Commitments in communication
prof. dr. C.L.A. Bary (RU), dr. B.J.M. van Tiel (RU)
By speaking we undertake commitments. But what exactly is the role of the hearer? Does their silence mean assent? And sometimes we want to ‘put something on the table’ without taking on a commitment, for example by saying that someone else said it. What does that mean for our commitments? We answer these questions by means of a new experimental method where we measure the activity of the frowning muscle, which is known to become active in the case of moral indignation. In this way, we will come to a better understanding of what happens when we communicate.
The ebb and flow of fatigue
dr. E.H. Bijleveld (RU)
Whether in health or disease, almost all people are familiar with the feeling of fatigue. Yet, despite its familiarity and ~120 years of research, there is a key unsolved challenge in fatigue science: the individual dynamics of fatigue are poorly understood. That is, fatigue ebbs and flows over time, both within and between days, and these dynamics vary wildly between people. In this project, researchers work towards a new model of fatigue. On the horizon, this research paves the way for the development of technology that helps people understand, interpret, and deal with fatigue complaints in daily life.
Understanding how the brain controls speech and why it changes with disease
dr. S.J. Forkel (RU and Donders Institute)
Speech is a complex human skill, and scientists do not fully understand how the brain produces it, especially in people with Parkinson’s Disease (PD). Nearly 90% of people with PD have speech problems like unclear or monotonous speech. This project aims to map the brain networks involved in speaking by using advanced brain imaging and a technique called deep brain stimulation (DBS) to identify specific neural circuits linked to speech. By also studying how these speech problems connect to brain changes, we hope to understand how the brain controls speech and guide better treatments for speech difficulties in PD.
Dying a Continuous Death? A Critical Phenomenological Analysis of Living Death, Social Death and Suicide Ideation amongst Long Covid patients in the Netherlands and Germany
prof. dr. E.A.V. Matthies-Boon (RU)
This research philosophically examines the deep existential impact of Long Covid on its patients, particularly using the lens of multileveled deadliness. It thus explores the existential effects of Long Covid by using the prism of living death, social death and suicide. It does so in a comparative context, entailing the Netherlands and Germany, since differences in medical, social and political politics will directly influence patients existential experience of this multileveled deadliness, and might thus provide indications as to how this existential suffering can be ameliorated.
How do babies learn? We use novel brain measures to understand how learning develops and predicts later skills.
dr. M. Meyer (RU and Donders Institute), dr. R. Oostenveld (RU and Donders Institute)
Babies have so much to learn in such a short period, but how does learning itself develop? In this project, we follow infants from 5 and 10 months to 2.5 years to answer this pressing question. We utilize a novel brain scanner to understand how early learning develops, how caregivers’ behavior influences infants’ learning and how early differences in learning predict language and social skills later. Insights from this project will provide a knowledge anchor for early interventions to foster learning in infancy, with potential to achieve far-reaching consequences for later skill acquisition.
Influence Abroad: How Diplomats Shape Global Politics
dr. H.J. Swedlund (RU)
In this project, we investigate the conditions under which diplomats posted abroad influence global politics. With the help of large language models and cutting-edge methodological tools, we analyze diplomatic activity in the Global South over a period of more than five decades, examining how technology, decolonization, and the backgrounds of individual diplomats influence foreign policy outcomes.
Hidden hearing and speech deficits in patients with a nerve disorder that affects the long nerves
dr. M.A.M. van de Ven MA (RU)
Speaking and listening are indispensable in our society. For patients with a disease that affects the long nerves, these skills are less obvious. For example, they appear less able to hear the order and pitch of speech sounds and understand careful speech with background noise. It is unclear whether the nervous disease also affects listening in everyday situations, in background noise and while looking at the speaker. In addition, it is unclear whether own speech is affected by this disease. Researchers will investigate whether listening to natural conversations and own speech are affected and, if so, why and how.
