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| Id | Title * | Authors * | Abstract * | Picture | Thematic fields * | Recommender | Reviewers | Submission date▲ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
12 Jul 2024
STAGE 1
Associations between anxiety-related traits and fear acquisition and extinction - an item-based content and meta-analysisIntegrative meta-analysis of anxiety-related traits and fear processing: bridging research to clinical applicationRecommended by Sara Garofalo based on reviews by Yoann Stussi, Luigi Degni, Marco Badioli and 1 anonymous reviewer
The paper aims to bridge gaps in understanding the relationship between anxiety-related traits and fear processing, with a specific focus on fear acquisition and extinction. Fear and safety processing are known to be linked to anxiety symptoms and traits such as neuroticism and intolerance of uncertainty (Lonsdorf et al., 2017; Morriss et al., 2021). However, the diversity in study focus and measurement methods makes it difficult to integrate findings into clinical practice effectively.
To address this issue, Brunsch et al. (2024) propose a systematic literature search and meta-analysis, following PRISMA guidelines, to explore these associations. They plan to use nested random effects models to analyze both psychophysiological and self-report outcome measures. Additionally, they will examine the role of different questionnaires used to assess anxiety-related traits and conduct a content analysis of these tools to evaluate trait overlaps.
Current knowledge from the literature indicates that individuals with anxiety disorders exhibit differences in fear acquisition and extinction compared to those without such disorders (Lonsdorf et al., 2017; Morriss et al., 2021). Previous meta-analyses have shown associations between anxiety traits and fear generalization/extinction, but these studies are limited in their scope and focus.
The primary aim of the research is to provide a comprehensive summary of the associations between anxiety-related traits and conditioned responding during fear acquisition and extinction across multiple measures. Another goal is to investigate whether different anxiety-related trait questionnaires yield different associations with fear and extinction learning. The authors will also conduct a content analysis to better interpret the results of their meta-analysis by examining the overlap in questionnaire content.
A secondary aim of the study is to evaluate how sample characteristics, experimental specifics, and study quality influence the associations between anxiety-related traits and fear acquisition and extinction. By addressing these aims, the study seeks to advance the understanding of fear-related processes in anxiety and inform more targeted prevention and intervention strategies.
The Stage 1 manuscript underwent two rounds of thorough review. After considering the detailed responses to the reviewers' comments, the recommender determined that the manuscript met the Stage 1 criteria and granted in-principle acceptance (IPA).
URL to the preregistered Stage 1 protocol: https://osf.io/4mndj
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. Bruntsch, M., Abend, R., Chalkia, A., Cooper, S. E., Ehlers, M. R., Johnson, D. C., Klingelhöfer-Jens, M., Morriss, J., Zika, O., & Lonsdorf, T. B. (2024). Associations between anxiety-related traits and fear acquisition and extinction - an item-based content and meta-analysis. In principle acceptance of Version 3 by Peer Community in Registered Reports. https://osf.io/4mndj
2. Lonsdorf, T. B., & Merz, C. J. (2017). More than just noise: Inter-individual differences in fear acquisition, extinction and return of fear in humans - Biological, experiential, temperamental factors, and methodological pitfalls. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 80, 703–728. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2017.07.007
3. Morriss, J., Wake, S., Elizabeth, C., & van Reekum, C. M. (2021). I Doubt It Is Safe: A Meta-analysis of Self-reported Intolerance of Uncertainty and Threat Extinction Training. Biological Psychiatry Global Open Science, 1, 171–179. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bpsgos.2021.05.011
| Associations between anxiety-related traits and fear acquisition and extinction - an item-based content and meta-analysis | Maria Bruntsch, Samuel E Cooper, Rany Abend, Marian Boor, Anastasia Chalkia, Mana Ehlers, Artur Czeszumski, Dave Johnson, Maren Klingelhöfer-Jens, Jayne Morriss, Erik Mueller, Ondrej Zika, Tina Lonsdorf | <p>Background: Deficits in learning and updating of fear and safety associations have been reported in patients suffering from anxiety- and stress-related disorders. Also in healthy individuals, anxiety-related traits have been linked to altered f... | Life Sciences | Sara Garofalo | Anonymous, Luigi Degni, Marco Badioli, Yoann Stussi | 2024-03-15 14:48:20 | ||
A Laboratory Experiment on Using Different Financial-Incentivization Schemes in Software-Engineering ExperimentationBug detection in software engineering: which incentives work best?Recommended by Chris Chambers based on reviews by Edson OliveiraJr
Bug detection is central to software engineering, but what motivates programmers to perform as optimally as possible? Despite a long history of economic experiments on incentivisation, there is surprisingly little research on how different incentives shape software engineering performance.
In the current study, Bershadskyy et al. (2024) undertook an experiment to evaluate how the pay-off functions associated with different financial incentives influence the performance of participants in identifying bugs during code review. The authors hypothesised that performance-based incentivisation would result in higher average performance, as defined using the F1-score, and that different incentivisation schemes may also differ in their effectiveness.
The results did not support the preregistered predictions, with no statistically significant differences in F1-score observed between groups that received performance-based incentives compared to a control group that received no incentive. Exploratory analyses suggested some potential trends of interest, but the main implication of this work is methodological: that experiments in this field require substantially larger sample sizes to provide definitive tests. The current work is valuable in providing a novel unbiased insight on the magnitude of this challenge, which is now primed for further investigation.
The Stage 2 manuscript was evaluated over one round of in-depth review. Based on detailed responses to the recommender and reviewer'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/s36c2 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
Bershadskyy, D., Krüger, J., Çalıklı, G., Siegmar, O., Zabel, S., Greif, J. and Heyer, R. (2024). A Laboratory Experiment on Using Different Financial-Incentivization Schemes in Software-Engineering Experimentation. Acceptance of Version 8 by Peer Community in Registered Reports. https://arxiv.org/pdf/2202.10985
| A Laboratory Experiment on Using Different Financial-Incentivization Schemes in Software-Engineering Experimentation | Dmitri Bershadskyy, Jacob Krüger, Gül Çalıklı, Siegmar Otto, Sarah Zabel, Jannik Greif, Robert Heyer | <p>In software-engineering research, many empirical studies are conducted with open-source or industry developers. However, in contrast to other research communities like economics or psychology, only few experiments use financial incentives (i.e.... | Computer science | Chris Chambers | 2024-03-20 07:44:51 | |||
Impact of analytic decisions on test-retest reliability of individual and group estimates in functional magnetic resonance imaging: a multiverse analysis using the monetary incentive delay taskExploring determinants of test-retest reliability in fMRI: a study with the Monetary Incentive Delay TaskRecommended by Dorothy Bishop based on reviews by Xiangzhen Kong and 1 anonymous reviewer
Functional magnetic resonance imaging has been used to explore brain-behaviour relationships for many years, with proliferation of a wide range of sophisticated analytic procedures. However, rather scant attention has been paid to the reliability of findings. Concerns have been growing failures to replicate findings in some fields, but it is hard to know how far this is a consequence of underpowered studies, flexible analytic pipelines, or variability within and between participants. Demidenko et al. (2024) took advantage of the availability of three existing datasets, including the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study, the Michigan Longitudinal Study, and the Adolescent Risk Behavior Study, which all included a version of the Monetary Incentive Delay task measured in two sessions. These were entered into a multiverse analysis, which considered how within-subject and between-subject variance varies according to four analytic factors: smoothing (5 levels), motion correction (6 levels), task modelling (3 levels) and task contrasts (4 levels). They also considered how sample size affects estimates of reliability. The results have important implications for the those using fMRI with the Monetary Incentive Delay Task, and also raise questions more broadly about use of fMRI indices to study individual differences. Motion correction had relatively little impact on the ICC, and the effect size of the smoothing kernel was modest. Larger impacts on reliability were associated with choice of contrast (implicit baseline giving larger effects) and task parameterization. But perhaps the most sobering message from this analysis is that although activation maps from group data were reasonably reliable, the ICC, used as an index of reliability for individual levels of activation, was consistently low. This raises questions about the suitability of the Monetary Incentive Delay Task for studying individual differences. Another point is that reliability estimates become more stable as sample size increases; researchers may want to consider whether the trade-off between cost and gain in precision is justified for sample sizes above 250. I did a quick literature search on Web of Science: at the time of writing the search term ("Monetary Delay Task" AND fMRI) yielded 410 returns, indicating that this is a popular method in cognitive neuroscience. The detailed analyses reported here will repay study for those who are planning further research using this task. The Stage 2 manuscript was evaluated over one round of in-depth review. Based on detailed responses to the reviewer's and 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/nqgeh
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 IPA, but the authors certify that they had not yet sufficiently observed the key variables within the data to be able to answer the research questions and they took additional steps to maximise bias control and rigour.
List of eligible PCI RR-friendly journals:
References 1. Demidenko, M. I., Mumford, J. A., & Poldrack, R. A. (2024). Impact of analytic decisions on test-retest reliability of individual and group estimates in functional magnetic resonance imaging: a multiverse analysis using the monetary incentive delay task [Stage 2]. Acceptance of Version 5 by Peer Community in Registered Reports. https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.03.19.585755v4 | Impact of analytic decisions on test-retest reliability of individual and group estimates in functional magnetic resonance imaging: a multiverse analysis using the monetary incentive delay task | Michael I. Demidenko, Jeanette A. Mumford, Russell A. Poldrack | <p>Empirical studies reporting low test-retest reliability of individual blood oxygen-level dependent (BOLD) signal estimates in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data have resurrected interest among cognitive neuroscientists in methods... |  | Life Sciences, Social sciences | Dorothy Bishop | 2024-03-21 02:23:30 | ||
06 Sep 2024
STAGE 1
The Role of Offender Identifiability in Second- and Third-Party PunishmentPunishing OffendersRecommended by Clare Conry-Murray based on reviews by Gilad Feldman and Rajarshi Majumder
When people are less-well-known to us, it can impact how we treat them. People outside our communities may feel more anonymous or de-personalized to us, and this could impact the empathy we feel for them. Indeed, past research shows that people seem to care more for those who are who are identified to us, especially when they are victims of a crime (Small & Loewenstein, 2003). In addition, past research also shows that anonymizing victims can influence criminal behavior (Walters, 2022). Thus, social cognitive factors related to anonymity appear to affect both positive feelings (engaging in empathy) and negative activities (criminal activity) related to victims. It seems likely that anonymity can also affect how people judge criminals themselves.
This paper by Blanke and Twardawski (2024) examines how even minor identifying features can make individuals react differently to a perpetrator of a crime. A picture or name (information that may appear in the press) may impact how people perceive criminals in terms of punishment, empathy, outrage, and blame.
How people respond to anonymous or identified criminals may depend on whether the impact of the crime on the victim is made salient. Similar to the Black Sheep Effect (Marques & Paez,1994), the current paper expects that people who identify with victims are expected to punish a perpetrator more when the perpetrator’s name and image are known. This is similar to the case with an ingroup member in The Black Sheep Effect, where ingroup members are punished more for transgressions than outgroup members. For people who view the situation as a third party (and are thus less connected to the victim), an identified perpetrator is expected to lead to less punishment (and also less outrage and blame, and more empathy).
The current study focuses on pickpocketing since it is a crime that can be committed without identifying oneself to the victim. Future research should examine how the type of event impacts judgments, especially given the stigma of being a victim of some crimes. Littering and other minor violations may be seen as understandable when you see someone as a person, rather than a anonymous, impersonal criminal. On the other hand, there can be stigma to being a victim in some cases, such as the case of sexual harassment, where, research shows, perpetrators are judged more positively if they are identified, and victims, especially women, are judged more negatively if they are identified (Barak-Corren & Lewinsohn-Zamir, 2019).
People around the world engage in moral and legal transgressions, and if our judgments of them are influenced by minor features such as a photo or name, we should take action to treat people more fairly. This research will help to determine if people are influenced by these factors.
The Stage 1 manuscript underwent one round of thorough review. After considering the detailed responses to the reviewers' comments, the recommender determined that the manuscript met the Stage 1 criteria and granted in-principle acceptance (IPA).
URL to the preregistered Stage 1 protocol: https://osf.io/bxqu6
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:
References
1. Barak‐Corren, N., & Lewinsohn‐Zamir, D. (2019). What's in a Name? The Disparate Effects of Identifiability on Offenders and Victims of Sexual Harassment. Journal of Empirical Legal Studies, 16, 955-1000. https://doi.org/10.1111/jels.12233
2. Blanke, T. & Twardawski, M. (2024). The Role of Offender Identifiability in Second- and Third-Party Punishment. In principle acceptance of Version 2 by Peer Community in Registered Reports. https://osf.io/bxqu6
3. Marques, J. M., & Paez, D. (1994). The ‘black sheep effect’: Social categorization, rejection of ingroup deviates, and perception of group variability. European Review of Social Psychology, 5, 37-68. https://doi.org/10.1080/14792779543000011
4. Small, D. A., & Loewenstein, G. (2003). Helping a victim or helping the victim: Altruism and identifiability. Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, 26, 5-16. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022299422219
5. Walters, G. D. (2022). Crime and social cognition: A meta-analytic review of the developmental roots of adult criminal thinking. Journal of Experimental Criminology, 18, 183-207. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11292-020-09435-w
| The Role of Offender Identifiability in Second- and Third-Party Punishment | Theresa Blanke, Mathias Twardawski | <p>The identifiability effect describes humans' tendency to exhibit different emotional and behavioral responses toward identified as compared to anonymous individuals. This phenomenon has been extensively studied within the identifiable victim ef... | Social sciences | Clare Conry-Murray | Gilad Feldman, Rajarshi Majumder | 2024-03-23 11:02:30 | ||
Insufficient evidence of a positive association between chronic loneliness and anthropomorphism: Replication and extension Registered Report of Epley et al. (2008)Weak-to-no evidence for a positive link between loneliness and anthropomorphismRecommended by Chris Chambers based on reviews by John Protzko
Anthropomorphism is a widespread phenomenon in which people instil non-human entities or objects with human-like characteristics, such as motivations, intentions, and goals. Although common, the tendency to anthropomorphise varies between people, and a growing body of psychological research has examined the importance of various individual differences. One major theoretical account of anthropomorphism (Epley et al. 2007) suggests that sociality motivation – the drive to establish social relationships – is a key moderator of the phenomenon. In support of this account, some evidence suggests that people who experience greater loneliness (a proposed marker of sociality motivation) are more likely to anthropomorphise. In an influential series of studies, Epley et al. (2008) found that anthropomorphism and loneliness were positively correlated and that inducing participants experimentally to feel more lonely led to greater anthropomorphism. Later studies, however, produced more mixed results, particularly concerning the effectiveness of the experimental interventions.
In the current study, Elsherif et al. (2024) undertook a partial replication of Epley et al. (2008), focusing on the correlational relationship between anthropomorphism and loneliness, with extensions to examine free will beliefs, anthropomorphism for supernatural beings (in addition to objects/gadgets), and the extent to which participants judged objects/gadgets to be controllable. The results revealed no reliable evidence for a positive relationship between anthropomorphism and loneliness. Analyses of the extended questions revealed that the perceived controllability of gadgets was associated negatively with anthropomorphism and that free will belief was associated positively with belief in anthropomorphism of supernatural beings. Broadly, the current findings constitute a non-replication of Epley et al. (2008). The authors conclude by calling for more direct and conceptual replications to establish the link (if any) between sociality motivation and anthropomorphism.
The Stage 2 manuscript was evaluated over one round of in-depth review. Based on detailed responses to the reviewer's and 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/by89c 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. Epley, N., Waytz, A., & Cacioppo, J. T. (2007). On seeing human: A three-factor theory of anthropomorphism. Psychological Review, 114, 864–886. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.114.4.864
2. Epley, N., Akalis, S., Waytz, A., & Cacioppo, J. T. (2008). Creating social connection through inferential reproduction: Loneliness and perceived agency in gadgets, Gods, and greyhounds. Psychological Science, 19, 114–120. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2008.02056.x
3. Elsherif, M., Pomareda, C., Xiao, Q., Chu, H. Y., Tang, M. C., Wong, T. H., Wu, Y. & Feldman, G. (2024). Insufficient evidence of a positive association between chronic loneliness and anthropomorphism: Replication and extension Registered Report of Epley et al. (2008) [Stage 2]. Acceptance of Version 6 by Peer Community in Registered Reports. https://osf.io/x96kn
| Insufficient evidence of a positive association between chronic loneliness and anthropomorphism: Replication and extension Registered Report of Epley et al. (2008) | Qinyu Xiao, Mahmoud Elsherif, Hoi Yan Chu, Ming Chun Tang, Ting Hin (Angus) Wong, Yiming Wu, Christina Pomareda, Gilad Feldman | <p>Human beings have a fundamental need to connect with others. Epley, Akalis, et al. (2008) found that people higher in chronic loneliness had a stronger tendency to anthropomorphize non-human objects, presumably for fulfilling unmet needs for so... | Social sciences | Chris Chambers | 2024-03-27 16:17:16 | |||
06 Sep 2024
STAGE 1
Registered Report: Do individual differences in cognitive ability or personality predict noticing in inattentional blindness tasks?Are individual difference in inattentional blindness related to cognitive abilities or personality traits?Recommended by Gidon Frischkorn based on reviews by Ruben Arslan and 1 anonymous reviewer
Despite inattentional blindness being a widely recognized and researched phenomenon — popularized by experiments like the invisible gorilla — the evidence on how individual differences affect the occurrence of inattentional blindness has remained inconsistent, largely due to small sample sizes and methodological variations.
In this context, Daniel J. Simons, known for his role in bringing public attention to inattentional blindness, along with Yifan Ding, Connor M. Hults, and Brent W. Roberts, presents an ambitious yet well-constructed registered report that addresses this critical gap in the literature. Their report outlines a comprehensive investigation into whether individual differences in cognitive ability or personality traits can predict the likelihood of noticing unexpected objects in various inattentional blindness tasks. The two proposed studies — one focusing on cognitive predictors and the other on personality predictors — arguably represent the most extensive single-sample tests to date on this topic.
The authors propose a robust methodology that includes a total of 2,000 participants (1,000 per study). The study design features three distinct inattentional blindness tasks with varying levels of demand to assess the generalizability of the findings across different experimental contexts. In Study 1, cognitive measures such as matrix reasoning and operation span — both well-established indicators of fluid intelligence and working memory — are utilized. Study 2 incorporates a range of personality measures, including the Big Five personality traits and attention-related traits (e.g., ADHD and obsessive-compulsive characteristics).
The report also presents a detailed analysis plan with pre-specified primary and secondary outcomes, strong justifications for the sample size, and clearly defined criteria for data inclusion and exclusion. The authors intend to employ multiple statistical techniques, such as correlation analyses and regression models, along with rigorous checks for replicability, to explore the relationship between individual differences and inattentional blindness.
Overall, this registered report is a well-justified and meticulously planned investigation into the role of individual differences in inattentional blindness. The proposed studies have the potential to make a significant contribution to our understanding of the cognitive and personality factors that influence the noticing of unexpected objects. The rigorous experimental design, large sample sizes, and adherence to open science practices make this a valuable addition to the literature.
Based on the strengths of the proposal and the authors' responsiveness to the detailed feedback from two reviewers, the recommender justed that the manuscript met the Stage 1 criteria and awarded in-principle acceptance (IPA). URL to the preregistered Stage 1 protocol: https://osf.io/xtwfs (under temporary private embargo) 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:
References
Simons, D. J., Ding, Y., Hults, C. M., & Roberts, B. W. (2024). Registered Report: Do individual differences in cognitive ability or personality predict noticing in inattentional blindness tasks? In principle acceptance of Version 3 by Peer Community in Registered Reports. https://osf.io/xtwfs
| Registered Report: Do individual differences in cognitive ability or personality predict noticing in inattentional blindness tasks? | Daniel J. Simons, Yifan Ding, Connor M. Hults, Brent W. Roberts | <p>People often fail to notice unexpected objects or events when they focus attention on another task or different aspects of a scene. Recently, a number of studies have examined whether individual differences in cognitive abilities or personality... | Social sciences | Gidon Frischkorn | 2024-03-28 21:52:33 | |||
Do prediction errors of perceived exertion inform the level of running pleasure?Running pleasure results from finding it easier than you thought you wouldRecommended by Zoltan Dienes based on reviews by Jasmin Hutchinson and 1 anonymous reviewer
The reward value of a stimulus is based on an error in prediction: Things going better than predicted. Could this learning principle, often tested on short acting stimuli, also apply to a long lasting episode, like going for a run? Could how rewarding a run is be based on the run going better than predicted?
Understanding the conditions under which exercise is pleasurable could of course be relevant to tempting people to do more of it! In the current study, Brevers et al. (2024) asked people before a daily run to predict the amount of perceived exertion they would experience; then just after the run, to rate the retrospective amount of perceived exertion actually experienced. The difference between the two ratings was the prediction error. Participants also rated their remembered pleasure in running. As hypothesized, the authors found that running pleasure increased linearly with how much retrospective exertion was than predicted.
The Stage 2 manuscript received one round of review from two external reviewers, then some minor comments from the recommender, after which it was judged to satisfy the Stage 2 criteria and was awarded a positive recommendation. URL to the preregistered Stage 1 protocol: https://osf.io/xh724
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. Brevers, D., Martinent, G., Oz, I. T., Desmedt, O. & de Geus, B. (2024). Do prediction errors of perceived exertion inform the level of running pleasure? [Stage 2]. In principle acceptance of Version 3 by Peer Community in Registered Reports. https://osf.io/xfgqp | Do prediction errors of perceived exertion inform the level of running pleasure? | Damien Brevers, Guillaume Martinent, İrem Tuğçe Öz, Olivier Desmedt, Bas de Geus | <p>Humans have the ability to mentally project themselves into future events (prospective thinking) to promote the implementation of health-oriented behaviors, such as the planning of daily physical exercise sessions. Nevertheless, it is currently... | Social sciences | Zoltan Dienes | 2024-04-26 11:58:57 | |||
Associations of fear, anger, happiness, and hope with risk judgments: Revisiting appraisal-tendency framework with a replication and extensions Registered Report of Lerner and Keltner (2001)Mixed evidence for the Appraisal-Tendency Framework in explaining links between emotion and decision-makingRecommended by Chris Chambers based on reviews by Kelly Wolfe and Max Primbs
How do emotions interact with cognition? The last 40 years has witnessed the rise of cognitive-appraisal theories, which propose that emotions can be differentiated along an axis of cognitive dimensions such as certainty, pleasantness, attentional activity, control, anticipated effort, and responsibility (Smith and Ellsworth, 1985). Early tests of such theories focused especially on the impact of the valence – pleasantness/unpleasantness – of emotions on judgment and decision-making, finding, for instance, that negative mood induction can heighten pessimistic estimates of risk (Johnson & Tversky, 1983).
The Appraisal-Tendency Framework proposed by Lerner and Keltner (2000) refined cognitive-appraisal theory by proposing that specific emotions trigger a predisposition to appraise future (or hypothetical) events in line with the central appraisal dimensions that triggered the emotion, even when the emotion and the judgment are unrelated. For example, an individual who is triggered to become fearful of a heightened risk, such as nuclear war, may then exhibit heightened pessimism about risks unrelated to war. The Appraisal-Tendency Framework also predicts relationships between traits, such as fear, anger and risk-taking/risk-seeking tendencies. In an influential paper, Lerner and Keltner (2001) reported direct empirical support for the Appraisal-Tendency Framework, which aside from its influence in cognitive/affective psychology has had considerable impact in behavioural economics, moral psychology, and studies of consumer behaviour.
In the current study, Lu et al. (2024) replicated three key studies from Lerner and Keltner (2001) in a large online sample. Through a combination of replication and extension, the authors probed the relationship between various trait emotions (including fear, anger, happiness, and hope) and trait characteristics of risk seeking and optimistic risk assessment. The authors also examined how the ambiguity of triggering events moderates the relationship between specific emotions and risk judgments.
Overall, the results provide mixed support for the predictions of the Appraisal-Tendency Framework. Trait anger and trait happiness were positively associated with risk-seeking and optimistic risk estimates, while trait fear was negatively associated with optimistic risk assessment (although a reliable association between fear and risk-seeking was not observed). The original finding of Lerner and Keltner (2001) that the valence-based approach applied to risk optimism for unambiguous events was not supported. In addition, there was no reliable evidence for a positive relationship between hope and risk-seeking preference or optimistic risk estimates. The authors conclude that future research should consider a wider range of emotions to develop a more complete understanding of the link to risk-related judgment and decision-making.
The Stage 2 manuscript was evaluated over one round of in-depth review. Based on detailed responses to the reviewers' comments, the recommender judged that the manuscript met the Stage 2 criteria and therefore awarded a positive recommendation.
URL to the preregistered Stage 1 protocol: https://osf.io/8yu2x 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. Smith, C. A., & Ellsworth, P. C. (1985). Patterns of cognitive appraisal in emotion. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 48, 813-838. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.48.4.813
2. Johnson, E. J., & Tversky, A. (1983). Affect, generalization, and the perception of risk. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 45(1), 20–31. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.45.1.20
3. Lerner, J. S., & Keltner, D. (2000). Beyond valence: Toward a model of emotion-specific influences on judgment and choice. Cognition & Emotion, 14, 473-493. https://doi.org/10.1080/026999300402763
4. Lerner, J. S., & Keltner, D. (2001). Fear, anger, and risk. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 81, 146–159. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.81.1.146
5. Lu, S., Efendić, E., & Feldman, G. (2024). Associations of fear, anger, happiness, and hope with risk judgments: Revisiting appraisal-tendency framework with a replication and extensions Registered Report of Lerner and Keltner (2001) [Stage 2]. Acceptance of Version 2 by Peer Community in Registered Reports. https://osf.io/xytsw | Associations of fear, anger, happiness, and hope with risk judgments: Revisiting appraisal-tendency framework with a replication and extensions Registered Report of Lerner and Keltner (2001) | Sirui Lu; Emir Efendić; Gilad Feldman | <p>The appraisal-tendency framework proposed that specific emotions predispose individuals to appraise future events corresponding to the core appraisal themes of the emotions. In a Registered Report with a US American online Amazon Mechanical Tur... | Social sciences | Chris Chambers | 2024-04-26 16:55:30 | |||
06 Sep 2024
STAGE 1
Barriers and facilitators to the adoption and promotion of Open Science practices in psychology. The case of SlovakiaWhat are the barriers and facilitators to open science practices for researchers, policy makers and media representatives in Slovakia?Recommended by Charlotte Pennington based on reviews by Crystal Steltenpohl, Peter Branney, Andrea E. Abele-Brehm , Emma Norris and 1 anonymous reviewer
Open science practices (OSPS, e.g., preregistration, open materials, code and data) aim to enhance the transparency, integrity, and reproducibility of research. Recent work, however, has highlighted various facilitators and barriers perceived by researchers in implementing these, which can either enhance or hinder their success. Little is known about these barriers in the context of Slovakia, and such perceptions are rarely investigated for policy makers and media representatives who are also embedded in the research ecosystem.
In their Stage 1 Registered Report, Marcel Martončik and colleagues aim to map the perceptions and experiences of barriers and facilitators of OSPs that are unique to different stakeholder groups in Slovakia. They will conduct both semi-structured interviews and focus groups with a diverse sample of postgraduate students, researchers, policymakers, and media representatives from the field of psychology. Reflexive thematic analysis will identify overarching themes regarding such barriers and facilitators which will provide valuable insights into the support required to make OSPs normative across different stakeholder groups.
Four expert reviewers assessed the Stage 1 manuscript across two rounds of in-depth review. Based on the authors' detailed and informed responses to the reviewer’s comments, the recommender judged that the manuscript met the Stage 1 criteria and awarded in principle acceptance (IPA).
URL to the preregistered Stage 1 protocol: https://osf.io/n86um
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:
References
Martončik, M., Adamkovič, M., Baník G., Fedáková, D., Issmailová, S., Kačmár, P., Kentoš, M., Majdáková, V., Papcunová, J., & Vargová, L. (2024). Barriers and facilitators to the adoption and promotion of Open Science practices in psychology. The case of Slovakia. In principle acceptance of Version 1.1 by Peer Community in Registered Reports. https://osf.io/n86um
| Barriers and facilitators to the adoption and promotion of Open Science practices in psychology. The case of Slovakia | Marcel Martončik, Matúš Adamkovič, Gabriel Baník, Denisa Fedáková, Samar Issmailová, Pavol Kačmár, Michal Kentoš, Viktória Majdáková, Jana Papcunová, Lenka Vargová | <p>Various responsible research practices emphasizing transparency, such as open<br>data, open code, open peer review, and preregistration, have been introduced to<br>enhance the reproducibility and replicability of findings. The ongoing initiativ... | Social sciences | Charlotte Pennington | 2024-04-29 14:39:12 | |||
09 Sep 2024
STAGE 1
Does concern regarding climate change impact subsequent mental health? A longitudinal analysis using data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC)Does concern regarding climate change impact subsequent mental health?Recommended by Thomas Evans based on reviews by Anna Castiglione and Esther Papies
The link between climate change and health is becoming increasingly clear, and problematic (IPCC, 2023). While most agree that climate change is a problem (Vlasceanu et al., 2024) and evidence is starting to emerge that individual's wellbeing can benefit from engaging in proenvironmental behaviour (Prinzing, 2023), there is little robust longitudinal evidence available to make causal claims about the complex and inter-related nature of these types of effects.
In their proposed study, Major-Smith et al. (2024) use the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children to explore whether climate concern has a causal impact upon mental health. Strategic use of this pre-existing data allows consideration of both confounding bias and reverse causality to provide more rigorous evidence for this causal effect. The second research question (whether climate action moderates this relationship) is of both personal and professional interest, as someone who struggles with climate anxiety, and plants hundred of trees annually to try and mitigate the dread. Capable of exploring the potential for individual-level climate action to have a double effect - directly help with climate change mitigation and also an individuals' mental health, the proposed research is a rewarding and insightful line of inquiry in a domain desperate for a more rapid and rigorous evidence-base.
The Stage 1 manuscript was evaluated over one round of 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/t6d3k
Level of bias control achieved: Level 2. At least some data/evidence that will be used to answer the research question has been accessed and partially observed by the authors, but the authors certify that they have not yet observed the key variables within the data that will be used to answer the research question AND they have taken additional steps to maximise bias control and rigour. List of eligible PCI RR-friendly Journals:
References
1. IPCC (2023). Accessed here: https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/syr/resources/spm-headline-statements
2. Major-Smith, D., Halstead, I., & Major-Smith, K. (2024) Does concern regarding climate change impact subsequent mental health? A longitudinal analysis using data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). In principle acceptance of Version 2 by Peer Community in Registered Reports. https://osf.io/t6d3k
3. Prinzing, M. (2023). Proenvironmental Behavior Increases Subjective Well-Being: Evidence From an Experience-Sampling Study and a Randomized Experiment. Psychological Science. https://doi.org/10.1177/09567976241251766
4. Vlasceanu, M., Doell, K. C., Bak-Coleman, J. B., Todorova, B., Berkebile-Weinberg, M. M., Grayson, S. J., ... & Lutz, A. E. (2024). Addressing climate change with behavioral science: A global intervention tournament in 63 countries. Science Advances, 10, eadj5778. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adj5778
| Does concern regarding climate change impact subsequent mental health? A longitudinal analysis using data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) | Daniel Major-Smith, Isaac Halstead, Katie Major-Smith | <p>Climate change is having a substantial – and increasingly severe – impact on our planet, affecting people’s health, security and livelihoods. As a consequence, the concept of ‘climate anxiety’ has recently been developed to characterise the psy... | Medical Sciences, Social sciences | Thomas Evans | 2024-05-24 15:50:50 |
