehouden op 15 december 2014 bij Fontys BEnT. Met behulp van vele verschillende onderzoeken is aangetoond dat de kennis of intelligentie van de groep (heterogeen samengesteld) groter is dan de individuele kennis of die van enkele experts. Dit biedt nieuwe vergezichten voor vormen van meer directe democratie en meer economische veldexperimenten.

In the Netherlands, about 20% of children do not have any contact with their non-resident parent after parental divorce. There are often many reasons underlying the broken contact, but one might well be the process of parental alienation, when the child denigrates and excludes the non-resident parent. This article presents the results of two studies conducted among divorce experts and divorced, non-resident parents. A total of 138 respondents co-operated in our studies. Of the respondents, 58% thought PAS either does not, or rarely occurs in the Netherlands, and 42% thought it does occur. The extent of parental alienation was classified as mild (33%) or moderate (9%). From our factor analysis, it became clear that Gardner's classification of eight separate symptoms of parental alienation was not evident in our research data. We were able to distinguish four separate aspects: two of them concerning alienation due to the resident parent and two concerning alienation due to the child. Our results underpin th...

Contains fulltext : 58012.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Closed access) Advanced cancer is associated with emotional distress, especially depression and feelings of sadness. To date, it is unclear which is the most effective way to address these problems. This review focuses on the effects of psychosocial interventions on the quality of life (QoL) of patients with advanced cancer. It was hypothesised that patients will benefit from psychosocial interventions by improving QoL, especially in the domain of emotional functioning. The review was conducted using systematic review methodology involving a systematic search of the literature published between 1990 and 2002, quality assessment of included studies, systematic data extraction and narrative data synthesis. In all, 10 randomised controlled studies involving 13 trials were included. Overall interventions and outcome measures across studies were heterogeneous. Outcome measures, pertaining to the QoL dimension of emotional functioning, were most frequently measured. A total of 12 trials evaluating behaviour therapy found positive effects on one or more indicators of QoL, for example, depression. The results of the review support recommendation of behaviour therapy in the care of patients with advanced cancer.

The objectives of this study were to describe the features of consultation within general practice with special attention to the differences between short, moderate and long consultations. An analysis of 2801 videotaped consultations of 183 General Practitioners from six countries participating in the Eurocommunication Study was made. The communicative behaviour was gauged by means of the Roter Interaction Analysis System. The consultation can be seen as a “standard operating procedure” consisting of 8% social behaviour, 15% agreement, 4% rapport building, 10% partnership building, 11% giving directions, 28% giving information, 14% asking questions and 7% counselling. A short consultation can be described as an encounter with a little bit of social behaviour to set the contact, medical questioning, giving directions for the further consultation and advises in order to solve the problem(s) mentioned. In a long consultation doctors take more time for a social talk, they give more attention to the relation or contact with the patient, they listen more extensively, especially to psychosocial problems, and they give more information.

Contains fulltext : 64085.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Closed access) Background: Siblings may support each other, but also reveal fierce rivalry and mutual aggression. Supportive sibling relationships have been linked to the development of psychosocial competence of children. In the present longitudinal study, we will focus on the development of perceived support in sibling dyads and on the influence of sibling support and sibling problem behavior on psychosocial adjustment in adolescence. Method: In a three-wave longitudinal sample of 285 Dutch families with two adolescent children (11 - to 15-year-olds), these two siblings judged the support perceived from each other. In addition, they themselves and their parents judged their internalizing and externalizing problem behaviors. The relation of sibling support and sibling problem behavior with internalizing and externalizing problem behaviors was examined while controlling for support from parents and friends and, over time, controlling for the autoregressive effects of problem behavior. Results: Support perceived from a sibling is mostly negatively related to externalizing problems; sibling problem behavior is strongly related to internalizing problems. Differential developmental trajectories of adolescents' adjustment are associated with siblings' support and problem behavior. Conclusion: The results indicate that adolescents' relationships with both older and younger siblings are characterized by modeling processes.

Distributed learning in groups is usually supported by computer-supported collaborative learning environments. Although these environments have the potential to facilitate working in groups, they often do not fulfill this potential because of their inability to provide a sound social space where social relationships exist and where a sense of cohesiveness and community is achieved. This article reports on the construction and validation of a self-reporting (Dutch-language) Social Space Scale. The raw Social Space Scale was launched in three different distance education courses from the Open Universiteit Nederland using two different computer-supported collaborative learning environments. Factor analysis revealed that the Social Space Scale has two interpretable factors which are identified as the Positive Group Behavior dimension and the Negative Group Behavior dimension. The raw Social Space Scale was refined thereby reducing the number of test items from 44 to 20; each dimension encompasses 10 items. The internal consistency was 81 for the total scale, 92 for the Positive Group Behavior dimension and 87 for the Negative Group Behavior dimension. A nomological network was used for further validation. The findings suggest that the Social Space Scale has potential to be useful as a measure for social space. However, it must be realized that this measure is a first step and further validation research is needed.

The effectiveness of group learning in asynchronous distributed learning groups depends on the social interaction that takes place. This social interaction affects both cognitive and socioemotional processes that take place during learning, group forming, establishment of group structures, and group dynamics. Though now known to be important, this aspect is often ignored, denied or forgotten by educators and researchers who tend to concentrate on cognitive processes and on-task contexts. This "one-sided" educational focus largely determines the set of requirements in the design of computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) environments resulting in functional CSCL environments. In contrast, our research is aimed at the design and implementation of sociable CSCL environments which may increase the likelihood that a sound social space will emerge. We use a theoretical framework that is based upon an ecological approach to social interaction, centering on the concept of social affordances, the concept of the sociability of CSCL environments, and social presence theory. The hypothesis is that the higher the sociability, the more likely that social interaction will take place or will increase, and the more likely that this will result in an emerging sound social space. In the present research, the variables of interest are sociability, social space, and social presence. This study deals with the construction and validation of three instruments to determine sociability, social space, and social presence in (a)synchronous collaborating groups. The findings suggest that the instruments have potential to be useful as measures for the respective variables. However, it must be realized that these measures are "first steps."

Authenticity is an important element of new modes of assessment. The problem is that what authentic assessment really is, is unspecified. In this article, we first review the literature on authenticity of assessments, along with a five-dimensional framework for designing authentic assessments with professional practice as the starting point. Then, we present the results of a qualitative study to determine if the framework is complete, and what the relative importance of the five dimensions is in the perceptions of students and teachers of a vocational college for nursing. We discuss implications for the framework, along with important issues that need to be considered when designing authentic assessments.

Purpose: To explore the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of cancer patients seeking a second-opinion consultation and to analyze their second opinion–related motives, needs, and expectations. Patients and Methods: In 212 consecutive patients seeking a second opinion at the Surgical Oncology Outpatient Clinic, satisfaction with the first specialist, motivation for the second opinion, need for information, preference for decision participation, and hope for and expectation of a different second opinion were assessed with a questionnaire. Results: The mean age was 53 years. Most patients were women (82%), of whom 76% were diagnosed with breast cancer. Half of the patients (51%) had a low educational level. The majority of patients (62%) only had internal motives for second-opinion seeking associated with the need for reassurance and more certainty, whereas a substantial minority of patients (38%) also had external motives related to negative experiences or unfulfilled needs. The externally motivated patients had a higher anxiety disposition, were less satisfied with their first specialist, preferred a more active role in medical decision making, and more often hoped for and expected a different second opinion. Conclusion: Motives for second-opinion consultations differ greatly. Understanding the difference between internal and external motivation is necessary to develop strategies to prevent unnecessary second-opinion seeking. Additional studies are warranted to evaluate the objective and subjective outcomes of second-opinion consultations.

Objective To determine the association of parent, family, and adolescent variables with adolescent mental health service need and utilization. Method Correlates of adolescent mental health service utilization, self-perceived need and unmet need were investigated in a general population sample of 1,120 Dutch adolescents aged 11 to 18 years (78% response rate). Results 3.1% of the sample had been referred for mental health services within the preceding year, and 3.8% reported unmet need. 7.7% of adolescents at risk for psychopathology, and 17.8% of those indicating a need for help, had been referred. Family stress and adolescent's self-reported problems were most strongly associated with service need and utilization. Internalizing problems, female gender, and low education level were associated with self-perceived unmet need. Adolescent ethnicity and competence in activities and school were associated with service use, but did not influence service need, while the opposite effect was found for adolescent age and parental psychopathology. Conclusions In designing intervention programs aimed at increasing adolescent mental health service use, distinctions should be made between efforts focused at adolescents not recognizing their problems, and those with unmet need.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the role of optimistic beliefs in adaptation processes of three chronic diseases different in controllability by self-care. It was expected that optimism towards the future would relate to adaptation independently of the controllability of disease. Optimism regarding one's coping ability should be beneficial in controllable diseases. Unrealistic optimism was expected to be beneficial in uncontrollable disease. DESIGN: The cross-sectional design involved 104 patients with type 1 diabetes, 95 patients with rheumatoid arthritis and 98 patients with multiple sclerosis, recruited via their physician at the out-patient department of five hospitals. METHOD: Confirmatory Factor Analysis (LISREL) was employed to confirm a three-dimensional approach of optimism: outcome expectancies, efficacy expectancies and unrealistic thinking. Multi-sample analysis by path modelling was used to examine whether the relationship of the three optimistic beliefs with coping (CISS-21), depression and anxiety (HADS), and physical functioning (SF-36) differs with the controllability based on the self-care options of chronic disease. RESULTS: These show that when chronic disease must be controlled by self-care, physical health depends more strongly on positive efficacy expectancies. In contrast, when self-care options for controlling chronic disease are limited, physical health depends more strongly on positive unrealistic thinking and relates negatively to positive efficacy expectancies. The impact of the three optimistic beliefs on mental health is independent of the controllability by self-care. CONCLUSION: Optimistic beliefs are differently beneficial for physical health dependent on the controllability of chronic disease. Unrealistic beliefs are helpful when patients are confronted with moderately to largely uncontrollable disease where self-care options are limited, in contrast to positive efficacy expectancies that are helpful when patients deal with largely controllable disease where self-care is required.

Sociale wetenschappen worden door gelovigen vaak met scepsis bekeken. Ze richten zich niet op de inhoud van het geloof, maar op de manier waarop mensen samen religieuze gemeenschappen vormen. Daarmee zouden ze een seculariserend effect hebben. In dit artikel heeft de auteur zoveel mogelijk recht proberen te doen aan de eigen inbreng van de sociale wetenschappen bij de bestudering van religieuze praktijken. De sociale wetenschappen worden gekenmerkt door een diversiteit aan disciplines en benaderingen en ook religie is een complex en veelvormig verschijnsel. Willen we de inbreng van de sociale wetenschappen op waarde kunnen schatten, dan zullen we zowel oog moeten hebben voor de mogelijkheden als ook voor de beperkingen van deze wetenschappen.

Sociale wetenschappen worden door gelovigen vaak met scepsis bekeken. Ze richten zich niet op de inhoud van het geloof, maar op de manier waarop mensen samen religieuze gemeenschappen vormen. Daarmee zouden ze een seculariserend effect hebben. In dit artikel heeft de auteur zoveel mogelijk recht proberen te doen aan de eigen inbreng van de sociale wetenschappen bij de bestudering van religieuze praktijken. De sociale wetenschappen worden gekenmerkt door een diversiteit aan disciplines en benaderingen en ook religie is een complex en veelvormig verschijnsel. Willen we de inbreng van de sociale wetenschappen op waarde kunnen schatten, dan zullen we zowel oog moeten hebben voor de mogelijkheden als ook voor de beperkingen van deze wetenschappen.