Dr. phil. Sofie Weyn

Research Projects

SENTI project

More information will follow. 

Previous Projects

Sofie obtained her PhD (October 2022) in the research group of School Psychology and Development in Context under supervision of professors Patricia Bijttebier, Karla Van Leeuwen, and Michael Pluess. In her PhD Sofie focused on individual differences in environmental sensitivity at multiple levels of analysis in children and adolescents. Specifically, she developed a self-report questionnaire (Highly Sensitive Child scale-21 item version) and validated an observational measure (Highly Sensitive Child-Rating System) to measure individual differences in Sensory Processing Sensitivity (or Highly Sensitive Personality) in preschoolers, children, and adolescents. In addition, she examined whether we can characterize individual differences in environmental sensitivity at multiple levels of analyses, that are, behavioral, genetic, and physiological levels.

Sofie started her early postdoc at the Neuropsychology lab at the KU Leuven, Belgium (2022-2023) under supervision of prof. Céline R. Gillebert. In her postdoc, Sofie focused on the largely unexplored neurobiological basis of environmental sensitivity. She unraveled daily variations in environmental sensitivity across modalities and context using experience sampling methodology. In addition, she examined the bottom-up and top-down processing related to environmental sensitivity using a well-validated computer paradigm on visual attention (Theory of Visual Attention).

Sofie's research focuses on individual differences in Environmental Sensitivity as a transdiagnostic mechanism in the general population and clinical adolescents across time. Environmental Sensitivity is a personality trait on which 30% of the population score high, that has a genetic basis and is driven by a neurobiological sensitivity. High scores on Environmental Sensitivity are associated with a depth of information processing, aesthetic sensitivities, lower sensory thresholds, ease of overstimulation, and a heightened physiological and emotional reactivity. In her postdoctoral project, Sofie will (a) unravel the mechanisms that drive more environmentally sensitive adolescents to develop psychopathology and (b) develop and validate prevention and clinical intervention programs for environmentally sensitive adolescents. She will follow up adolescents (typically developing and clinical populations), asses daily inter- and intrapersonal experiences in combination with physiological, neurocognitive, and psychological measures on well-validated transdiagnostic mechanisms (i.e., executive functioning, emotion regulation, and repetitive negative thinking).

Publications

Five major publications:

• Weyn, S., Van Leeuwen, K., Pluess, M., Lionetti, F., Greven, C.U., Goossens, L., Colpin, H., Van Den Noortgate, W., Verschueren, K., Bastin, M., Van Hoof, E., De Fruyt, F., & Bijttebier, P.  (2021). Psychometric properties of the Highly Sensitive Child scale across developmental stage, gender, and country. Current Psychology, 40,3309-3325. 10.1007/s12144-019-00254-5
• Weyn, S., Van Leeuwen, K., Pluess, M., Lionetti, F., Goossens, L., Bosmans, G., Van Den Noortgate, W., Debeer, D., Bröhl, A.S., & Bijttebier, P. (2021). Improving the measurement of environmental sensitivity in children and adolescents: The Highly Sensitive Child scale-21 item version. Assessment, 29,1-23. 10.1177/1073191120983894
• Weyn, S., Van Leeuwen, K., Pluess, M., Goossens, L., Claes, S., Bosmans, G., Van Den Noortgate,  W., Lutin, E., Bröhl, A.S., Chubar, V., Geukens, F., & Bijttebier, P. (2022). Individual differences in environmental sensitivity at physiological and phenotypic level: Two sides of the same coin? International Journal Of Psychophysiology,176,36-53. 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2022.02.010 
• Weyn, S., Lionetti, F.,(shared first author) Klein, D. N., Aron, E., N., Aron, A., Hayden, E. P., Dougherty, L. R., Singh, S. M., Waszcuk, M., Kotov, R., Docherty, A., Shabalin, A.. & Pluess, M. (2022). Observer-rated environmental sensitivity and its characterization at genetic, physiological, and behavioral level. Manuscript submitted for publication.
• Weyn, S., Van Leeuwen, K., Bijttebier, P. (2019). Hoogsensitiviteit: over orchideeën, paardenbloemen en wellicht ook tulpen. Caleidoscoop, 31(5), 38-46.( professional oriented journal)

The full list of publications can be found on Orcid: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1716-0492