Psychology

Cognitive control is the maintenance of task-relevant cognitive processes/behaviors and the suppression of those that are task-irrelevant. Cognitive control does not always function perfectly.

The Stroop task provides a condition in which cognitive control does not function perfectly. In the Stroop task, words written in various colors are presented as stimuli, and participants respond to the color of the stimulus. Although the meaning of the word is irrelevant to the task, it cannot be filtered out of attention and influences the responses given. The Stroop task offers an opportunity to investigate how the control of selective attention operates under different conditions.

How and when the process of selective attention control is triggered, under which conditions control occurs, and under which conditions it disappears are investigated both in healthy individuals and in patient populations. It is examined whether attentional control is a comprehensive system that generalizes across different stimuli or a limited system operating with specific stimuli. This topic is explored through reaction-time analyses as well as movement-tracking methods and artificial neural network models.

Projects:

TÜBİTAK 1001 Scientific and Technological Research Projects Support Program (Project No: 113K530) – Project Title: “Investigation of the Cognitive Processes Underlying Proportion Congruency Effects”

TÜBİTAK 1001 Scientific and Technological Research Projects Support Program (Project No: 116K368) – Project Title: “Investigation of the Stimulus-Level Proportion Congruency Effect Using a Picture–Word Verification Task”

TÜBİTAK 1001 Scientific and Technological Research Projects Support Program (Project No: 218K284) – Project Title: “Investigation of Cognitive Control Processes Through the Observation of Response Movements.”

Attention is a process that enables us to behave in more than one way under the same stimulus conditions, thus providing flexibility and context-dependent adaptability in behavioral control. In our laboratory, using the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, we investigate how dopamine mediates attention, behavioral variability, and the emergence of inter-individual differences. The ultimate goal of our research is to obtain a translational animal model for attention disorder syndromes that are common in children and adolescents.

Translational neuroscience employs next-generation genetic intervention and imaging methods and provides greater selectivity and experimental control compared to traditional approaches. The fruit fly is the first animal whose genome sequence was obtained; 80% of its genes are shared with humans. Three of the four dopamine receptors in the fruit fly genome are also present in the human genome and mediate similar functions. In our experimental studies, we test how dopamine type 1 and type 2 receptor mutations affect stimulus and behavioral choices. We then aim to identify the brain circuits involved in adaptive, flexible behavioral control by restricting the effects of mutations to specific neurons.

Related projects:

TÜBİTAK Social Sciences and Humanities Research Support Group (Project No: 114K826) – Project Title: “Dopaminergic Modulation of Attention in the Fruit Fly Drosophila melanogaster”

TÜBİTAK Social Sciences and Humanities Research Support Group (Project No: 121K252) – Project Title: “Dopaminergic Modulation of the Persistence/Flexibility Balance of Goal-Directed Behaviors in the Fruit Fly Drosophila melanogaster.”

Resilience is defined as the ability of a system and its constituent parts to anticipate, withstand, adapt to, and recover from the effects of a hazardous event in a timely and effective manner by maintaining, repairing, or developing essential core functions. Resilience processes may enable individuals and societies to recover more effectively from disasters, reduce disaster-related damage, and support recovery. For this reason, research on post-disaster resilience capacities has gained increasing importance.

Within the scope of the project “Building Resilience amongst Communities in Europe (emBRACE),” supported by the European Commission under the 7th Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development, resilience is examined across different disciplines and dimensions. The objectives of the project include developing indicator systems to help assess resilience to natural hazards, establishing a conceptual framework of resilience tested across different cultures, and strengthening knowledge sharing by enabling the establishment of networks among various stakeholders.

Related Projects:

FP7-ENV-2013-1 – emBRACE – 283201 – Building Resilience amongst Communities in Europe

TÜBİTAK 1001 Earthquake Research Special Call (Project No: 121K636) – Project Title: “Psychosocial Resilience to Earthquakes: An Intervention Study to Increase Preparedness in the Province of Istanbul.”

In recent years, the number of disasters has been rapidly increasing worldwide. This situation requires individuals and societies to be better prepared for disasters. Various studies on disaster preparedness are conducted in our department. Among these, two major projects stand out.

First, the project “Tools, Methods and Training for Communities and Society to Better Prepare for a Crisis (TACTIC),” conducted within the framework of the European Union 7th Framework Programme, aims to increase preparedness for large-scale and cross-border disasters, including terrorism, floods, epidemics, and earthquakes. For this purpose, an online platform is being developed within the project, including a catalogue of best practices for information and two self-assessment tools designed to evaluate and enhance the preparedness of the public and institutions for earthquakes.

In addition, regarding disaster preparedness, a monitoring and evaluation study is being conducted in collaboration with Middle East Technical University and Başkent University on the Disaster-Ready Turkey Project, which was carried out by the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye between 2013 and 2017 with the participation of more than 9 million individuals.

Related Projects:

FP7-SEC-2013-1 – TACTIC – 608058 – Tools, Methods and Training for Communities and Society to Better Prepare for a Crisis
Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye – Disaster-Ready Turkey Project
Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye – Disaster-Ready Turkey Project

Research in the field of psychological trauma and mental health shows that traumatic events may be associated with various psychosocial problems. Long-standing studies have repeatedly demonstrated that experiencing traumatic events may be related to psychopathological outcomes. However, research also indicates that, during and after coping with traumatic events, individuals report not only negative effects but also psychologically positive outcomes.

In our department, projects and studies focusing on both the positive and negative effects of various traumatic events on individuals are ongoing. Studies conducted with different groups, including news cameramen who are chronically exposed to stressors and individuals exposed to the effects of terrorism, address the wide-ranging impacts of traumatic events. Within the scope of the Online Natural Disaster Risk Management Certificate Program, conducted in collaboration with the World Bank – GFDRR (Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery) and the METU Disaster Management Research and Application Center, a Psychosocial Support course was developed in 2014 and is still being implemented.

Related Projects:

Online Natural Disaster Risk Management Certificate Program (World Bank – GFDRR (Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery) & METU Disaster Management Research and Application Center)

Investigation of Post-Traumatic Stress, Growth, and Resilience in News Cameramen

Research on Post-Traumatic Growth and Psychological Resilience Following Terrorist Attacks

In daily life, we often perform many actions without difficulty, such as reaching for a cup of tea on the table and drinking it, moving toward a door and opening it, or stopping at a red light without colliding with the vehicle in front of us. However, complex information-processing mechanisms underlie these behaviors. All such behaviors require: (1) acquiring information from the environment through our sensory organs; (2) processing and integrating the acquired information; and (3) coordinating our limbs to execute the motor movements necessary for behavior using this information.

Successfully performing these behaviors depends on accurately controlling our speed of approach to objects. Accurate control of approach speed requires detecting task-specific information within the optic flow and developing control strategies based on this information. In this project, the optical variables used in controlling approach speed and the control strategies based on these variables are examined in detail in the context of the task of “slowing down and stopping without colliding with an obstacle on the road while in motion.”

Related Projects:

TÜBİTAK 3501 National Young Researcher Career Development Program Project No: 114K344 – Project Title: Visual Control of Approach Speed: Investigation of Optical Variables and Control Strategies

TÜBİTAK 1001 Scientific and Technological Research Projects Support Program (Project No: 121K255) – Project Title: “Investigation of Task-, Vehicle Dynamics-, and Environmental Condition-Dependent Changes in Perceptual Constraints in the Visual Control of Approach Speed.”

According to attachment theory, each child develops positive or negative internal working models of the self and others depending on the quality of the relationship with the primary caregiver (e.g., the caregiver’s availability when needed and responsiveness to the child’s needs). Research has shown that attachment patterns are a highly significant factor in determining people’s emotions, behaviors, and consequently the quality of relationships.

This study examines the effects of the self and attachment on emotions, social skills, conflict resolution strategies, happiness, and relationship adjustment across different types of relationships (e.g., marriage, friendship, and romantic relationships) and across different cultures.

Related Projects:

Attachment, Social Skills, Friendship Quality, and Happiness: Model Comparison in Three Different Cultures (“Parental Attachment, Social Skills, Friendship Quality and Happiness: Test of a Model in Three Cultures”; Project Director: Melikşah Demir, Department of Psychology, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA)

Human beings are, by nature, prone to making errors. Although these errors often do not lead to accidents, they can seriously affect safety. Examples include activating the windshield wipers instead of the turn signal while driving, unintentionally turning toward an old route when changing a daily route between home and work, failing to notice approaching cars while walking inattentively, or disregarding traffic lights while crossing the street.

Can errors occur in air transportation, one of the safest modes of transport? Yes. By its nature, errors can occur in any system that involves human beings. Although not every error results in an accident, investigating both human errors and the psychological factors influencing them is of great importance for improving safety. In this context, human factors and the individual, supervisory, and organizational psychological factors affecting them are studied in both road and air transportation.

Studies:

Investigation of the Relationship between Pedestrian Attitudes and Behaviors

Investigation of the Relationship among Organizational Safety Climate, Risk Perception, Locus of Control, Crew Resource Management, and Pilot Behaviors in Commercial Airline Pilots

Investigation of the Relationship among Fatigue, Crew Resource Management Behaviors, and Pilot Behaviors in Commercial Airline Pilots

Each year, 1.35 million people lose their lives due to traffic accidents. Statistics indicate regional differences in traffic accidents. Similarly, there are regional differences in driver behaviors. It is suggested that the traffic environment in a given country influences driver behaviors and that differences in driver behaviors may be related to differences in traffic climate across countries.

Traffic climate is defined as road users’ perceptions and attitudes toward the traffic context in a specific place and time. Traffic climate is examined under three main dimensions: external affective demands, functionality, and internal requirements. External affective demands are related to the emotional involvement experienced by road users in traffic. The functionality dimension is associated with the safety and mobility characteristics necessary for a functional traffic system. Internal requirements include the skills necessary for participation in traffic.

To understand how road users conceptualize traffic climate, both implicit measures and self-report measures are used. Studies indicate that the relationships between perceived traffic climate and driver behaviors show both similarities and differences across countries. In future studies, this relationship will also be investigated for different types of road users.