Using anchor-based methods to determine the smallest effect size of interest

Evaluating Nature-based Solutions as urban resilience and climate adaptation tools: A meta-analysis of their benefits on heatwaves and floods

Extreme weather events driven by climate change threaten the resilience of urban structures and urban dwellers. Nature-based Solutions (NbS) are an effective tool to reduce urban vulnerability to climate risks and, at the same time, develop more liveable urban areas. Despite the acknowledged positive impacts of individual observed NbS, numerous questions persist unanswered. While existing research supports NbS' positive influence on urban climate adaptation, the extent of their impact remains insufficiently studied. Understanding the magnitude of NbS impact is crucial for justifying their preference over non-NbS alternatives and, consequently, for securing public investment. Via a meta-analysis, this paper aims to contribute to research and practice by providing a more systematic assessment of NbS effects, offering urban planners and decision-makers a robust justification for their incorporation in climate change adaptation, urban resilience, and enhanced liveability. The results of the meta-analytic model indicate that the effect of NbS is indeed positive. When assessing the impact on temperature and flood protection, there is a general positive effect across the studied NbS. However, when evaluating an average effect, the task appears to be more complex due to methodological issues and limitations. The need to increase the formalisation of how the impact of NbS is measured and reported also emerges as a result. Replicable protocols would positively impact the formalisation of the literature on the topic and positively affect the evidence-based support for the implementation of NbS by urban decision-makers.

Estimating power in complex nonlinear structural equation modeling including moderation effects: The powerNLSEM R-package

The model-implied simulation-based power estimation (MSPE) approach is a new general method for power estimation (Irmer et al., 2024). MSPE was developed especially for power estimation of non-linear structural equation models (SEM), but it also can be applied to linear SEM and manifest models using the R package powerNLSEM. After first providing some information about MSPE and the new adaptive algorithm that automatically selects sample sizes for the best prediction of power using simulation, a tutorial on how to conduct the MSPE for quadratic and interaction SEM (QISEM) using the powerNLSEM package is provided. Power estimation is demonstrated for four methods, latent moderated structural equations (LMS), the unconstrained product indicator (UPI), a simple factor score regression (FSR), and a scale regression (SR) approach to QISEM. In two simulation studies, we highlight the performance of the MSPE for all four methods applied to two QISEM with varying complexity and reliability. Further, we justify the settings of the newly developed adaptive search algorithm via performance evaluations using simulation. Overall, the MSPE using the adaptive approach performs well in terms of bias and Type I error rates.

Seven points as an estimate of the smallest subjectively experienced decrease in body satisfaction on a one-item Visual Analogue Scale

Visual Analogue Scales (VASs) are very commonly used to measure short-term effects on state body satisfaction, the in-the-moment subjective evaluation of one's own body. However, VASs lack easily understood metrics for comparing and interpreting the size of different effects, with the result that researchers often conclude that any statistically significant change on these 101-point scales is practically important. In addition to test-retest reliability and construct validity, here we estimate the smallest subjectively experienced difference for a one-item body satisfaction VAS. Seven points of change on the VAS was a useful cut-off for distinguishing participants who subjectively experienced no change (n = 603) versus those who experienced at least a little decrease in body satisfaction (n = 301) between two timepoints. With reference specifically to media influences on body satisfaction, we show how the smallest subjectively experienced difference may be used as an easily interpreted effect size metric when comparing and interpreting the size of different effects, as well as determining who is, and who is not, subject to those effects. We highlight how having this metric available to researchers can aid in the exploration and communication of different short-term influences on state body satisfaction.

Power to Detect What? Considerations for Planning and Evaluating Sample Size

ACADEMIC ABSTRACT

In the wake of the replication crisis, social and personality psychologists have increased attention to power analysis and the adequacy of sample sizes. In this article, we analyze current controversies in this area, including choosing effect sizes, why and whether power analyses should be conducted on already-collected data, how to mitigate the negative effects of sample size criteria on specific kinds of research, and which power criterion to use. For novel research questions, we advocate that researchers base sample sizes on effects that are likely to be cost-effective for other people to implement (in applied settings) or to study (in basic research settings), given the limitations of interest-based minimums or field-wide effect sizes. We discuss two alternatives to power analysis, precision analysis and sequential analysis, and end with recommendations for improving the practices of researchers, reviewers, and journal editors in social-personality psychology.

PUBLIC ABSTRACT

Recently, social-personality psychology has been criticized for basing some of its conclusions on studies with low numbers of participants. As a result, power analysis, a mathematical way to ensure that a study has enough participants to reliably "detect" a given size of psychological effect, has become popular. This article describes power analysis and discusses some controversies about it, including how researchers should derive assumptions about effect size, and how the requirements of power analysis can be applied without harming research on hard-to-reach and marginalized communities. For novel research questions, we advocate that researchers base sample sizes on effects that are likely to be cost-effective for other people to implement (in applied settings) or to study (in basic research settings). We discuss two alternatives to power analysis, precision analysis and sequential analysis, and end with recommendations for improving the practices of researchers, reviewers, and journal editors in social-personality psychology.

Validation and application of computer vision algorithms for video-based tremor analysis

Tremor is one of the most common neurological symptoms. Its clinical and neurobiological complexity necessitates novel approaches for granular phenotyping. Instrumented neurophysiological analyses have proven useful, but are highly resource-intensive and lack broad accessibility. In contrast, bedside scores are simple to administer, but lack the granularity to capture subtle but relevant tremor features. We utilise the open-source computer vision pose tracking algorithm Mediapipe to track hands in clinical video recordings and use the resulting time series to compute canonical tremor features. This approach is compared to marker-based 3D motion capture, wrist-worn accelerometry, clinical scoring and a second, specifically trained tremor-specific algorithm in two independent clinical cohorts. These cohorts consisted of 66 patients diagnosed with essential tremor, assessed in different task conditions and states of deep brain stimulation therapy. We find that Mediapipe-derived tremor metrics exhibit high convergent clinical validity to scores (Spearman's ρ = 0.55-0.86, p≤ .01) as well as an accuracy of up to 2.60 mm (95% CI [-3.13, 8.23]) and ≤0.21 Hz (95% CI [-0.05, 0.46]) for tremor amplitude and frequency measurements, matching gold-standard equipment. Mediapipe, but not the disease-specific algorithm, was capable of analysing videos involving complex configurational changes of the hands. Moreover, it enabled the extraction of tremor features with diagnostic and prognostic relevance, a dimension which conventional tremor scores were unable to provide. Collectively, this demonstrates that current computer vision algorithms can be transformed into an accurate and highly accessible tool for video-based tremor analysis, yielding comparable results to gold standard tremor recordings.

Applying a synergistic mindsets intervention to an esports context

Affective responses during stressful, high-stakes situations can play an important role in shaping performance. For example, feeling shaky and nervous at a job interview can undermine performance, whereas feeling excited during that same interview can optimize performance. Thus, affect regulation-the way people influence their affective responses-might play a key role in determining high-stakes outcomes. To test this idea, we adapted a synergistic mindsets intervention (SMI) (Yeager et al. 2022 Nature 607, 512-520 (doi:10.1038/s41586-022-04907-7)) to a high-stakes esports context. Our approach was motivated by the idea that (i) mindsets both about situations and one's stress responses to situations can be shaped to help optimize stress responses, and (ii) challenge versus threat stress responses will be associated with improved outcomes. After a baseline performance task, we randomly assigned gamers (n = 300) either to SMI or a control condition in which they learned brain facts. After two weeks of daily gaming, gamers competed in a cash-prize tournament. We measured affective experiences before the matches and cardiovascular responses before and throughout the matches. Contrary to predictions, gamers did not experience negative affect (including feeling stressed), thus limiting the capacity for the intervention to regulate physiological responses and optimize performance. Compared with the control participants, synergistic mindsets participants did not show greater challenge responses or improved performance outcomes. Though our adaptation of Yeager et al.'s SMI did not optimize esports performance, our findings point to important considerations regarding the suitability of an intervention such as this to different performance contexts of varying degrees of stressfulness.

Globally, songs and instrumental melodies are slower and higher and use more stable pitches than speech: A Registered Report

Both music and language are found in all known human societies, yet no studies have compared similarities and differences between song, speech, and instrumental music on a global scale. In this Registered Report, we analyzed two global datasets: (i) 300 annotated audio recordings representing matched sets of traditional songs, recited lyrics, conversational speech, and instrumental melodies from our 75 coauthors speaking 55 languages; and (ii) 418 previously published adult-directed song and speech recordings from 209 individuals speaking 16 languages. Of our six preregistered predictions, five were strongly supported: Relative to speech, songs use (i) higher pitch, (ii) slower temporal rate, and (iii) more stable pitches, while both songs and speech used similar (iv) pitch interval size and (v) timbral brightness. Exploratory analyses suggest that features vary along a "musi-linguistic" continuum when including instrumental melodies and recited lyrics. Our study provides strong empirical evidence of cross-cultural regularities in music and speech.

From significance testing to estimation and Open Science: How esci can help

We argue that researchers should test less, estimate more, and adopt Open Science practices. We outline some of the flaws of null hypothesis significance testing and take three approaches to demonstrating the unreliability of the p value. We explain some advantages of estimation and meta-analysis ("the new statistics"), especially as contributions to Open Science practices, which aim to increase the openness, integrity, and replicability of research. We then describe esci (estimation statistics with confidence intervals): a set of online simulations and an R package for estimation that integrates into jamovi and JASP. This software provides (a) online activities to sharpen understanding of statistical concepts (e.g., "The Dance of the Means"); (b) effects sizes and confidence intervals for a range of study designs, largely by using techniques recently developed by Bonett; (c) publication-ready visualisations that make uncertainty salient; and (d) the option to conduct strong, fair hypothesis evaluation through specification of an interval null. Although developed specifically to support undergraduate learning through the 2nd edition of our textbook, esci should prove a valuable tool for graduate students and researchers interested in adopting the estimation approach. Further information is at ( https://thenewstatistics.com).

Does attitude importance moderate the effects of person-first language? A registered report

Previous research has demonstrated that exposure to outgroup descriptions that use person-first, as compared to identity-first, language can attenuate negative stereotypes or prejudice and enhance support for policies that seek to advance outgroup rights. However, those benefits of person-first language may not apply to all social groups equally. The present study examines a boundary condition of the effects of person-first language. Specifically, we postulate that person-first language reduces the stigmatization of outgroups to a lesser degree if individuals hold more important negative attitudes towards the respective communities. We will test this hypothesis in a two-factorial 2 (target group) x 2 (descriptor) online experiment that includes a control group and for which we will recruit a general-population sample (N = 681). Stereotyping, dehumanization, as well as negative affect and behavioral intentions towards two outgroups will be compared: people with a physical disability/the physically disabled (i.e., negative attitudes are expected to be less important) and people who have committed a violent crime/violent criminals (i.e., negative attitudes are expected to be more important). Our findings will bear implications for understanding when language use could influence public opinion of different social groups. Additionally, the research can inform the development of more effective communication policies to promote inclusion and reduce stigma.

The Digital Therapeutics Real-World Evidence Framework: An Approach for Guiding Evidence-Based Digital Therapeutics Design, Development, Testing, and Monitoring

Digital therapeutics (DTx) are a promising way to provide safe, effective, accessible, sustainable, scalable, and equitable approaches to advance individual and population health. However, developing and deploying DTx is inherently complex in that DTx includes multiple interacting components, such as tools to support activities like medication adherence, health behavior goal-setting or self-monitoring, and algorithms that adapt the provision of these according to individual needs that may change over time. While myriad frameworks exist for different phases of DTx development, no single framework exists to guide evidence production for DTx across its full life cycle, from initial DTx development to long-term use. To fill this gap, we propose the DTx real-world evidence (RWE) framework as a pragmatic, iterative, milestone-driven approach for developing DTx. The DTx RWE framework is derived from the 4-phase development model used for behavioral interventions, but it includes key adaptations that are specific to the unique characteristics of DTx. To ensure the highest level of fidelity to the needs of users, the framework also incorporates real-world data (RWD) across the entire life cycle of DTx development and use. The DTx RWE framework is intended for any group interested in developing and deploying DTx in real-world contexts, including those in industry, health care, public health, and academia. Moreover, entities that fund research that supports the development of DTx and agencies that regulate DTx might find the DTx RWE framework useful as they endeavor to improve how DTxcan advance individual and population health.

Through the Eyes of Patients: The Effect of Training General Practitioners and Nurses on Perceived Shared Decision-Making Support

PURPOSE

To examine the effects of training general practitioners and nurses in shared decision-making (SDM) support as perceived by cancer patients and survivors.

DESIGN

An innovative, experimental design was adopted that included analogue patients (APs), that is, people who have or have had cancer and who imagine themselves in the position of the actor-patient presented in a video. Each AP assessed a video-recorded simulated consultation of a health care professional (HCP) conducted before or after an SDM support training program. The primary outcome was the APs' perceived SDM support with 13 self-developed items reflecting the perceived patient benefit of SDM support as well as the perceived HCP support behavior. Secondary outcomes included an overall rating of SDM support, AP-reported extent of SDM (CollaboRATE), satisfaction with the communication (Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire), conversation appreciation and helpfulness, as well as decision-making satisfaction and confidence (visual analog scale, 0-100). In addition, patient and HCP characteristics associated with AP-perceived SDM support were examined.

RESULTS

APs (n = 131) did not significantly differentiate trained from untrained HCPs in their perceptions of SDM support nor in secondary outcomes. Agreement between APs' perceptions was poor. The higher the perceived comparability of the consultation with APs' previous personal experiences, the higher their rating of SDM support.

LIMITATIONS

We used a nonvalidated primary outcome and an innovative study design that should be tested in future work.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite the limitations of the study design, the training seemed to not affect cancer patients' and survivors' perceived SDM support.

IMPLICATIONS

The clinical relevance of the training on SDM support needs to be established. The variation in APs' assessments suggests patients differ in their perception of SDM support, stressing the importance of patient-tailored SDM support.

HIGHLIGHTS

Cancer patients and survivors did not significantly differentiate trained from untrained HCPs when evaluating SDM support, and agreement between their perceptions was poor.The clinical relevance of training GPs and nurses in SDM support needs to be established.Patient-tailored SDM support may be recommended, given the variation in APs' assessments and their possible diverging perceptions of SDM support.This innovative study design (having patients watch and assess videos of simulated consultations made in the context of training evaluation) needs to be further developed.

Social norms shape visual appearance: Taking a closer look at the link between social norm learning and perceptual decision-making

One of the most fundamental questions in social psychology is whether norms can change individuals' minds by shaping the visual appearance of stimuli. This question was first raised by Muzafer Sherif (1935). Drawing on the extended social reinforcement account (Germar and Mojzisch, 2019), we aimed to provide a rigorous test of the hypothesis that norm learning leads to a persistent perceptual bias and, hence, to a change in the visual appearance of stimuli. From a methodological perspective, we used both a diffusion model approach and the method of adjustment, a well-established technique from psychophysics and vision research. The results of Experiments 1-3 show that norm effects on perceptual decision-making are robustly replicable, and are due to genuine social influence, that is, they cannot be explained by non-social priming, contingency learning effects (Experiments 1 and 2) or anchoring effects (Experiment 3). Most importantly, by using a psychophysical approach, Experiment 4 shows, for the first time, that social norm learning alters individuals' point of subjective equality and, hence, the visual appearance of stimuli.

Experimental Therapeutics: Opportunities and Challenges Stemming From the National Institute of Mental Health Workshop on Novel Target Discovery and Psychosocial Intervention Development

There has been slow progress in the development of interventions that prevent and/or reduce mental-health morbidity and mortality. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) launched an experimental-therapeutics initiative with the goal of accelerating the development of effective interventions. The emphasis is on interventions designed to engage a target mechanism. A target mechanism is a process (e.g., behavioral, neurobiological) proposed to underlie change in a defined clinical endpoint and through change in which an intervention exerts its effect. This article is based on discussions from an NIMH workshop conducted in February 2020 and subsequent conversations among researchers using this approach. We discuss the components of an experimental-therapeutics approach such as clinical-outcome selection, target definition and measurement, intervention design and selection, and implementation of a team-science strategy. We emphasize the important contributions of different constituencies (e.g., patients, caregivers, providers) in deriving hypotheses about novel target mechanisms. We highlight strategies for target-mechanism identification using published and hypothetical examples. We consider the decision-making dilemmas that arise with different patterns of results in purported mechanisms and clinical outcomes. We end with considerations of the practical challenges of this approach and the implications for future directions of this initiative.

Power analysis for conditional indirect effects: A tutorial for conducting Monte Carlo simulations with categorical exogenous variables

Conceptual and statistical models that include conditional indirect effects (i.e., so-called "moderated mediation" models) are increasingly popular in the behavioral sciences. Although there is ample guidance in the literature for how to specify and test such models, there is scant advice regarding how to best design studies for such purposes, and this especially includes techniques for sample size planning (i.e., "power analysis"). In this paper, we discuss challenges in sample size planning for moderated mediation models and offer a tutorial for conducting Monte Carlo simulations in the specific case where one has categorical exogenous variables. Such a scenario is commonly faced when one is considering testing conditional indirect effects in experimental research, wherein the (assumed) predictor and moderator variables are manipulated factors and the (assumed) mediator and outcome variables are observed/measured variables. To support this effort, we offer example data and reproducible R code that constitutes a "toolkit" to make up for limitations in other software and aid researchers in the design of research to test moderated mediation models.

Neural responses to natural and enhanced speech edges in children with and without dyslexia

Sensory-neural studies indicate that children with developmental dyslexia show impairments in processing acoustic speech envelope information. Prior studies suggest that this arises in part from reduced sensory sensitivity to amplitude rise times (ARTs or speech "edges") in the envelope, accompanied by less accurate neural encoding of low-frequency envelope information. Accordingly, enhancing these characteristics of the speech envelope may enhance neural speech processing in children with dyslexia. Here we applied an envelope modulation enhancement (EME) algorithm to a 10-min story read in child-directed speech (CDS), enhancing ARTs and also enhancing low-frequency envelope information. We compared neural speech processing (as measured using MEG) for the EME story with the same story read in natural CDS for 9-year-old children with and without dyslexia. The EME story affected neural processing in the power domain for children with dyslexia, particularly in the delta band (0.5-4 Hz) in the superior temporal gyrus. This may suggest that prolonged experience with EME speech could ameliorate some of the impairments shown in natural speech processing by children with dyslexia.

Publication bias, statistical power and reporting practices in the Journal of Sports Sciences: potential barriers to replicability

Two factors that decrease the replicability of studies in the scientific literature are publication bias and studies with underpowered desgins. One way to ensure that studies have adequate statistical power to detect the effect size of interest is by conducting a-priori power analyses. Yet, a previous editorial published in the Journal of Sports Sciences reported a median sample size of 19 and the scarce usage of a-priori power analyses. We meta-analysed 89 studies from the same journal to assess the presence and extent of publication bias, as well as the average statistical power, by conducting a z-curve analysis. In a larger sample of 174 studies, we also examined a) the usage, reporting practices and reproducibility of a-priori power analyses; and b) the prevalence of reporting practices of t-statistic or F-ratio, degrees of freedom, exact p-values, effect sizes and confidence intervals. Our results indicate that there was some indication of publication bias and the average observed power was low (53% for significant and non-significant findings and 61% for only significant findings). Finally, the usage and reporting practices of a-priori power analyses as well as statistical results including test statistics, effect sizes and confidence intervals were suboptimal.

Referring Adolescent Primary Care Patients to Single-Session Interventions for Anxiety and Depression: Protocol for a Feasibility Study

BACKGROUND

Despite the growing prevalence of depression and anxiety among adolescents, fewer than half access appropriate mental health care. Single-session interventions (SSIs) for depression and anxiety offered in primary care are a promising approach to bridging the treatment gap.

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to implement a clinical workflow for primary care and behavioral health providers to refer patients aged 13 to 17 years with mild to moderate depression and anxiety symptoms to Project YES (Youth Empowerment and Support), an open-access SSI platform, in a large group medical practice with an integrated behavioral health department.

METHODS

Pediatric primary care and integrated behavioral health providers will be educated on the benefits of Project YES for adolescent anxiety and depression and trained in a workflow integrated within the electronic health record system, Epic, to refer patients during well-child visits and pediatric behavioral health visits. Patients with mild to moderate internalizing symptoms based on the 17-item Pediatric Symptom Checklist or youth Pediatric Symptom Checklist will be invited to try an SSI through Project YES. We will examine provider uptake and perceptions of acceptability, feasibility, and appropriateness over time.

RESULTS

The rollout will take place between November 2022 and May 2023, when outcomes will be evaluated. Data analysis and manuscript writing are anticipated to be completed during the summer of 2023.

CONCLUSIONS

SSIs such as those available through Project YES have the potential to provide low-cost, evidence-based mental health treatment to adolescents with mild to moderate depression and anxiety. If deemed feasible and acceptable, providing SSIs in primary care settings could significantly improve access to mental health care without taxing pediatric primary care and behavioral health providers.

INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID)

DERR1-10.2196/45666.

Effect of environmental enrichment on relapse rates in patients with severe alcohol use disorder: protocol for a randomised controlled trial

INTRODUCTION

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) ranks among the most prevalent psychiatric disorders worldwide. Despite current treatments, more than half of patients relapse within weeks after treatment. In animal models, exposure to environmental enrichment (EE) has been shown to be a promising approach to reduce relapse. However, controlled, multimodal EE is difficult to transpose to humans. To address this gap, this study aims at assessing the effectiveness of exposure to a newly designed EE protocol during AUD treatment in reducing relapse to alcohol use. Our EE will allow an enhancement of the standard intervention, and will combine several promising enrichment factors identified in the literature-physical activity, cognitive stimulation, mindfulness and virtual reality (VR).

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

A randomised controlled trial involving 135 participants receiving treatment for severe AUD will be conducted. Patients will be randomised to an intervention enhancement group or a control group. The enhanced intervention will consist of six 40-min sessions of EE spread over 9 days. During the first 20 min of these sessions, patients will practise mindfulness in multisensory VR, in virtual environments designed to practise mindfulness and use it to regulate craving induced by virtual cues or stress. Then, participants will practise indoor cycling combined with cognitive training exercises. The control group will undergo standard management for AUD. The primary outcome is relapse assessed at 2 weeks after treatment, using a questionnaire and biological indicators. Relapse will be defined as drinking at least five drinks per occasion or drinking at least five times a week. It is predicted that the group receiving the EE intervention will have a lower relapse rate than the control group. The secondary outcomes are relapse at 1 month and 3 months after treatment, craving and drug-seeking behaviour, mindfulness skills acquisition and the effect of the intervention enhancement on the perceived richness of the daily environment, assessed by questionnaires and neuropsychological tasks.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

All participants have to give written informed consent to the investigator. This study is approved by the Ethics Committee Nord Ouest IV of Lille (reference number 2022-A01156-37). Results will be disseminated through presentations, peer-reviewed journals and seminar conferences. All information on ethical considerations and open science practices can be accessed at https://osf.io/b57uj/ TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT05577741.

Implementing a velocity-based approach to resistance training: the reproducibility and sensitivity of different velocity monitoring technologies

This study examined the reproducibility of GymAware, PUSH2 and Vmaxpro velocity monitoring devices during resistance training (RT). The sensitivity of these devices to detect the smallest changes in velocity that correspond to true changes in RT performance was also investigated. Fifty-one resistance-trained men and women performed an incremental loading (1RM) test, and two repetitions to failure tests with different loads, 72 h apart. During all repetitions, mean velocity (MV) and peak velocity (PV) were simultaneously recorded by two devices of each brand. Overall, GymAware was the most reliable and sensitive device for detecting the smallest changes in RT performance, regardless of the velocity metric used. Vmaxpro can be considered as an equivalent, cheaper alternative to GymAware for RT monitoring and prescription, but only if the MV metric is used. Caution should be exercised when using PUSH2 in practice due to their comparatively higher, unacceptable measurement error and generally low sensitivity to detect changes in RT performance. Collectively, these findings support the use of MV and PV from GymAware and MV from Vmaxpro devices for RT monitoring and prescription due to their low magnitudes of error; thus, allowing for the detection of meaningful changes in neuromuscular status and functional performance during RT.

Are Small Effects the Indispensable Foundation for a Cumulative Psychological Science? A Reply to Götz et al. (2022)

In the January 2022 issue of Perspectives, Götz et al. argued that small effects are "the indispensable foundation for a cumulative psychological science." They supported their argument by claiming that (a) psychology, like genetics, consists of complex phenomena explained by additive small effects; (b) psychological-research culture rewards large effects, which means small effects are being ignored; and (c) small effects become meaningful at scale and over time. We rebut these claims with three objections: First, the analogy between genetics and psychology is misleading; second, p values are the main currency for publication in psychology, meaning that any biases in the literature are (currently) caused by pressure to publish statistically significant results and not large effects; and third, claims regarding small effects as important and consequential must be supported by empirical evidence or, at least, a falsifiable line of reasoning. If accepted uncritically, we believe the arguments of Götz et al. could be used as a blanket justification for the importance of any and all "small" effects, thereby undermining best practices in effect-size interpretation. We end with guidance on evaluating effect sizes in relative, not absolute, terms.

A Digital Single-Session Intervention Platform for Youth Mental Health: Cultural Adaptation, Evaluation, and Dissemination

BACKGROUND

Despite the proliferation of evidence-based digital mental health programs for young people, their low uptake and inconsistent implementation preclude them from benefiting youths at scale. Identifying effective implementation strategies for evidence-based supports is especially critical in regions where treatment access is lowest owing to mental health provider shortages.

OBJECTIVE

The goal of this academic-community partnership, funded by the City of San Antonio Metropolitan Health District, was to culturally adapt, disseminate, and gauge the acceptability and utility of an evidence-based digital mental health platform-Project Youth Empowerment and Support (YES)-among English- and Spanish-speaking youths living in south Texas.

METHODS

Project YES is an open-access, anonymous platform containing 3 evidence-based, self-guided interventions for youth mental health. Project YES was culturally adapted via focus groups and co-design sessions with San Antonio youths with lived experience of depression and anxiety; translated into Spanish; and disseminated throughout San Antonio, Texas, via community and school partnerships.

RESULTS

During the project period (April 2021 to December 2021), 1801 San Antonio youths began and 894 (49.64%) of them completed a 30-minute, single-session intervention within Project YES (aged 11-17 years; n=718, 39.87% male; n=961, 53.36% female; and n=3, 0.17% intersex; n=1477, 82.01% Hispanic; n=77, 4.28% non-Hispanic White; n=113, 6.27% Black; n=28, 1.55% Asian; and n=93, 5.16% other). This completion rate (49.64%) surpassed those previously observed for Project YES (eg, 34% when disseminated via social media). San Antonio youths rated Project YES as highly acceptable across all metrics, both in English and Spanish. In addition, the youths who completed Project YES-ENGLISH reported significant improvements in hopelessness (Cohen d=0.33; P<001), self-hate (Cohen d=0.27; P<001), and perceived agency (Cohen d=0.25; P<001) from before to after the intervention, and the youths who completed Project YES-SPANISH reported significant improvements in self-hate (Cohen d=0.37; P=.049) from before to after the intervention.

CONCLUSIONS

The results indicate that Project YES-an open-access, free, and anonymous web-based single-session intervention platform-is an acceptable, accessible, and applicable mental health support for English- and Spanish-speaking San Antonio youths.

The importance of the smallest effect size of interest in expert witness testimony on alcohol and memory

Memory experts are sometimes asked to evaluate the validity of accounts of witnesses, victims, or suspects. In some of these cases, they are asked what effect alcohol has on the validity of such accounts. In this article, we offer a guide on what expert witnesses can reliably say about how alcohol affects memory. We do so by resorting to effect sizes from previous studies and meta-analytic work, and address this novel question: Are these effect sizes meaningful in legal cases? More specifically, we argue that any determination of whether individual studies about alcohol and memory are practically relevant for legal cases, scientists must focus on the smallest effect size of interest. We make the case that a decrease or increase of only 1 detail, especially an incorrect detail, should be regarded as the smallest effect size of interest in this line of research. In line with this idea, we show that effect sizes in the alcohol and memory literature are often larger than this smallest effect size of interest. This finding is important because it implies that alcohol often exerts a practically relevant and meaningful detrimental effect on the reporting of both correct and incorrect details, which in turn negatively affects the validity of witness testimony.

Replication concerns in sports and exercise science: a narrative review of selected methodological issues in the field

Known methodological issues such as publication bias, questionable research practices and studies with underpowered designs are known to decrease the replicability of study findings. The presence of such issues has been widely established across different research fields, especially in psychology. Their presence raised the first concerns that the replicability of study findings could be low and led researchers to conduct large replication projects. These replication projects revealed that a significant portion of original study findings could not be replicated, giving rise to the conceptualization of the replication crisis. Although previous research in the field of sports and exercise science has identified the first warning signs, such as an overwhelming proportion of significant findings, small sample sizes and lack of data availability, their possible consequences for the replicability of our field have been overlooked. We discuss the consequences of the above issues on the replicability of our field and offer potential solutions to improve replicability.

Smartphone video nystagmography using convolutional neural networks: ConVNG

Background

Eye movement abnormalities are commonplace in neurological disorders. However, unaided eye movement assessments lack granularity. Although videooculography (VOG) improves diagnostic accuracy, resource intensiveness precludes its broad use. To bridge this care gap, we here validate a framework for smartphone video-based nystagmography capitalizing on recent computer vision advances.

Methods

A convolutional neural network was fine-tuned for pupil tracking using > 550 annotated frames: ConVNG. In a cross-sectional approach, slow-phase velocity of optokinetic nystagmus was calculated in 10 subjects using ConVNG and VOG. Equivalence of accuracy and precision was assessed using the “two one-sample t-test” (TOST) and Bayesian interval-null approaches. ConVNG was systematically compared to OpenFace and MediaPipe as computer vision (CV) benchmarks for gaze estimation.

Results

ConVNG tracking accuracy reached 9–15% of an average pupil diameter. In a fully independent clinical video dataset, ConVNG robustly detected pupil keypoints (median prediction confidence 0.85). SPV measurement accuracy was equivalent to VOG (TOST p < 0.017; Bayes factors (BF) > 24). ConVNG, but not MediaPipe, achieved equivalence to VOG in all SPV calculations. Median precision was 0.30°/s for ConVNG, 0.7°/s for MediaPipe and 0.12°/s for VOG. ConVNG precision was significantly higher than MediaPipe in vertical planes, but both algorithms’ precision was inferior to VOG.

Conclusions

ConVNG enables offline smartphone video nystagmography with an accuracy comparable to VOG and significantly higher precision than MediaPipe, a benchmark computer vision application for gaze estimation. This serves as a blueprint for highly accessible tools with potential to accelerate progress toward precise and personalized Medicine.

Sad reflections of happy times: depression vulnerability and experiences of sadness and happiness upon retrieval of positive autobiographical memories

Instructed retrieval of positive autobiographical memories typically improves mood for healthy individuals, but not always for depressed individuals. No mood improvement may occur when depressed individuals retrieve positive memories that are self-incongruent, or when they ruminate upon positive memory retrieval. Mindfulness is associated with lower self-incongruency and rumination. The present study examined whether recurrent depression predicted emotional experience upon involuntary and voluntary retrieval of positive memories, and whether recurrent depression and trait mindfulness were associated with emotional experience upon positive memory retrieval through state rumination and self-incongruency. Recurrently and never-depressed individuals completed measures of depression, trait mindfulness, and a diary for reporting on everyday positive memories. Recurrently depressed individuals reported diminished happiness upon retrieving involuntary and voluntary positive memories compared to never-depressed individuals; and greater sadness upon involuntary positive memory retrieval, independent of current depression. Recurrent depression was associated with diminished happiness upon involuntary memory retrieval and greater sadness upon involuntary and voluntary positive memory retrieval, through state brooding, self-incongruency, or both. Higher trait mindfulness was associated with lower sadness upon involuntary and voluntary positive memory retrieval through state brooding and reflection. These findings highlight potential mechanisms in the relationship between depression vulnerability and emotional processing of positive autobiographical memories.

Time spent playing video games is unlikely to impact well-being

Video games are a massively popular form of entertainment, socializing, cooperation and competition. Games' ubiquity fuels fears that they cause poor mental health, and major health bodies and national governments have made far-reaching policy decisions to address games' potential risks, despite lacking adequate supporting data. The concern-evidence mismatch underscores that we know too little about games' impacts on well-being. We addressed this disconnect by linking six weeks of 38 935 players' objective game-behaviour data, provided by seven global game publishers, with three waves of their self-reported well-being that we collected. We found little to no evidence for a causal connection between game play and well-being. However, results suggested that motivations play a role in players' well-being. For good or ill, the average effects of time spent playing video games on players' well-being are probably very small, and further industry data are required to determine potential risks and supportive factors to health.

Web-Based Single Session Intervention for Perceived Control Over Anxiety During COVID-19: Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND

Anxiety is rising across the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic, and social distancing mandates preclude in-person mental health care. Greater perceived control over anxiety has predicted decreased anxiety pathology, including adaptive responses to uncontrollable stressors. Evidence suggests that no-therapist, single-session interventions can strengthen perceived control over emotions like anxiety; similar programs, if designed for the COVID-19 context, could hold substantial public health value.

OBJECTIVE

Our registered report evaluated a no-therapist, single-session, online intervention targeting perceived control over anxiety in the COVID-19 context against a placebo intervention encouraging handwashing. We tested whether the intervention could (1) decrease generalized anxiety and increase perceived control over anxiety and (2) achieve this without decreasing social-distancing intentions.

METHODS

We tested these questions using a between-subjects design in a weighted-probability sample of US adults recruited via a closed online platform (ie, Prolific). All outcomes were indexed via online self-report questionnaires.

RESULTS

Of 522 randomized individuals, 500 (95.8%) completed the baseline survey and intervention. Intent-to-treat analyses using all randomized participants (N=522) found no support for therapeutic or iatrogenic effects; effects on generalized anxiety were d=-0.06 (95% CI -0.27 to 0.15; P=.48), effects on perceived control were d=0.04 (95% CI -0.08 to 0.16; P=.48), and effects on social-distancing intentions were d=-0.02 (95% CI -0.23 to 0.19; P=.83).

CONCLUSIONS

Strengths of this study included a large, nationally representative sample and adherence to open science practices. Implications for scalable interventions, including the challenge of targeting perceived control over anxiety, are discussed.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04459455; https://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT04459455.

Credibility Beyond Replicability: Improving the Four Validities in Psychological Science

Psychological science’s “credibility revolution” has produced an explosion of metascientific work on improving research practices. Although much attention has been paid to replicability (reducing false positives), improving credibility depends on addressing a wide range of problems afflicting psychological science, beyond simply making psychology research more replicable. Here we focus on the “four validities” and highlight recent developments—many of which have been led by early-career researchers—aimed at improving these four validities in psychology research. We propose that the credibility revolution in psychology, which has its roots in replicability, can be harnessed to improve psychology’s validity more broadly.

Influence of uncomplicated, controlled hypertension on local heat-induced vasodilation in non-glabrous skin across the body

OBJECTIVE

1) Examine pooled effects of hypertension on nitric oxide (NO)-dependent vasodilation during local heating across multiple non-glabrous skin regions, and 2) explore regional differences.

METHODS

Responses were compared between fourteen participants with uncomplicated hypertension controlled with medication (7 females, 61±6 years) and fourteen age-matched non-hypertensive controls (6 females; 60±5 years). Cutaneous vascular conductance, normalized to maximum vasodilation (%CVC_max) was assessed at the upper chest, abdomen, dorsal forearm, thigh, and lateral calf during local heating. Across all regions, local skin temperatures were simultaneously increased from 33-42°C (1°C·10·s^-1), and held until a stable heating plateau was achieved (~40 min), followed by continuous infusion of 20 mM of N(G)-Nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME; ~40min) at all sites until a stable L-NAME plateau was achieved. The difference between heating and L-NAME plateaus was defined as the NO-contribution. Statistical equivalence for each heating phase was determined based on equivalence bounds of ±10%CVC_max for between-group differences.

RESULTS

Pooled (all-regions) %CVC_max responses were equivalent for baseline (two one-sided t-test; p<0.001), heating plateau (p=0.002), L-NAME plateau (p=0.028), and NO-contribution (p=0.003). For individual regions, responses were equivalent at baseline for the abdomen, thigh, and calf, the heating plateau for the thigh, and the L-NAME plateau for the calf (all p<0.05). Conversely, the calf heating plateau was lower in the hypertension group (t-test; p<0.05).

CONCLUSION

Local heat-induced cutaneous vasodilation was statistically equivalent between individuals with uncomplicated, controlled hypertension and non-hypertensive age-matched adults when pooled across multiple skin sites. Conversely, individual between-region comparisons were generally too variable to permit definitive conclusions.

A multi-country test of brief reappraisal interventions on emotions during the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased negative emotions and decreased positive emotions globally. Left unchecked, these emotional changes might have a wide array of adverse impacts. To reduce negative emotions and increase positive emotions, we tested the effectiveness of reappraisal, an emotion-regulation strategy that modifies how one thinks about a situation. Participants from 87 countries and regions (n = 21,644) were randomly assigned to one of two brief reappraisal interventions (reconstrual or repurposing) or one of two control conditions (active or passive). Results revealed that both reappraisal interventions (vesus both control conditions) consistently reduced negative emotions and increased positive emotions across different measures. Reconstrual and repurposing interventions had similar effects. Importantly, planned exploratory analyses indicated that reappraisal interventions did not reduce intentions to practice preventive health behaviours. The findings demonstrate the viability of creating scalable, low-cost interventions for use around the world. PROTOCOL REGISTRATION: The stage 1 protocol for this Registered Report was accepted in principle on 12 May 2020. The protocol, as accepted by the journal, can be found at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.4878591.v1.

Regional variation in nitric oxide-dependent cutaneous vasodilatation during local heating in young adults

NEW FINDINGS

What is the central question of this study? Are regional differences in nitric oxide (NO)-dependent cutaneous vasodilatation during local skin heating present in young adults? What is the main finding and its importance? NO-dependent cutaneous vasodilatation varied across the body. The abdomen demonstrated larger NO contributions, while the chest demonstrated smaller NO contributions, compared to other regions. This exploratory work is an important first step in characterizing regional heterogeneity of cutaneous microvascular control across the torso and limbs. Equally, it serves to generate hypotheses for future studies examining regional cutaneous microvascular control in ageing and disease.

ABSTRACT

Regional variations in cutaneous vasodilatation during local skin heating exist across the body. While nitric oxide (NO) is a well-known modulator of this response, the extent of regional differences in NO-dependent cutaneous vasodilatation during local skin heating remains uncertain. In 16 habitually active young adults (8 females; 25 ± 5 years), cutaneous vascular conductance, normalized to maximum vasodilatation (% CVC_max ), was assessed at the upper chest, abdomen, dorsal forearm, thigh and lateral calf during local skin heating. Across all regions, local skin temperatures were simultaneously increased from 33 to 42°C (1°C per 10 s), and held until a stable heating plateau was achieved (∼40 min). Next, with local skin temperature maintained at 42°C, 20 mM of N^G -nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (l-NAME) was continuously infused at each site until a stable l-NAME plateau was achieved (∼40 min). The difference between heating and l-NAME plateaus was identified as the NO contribution for each region. There was no evidence for region-specific responses at baseline (P = 0.561), the heating plateau (P = 0.351) or l-NAME plateau (P = 0.082), but there was for the NO contribution (P = 0.048). Overall, point estimates for between-region differences in the NO contribution varied across the body from 0 to 19% CVC_max . The greatest effects were observed for the abdomen, wherein the NO contribution was consistently greater than for the other regions (range: 9-19% CVC_max ). The chest was consistently lower than the other regions (range: 7-19% CVC_max ). The smallest effects were observed between limb regions (range: 0-2% CVC_max ). These findings advance our understanding of the mechanisms influencing regional variations in the cutaneous vasodilator response to local skin heating in young adults.