PubMed İndeksli Yayınlar Koleksiyonu / PubMed Indexed Publications Collection
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11779/1928
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Article The Cost of Curiosity: Information-Reward Tradeoffs in Early Childhood(Elsevier Science Inc, 2026-08-01) Lucca, Kelsey; Sen, Hilal H.Curiosity is a powerful engine of learning that shapes how people explore, acquire knowledge, and adapt to their environments. Though the implications of curiosity are clear, we know little about what drives curiosity. One widely-held view is that satisfying curiosity is intrinsically rewarding. Yet there is limited direct evidence supporting this claim, particularly during early childhood-a period characterized by heightened curiosity. Here, we provide an empirical test of whether satisfying curiosity is intrinsically valuable to children by asking whether they will forego hard-earned rewards to obtain information. To examine the limits of costly curiosity, we ask whether children will give up hard-earned rewards to learn something new, even when the information to be gained is unknown and offers no immediate or long-term benefit. Critically, we test what factors (i.e., age, gender, cultural background, trait curiosity, reward availability) shape children's willingness to engage in costly curiosity. In a sample of 226 children aged 3-6 years in the United States and Turkey, nearly all children (87%) gave up rewards to obtain information. However, costly curiosity was limited, most children gave up only a few rewards (i.e., the smallest amount possible), and the extent of trading varied by gender and culture: boys traded more than girls and children in the United States traded more than in Turkey. These findings provide evidence that children's curiosity is not driven by sheer impulse, but instead, a decision-making process that weighs both costs and benefits, and is shaped by broader individual and cultural factors.Article Longitudinal Norms of Frailty Measured by the Frailty Index: A Cross-National Comparison Using Data from the Survey of Health, Aging, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE)(Elsevier, 2026-06-01) Gutierrez, Angela; Supiyev, Adil; Muniz-Terrera, Graciela; Sevi, Baris; Massa, Fernando; Marroig, AlejandraBackground: Frailty, a geriatric syndrome commonly used to identify vulnerable older adults, is a public health priority. However, the lack of cross-national comparisons of frailty trajectories and their distribution constrains current understanding of normative changes in frailty for residents across different countries. Objective: To derive longitudinal percentiles of frailty using a consistent cross-country approach. Design: Observational study using longitudinal data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) between 2004 and 2020. Setting: We fit the distribution of the FI by Generalized Additive Models for Location, Scale, and Shape (GAMLSS), assessed the role of sex (male/female), education (in years), and migration status (migrant/non-migrant), and estimated the longitudinal percentiles of frailty using a consistent cross-country approach for 16 countries. Participants: Individuals aged >= 65 years (N = 42,951) at study entry. Measurements: Frailty index (FI) based on the accumulation of deficits in 40 items. Results: The results show that education is protective against frailty in all countries (a decrease of 1.1 pp. in Switzerland to 5.7 pp. in Slovenia, all p < 0.001). In most countries, women are frailer than men and migrant individuals have higher levels of frailty than non-migrants. FI trajectories showed heterogeneity across countries. The quantiles for women and migrants suggest frailer trajectories than men and non-migrants respectively. Conclusions: Findings from this cross-national comparison provide a framework within which the longitudinal norms of frailty trajectories from different countries can be interpreted.Article Mice Extrapolate Temporal Information Based on Previously Learned Spatiotemporal Mappings: An Asymmetrical Case(Springer, 2026-01-06) Gur, Ezgi; Duyan, Yalcin A.; Toptas, Pinar; Balci, FuatOne of the computational affordances of isomorphic magnitude representations is the extrapolation of temporal information based on previously experienced spatiotemporal pairings. We initially trained mice on the association of two intervals (10 s and 30 s) with two hoppers (H2 and H4, counterbalanced) in a five-choice nose-poke box with the following setup. One of the three novel hoppers (H1) neighbored H2 only, the other novel hopper (H5) neighbored H4 only, and the third novel hopper (H3) neighbored H2 and H4 (H1Novel -> H2Trained -> H3Novel -> H4Trained -> H5Novel). During test trials, one of the five hoppers was illuminated. We estimated the trial time at which the anticipatory response rate was maximal (peak time) separately for each hopper. Mice extrapolated temporal information only in a forward fashion; the peak time for H5 was longer than that for H4. Mice did not extrapolate temporal information backward; the timed response curves in H1 and H3 were closely similar to those in H2. Thus, our findings suggest that mice can extrapolate temporal information, but also indicate that the computations underlying this process are directionally constrained. We discuss the possible reasons behind asymmetrical extrapolation.Article Citation - WoS: 1Citation - Scopus: 1When Words and Pointing Compete: Young Children's Referential Comprehension Under Uncertainty(Elsevier Science Inc, 2025-12-01) Ates, A. Beyza; Kuntay, Aylin C.The present research comprised two studies examining how 2- to 4-year-old children resolve referential uncertainty. Study 1 investigated first touches-objects initially selected or touched immediately-and takeaways-objects ultimately selected or given-as two distinct object selection behaviors, along with the verbal responses accompanying them. Study 2 explored how communicative context (i.e., preactivation of familiar object labels prior to object selection) and child characteristics (i.e., age, vocabulary knowledge, and selective attention) influenced children's referential strategies. Using a modified version of Grassmann and Tomasello's (2010) paradigm, two experimental conditions were implemented: In the Familiar-Familiar condition, when presented with two familiar objects, Experimenter 1 labeled one object to be given to Experimenter 2, while pointing to the other. In the Novel-Familiar condition, when presented with one novel and one familiar object, Experimenter 1 used a novel label while pointing to the familiar object. Results demonstrated that ostensive pointing was a stronger cue than verbal labeling in guiding children's object selections. Children modified their selections between first touches and takeaways in 17-34% of trials or verbally responded to the contradiction in 13-40% of trials. Furthermore, preactivation of familiar object labels and individual characteristics-particularly age and selective attention-were linked to variations in referential strategies. These findings highlight the complexity of referential resolution, where children integrate verbal and nonverbal cues, providing nuances about communicative development and insights about how it could be supported.Article Citation - Scopus: 1High School and University Students' Reasoning About Decision-Making Autonomy and Parental Authority Legitimacy in Child–Mother Conflicts(WILEY, 2025-05-02) Kuyel, N.; Acar, M.This study investigated youths' reasoning about personal autonomy and maternal authority in hypothetical emerging adult child–mother conflicts in Türkiye. High school and university students (N = 138, Mage = 19.72 years) from secular and religious schools completed a self-report questionnaire including eight conflict scenarios where the mother opposes her child's decision to marry a non-Muslim or get a tattoo. Maternal opposition in hypothetical scenarios was presented in the forms of maternal advice and maternal use of haram opposition. Haram opposition implies the declaration of maternal accrued rights (a concept deeply rooted in Turkish culture) as haram. The results showed that participants were more likely to subordinate child autonomy to maternal authority when the mother in hypothetical scenarios was depicted as using haram opposition. Authoritative parenting appeared to strengthen this effect. This study has shown that haram opposition is a psychological control mechanism to subordinate child autonomy to maternal authority. © 2025 British Psychological Society.Article Citation - WoS: 8Citation - Scopus: 8Global Profiles of Positive Youth Development: a Person-Oriented Analysis Among Emerging Adults Living in 21 Countries(Springer/Plenum Publishers, 2025-04-09) Buenconsejo, Jet Uy; Ferrer-Wreder, Laura; Dimitrova, Radosveta; Pavlova, Iuliia; Bosnar, Ksenija; Bartoluci, Suncica; Altansukh, Suvdanchimeg; Karakulak, ArzuAlthough global research on the 5Cs model of Positive Youth Development (PYD; competence, confidence, connection, character, and caring) has expanded in recent years, there is a lack of understanding about distinct and consistent PYD profiles across youth from diverse socio-cultural contexts. To address this gap, this study utilized a person-oriented analytic approach to examine the PYD profiles of 11,481 emerging adults (Mage = 21.77; SDage = 2.74; 68.66% females) from 21 countries in four continents. Results of the multi-group latent profile analysis revealed four consistent profiles of PYD across countries: high/balanced (41%), self-efficacious (28%), socio-emotional (20%), and low/self-centered (11%). Participants' age, gender, educational attainment, and country-level collectivism were also found to be associated with specific profiles. Older and more-educated females from less collectivistic countries were more likely to be in a high/balanced profile, while younger males from more collectivistic countries tend to be in a low/self-centered profile. Older and more-educated males from less collectivistic countries were more likely to be in a self-efficacious profile, while younger and less-educated females from more collectivistic countries tend to be in a socio-emotional profile. Controlling these socio-contextual covariates, the four profiles exhibited distinct relations with adaptive (resilience and contribution) and maladaptive outcomes (anxiety and adverse life experiences) during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results highlight the importance of fostering a balanced set of Cs, which include both self-efficacious and socio-emotional qualities, to promote positive adaptation in challenging times across diverse developmental settings.Article Citation - Scopus: 1Linking Obsessions To Morality: a Cross-Cultural Study Among Turkish and Belgian University Students(Sage Publications Ltd, 2024-09-17) Özcanlı, Fulya; Claes, Laurence; Hermans, Dirk; Mesquita, BatjaThe present study examines the links between different types of morality and obsessions in university students from Leuven, Belgium (N = 252) and & Idot;stanbul, Turkey (N = 301) using validated scales for morality and obsessions. Belgium and Turkey were chosen as two exemplar cultural contexts expected, and in the current study found, to differ in the relative levels of individualizing and binding morality. We hypothesized that obsessions involving potential harm (e.g., aggressive obsessions) are cross-culturally associated with individualizing morals, and obsessions indicating impurity (e.g., contamination) are cross-culturally associated with binding morals. Moreover, we expected that cultural differences in the frequency of obsessions could be linked to differences in culturally prevalent moralities. As predicted, contamination obsessions were cross-culturally linked to binding morals. Also, the frequency of contamination obsessions was higher in the Turkish sample compared to the Belgian, which was predicted by higher levels of binding morals in Turkey. Doubts were cross-culturally endorsed at similar rates and were associated with individualizing morals. Aggressive obsessions were relatively more frequent in the Belgian compared to the Turkish sample, however-unexpectedly-these intrusions were not positively linked to either type of morality, neither in Belgium nor in Turkey. Taken together, these findings provide initial support for the role of morality in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), at least for certain types of obsessions (contamination and doubts), as well as suggest that some differences in the moral foundations may play a role in explaining the prevalence of certain obsessions (i.e., contamination).Article Citation - WoS: 10Citation - Scopus: 15When the Personal and the Collective Intersects: Memory, Future Thinking, and Perceived Agency During the Covid-19 Pandemic(American Psychological Association, 2024-09-01) Topcu, Meymune Nur; Hirst, WilliamDo collective crises have an impact on the characteristics of mental time travel for individuals and collectives? The COVID-19 pandemic provides a unique context to address this question due to the intersection it created between the personal and the collective domains. In two studies (N = 273), we examined the valence and perceived agency involved in memory and future thinking for personal and collective domains. The second study also included a longitudinal component with 43 participants completing both studies. In research done prior to the pandemic, a valence-based dissociation between personal and collective events was consistently observed in Western samples. We wanted to see if these patterns changed during different stages of the pandemic. In the first study, participants no longer exhibited the usual positivity bias for the personal future, while in the second study, they did not exhibit the usual negativity bias for the collective future. The second aim of the current article was to assess the agency people attribute to themselves and their nation over events and how that relates to valence. People always attributed more agency to themselves over positive events than negative events in both personal and collective domains. Perceived nation agency, however, was associated with positivity in the collective domain but with negativity in the personal domain. Longitudinal analyses confirmed these patterns. Taken together, these results indicate that a collective crisis that has immediate and profound effects on personal lives can alter the patterns observed for mental time travel, especially for the future.Article Citation - WoS: 3Citation - Scopus: 3Developmental Differences in Children and Adults' Enforcement of Explore Versus Exploit Search Strategies in the United States and Turkey(Wiley, 2024-04-25) Kiefer, Sarah L.; Aksu, Ece; Şen, Hilal H.; Lucca, KelseyAcross development, as children acquire a deeper understanding of their environment, they explore less and take advantage, or "exploit," what they already know. Here, we test whether children also enforce exploration-oriented search behaviors onto others. Specifically, we ask whether children are more likely to encourage a search agent to explore versus exploit their environment, and whether this pattern varies across childhood (between 3 and 6 years). We also ask whether this pattern differs between children and adults, and generalizes across two different sociocultural contexts-Turkey and the United States-that differ on dimensions that might relate to children's decisions about exploration (e.g., curiosity-focused educational practices, attitudes toward uncertainty avoidance). Participants (N = 358) watched an agent search for rewards and were asked at various points whether the agent should "stay" (exploit) in their current location, or "go" (explore) to a new location. At all points in the experiment, children enforced exploration significantly more often than adults. Early in the agent's search, children in the US enforced exploration more often than children in Turkey; later in the search, younger children (from both sociocultural contexts) were more likely to continue enforcing exploration compared to older children. These findings highlight that children are not only highly exploratory themselves, but also enforce exploration onto others-underscoring the central role that exploration plays in driving early cognitive development across diverse sociocultural contexts.Research Highlights The current study examined developmental and cross-cultural differences in children and adults' enforcement of explore-exploit search strategies. Children in the US and Turkey enforced exploration more than adults, who enforced exploitation more often; results were generally consistent across cultures with small differences. Mirroring developmental changes in children's own search behavior; the tendency to enforce exploration decreased between 3- to 6-years of age. Findings underscore the central role of an "exploration mindset" in children's early decision-making-even when exploration has no direct benefits to the child themselves.Article Citation - WoS: 10Citation - Scopus: 13The Role of Cumulative Risk and Armed Conflict Exposure in Adolescent Psychological Symptoms in Turkey(Wiley, 2024-04-05) Kara, Buket; Selçuk, BilgeExposure to risk factors and adversity may cause immediate, and sometimes prolonged, psychological symptoms in adolescents. Identifying universal and specific risk factors in a particular context and examining their cumulative effects is crucial for understanding the mechanisms underlying psychological symptoms and informing about strategies for intervention. Using concurrent measures, the current study aimed to examine the role of armed conflict experiences and cumulation of other risk factors (e.g., maternal psychological symptoms, socioeconomic indicators) in predicting adolescent psychological symptoms in an underresearched community. The sample included 161 adolescents (54.7% female) aged 11-14 years (M = 12.36, SD = 1.27) and their mothers living in the east of Turkey. The cumulative risk index was calculated by summing the standardized scores of the corresponding factors. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted to predict internalizing and externalizing symptoms among adolescents by introducing demographic variables (age, gender) in the first step, armed conflict experiences and cumulative risk in the second step, and their interaction in the final step. Results showed that the levels of internalizing and externalizing symptoms were predicted by gender, armed conflict experience and cumulative risk. Being a girl was associated with higher levels of internalizing symptoms and lower levels of externalizing symptoms. Higher levels of internalizing and externalizing symptoms were predicted by exposure to armed and cumulative risk. After controlling for other factors, the interaction of armed conflict experience and cumulative risk significantly predicted externalizing, but not internalizing symptoms. These findings suggested that cumulative risk was a stronger predictor of psychological symptoms, and further amplified the strength of the association between armed conflict experiences and externalizing symptoms. These findings can be used in the formulation of intervention strategies and policies to promote psychological well-being in adolescents living in armed conflict zones under multiple risks.