Visual symmetry is critical to our interaction with our environment so that when detected, symmetry automatically produces a neural marker in the form of an Event Related Potential (ERP) called Sustained Posterior Negativity (SPN). However, when symmetry is presented to the visual system slanted away from the viewer, there is a reduction in SPN, termed a perspective cost. 

 

Considering ​objects are rarely presented front-on (or frontoparallel) in our natural environment, Karakashevska et al., (2023) examined the extent of the perspective cost with the addition of visual cues to facilitate extraretinal representation of the visual symmetry. The authors recorded electroencephalography (EEG) from 120 participants while they performed a luminance task on symmetrical and asymmetrical stimuli. The authors hypothesized that perspective cost would be reduced by three perspective cues: 1) monocular viewing, eliminating binocular cue conflict, 2) a static frame surrounding the symmetrical stimulus, adding a depth cue, and 3) a moving frame, providing a structure-from-motion 3D cue, prior to the symmetry onset. If the SPN was equivalent during frontoparallel and slanted presentation in a cue condition, the authors would have concluded extraretinal representation can be automatic when sufficient visual cues are available. The experiment was powered to detect a relatively small difference between perspective cue conditions.

 

The authors found that there was no impact of different visual cues on the perspective cost, as measured using the SPN. Perspective cost was consistent across all conditions, contrary to the pre-registered hypotheses. Karakashevska and colleagues conclude that the three perceptual cues tested in their design do not reduce perspective cost. The study prompts future research into the nature of the extraretinal representations of planar symmetry.  

 

The Stage 2 manuscript was evaluated over four rounds by three expert reviewers. Two of our reviewers reviewed the Stage 1 manuscript, and one new reviewer. Following in-depth review and responses from the authors, the recommenders determined that the Stage 2 criteria were met and awarded a positive recommendation.

 

URL to the preregistered Stage 1 protocol: https://osf.io/yzsq5
 
Level of bias control achieved: Level 6. No part of the data or evidence that was used to answer the research question was generated until after IPA.
 
List of eligible PCI-RR-friendly journals:
 

References
  
1. Karakashevska, E., Bertamini, M. & Makin, A. D. J. (2024). Putting things into perspective: Which visual cues facilitate automatic extraretinal symmetry representation? [Stage 2]. Acceptance of Version 5 by Peer Community in Registered Reports. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/z9c28

In neurostimulation research, the parameters of a stimulation protocol crucially impact on the effects of the stimulation. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a neurostimulation technique that typically uses current intensities about 1-2 mA in human research to modulate motor and cognitive behavior. The current sham-controlled study by Hsu et al. (2024) applies current intensities not only of 2 mA but also of 4 mA and 6 mA and thus extends our understanding of stimulation parameters while ethical standards are preserved.

 

The influence of tDCS over the primary motor cortex was evaluated for neural plasticity during motor learning. Stimulation effects were tested not only behaviorally but also physiologically by motor evoked potentials elicited by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). The presented pilot data were promising and underlined the feasibility of the proposed research design. The study contributes to tDCS research by uncovering reasons for controversial findings and thus increases reproducibility.

 

The results of the study unexpectedly revealed no stimulation effects on motor learning, neither for behavioral outcomes nor for physiological outcomes by motor evoked potentials. No evidence was found that stimulation effects linearly increase with increasing intensity. Interestingly, higher intensities were relatively well tolerated - but did not have any impact. The current findings underline the purpose of preregistrations and registered reports to act against publication bias, particulary in the field of neuromodulation. In the current case, failed replication and null findings - revealed by a methodologically sound study - are crucial to inform future research using similar stimulation protocols with the aim to modulate motor or cognitive behavior.

 

The Stage 2 manuscript was evaluated over one round of review. Based on ​detailed responses to reviewers’ and the recommender’s comments, the recommender judged that the manuscript met the Stage 2 criteria and awarded a positive recommendation.

 

URL to the preregistered Stage 1 protocol: https://osf.io/jyuev
 
Level of bias control achieved: Level 2. At least some data/evidence that was used to answer the research question had been accessed and partially observed by the authors prior to Stage 1 in-principle acceptance, but the authors certify that they had not yet observed the key variables within the data that were used to answer the research question.
 
List of eligible PCI RR-friendly journals:

 

• Brain and Neuroscience Advances
• Imaging Neuroscience
• NeuroImage: Reports
• Peer Community Journal
• PeerJ
• Royal Society Open Science
• Studia Psychologica

 

 

Hsu, G., Jafari, Z. H., Ahmed, A., Edwards, D. J., Cohen, L. G., & Parra, L. C. (2024). Dose-response of tDCS effects on motor learning and cortical excitability: a preregistered study [Stage 2]. Acceptance of Version 2.1 by Peer Community in Registered Reports. https://osf.io/a42uy

Amendola and colleagues (2024) plan to examine the usefulness of Harmful Dysfunction Analysis (HDA) in identifying individuals with pathological social media disorder. Harmful Dysfunction Analysis, proposed by Wakefield et al (1992), is a framework for constructing diagnostic criteria, and suggests a disorder is a harmful dysfunction, and defines a dysfunction as a failure of an internal mechanism to perform its naturally designed function. One important distinction of HDA is that harmful consequences of behaviour in the absence of dysfunction does not mean a disorder is present. Both dysfunction and harm are required for diagnosis of a disorder

 

This analysis may provide a useful perspective on how to separate pathological social media use from high involvement. To examine their aims, the authors will conduct secondary analysis on data from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study (specifically the Swiss sample, N = 7,510), which is a world health organisation collaborative cross-sectional study of adolescent well-being from 2018 (https://www.who.int/europe/initiatives/health-behaviour-in-school-aged-children-(hbsc)-study). They will examine the 9-item Social Media Disorder Scale under DSM-5 and HDA categories (dysfunction and harm), and examine convergence between the scoring methods. Subsequent analyses will focus on groups defined by each scoring method (DSM vs HDA, with no overlapping cases) will be compared on measures of physical and mental health. Sensitivity analyses will be conducted in an independent sample from Hungary in 2023 (N = 3,789).

The Stage 1 manuscript was evaluated by three expert reviewers across two rounds of review. Following in-depth review and responses from the authors, the recommender judged that the Stage 1 criteria were met and awarded in-principle acceptance (IPA).
 

URL to the preregistered Stage 1 protocol: https://osf.io/y3ub8
 
Level of bias control achieved: Level 3. At least some data/evidence that will be used to the answer the research question has been previously accessed by the authors (e.g. downloaded or otherwise received), but the authors certify that they have not yet observed ANY part of the data/evidence.
 
List of eligible PCI RR-friendly journals:

 

 

References
 
1. Amendola, S., Hengartner, M. P., & Wakefield, J. C. (2024). The Harmful Dysfunction Analysis applied to the concept of behavioural addiction: A secondary analysis of data from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children 2018. In principle acceptance of Version 3 by Peer Community in Registered Reports. https://osf.io/y3ub8
 
2. Wakefield, J. C. (1992). Disorder as Harmful Dysfunction: A Conceptual Critique of DSM-III-R’s Definition of Mental Disorder. Psychological Review, 99, 232–247. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/0033-295X.99.2.232

​Karakashevska and colleagues (2024) aim to examine the extraretinal representation of visual symmetry presented in a virtual reality environment. Previous research had demonstrated that individuals can detect symmetry when the symmetry is represented on a perspective plane, slanted away from the viewer. In electroencephalography (EEG), perceived symmetry is marked by an Event Related Potential (ERP) called a Sustained Posterior Negativity (SPN). When symmetry is presented on a perspective plane in comparison to front-on (frontoparallel), the SPN is reduced, termed the perspective cost. Here, Karakashevska et al., (2024) will determine if presenting symmetry on a perspective plane in a virtual reality (VR) environment will reduce the perspective cost with the addition of 3D depth cues. Specifically, participants will be requested to detect symmetry or luminance of a stimulus presented in a VR environment whilst wearing an EEG. The authors hypothesize that no perspective cost will be identified between symmetry presented on a frontoparallel plane versus symmetry on a perspective plane. Furthermore, the authors will examine the impact of task within the virtual environment on symmetry processing. They hypothesize that a task focused on the regularity of the stimuli will result in a larger amplitude of the SPN than a luminance task. This design enables the authors to pinpoint immersive environments as providing cues critical in overcoming perspective cost.

 

The Stage 1 manuscript was evaluated by two expert reviewers across three rounds. Following in-depth review and responses from the authors, the recommender has determined that Stage 1 criteria was met and has awarded in-principle acceptance (IPA).

 

URL to the preregistered Stage 1 protocol: https://osf.io/7pnxu
 
Level of bias control achieved: Level 6. No part of the data or evidence that will be used to answer the research question yet exists and no part will be generated until after IPA. 
 
List of eligible PCI RR-friendly journals:

 

 

Karakashevska, E., Batterley, M. & Makin, A. D. J. (2024). They look virtually the same: extraretinal representation of symmetry in virtual reality. In principle acceptance of Version 3 by Peer Community in Registered Reports. https://osf.io/7pnxu

As children grow, their cognition develops alongside their metacognition – the awareness and understanding of their own thought processes. One important aspect of cognitive development is learning effective strategies for exploring new situations and testing surprising claims, prompting the question of how improvement in cognition and reasoning is related to metacognitive understanding of these processes. For example, as children develop more targeted and efficient exploration strategies to test a surprising claim (e.g. “of these three rocks, the smallest one is the heaviest”), metacognitive understanding of why they are uncertain or skeptical may be crucial to testing the claim effectively and, in the long run, developing more complex reasoning and logical skills.

 

In this lab-based study of 175 children, Hermansen et al. (2022) will test the role of metacognition in shaping how children search for information to test surprising claims. Using a series of measures – including an experimental task involving comparative claims (e.g. “this rubber duck sinks much faster than this metal button”) – the authors will ask whether older (relative to younger) children express more uncertainty about surprising claims, propose more plausible reasons for their uncertainty, and are more likely to suggest specific empirical tests for a claim. Furthermore, they will investigate whether prompting children to reflect on their uncertainty helps them devise an efficient test for the claim, and whether any such benefit of prompting is greater for younger children.

 

The Stage 1 manuscript was evaluated over two rounds of in-depth review. Based on detailed responses to the reviewers' comments, the recommender judged that the manuscript met the Stage 1 criteria and therefore awarded in-principle acceptance (IPA).

 

URL to the preregistered Stage 1 protocol: https://osf.io/uq6dw
 
Level of bias control achieved: Level 6. No part of the data or evidence that will be used to answer the research question yet exists and no part will be generated until after IPA. 
 
List of eligible PCI RR-friendly journals:
 

 

1. Hermansen T. K., Mathisen, K. F., & Ronfard, S. (2022). Knowing why: Children’s reflection on their own uncertainty about an adult’s surprising claim increases their tendency to test that claim, in principle acceptance of Version 3 by Peer Community in Registered Reports. https://osf.io/uq6dw