Exposure to aversive footage online can affect our well-being, but to what extent does reading others' appraisals of this content modulate our affective responses? In a pre-registered online study (N = 170), we used a digital trauma film paradigm as an analogue for the naturalistic exposure to aversive visual content online. We investigated whether online social reappraisal about the film influenced acute affective responses and subsequent intrusive memories. First, we examined whether the digital trauma film paradigm induced similar affective responses as in-lab experiments (within-subjects; change in negative mood and intrusive memories of the film during seven days). Participants reported a negative mood change and experienced intrusive memories of the film, extending findings from in-lab experiments. Next, we tested a social reappraisal manipulation that provides written comments from (fictitious) previous participants (between-subjects; reading positive, negative, or no comments) modulated participants' affective responses. As predicted, relative to controls and negative comments, reading positive comments decreased negative mood. However, reading negative comments did not increase negative mood. Contrary to predictions, the social reappraisal manipulation did not modulate the number of intrusive memories. Findings suggest the benefit of positive social reappraisal for mitigating negative mood, but not intrusive memories following aversive film content online.

Numeracy is connected to numerous everyday-life tasks and impacts people socially, financially, and professionally. This study aims at investigating the connection of LEGO and numeracy development on the basis of a case analysis. Questionnaires of performance indicators in primary schools and of home numeracy were used to asses children’s mathematical skills and activity frequency at home. Videos of LEGO playing activities were collected and analyzed. Two individual cases are selected to represent extremes on two ends of the spectrum by triangulating various information that have been collected about them. Results revealed that high performance in the mathematics test went along with higher complexity of LEGO construction and vice versa. Moreover, a difference in frequency of home numeracy activities might play a role.