The successful candidate will work in the Research Group of Quantitative Psychology and Individual Differences at KU Leuven and will develop novel methods for measuring the dynamic structure of affect, which plays an important role in well-being. Kim De Roover will be the promotor of the PhD-project and Eva Ceulemans the co-promotor. The research group offers an international, productive, collaborative, and interactive environment with about 6 professors and around 30 PhD-students and postdocs.
The KU Leuven is a research-oriented institution and is consistently ranked among the top research universities in Europe. Leuven is one of the oldest university towns in Europe, about 30 km from Brussels. It has a rich history and a unique friendly atmosphere.
Project
Many emotion researchers study the dynamics within and between momentary positive affect (PA) and negative affect (NA) across time, which play a crucial role in well-being and mental health. Momentary affect in daily life is measured by means of the Experience Sampling Methodology (ESM): Using a smartphone app, participants self-report on their momentary affect by responding to a number of questions (items) asking about the presence and intensity of positive and negative emotions at random moments throughout the day for the duration of one or more weeks. Based on the reported scores on multiple specific emotions (e.g., joy, pride, anger, fear), researchers then compute a PA and NA score. This is often done by summing or averaging the scores on positive and negative emotions, respectively, which helps in handling measurement error. Next, they model the dynamics of the resulting momentary PA and NA scores by means of the vector autoregressive model (VAR). In a VAR model, momentary PA and NA are predicted based on the preceding PA and NA scores. The VAR model incorporates auto-regressive effects, that reflect how long emotions linger over time, and cross-regressive effects, that reflect emotional blunting and augmentation.
The computation of momentary PA and NA implicitly relies on a so-called measurement model (MM) that specifies which observed items measure which construct of interest (e.g., negative emotions measure NA) and to what extent (e.g., each emotion contributes equally). Because the items used in ESM studies are often compiled in a rather ad hoc way, it is likely that the implicitly assumed MM does not hold for ESM, and such misspecification may lead to incorrect VAR parameter estimates. Moreover, with a MM, the quality of separate items can be evaluated and accounted for. It is thus essential not to implicitly assume but to explicitly study the MM when fitting VAR. The existing state-of-the-art methods for doing so have the important limitation that they require the user to prespecify which items measure which construct. This is often difficult in ESM as, for instance, even the typically assumed PA-NA distinction is not systematically found. Thus, an exploratory method is needed to infer the MM from the data, that is, to figure out which items are measuring which construct. Another challenge pertains to potential differences in the MM when comparing VAR parameters across persons and over time. To ensure comparability, the MM should be (at least partially) the same across participants and time points. This is referred to as measurement invariance. ESM is prone to violations of this condition due to person- or context-specific item interpretations, and these violations should be accounted for in the analysis. Therefore, in this PhD-project, we will develop new methods to (1) determine the appropriate MM for a particular ESM data set and account for it in VAR; and (2) to account for differences in the MM across time and/or across persons. These novel methods will give psychologists the tools to answer their important research questions, even when comparability is difficult. The project includes substantive applications of the novel methods and the development of user-friendly, open-source software.
Profiel
Fixed-term contract: 4 years.
Aanbod
We offer:
Interesse
For more information please contact Prof. dr. Kim De Roover, mail: kim.deroover@kuleuven.be.
Applications should consist of a motivation letter (including contact information of 2 referees) and a CV (including copies of diploma certificates and transcripts at university level).
KU Leuven seeks to foster an environment where all talents can flourish, regardless of gender, age, cultural background, nationality or impairments. If you have any questions relating to accessibility or support, please contact us at diversiteit.HR@kuleuven.be.
You can apply for this job no later than May 30, 2024 via the application button below.
KU Leuven strives for an inclusive, respectful and socially safe environment. We embrace diversity among individuals and groups as an asset. Open dialogue and differences in perspective are essential for an ambitious research and educational environment. In our commitment to equal opportunity, we recognize the consequences of historical inequalities. We do not accept any form of discrimination based on, but not limited to, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, age, ethnic or national background, skin colour, religious and philosophical diversity, neurodivergence, employment disability, health, or socioeconomic status. For questions about accessibility or support offered, we are happy to assist you at this email address.
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Interesse
Applications should consist of a motivation letter (including contact information of 2 referees) and a CV (including copies of diploma certificates and transcripts at university level).
KU Leuven seeks to foster an environment where all talents can flourish, regardless of gender, age, cultural background, nationality or impairments. If you have any questions relating to accessibility or support, please contact us at diversiteit.HR@kuleuven.be.
You can apply for this job no later than May 30, 2024 via the application button.
KU Leuven strives for an inclusive, respectful and socially safe environment. We embrace diversity among individuals and groups as an asset. Open dialogue and differences in perspective are essential for an ambitious research and educational environment. In our commitment to equal opportunity, we recognize the consequences of historical inequalities. We do not accept any form of discrimination based on, but not limited to, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, age, ethnic or national background, skin colour, religious and philosophical diversity, neurodivergence, employment disability, health, or socioeconomic status. For questions about accessibility or support offered, we are happy to assist you at this email address.
Interesse
Applications should consist of a motivation letter (including contact information of 2 referees) and a CV (including copies of diploma certificates and transcripts at university level).
KU Leuven seeks to foster an environment where all talents can flourish, regardless of gender, age, cultural background, nationality or impairments. If you have any questions relating to accessibility or support, please contact us at diversiteit.HR@kuleuven.be.
You can apply for this job no later than May 30, 2024 via the application button.
KU Leuven strives for an inclusive, respectful and socially safe environment. We embrace diversity among individuals and groups as an asset. Open dialogue and differences in perspective are essential for an ambitious research and educational environment. In our commitment to equal opportunity, we recognize the consequences of historical inequalities. We do not accept any form of discrimination based on, but not limited to, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, age, ethnic or national background, skin colour, religious and philosophical diversity, neurodivergence, employment disability, health, or socioeconomic status. For questions about accessibility or support offered, we are happy to assist you at this email address.
Make sure to apply no later than 30 May 2024 23:59 (Europe/Amsterdam).
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