This proposal is about ‘musicality’. It aims to identify which set of music cognitive traits gives rise to our ability to perceive and appreciate music. We will approach musicality as a multicomponent phenomenon, aiming to decompose the capacity for music into its constituent components. The focus will be on melody and rhythm cognition, with special attention to their interaction with timbre. We hypothesize that everyday listeners are attentive to the relative aspects in all dimensions of the musical signal, suggesting ‘contour perception’ (a sensitivity to the relations between successive sounds, rather than their absolute values) to be widespread and fundamental to music cognition. In a series of listening experiments, we will test this ‘contour hypothesis’ by disentangling the contributions of melodic, rhythmic and timbral contours to the recognition of familiar music. Next to lab-based and field-based listening experiments, we will develop engaging online games (i.e. citizen science) to be able to probe musicality phenotypes on an unprecedented scale (aiming at 1M+ participants from different societies). This will allow us to properly characterize musicality and reveal its phenotypical variation between individuals and across societies. The latter allows us to differentiate between cognitive, biological and environmental aspects of musicality. The research will result in a ‘phenomics of musicality’, providing a robust and relatively unbiased way of identifying the human capacity for music. Overall, the project serves as an important first step in a larger research pro-gramme, that has the aspiration to lay a new, interdisciplinary foundation for the study of musicality.

With increasing age, people’s cognitive skills decline. How fast this occurs, differs among people and depends on a variety of factors. Whether having autism is a risk-factor for accelerated aging or a potential protective factor is unknown. In this project this will be tested and influential factors will be determined.

The UvA will automate data archiving and publication. The aim is that researchers no longer need to learn skills for data deposition. The win for data stewards is the ability to improve research data management in automated processes. A Data Hub will enable automated deposition of (meta) data to repositories for safe archiving and publication. At first for the deposition of data from Social & Behavioural Sciences and Humanities in the thematic DCC ‘SSSH Data Station’ (DANS); later for all UvA research data. A software engineer will subsequently deliver a design, prototype and a first version of the Data Hub.

Stigma surrounding mental health difficulties has detrimental effects on the individual concerned and their families. Negative effects include discrimination, social isolation, shame, secrecy and reduced help-seeking. While research on mental health stigma is increasing, there is still very little information on stigma related to Attention- Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), limiting our knowledge of its impact on affected individuals and those close to them. The research that has been carried out has focused on WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich and Democratic) countries, especially the UK and the USA. Cultures differ in their beliefs about what is acceptable behavior. Thus, while ADHD symptoms do not differ across countries, their acceptability varies by country. Notably, individuals suffering from mental health issues in the Middle East and South-East Asian countries, like Japan, are more likely to experience stigma, compared to individuals from European and North American countries, making it important to investigate possible cultural differences in ADHD stigma. Accurate information about ADHD stigma across countries can inform interventions, improve access to care for affected individuals, help develop policy, and ultimately help reduce stigma. Understanding cultural similarities and differences in ADHD stigma requires international collaboration amongst researchers applying the same methods. Through the proposed seminar we aim to build this international network surrounding ADHD stigma that will focus on ADHD stigma across cultures. Especially the collaboration between Japan and the Netherlands on stigma surrounding ADHD is highly relevant, as both countries differ on important cultural dimensions8 that are thought to influence stigma surrounding ADHD. Building a network to apply a cross-cultural approach is necessary to determine common and culture specific stigmatizing beliefs and their causes, which will enhance our understanding of ADHD stigma. Through the proposed seminar, we will begin the process of building a sustainable national (within Japan) and international network surrounding ADHD stigma. Building a network to apply a cross-cultural approach is necessary to determine common and culture specific stigmatizing beliefs and their causes, which will enhance our understanding of ADHD stigma. The seminar will allow participants to share their clinical and/or experimental knowledge/experience of ADHD stigma and ideas for its reduction. Participants will discuss research plans and methodology for researching ADHD stigma in Japan and internationally. By the end of the seminar, we expect the group of researchers will have firm plans for national and international collaborative research projects together with plans to seek joint research funds to carry out these initiatives.

The university finds itself increasingly in the heart of society. Academic education must therefore not only teach cognitive values but also provide affective learning aimed at personal development. This will help students develop the skills to contribute to a just and inclusive society. We propose to anchor affective learning within degree programs of the UvA, using the Inner Development Goals approach. We will develop a university-wide elective course and integrate affective learning into the learning trajectories of fourteen programs. The results can be applied to find a new balance between cognitive and affective learning in other programs as well.