Jaap J. A. Denissen’s research while affiliated with Utrecht University and other places

This study developed and assessed the psychometric properties of a questionnaire assessing Implicit Theories (ITs) of sexual offense ( Polaschek & Ward, 2002 ; Ward & Keenan, 1999 ), named the Implicit Theories of Sexual Offense Questionnaire (ITSOQ). We used existing cognition questionnaires to create a potential item pool, and selected items based on item properties (e.g., mean, SD , range) from three male general population samples ( n = 427) and three (sub)clinical population samples ( n = 69), i.e., pedophilia-supportive forum users ( n = 20), and sexual ( n = 28) and violent ( n = 21) forensic mental health system clients. A principal component analysis for the general population sample supported a four-component solution for the ITSOQ, including two victim-specific ITs (Factor 1: Children 14–16 years, Factor 2: Women), a sexual social desirability index (SSDI; Factor 3), and a component reflecting the antisocial uncontrollability IT (Factor 4). Analyses indicated measurement invariance, and higher scores for the (sub)clinical population were found for the antisocial uncontrollability and SSDI factors, with low to moderate effect sizes. Additionally, (small) associations between self-reported sexual interest in children and adults and the victim-specific child and women factors were found. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.

Interest in emotional variability as an interindividual difference is growing. Yet, basic features of the construct, such as its stability and reliability, are not well understood. To address this gap, we examined two longitudinal data sets, each comprising two waves of daily assessments, one with a 3-month and the other with a 16-month retest interval. Overcoming a key methodological limitation of past approaches, we used Bayesian censored location scale models as an alternative modeling approach that accounts for biases introduced by bounded rating scales. The results showed that the variability estimates from the models had reliabilities around rel = .64, which can be sufficient for group-level predictions. Additionally, the latent stability of r = .60 provides evidence for stable individual differences in emotional variability, suggesting that it is more than just a transient state. We ran exploratory analyses to further examine the influence of external events and individual life transitions on emotional variability and found that emotional variability was responsive to environmental changes.

Development is an iterative dynamic process that unfolds over time. Few theories, however, discuss the speed of developmental processes. Therefore, decisions about measurement timing often rely on arbitrary or practical choices, disregarding the timescale dependency of the results. As an exemplary case, this preregistered study assessed reciprocal associations between parent–adolescent conflict and ill-being (i.e., negative affect and depressive symptoms) with daily, weekly, biweekly, monthly, bimonthly, and three-monthly intervals. A 100-day diary study (N = 159, M = 13.31 years, 62% girls, 89% Dutch, data collection: 2020–2021) and a 26-wave biweekly study (N = 253, M = 14.37 years, 72% girls, 96% Dutch, data collection: 2019–2020) were used. By aggregating measurements, multiple timescales could be assessed within the same data set. Multilevel structural equation modeling revealed that conflict predicted depressive symptoms 1 month (β = .09) and 3 months later (β = .13). Reversely, negative affect predicted conflict 1 week later (β = .07) and depressive symptoms predicted conflict 2 weeks later (β = .08). Thus, transactional processes may function differently at different timescales, which has implications for expanding developmental theories about the timescales of relevant processes.

There is some evidence linking personality traits to the experience of life events in adolescence and emerging adulthood. However, the role of one key life event marking these life stages has not been examined within this context: the first sexual intercourse. Using 10-year longitudinal data from over 5,000 German adolescents and emerging adults (aged 14 to 19 years at baseline), we examined the reciprocal associations between people’s first sexual activity and the Big Five personality traits. Specifically, we examined whether personality trait levels predicted the timing of first intercourse (selection effects) and whether the experience of first intercourse was related to subsequent personality trait changes (socialization effects). There was strong evidence that higher levels of extraversion predicted earlier first intercourse, with extraverted youth being more than three times more likely to have experienced intercourse at baseline. In contrast, higher levels of agreeableness and openness predicted a later onset of sexual activity. We also found some evidence for socialization effects, suggesting mean-level decreases in extraversion in the years following first intercourse, and distinct change patterns in openness depending on youth’s gender and relationship status. Our findings highlight the predictive power of personality traits — and especially extraversion — for a critical developmental experience like the first intercourse and how this milestone can reciprocally shape personality development. We discuss the results with regard to personality development and relationship theories, integrating sexual milestones into the study of life transitions and identity formation, while highlighting the dynamic interplay between individual traits and environmental influences.

Decades of research have shown that adversity tends to be associated with lower working memory (WM) performance. This literature has mainly focused on impairments in the capacity to hold information available in WM for further processing. However, some recent adaptation-based studies suggest that certain types of adversity can leave intact, or even enhance, the ability to rapidly update information in WM. One key challenge is that WM capacity and updating tasks tend to covary, as both types of tasks require the creation and maintenance of bindings in WM; links between mental representations of information in WM. To estimate the associations between adversity and different processes in WM, we need to isolate variance in performance related to WM capacity from variance in performance related to updating ability. In this Registered Report, participants from the Dutch Longitudinal Internet studies for the Social Sciences (LISS) panel completed three WM tasks: two complex span tasks and a task measuring both binding and updating of information. In addition, we estimated participants’ exposure to neighbourhood threat, material deprivation and unpredictability. We estimated associations between the three types of adversity and latent estimates of WM capacity and updating using structural equation modelling. We did not find consistent associations between adversity and WM capacity or updating, nor did we find evidence that the associations were practically equivalent to zero. Our results show that adversity researchers should account for overlap in WM tasks when estimating specific WM abilities.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0296421.].

Decades of research have shown that adversity tends to be associated with lower working memory (WM) performance. This literature has mainly focused on impairments in the capacity to hold information available in WM for further processing. However, some recent adaptation-based studies suggest that certain types of adversity can leave intact, or even enhance, the ability to rapidly update information in WM. One key challenge is that WM capacity and updating tasks tend to covary, as both types of tasks require the creation and maintenance of bindings in WM; links between mental representations of information in WM. To estimate the associations between adversity and different processes in WM, we need to isolate variance in performance related to WM capacity from variance in performance related to updating ability. In this Registered Report, participants from the Dutch Longitudinal Internet studies for the Social Sciences (LISS) panel completed three WM tasks: two complex span tasks and a task measuring both binding and updating of information. In addition, we estimated participants’ exposure to neighbourhood threat, material deprivation, and unpredictability. We estimated associations between the three types of adversity and latent estimates of WM capacity and updating using structural equation modeling. We did not find consistent associations between adversity and WM capacity or updating, nor did we find evidence that the associations were practically equivalent to zero. Our results show that adversity researchers should account for overlap in WM tasks when estimating specific WM abilities.

Previous studies have consistently found that hedonic and eudaimonic motives positively predict subjective well-being. In this study, we emphasized the importance of considering curvilinear effects alongside main effects and interactions to fully understand these relationships. Using polynomial regression models, we examined the relationships between hedonic motives, eudaimonic motives, and subjective well-being. To examine both trait-level and momentary-level relations with well-being, we used experience sampling methodology to collect real-time data from 161 participants over a 7-day period. Our findings suggested that engaging in activities towards fulfilling both motives was associated with positive experiences, and individuals with high levels of hedonic and eudaimonic motives in their daily lives generally reported higher subjective well-being. Nevertheless, we also identified negative interaction effects between both motives on subjective well-being, which imply that there may be a limit to the positive contributions of combinations of both motives to subjective well-being. We discuss the implications of our findings for understanding the nuanced relationships between hedonic and eudaimonic motives and subjective well-being.

There is evidence that people with higher self-esteem tend to have more satisfying sexual relationships, but little is known about how changes in people’s self-esteem and sexual experiences are related over time. Several theories predict reciprocal effects between self-esteem and sexual experiences. The present study tested these theories using 12-wave longitudinal data from more than 11,000 participants of a representative sample in Germany. Data were analyzed using Random Intercept Cross-lagged Panel Models. Results indicated significant between-person associations between stable levels of self-esteem and both the frequency and the quality of sexual experiences. Moreover, we found reciprocal within-person transactions between self-esteem and sexual satisfaction but not sexual frequency. Overall, the present pattern of results provides evidence for theories that consider self-esteem as both a source and consequence of intimate sexual relationships.

Reciprocity belongs to the fundamentals of human interaction. However, it is mostly identified as act reciprocity (“I scratch your back and you scratch mine”). We argue that there also is another kind of reciprocity - not related to acts but to character types (“I treat you nicely because I believe you are a nice person”). In the literature act and type reciprocity are often intermixed despite their fundamental differences. The former requires much bookkeeping and is prone to downward spirals when errors or mishaps occur. By contrast, type reciprocity reduces bookkeeping and potentially contributes to more stable cooperative and competitive relationships. However, so far it lacked direct investigation. In six experiments with economic games with a total of 679 participants and more than 60.000 choices, we found type reciprocity to be (a) very prominent, b) moderately “strong” (i.e. positive and negative), and (c) highly robust against disturbing influences (except in conflictful relationships).