The neural mechanisms of consciousness remain elusive. Previous studies on both human and non-human animals, through manipulation of level of conscious arousal, have reported that specific time-series features correlate with level of consciousness, such as spectral power in certain frequency bands. However, such features often lack principled, theoretical justifications as to why they should be related with level of consciousness. This raises two significant issues: firstly, many other types of times-series features which could also reflect conscious level have been ignored due to researcher biases toward specific analyses; and secondly, it is unclear how to interpret identified features to understand the neural activity underlying consciousness, especially when they are identified from recordings which summate activity across large areas such as electroencephalographic recordings. To address the first concern, here we propose a new approach: in the absence of any theoretical priors, we should be maximally agnostic and treat as many known features as feasible as equally promising candidates. To apply this approach, we use highly comparative time-series analysis (hctsa), a toolbox which provides over 7,700 different univariate time-series features originating from different research fields. To address the second issue, we employ hctsa to high-quality neural recordings from a relatively simple brain, the fly brain (Drosophila melanogaster), extracting features from local field potentials during wakefulness, general anesthesia, and sleep. At Stage 1 of this registered report, we constructed a classifier for each feature, for discriminating wakefulness and anesthesia in a discovery group of flies (N = 13). At Stage 2, we assessed their performances on four independent groups of evaluation flies, from which recordings were made during anesthesia and sleep, and which were originally blinded to the data analysis team (N = 49). We found only 47 time-series features, applied to recordings obtained from the center of the fly brain, to also significantly classify wake from anesthesia or sleep in all 4 of these evaluation datasets. Most of these were related to autocorrelation, and they indicated that signals during wakefulness remained correlated to their past for a longer timescale than during anesthesia and sleep. Meanwhile, time-series features related to well-known potential markers of consciousness, such as those related to complexity or spectral power, failed to generalize across all the flies. However, many of these complexity and spectral features have a consistent direction of effect due to anesthesia or sleep across flies, suggesting that even slight variations in experiment setup can reduce generalizability of classifiers. These results caution the current state of frequent discoveries of new potential consciousness markers, which may not generalize across datasets, and point to autocorrelation as a class of dynamical properties which does.

Neuroimaging data reveal that a functional locus ceruleus-noradrenaline (LC-NA) system is critical in maintaining cognitive performance during aging. However, older adults show reduced LC integrity and altered functional connectivity, demonstrating both structural declines and dysfunction. The LC-NA system mediates mechanisms of attention processing and eye tracking studies have shown that older adults are slower and more distractible compared with young adults in visual search tasks. Prior studies have shown that mindfulness meditation modulates LC noradrenergic activity, increases gray matter volume in the brainstem, and improves attentional control. Thus, in a preregistered longitudinal study, we investigated whether 30 d of guided mindfulness meditation using a mobile application improved attentional control measured with eye movements. We hypothesized that older adults would show greater benefits from the mindfulness intervention compared with young adults. In two oculomotor search tasks, we identified that guided mindfulness practice improved saccadic reaction times, but that other longitudinal benefits in goal-directed attentional control or distractibility by task-irrelevant salient stimuli may be from repeated practice. Furthermore, we did not find evidence for age differences in response to the mindfulness intervention between young, middle-aged, and older adults, nor among scores on mindfulness questionnaires. Our findings show that short-term mindfulness practice can modulate cognition, specifically with the speed of overt orienting of attention that may not be observable in self-report measures. This study is the first to show the utility of mindfulness on cognition using a highly reliable measure in eye movements and suggests future longer-term intervention studies may be warranted.

Do people experience emotions in the same way? How can we characterize the sameness of emotional quality? Qualitative aspects of emotional experience are usually communicated through words. However, words can be ambiguous and can mean different things to different people. Here, we introduce a relational approach that characterizes emotional experiences as structure based on similarity judgments among emotion-evoking videos. This registered report will apply this method to characterize a psychological condition of “alexithymia”, which is described as “no words for emotions”. Do people with alexithymia experience the same emotions with altered expressivity? Or do they not experience them to begin with? Our structural approach will determine if individuals with high and low alexithymia have the same emotional experiences. Our findings will open the door to the study of emotional experiences by offering a relational approach that bypasses verbal reports and will help to clarify the nature of alexithymia.

Stage 1 IPA at PCI RR

The spatial cueing paradigm has illustrated that location cues result in attentional enhancement of target stimuli. However, evidence is mixed on whether proactive attentional suppression can be cued similarly. In this registered report, we used a hybrid flanker-visual search-spatial cueing paradigm in which participants were presented with informative or non-informative cues regarding the upcoming location of a target feature matching a distractor in the search array. We aimed to replicate and extend a previous study which found evidence that cues support attentional suppression. We repeated the experiment with informative and non-informative cue conditions blocked (Experiment 2) and with possible target and distractor locations separated (Experiment 3). Across all three experiments (total n = 554), we did not observe any evidence of cueing-enhanced attentional suppression. In Experiments 1 and 3, participant responses were slightly slower in the informative cue condition, suggesting that the cue itself captured attention when the cue type was interleaved and thus unpredictable trial-to-trial. Surprisingly, post-experiment assessment of distractor learning suggested participants had not learnt the association between cue and distractor location in any experiment. These findings do not support spatial cue-enhanced attentional suppression.

When faced with self-threat, people often engage in self-protective reactions. Yet not everyone does. The extent to which self-protection occurs, is thought to depend on people’s personality. We put this claim to test by considering multiple personality traits from different content domains. In an experiment, participants (N = 1744) performed a bogus performance test and received negative versus positive feedback. As an indicator of self-protective reactions, we assessed participants’ tendency to question the validity of the test. We found that high self-esteem and high narcissism predicted stronger self-protective reactions, particularly when these traits were assessed in the content domain targeted by the negative feedback. Contrary to our hypotheses, the self-insight motive and mindfulness also predicted stronger (and not weaker) self-protective reactions. These findings provide better understanding of the role that personality plays in motivated reasoning.

Social media has transformed how people engage with the world around them. The positivity bias on social media, in particular, warrants in-depth investigation. This is particularly true as previous research has concentrated on one specific platform, Facebook. Based on a pilot study of 279 university students, this pre-registered experimental research used a mixed design to examine the positivity bias on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter/X. After recalling a personal event, 312 participants were randomly assigned to imagine telling this event to a group of friends and sharing it on social media (Facebook vs. Instagram vs. Twitter/X). Several characteristics were examined through repeated measures ANCOVAs including the texts’ valence and the usage of emoji. Contrary to the pilot results, we found no significant differences in how events were reported. We, however, found significant differences between platforms. Specifically, messages posted on Twitter/X had a more negative valence than those posted on Instagram and Facebook. The positivity bias, often associated with social media, may therefore not necessarily represent a bias per se, but only a form of positive self-presentation that is consistent across contexts. These findings highlight the importance of focusing on platform characteristics, such as architecture, affordances, and socio-cultural context. This study advances our understanding of the positivity bias across multiple platforms through a pre-registered experimental approach.

Researchers and policy-makers have widely hypothesized that psychological distance to climate change acts as a barrier to climate action, and that reducing this psychological distance is a promising strategy to promote it. However, over the last decade, correlational and experimental studies have highlighted complex and inconsistent results, raising doubts about the effects of reduced psychological distance to climate change on policy support and intention to perform climate-related behaviours. To address this issue, this research adopts a meta-analytical approach (i) to evaluate the size of the effect of psychological distance to climate change on climate action, and (ii) to investigate some factors that might explain the heterogeneity of these effects.

Many behavioural scientists do not agree on core constructs and how they should be measured. Different literatures measure related constructs, but the connections are not always obvious to readers and meta-analysts. Many measures in behavioural science are based on agreement with survey items. Because these items are sentences, computerised language models can make connections between disparate measures and constructs and help researchers regain an overview over the rapidly growing, fragmented literature. Our fine-tuned language model, the SurveyBot3000, accurately predicts the correlations between survey items, the reliability of aggregated measurement scales, and intercorrelations between scales from item positions in semantic vector space. In our pilot study, the out-of-sample accuracy for item correlations was .71, .89 for reliabilities, and .89 for scale correlations. In our preregistered validation study using novel items, the out-of-sample accuracy was slightly reduced to .59 for item correlations, .84 for reliabilities, and .84 for scale correlations. The synthetic item correlations showed an average prediction error of .17, with larger errors for middling correlations. Predictions exhibited generalizability beyond the training data and across various domains, with some variability in accuracy. Our work shows language models can reliably predict psychometric relationships between survey items, enabling researchers to evaluate new measures against existing scales, reduce redundancy in measurement, and work towards a more unified behavioural science taxonomy.

Presented by OSF

Presented by OSF

This project contains the manuscript and raw preliminary data for the stage 1 registered report "Cognitive, affective and behavioural effects of temporal comparison with prior aversive experiences in individuals with social anxiety" Hosted on the Open Science Framework

Abstract. While there is extensive literature exploring the possible negative effects of video games, and many such studies using college student samples, there is little research on how video game...

Task decisions and confidence ratings are fundamental measures in metacognition research, but using these reports requires collecting them in some order. Only three orders exist and are used in an ad hoc manner across studies. Evidence suggests that when task decisions precede confidence, this report order can enhance metacognition. If verified, this effect pervades studies of metacognition and will lead the synthesis of this literature to invalid conclusions. In this Registered Report, we tested the effect of report order across popular domains of metacognition and probed two factors that may underlie why order effects have been observed in past studies: report time and motor preparation. We examined these effects in a perception experiment (n = 75) and memory experiment (n = 50), controlling task accuracy and learning. Our registered analyses found little effect of report order on metacognitive efficiency, even when timing and motor preparation were experimentally controlled. Our findings suggest the order of task decisions and confidence ratings has little effect on metacognition, and need not constrain secondary analysis or experimental design.

Displaying high effort at work is rewarded with more positive moral judgments (effort moralization effect) and increased cooperation partner attractiveness. This holds, even if higher effort is unrelated to better performance. Yet, current evidence is exclusively based on males, mostly situated in the work context. This prohibits generalization to the full population and neglects critical aspects of our lives, such as the care context (e.g., unpaid care for elders). To address this gap, we conducted two Studies (Study 1: Nwork = 859, Study 2: Ncare = 701) testing the effect between genders and contexts—work and care. Study materials featured two actors performing the same task, requiring different levels of effort (high/low). Participants rated the actor’s morality, suggested hourly salary, and reported their satisfaction to cooperate with them as assigned partners. The results confirmed the effort moralization effect in work contexts but were mixed for the care context, potentially due to the inherently moral nature of the behavior. There were no gender differences, supporting the demographic generalizability of the effect. Effort did not influence suggested pay, and participants expressed greater satisfaction with low-effort actors as assigned cooperation partners. While further research is needed to explore the boundary conditions of effort moralization in different contexts, the findings support its role as a robust heuristic for moral judgment in the work context.

Presented by OSF

Objective: The study's principal aim was to explore the usefulness of the Harmful Dysfunction Analysis (HDA) in identifying individuals with pathological social media use (PSMU) and potentially other behavioral addictions as an alternative to using DSM-5-TR-based diagnostic criteria for substance use disorders (SUD) or research criteria for internet gaming disorder (GD). Method: Using Swiss data (N = 7,510) from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children Study 2018, we tested weaker (HDA1) and stronger (HDA2) HDA versions. We examined differences between HDA cases and non-cases, convergence between different scoring methods, and between groups differences distinct to each scoring method (i.e., non-overlapping cases) on measures of physical health (physical activity and body mass index) and mental health (psychosomatic health, life satisfaction, school well-being), with models adjusted for age, gender, migration status, and family affluence. Data from Hungary (N = 3,789) was selected to repeat the analysis as a sensitivity investigation. Results: SUD-based scoring yielded the highest PSMU prevalence of 33.2% while GD-based prevalence was 9%. HDA1 and HDA2 scorings yielded PSMU prevalence of 22.2% and 4.2%, respectively. HDA1-based PSMU cases showed poorer physical and mental health than non-cases with differences of small-to-medium effect size, whereas HDA2 differences were of large effect size. SUD-based cases that overlapped with HDA scoring showed worse physical and mental health than non-overlapping SUD-based cases. Non-overlapping GD and HDA cases showed no significant differences on validators that survived the sensitivity evaluation. Conclusions: HDA may reduce PSMU prevalence while preserving conceptual and clinical validity. The more demanding HDA2 approach exhibited more convincing validator results than HDA1. From the HDA perspective, substantial SUD-based cases were false positives whereas GD-based scoring produced both false positives and negatives. Our findings suggest that further examination of HDA for advancing the conceptualization of addictive disorders is warranted.

In hundreds of articles published over the past two decades, nanoparticles have been described as probes for sensing and imaging of a variety of intracellular cytosolic targets. However, nanoparticles generally enter cells by endocytosis with only a small fraction reaching the cytosol. Most of those articles do not describe the mechanisms of nanoparticles entry into the cell and therefore the paradox of sensing a target in the cytosol when most particles do not access that compartment remains. To address this paradox, we are initiating a replication project of some of the most influential articles in this field with the aim of confirming their ability to detect their targets and getting additional insights into their intracellular localisation. This article is a pre-registered report for the second replication of this project, namely the replication of Seferos et al ‘Nano-Flares: Probes for Transfection and mRNA Detection in Living Cells’. To achieve our aim, we will carry out both a direct replication of the experiments in the original article, with the addition of some experiments and controls (in particular optical and electron microscopy). We hope that this study will contribute to a better understanding of the intracellular fate of nanoparticles and, with the help of the scientific community, help set standards in the design and reporting of studies in this field.

Presented by OSF

Presented by OSF

Presented by OSF

Presented by OSF

Presented by OSF

Presented by OSF

One of the key areas in the scientific programs of addictive behaviors is the research on measurement. In the present study, we focus on the survey measurement of gaming disorder. In particular, we tested the gambling hypotheses: whether survey studies on gaming disorder are potentially contaminated by gambling behavior data and thus do not reflect actual gaming behaviors. A systematic review of survey materials among the most cited studies (N=500) provided confirmatory evidence for a systematic error in the literature. The majority of research in the field is contaminated by a measurement error stemming from conceptual confusion. This problem is linguistic and does not concern all languages to the same degree. Additionally, we surveyed English (n=312) and Slovak (n=319) people to explore further reasons for the error. Exploration revealed various terminological confusions in both languages. For instance, half of the participants (EN=48.7%/SK=59.1%) interpreted “gambling” to also refer to “gaming”, including offline gambling like poker (EN=68.6%/SK=62.5%). Meanwhile, the majority interpreted offline activities like board games (EN=50.3%/SK=62%) to be gaming too. The findings suggest that the systematic measurement error is unlikely to be easily correctable through self-report instructions, as people interpret gaming and gambling in many inconsistent ways. We recommend gaming disorder research to seek alternatives to survey data.

Presented by OSF

Functional connectivity is frequently used to assess dynamic brain functioning and predict individual differences in behavioral outcomes, such as psychopathology. Inferences from functional connectivity analyses typically rely on group-averaged model statistics. However, heterogeneity between individuals may lead to group-level models that poorly reflect each individual. Poor individual-level precision may limit the ability to make individual-level predictions, which is necessary for key goals such as clinical translation. This registered report examined between-person heterogeneity in resting-state functional connectivity strength patterns by assessing similarity between group- and individual-level connectivity models in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study. Using intraclass correlation coefficients, we found that a group-averaged region-of-interest-based connectivity model was a poor reflection of every individual. In contrast, a group-averaged model of between- and within-network connectivity was a good representation of most individuals. We then examined how individual-level distinctness from the group moderated predictive performance of several clinical and neurocognitive scales. Hypotheses that group-to-individual dissimilarity would worsen behavioral prediction were not supported with primary clinical outcomes. The little psychopathology reported in this sample was a notable limitation. In contrast, lower similarity to the group worsened prediction of performance on the pattern comparison test, providing minor support for hypotheses. Overall, results suggest that region-of-interest-based functional connectivity networks are highly heterogeneous and group-based models are inappropriate for individual-level inferences, but that network-based connectivity is largely similar across individuals. Additionally, we provide minor evidence of the impacts of heterogeneity on prediction that future studies should build on.

Editors' Summary: This Replication Study has reproduced some parts of the original paper but it also contains results that are not consistent with other parts of the original paper.

Background: Providing informal care to persons with dementia (PWD) living at home can be challenging and lead to experience of caregiver stress and depression. Interventions delivered through mobile applications (apps) provide innovative solutions for community-based social care professionals to address the increasing support needs of family caregivers (FCs) to PWD. Objective: This study aimed to examine, among FCs to PWD living at home, a) the potential association between professional support provided through a mobile app and caregiver stress and depressive symptoms; b) types of support provided through chat interaction between FCs and social care professionals; c) how provision of support provided through a mobile app relates to changes in caregiver stress and depressive symptoms. Methods: A mixed-methods pilot study was conducted integrating quantitative pre- and post-intervention data and qualitative logged chat data. FCs to PWD living at home (n=35) were recruited to test a tailor-made mobile app over eight weeks. The outcome measures were caregiver stress (primary) and depressive symptoms (secondary). Descriptive statistics were used to describe socio-demographic factors. Inferential statistics were used to analyse mean differences in the outcome measures pre- and post-intervention. FCs were divided into three groups based on changes in caregiver stress scores between pre- and post-intervention. Generalized linear models (GLM) analyses were used to determine the association between participation in the intervention on caregiver stress and depressive symptoms, controlling for age, gender and relationship to the PWD. Logged chat data was analysed using summative content analysis to identify types of support provided and received. Changes in caregiver stress were integrated with the chat data to determine patterns in the types of support received. Results: The mean age of the FCs was (69.4), with most being women (80%), partners (68.6%) and living together with the PWD (74%). The mean score of FCs' caregiver stress was marginally higher post-intervention (24.1, SD 9.3) compared to pre-intervention (23.9, SD 9.2), while the mean score of their depressive symptoms declined between pre- (6.5, SD 5.1) and post-intervention (6.2, SD 5.2). These differences were not statistically significant. Regression analyses showed that participation in the intervention was not statistically significantly associated with caregiver stress (β=0.171, α=.05, P=.862) or depressive symptoms (β= -0.293, α=.05, P=.745) after adjusting for age, gender and relationship to the PWD. However, mixed-methods analysis at the sub-group level, suggests that frequently provided tailored support by social care professionals delivered through a mobile app potentially can reduce caregiver stress among FCs to PWD living at home. Conclusions: The study highlights the importance of providing frequent and tailor-made support to meet the individual needs of FCs to PWD. The findings from this study can help community-based social care providers plan and organize the content of digital support provided for FCs to PWD living at home.

Presented by OSF

We present a programmatic research line to test whether a longitudinal intervention aiming to increase key psychological correlates of pro-environmental behavior motivates young adults to take climate action. In five longitudinal studies, we will test and optimize a six-week, in-person intervention, exposing participants to interactive lessons and activities that were developed from existing psychological theories and interventions. The goal is to increase pro-climate behavior by leveraging 12 psychological correlates such as beliefs, attitudes and affect. Before and after the intervention, participants will complete surveys measuring the psychological correlates, and also report individual and collective pro-climate behaviors via Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA). Each study will include a control group. The psychological correlates and behavior will be measured again after three months to assess the medium-term effectiveness of the intervention. The results and participant feedback from each study will be used to update the intervention for the following studies. Each study will target young adults at different life stages (studying or working) across two countries (Italy and the Netherlands). The longitudinal design, the intensive manipulations and EMA’s ecological validity are uniquely capable of revealing causal evidence that changes in beliefs, attitudes and affect lead to climate action across age groups and cultures. Hosted on the Open Science Framework

Schnall, Benton, and Harvey (2008) hypothesized that physical cleanliness reduces the severity of moral judgments. In support of this idea, they found that individuals make less severe judgments wh...