Targeting Next Generations to Change the Common Practice of Underpowered Research

Enhancing and advancing the understanding and study of dreaming and memory consolidation: Reflections, challenges, theoretical clarity, and methodological considerations

Empirical investigations that search for a link between dreaming and sleep-dependent memory consolidation have focused on testing for an association between dreaming of what was learned, and improved memory performance for learned material. Empirical support for this is mixed, perhaps owing to the inherent challenges presented by the nature of dreams, and methodological inconsistencies. The purpose of this paper is to address critically prevalent assumptions and practices, with the aim of clarifying and enhancing research on this topic, chiefly by providing a theoretical synthesis of existing models and evidence. Also, it recommends the method of Targeted Memory Reactivation (TMR) as a means for investigating if dream content can be linked to specific cued activations. Other recommendations to enhance research practice and enquiry on this subject are also provided, focusing on the HOW and WHY we search for memory sources in dreams, and what purpose (if any) they might serve.

Statistical Fragility Analysis of Open Reduction Internal Fixation vs Primary Arthrodesis to Treat Lisfranc Injuries: A Systematic Review

BACKGROUND

There is a lack of consensus in the use of open reduction internal fixation (ORIF) vs primary arthrodesis (PA) in the management of Lisfranc injuries. Statistical fragility represents the number of events needed to flip statistical significance and provides context to interpret P values of outcomes from conflicting studies. The current study evaluates the statistical fragility of existing research with an outcome-specific approach to provide statistical clarity to the ORIF vs PA discussion. We hypothesized that statistical fragility analysis would offer clinically relevant insight when interpreting conflicting outcomes regarding ORIF vs PA management of Lisfranc injuries.

METHODS

All comparative studies, RCTs, and case-series investigating ORIF vs PA management of Lisfranc injuries published through October 5, 2023, were identified. Descriptive characteristics, dichotomous outcomes, and continuous outcomes were extracted. Fragility index and continuous fragility index were calculated by the number of event reversals needed to alter significance. Outcomes were categorized by clinical relevance, and median FI and CFI were reported.

RESULTS

A total of 244 studies were screened. Ten studies and 67 outcomes (44 dichotomous, 23 continuous) were included in the fragility analysis. Of the 10 studies, 4 studies claimed PA to correlate with superior outcomes compared to ORIF with regard to functional scores and return to function outcomes. Of these 4 studies, 3 were statistically robust. Six studies claimed PA and ORIF to have no differences in outcomes, in which only 2 studies were statistically robust.

CONCLUSION

The overall research regarding ORIF vs PA is relatively robust compared with other orthopaedic areas of controversy. Although the full statistical context of each article must be considered, studies supporting PA superiority with regard to functional scores and return to function metrics were found to be statistically robust. Outcome-specific analysis revealed moderate fragility in several clinically relevant outcomes such as functional score, return to function, and wound complications.

Journal N-Pact Factors From 2011 to 2019: Evaluating the Quality of Social/Personality Journals With Respect to Sample Size and Statistical Power

Scholars and institutions commonly use impact factors to evaluate the quality of empirical research. However, a number of findings published in journals with high impact factors have failed to replicate, suggesting that impact alone may not be an accurate indicator of quality. Fraley and Vazire proposed an alternative index, the N-pact factor, which indexes the median sample size of published studies, providing a narrow but relevant indicator of research quality. In the present research, we expand on the original report by examining the N-pact factor of social/personality-psychology journals between 2011 and 2019, incorporating additional journals and accounting for study design (i.e., between persons, repeated measures, and mixed). There was substantial variation in the sample sizes used in studies published in different journals. Journals that emphasized personality processes and individual differences had larger N-pact factors than journals that emphasized social-psychological processes. Moreover, N-pact factors were largely independent of traditional markers of impact. Although the majority of journals in 2011 published studies that were not well powered to detect an effect of ρ = .20, this situation had improved considerably by 2019. In 2019, eight of the nine journals we sampled published studies that were, on average, powered at 80% or higher to detect such an effect. After decades of unheeded warnings from methodologists about the dangers of small-sample designs, the field of social/personality psychology has begun to use larger samples. We hope the N-pact factor will be supplemented by other indices that can be used as alternatives to improve further the evaluation of research.

How far can I reach? The perception of upper body action capabilities in Parkinson's disease

Successful interaction within the environment is contingent upon one’s ability to accurately perceive the extent over which they can successfully perform actions, known as action boundaries. Healthy young adults are accurate in estimating their action boundaries and can flexibly update them to accommodate stable changes in their action capabilities. However, there are conditions in which motor abilities are subject to variability over time such as in Parkinson’s disease (PD). PD impairs the ability to perform actions and can lead to variability in perceptual-motor experience, but the effect on the perceptions of their action boundaries remains unknown. This study investigated the influence of altered perceptual-motor experience during PD, on the perceptions of action boundaries for reaching, grasping, and aperture passing. Thirty participants with mild-to-moderate idiopathic PD and 26 healthy older adults provided estimates of their reaching, grasping, and aperture-passing ability. Participants’ estimates were compared with their actual capabilities. There was no evidence that individuals with PD’s perceptions were less accurate than those of healthy controls. Furthermore, there was some evidence for more conservative estimates than seen in young healthy adults in reaching (both groups) and aperture passing (PD group). This suggests that the ability to judge action capabilities is preserved in mild to moderate PD.

Sample Size Calculation in Medical Research: A Primer

Quality of research is determined by many factors and one such climacteric factor is sample size. Inability to use correct sample size in study might lead to fallacious results in the form of rejection of true findings or approval of false results. Too large sample size is wastage of resources and use of too small sample size might fail to answer the research question or provide imprecise results and may question the validity of study. Despite being such a paramount aspect of research, the knowledge about sample size calculation is sparse among researchers. Why is it important to calculate sample size; when to calculate it; how to calculate it and what details about sample size calculation should be reported in research protocols or articles; are the lesser known basics to majority of researchers. The present review is directed to address these aforementioned fundamentals about sample size. Sample size should be calculated during the initial phase of planning of study. Several components are required for sample size calculation such as effect size, type-1 error, type-2 error, and variance. Researchers must be aware that there are different formulas for calculating sample size for different types of study designs. The researcher must include details about sample size calculation in the methodology section, so that it can be justified and it also adds to the transparency of the study. The literature about calculation of sample size for different study designs is scattered over many textbooks and journals. Scrupulous literature search was conducted to find the passable information for this review. This paper presents the sample size calculation formulas in a single review in a simplified manner with relevant examples, so that researchers may adequately use them in their research.

Ethical Consistency and Experience: An Attempt to Influence Researcher Attitudes Toward Questionable Research Practices Through Reading Prompts

Over the past couple of decades, the apparent widespread occurrence of Questionable Research Practices (QRPs) in scientific research has been widely discussed in the research ethics literature as a source of concern. Various ways of reducing their use have been proposed and implemented, ranging from improved training and incentives for adopting best practices to systematic reforms. This article reports on the results of two studies that investigated the efficacy of simple, psychological interventions aimed at changing researcher attitudes toward QRPs. While the interventions did not significantly modify researchers’ reactions to QRPs, they showed differential efficacy depending on scientists’ experience, suggesting complexities in researcher psychology and the ethics of QRPs that merit further study.

Good practice in food-related neuroimaging

The use of neuroimaging tools, especially functional magnetic resonance imaging, in nutritional research has increased substantially over the past 2 decades. Neuroimaging is a research tool with great potential impact on the field of nutrition, but to achieve that potential, appropriate use of techniques and interpretation of neuroimaging results is necessary. In this article, we present guidelines for good methodological practice in functional magnetic resonance imaging studies and flag specific limitations in the hope of helping researchers to make the most of neuroimaging tools and avoid potential pitfalls. We highlight specific considerations for food-related studies, such as how to adjust statistically for common confounders, like, for example, hunger state, menstrual phase, and BMI, as well as how to optimally match different types of food stimuli. Finally, we summarize current research needs and future directions, such as the use of prospective designs and more realistic paradigms for studying eating behavior.

Collections2: Using “Crowdsourcing” within Psychological Research

“Crowdsourcing” is a methodological approach in which several researchers coordinate their resources to achieve research goals that would otherwise be difficult to attain individually. This article introduces a Nexus—a collection of empirical and theoretical articles that will be published in Collabra: Psychology—that is intended to encourage more crowdsourced research in psychological science by providing a specific outlet for such projects and by assisting researchers in developing and executing their projects. We describe how individuals can propose and lead a crowdsourced research project, how individuals can contribute to other ongoing projects, and other ways to contribute to this Nexus. Ultimately, we hope this Nexus will contain a set of highly-informative articles that demonstrate the flexibility and range of the types of research questions that can be addressed with crowdsourced research methods.