RationaleAyahuasca is a psychotropic plant tea from South America used for religious purposes by indigenous people of the Amazon. Increasing evidence indicates that ayahuasca may have therapeutic potential in the treatment of mental health disorders and can enhance mindfulness-related capacities. Most research so far has focused on acute and sub-acute effects of ayahuasca on mental health-related parameters and less on long-term effects.ObjectivesThe present study aimed to assess sub-acute and long-term effects of ayahuasca on well-being and cognitive thinking style. The second objective was to assess whether sub-acute and long-term effects of ayahuasca depend on the degree of ego dissolution that was experienced after consumption of ayahuasca.ResultsAyahuasca ceremony attendants (N = 57) in the Netherlands and Colombia were assessed before, the day after, and 4 weeks following the ritual. Relative to baseline, ratings of depression and stress significantly decreased after the ayahuasca ceremony and these changes persisted for 4 weeks. Likewise, convergent thinking improved post-ayahuasca ceremony up until the 4 weeks follow-up. Satisfaction with life and several aspects of mindfulness increased the day after the ceremony, but these changes failed to reach significance 4 weeks after. Changes in affect, satisfaction with life, and mindfulness were significantly correlated to the level of ego dissolution experienced during the ayahuasca ceremony and were unrelated to previous experience with ayahuasca.ConclusionIt is concluded that ayahuasca produces sub-acute and long-term improvements in affect and cognitive thinking style in non-pathological users. These data highlight the therapeutic potential of ayahuasca in the treatment of mental health disorders, such as depression.

This chapter describes an explorative study carried out to gain response from distance students on their experiences with collaborative learning in asynchronous computersupported collaborative learning (CSCL) environments. In addition, this study also attempts to have a good grip of crucial aspects concerning collaborative learning. The study was undertaken among distance learners from the Open University of the Netherlands who were working in groups of four to eleven persons. During and after the course students' experiences with collaborative learning were measured and after the course also students' satisfaction with collaborative learning was assessed. The finding revealed that distance learners appreciate the opportunities to work collaboratively. They show positive experiences and are quite satisfied with collaborative learning. This study also explored individual as well as course characteristics that influenced aspects of collaborative learning, and also aspects of collaborative learning that influenced students' satisfaction. The findings suggested that a group product influences regulation of group processes and group cohesion influences students' satisfaction with collaborative learning.Nowadays computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) environments are viewed as an important electronic learning medium for distance education. CSCL environments can be described as a context where the computer facilitates interactions among learners for acquisition of knowledge, skills and attitudes (Dillenbourg, 1999; Kaye, 1992; Koschman, 1996). Working together while accomplishing a task is seen as a characteristic of a powerful learning environment, aiming at active construction of knowledge (Van Merriënboer & Paas, 2003). Through a process of interaction and negotiation students have an active and constructive role in the learning process.Research in recent years has shown that CSCL environments have been used successfully to promote learning achievements in distance education. Harasim (1989) described the social, affective and cognitive benefits of collaborative group work for distance learners. From her study, she concluded that collaborative learning promotes more active and more effective learning for distance education. Hiltz (1995) also reported that students in collaborative learning conditions had more constructive learning processes and attained higher grades than students in other conditions. These environments provide distance learners the opportunity to work together and to practice critical reflection, conflict negotiation, and consensus building as in face-to-face learning environments.Besides, students are encouraged to exchange ideas, to share perspectives and arguments, and to use previous knowledge or experience in order to decide on the best solution for the problem to be solved.So, the use of CSCL environments can both help to overcome physical isolation between students and teachers, and help to improve learning.CSCL environments are often promoted as an open, safe, and trustable...

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In the eyewitness identification literature, stress and arousal at the time of encoding are considered to adversely influence identification performance. This assumption is in contrast with findings from the neurobiology field of learning and memory, showing that stress and stress hormones are critically involved in forming enduring memories. This discrepancy may be related to methodological differences between the two fields of research, such as the tendency for immediate testing or the use of very short (1–2 hours) retention intervals in eyewitness research, while neurobiology studies insert at least 24 hours. Other differences refer to the extent to which stress‐responsive systems (i.e., the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis) are stimulated effectively under laboratory conditions. The aim of the current study was to conduct an experiment that accounts for the contemporary state of knowledge in both fields. In all, 123 participants witnessed a live staged theft while being exposed to a laboratory stressor that reliably elicits autonomic and glucocorticoid stress responses or while performing a control task. Salivary cortisol levels were measured to control for the effectiveness of the stress induction. One week later, participants attempted to identify the thief from target‐present and target‐absent line‐ups. According to regression and receiver operating characteristic analyses, stress did not have robust detrimental effects on identification performance. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. © 2016 The Authors Behavioral Sciences & the Law Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd

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