Recharge overview
Girls and boys not vulnerable to social media use at the same age
Girls and boys might be more vulnerable to the negative effects of social media use at different times during their adolescence, say an international team of scientists.
Something you always wanted to know about gender-inclusive language
Few other issues provoke more heated debates nowadays than attempts to make language more gender-inclusive. One controversial issue, for example, is the use of the pronoun “they” to refer to a single person, as in Everyone has a right to say what they think.
Aversive to touch, not to humans
We experience the world through our senses. What happens though when sensory inputs become too much (or too little) to bear from a very young age? Surely, the world must feel different, and our experience of it would change along.
Do incompetent people actually overestimate their own capabilities?
It is often said that incompetent people overestimate themselves and competent people underestimate themselves. However, this so-called ‘Dunning-Kruger’ effect may not be the phenomenon that people think it is.
Backpacking in the seventeenth century ‘On your own for the first time’
Falling boulders in the Alps, encountering a plague epidemic or being injured during a duel: the Grand Tours made by young Dutch men in the seventeenth century were not without danger. Backpackers today don't have to worry about these dangers, but the journeys from the seventeenth century are still comparable with those made today. “For young adults from any era, it is an important milestone to travel on their own for an extended period of time.”
Left or right of the adverb?
‘Jan heeft waarschijnlijk de hond uitgelaten’ or 'Jan heeft de hond waarschijnlijk uitgelaten’ (Jan has probably walked the dog). In Dutch both word orders are fine. Theoretical linguistics experts claim that this variation depends on whether the direct object has already been mentioned in the conversation or whether it is new information. Gert-Jan Schoenmakers investigated this with a series of experiments and found that the distribution is more free than is often claimed.
Smarter screening and treatment of breast cancer
Twelve scientists received a Vici from NWO and ZonMW last month. Radboudumc researcher Ioannis Sechopoulos is one of them. With his grant, he hopes to make breast cancer screening and treatment more effective.
How to help your child choose a study programme
The process of choosing a study programme may be as nerve-wrecking for you as a parent as it is for your child. You probably want to support your child as best you can in this process, but how do you do that? An expert, and two students and their parents share their do’s and don’ts.
Protection against cyberattacks requires smarter approach
If companies want to more efficiently limit the risks of cyberattacks, they should invest smarter rather than more. Many organisations currently still mainly select their investments based on past information, but choosing a flexible approach based on system dynamics would provide ample space for improvement. This is the point made by Sander Zeijlemaker, who obtained his PhD from Radboud University on 16 March.
Politics polled: how the public broadcaster discovered the opinion poll
In March, the Netherlands is voting to elect new municipal councillors. Nowadays, the voting behaviour of large groups of voters is partly determined by referencing and opinion polls. These polls not only chart political developments, but also influence the voter's choice in the voting booth. In his article for BMGN - Low Countries Historical Review (BMGN-LCHR), Fons Meijer of Radboud University investigates how and why opinion polls have become so important in the Dutch media.
“Time to take the ideal employee off the pedestal”
The ideal employee is always available for work, works long hours, never says no, is extremely flexible and not distracted by informal care, self-care or any other kind of care at all. If the ideal employee has children, no one takes any notice. Who fits into this description? Hardly anyone. So why is this archetype so dominant? Professor of Organisational Behaviour Yvonne Benschop explains.
Elections via the Internet? Watch out for the freedom to vote
We can arrange almost everything via the Internet. Yet next week in the Netherlands, we will simply stand in a booth with a red pencil when we go to vote. Can’t we do that online? “No,” say researchers at iHub, the Interdisciplinary Hub for digitalization and society, part of the Radboud University in Nijmegen.
‘Make young people aware of the consequences of cyber aggression’
Cyber aggression on platforms such as WhatsApp is increasingly common among young people. What is happening in those app groups and what can be done to mitigate cyber aggression? As part of her PhD research, communication scientist Daniëlle Bleize investigated these questions.
Muslim gender values are more diverse than often thought
Muslims’ gender values are not nearly as uniform as is often suggested. Islamic religiosity and time spent in Europe shape views on gender, but shape different gendered issues in varying ways, according to a study by Saskia Glas published today in the journal Social Forces. Her research suggests that the current integration policy does not always contribute to solutions.
The nocebo effect: How your own expectations can make you sick
Less well-known than the placebo effect yet just as remarkable: the nocebo effect causes you to experience more complaints because of negative expectations of a drug or your health.
'Giftedness is suitable as a concept, but not as a label'
We can still make significant strides in recognising and guiding talented and gifted people. People are regularly labelled as gifted, but it is questionable whether this benefits them. Lianne Hoogeveen, professor by special appointment of identification, support and counselling of talent at Radboud University, aims for her research to contribute to a healthier approach to talented and gifted people. Hoogeveen gave her inaugural lecture on 8 March.
Nijmegen professor and priest Titus Brandsma to be canonised
The Catholic Church announced today that Pope Francis will canonise Nijmegen's Titus Brandsma (1881-1942). Brandsma was Rector Magnificus and Professor of Philosophy at Radboud University – known then as the Catholic University of Nijmegen. He died in Dachau concentration camp, some six months after he had been arrested by the Nazis for his resistance to National Socialism. In 2005, he was voted Nijmegen’s Greatest Citizen of All Time.
DNA research into the secrets of 600-year-old parchment
Medieval books hide secrets that are not immediately visible. In a new project, art historian Hanneke van Asperen will unravel the mysteries of 600-year-old parchment scrolls, together with Wageningen University & Research and Naturalis Leiden, using DNA and protein analysis. A first in the Netherlands.
Shadow of black hole M87* is wobbling
The EHT team that published the first images of the shadow of a black hole last year used the knowledge they gained to analyse archive data from the period 2009-2013 and concluded that the shadow has been wobbling across the years. The findings of the team, which includes PhD students Sara Issaoun and Christiaan Brinkerink from Radboud University, and Sera Markoff and her PhD student Koushik Chatterjee from the University of Amsterdam, were published today in The Astrophysical Journal.
Why an apple, appel or Apfel comes before or after the verb
In German and Dutch clauses, the verb comes after the object, as in 'dass er einen Apfel gegessen hat' and ‘dat hij een appel gegeten heeft’. In English, it is the other way round: 'that he has eaten an apple'. Linguist Tara Struik investigated how it is possible that languages that are so related show such a fundamental difference in word order.