Methodological Issues Research Articles

Excess Mortality Calculations to Assess the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Concepts and Methodological Issues.

We discuss some intriguing methodological aspects of excess mortality analyses, which have been widely used to describe the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. We describe the main ways of presenting excess mortality: as a mortality rate (incidence rate) or as a percentage increase (relative risk or rate ratio). We discuss what should be regarded as the null value of excess mortality (i.e., when countries or regions can be judged as having fared equally well) and when age and sex standardization, adjustment for other determinants of the spread of a pandemic, or both is necessary. We discuss the level of detail by time and place and person that may be necessary. We note that an excess mortality comparison is essentially a difference-in-differences analysis. We conclude that, although one cannot rule out using excess mortality analyses for causal effect estimates, such analyses will remain most fruitful for generating hypotheses about both the efficiency of measures to curtail the pandemic and factors that cannot be influenced. Nevertheless, a judicious use of arguments and counterarguments can then lead to identifying best practices for various situations. (Am J Public Health. 2024;114(6):593-598. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2024.307572).

Reporting Quality and Risk of Bias Analysis of Published RCTs Assessing Anti-CGRP Monoclonal Antibodies in Migraine Prophylaxis: A Systematic Review.

Objective: Phase II/III randomized clinical trials (RCTs) are vulnerable to many types of bias beyond randomization. Insights into the reporting quality of RCTs involving migraine patients treated with monoclonal antibodies targeting the calcitonin gene-related peptide system (anti-CGRP MAbs) are currently lacking. Our aim was to analyze the reporting quality of phase II/III RCTs involving migraine patients treated with anti-CGRP MAbs. Methods: A systematic search was performed on the PubMed and EMBASE databases, according to PRISMA guidelines, for relevant RCTs in either episodic or chronic migraine prevention. Additionally, an adapted version of the 2010 CONSORT statement checklist was utilized. The ROBvis online tool was used to document the risk of bias. Results: From the initially identified 179 articles, we finally found 31 RCTs that were eligible for evaluation. The average CONSORT compliance was 88.7% (69.7-100%), while 93.5% (N = 29) of the articles had a compliance greater than 75%. Twenty-eight CONSORT items were reported in more than 75% of the articles. The average compliance of the analyzed RCTs was 93.9% for Galcanezumab, 91.3% for Fremanezumab, followed by 85.4% for Erenumab and Eptinezumab studies. Implementation of the ROB2 tool showed some concerning "missing information" arising from the inadequate reporting. Specifically, 50% of the studies (N = 16) were categorized as having inadequate information regarding the randomization process. Conclusions: Adequate reporting quality was disclosed in the evaluated RCTs with anti-CGRP MAbs in migraine prevention. However, some methodological issues need to be highlighted to be addressed in future studies assessing the efficacy of new molecules targeting CGRP or other candidate pathways implicated in migraine pathophysiology.

SOME METHODS OF SHAPING OF THE RHETORICAL SPEECH GENRES IN THE LANGUAGE CONSCIOUSNESS OF INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL STUDENTS ON THE RUSSIAN CLASSES

The article analyzes the issues of methodology of training Russian language of international students in medical educational programs. Special attention is paid to the role of text as an effective learning tool, which is an important aspect of this field of work. The text is considered in the context of the communicative method and represents the result of speech activity and oral reproduction of speech in situations where different speech genres are used. The research focuses on the importance of including rhetorical speech genres in the foreign linguistic training of Russian language of the first and second year medical students in Kokshetau Shokan Ualikhanov University. The authors suggest that this approach contributes to successful communication in educational and future professional spheres. Modern speech genres for foreign language students are presented. The subject matter of these genres is determined by the peculiarities of students' linguistic picture of the world. In the process of transition from the first to the second year of study the main components of speech genres in the student's linguistic consciousness were revealed. The results of the comparison of the peculiarities of the use of rhetorical speech genres by international students of Medicine School in the educational and professional spheres at the initial stage of activity are also presented. Key words: speech genre, rhetorical genre, text, discourse, model, training content.

The impact of health on labour market outcomes: A rapid systematic review

The relationship between an individual's health and their labour market outcomes has long been a subject of health economics research. This review aims to provide an up-to-date, global review of the substantive findings in the existing literature. We pay particular attention to causal effects, acknowledging the methodological complexities that have long challenged the research and emphasizing the importance of overcoming them to present robust, policy-relevant evidence. The recent literature shows a notable advancement in addressing these methodological issues compared to previous work.The evidence reviewed suggests that individuals with better health overwhelmingly exhibit higher earnings and often enhanced labour supply. These findings extend beyond geographical boundaries, as evidence from diverse regions underscores the global significance of this association. The review covers evidence from a wide range of health indicators and conditions – including e.g. self-reported health, chronic diseases, disability, nutritional health, infections, mental health, addictions and others. Within and across the different health domains, the health-related factors exert varying degrees of influence on labour market outcomes, highlighting the multifaceted nature of the health-labour relationship and its potentially profound implications for individuals, communities, and economies.

Price Setting Behaviour of Pakistani Firms: Evidence from Four Industrial Cities of Punjab

Macroeconomic research has mostly been focused on investigating micro foundations of the theory and transmission channels of policy ever since rational expectations have found place in the literature. It was in the 1990s that macroeconomists started working on models incorporating the assumption of nominal rigidity in the optimal behaviour of individuals and firms. These models have gained empirical support from both aggregate as well as firm-level data. The evidence for developing countries on the issue is limited and Pakistan is no exception. This study aims at investigating the price setting behaviour of Pakistani firms. Besides this, the potential effects of changes in financial cost on the overall pricing and production decisions have also been investigated. Pakistani firms perceive themselves to be operating in a competitive environment though most of their clientele is regular. The majority of the firms use current information while reviewing prices. Around 70 percent of the firms use either a state-dependent pricing rule or a combination of both time and state-dependent rules. Pakistani firms revise and change their prices usually in the months of June and July. The main determinants of change in the price level are the cost of raw material, energy and inflation. The competitors’ price generally figures in price decrease. Among the causes of price stickiness, implicit contract with the customers is at the top; the fixed term contract comes next. Most of the firms change their wage structure annually. About half of the firms index their workers’ wages to inflation and for the purpose refer to the earlier inflation rate. On the whole labour productivity and changes in inflation rate are observed as the main determinants of wage change. 1. INTRODUCTION Ever since rational expectations nave found place in the literature much of the research in the area of macroeconomics has been focused on investigating micro foundations of macroeconomic theory and transmission channels of policy. Macroeconomists started working on macro models in the 1990s incorporating the assumption of nominal rigidity with explicit modelling of optimal behaviour of individuals and firms, [see for instance, Rotemberg and Woodford (1997); McCallum and Nelson (1999); Woodford (2003)]. These models incorporate various forms of price and wage rigidities making monetary policy effective, though only in the short run. More recently these models have gained empirical support1 from both aggregate as well as firm-level data. In this regard micro-level evidence is more convincing since aggregated data may depend on the assumptions used and methodology employed, whereas micro level research offers direct evidence. For instance, micro level data directly investigates the price-setting behaviour of firms. Some studies in the literature on the price setting behaviour of the firms investigate the issue by collecting data from a particular sector of the economy or a group of firms [e.g. Kashyap (1995); Dutta, et al. (1999); Copaciu (2004)]. Another strand of literature, with the pioneer work of Blinder (1991), uses a survey-based approach to investigate various aspects of price stickiness. These studies have an added advantage as they allow additional insights and permit a clear ranking of the causes and patterns of price stickiness. Hall, et al. (1997) extended Blinder’s work for UK firms. Similarly Apel, et al. (2005) investigated the price setting behaviour of Swedish firms and Fabiani, et al. (2004) did the same for Italian firms. A number of survey-based studies conducted within the Eurosystem’s Inflation Persistence Network used this approach. A limited number of studies are also available that focus on developing countries. Studies in Pakistan have little micro level focus which this study as the first attempt to deal with the firms’ price setting behaviour aims to do. Besides this, the potential effects of changes in financial cost on the overall pricing and production decisions have also been investigated. Moreover this study is different from others in that data has been collected through enumerators and field investigators instead of mailing questionnaires to respondents. The study mainly focuses on four issues. First, the type of pricing rule; whether it is state-dependent or time-dependent? Second, what type of information (past, current or future forecast) is used for price calculations and, what is the frequency and size of the average price change. Third, it deals with different theories of price stickiness by investigating the determinants. The wage setting behaviour, which has certain implications for the effectiveness of monetary policy, is the fourth area the study deals with. The study proceeds as follows: Section 2 highlights the methodological issues. Section 3 outlines the main characteristics of the market. Section 4 deals with the price setting behaviour while Section 5 highlights determinants of price change and causes of price stickiness. The wage setting behaviour is investigated in Section 6 and Section 7 concludes the study.

Is there evidence for factorial invariance of the COVID Stress Scales? an analysis of North American and cross-cultural populations.

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted the mental health of more citizens globally than any previous modern viral outbreak. In response to the psychological challenges associated with COVID-19, the COVID Stress Scales (CSS) were developed to assess the presence and severity of COVID-related distress. The initial North American validation study of the CSS identified that the scale comprised five factors: danger and contamination fears, fear of socioeconomic consequences, xenophobia, checking and reassurance seeking, and traumatic stress symptoms. The CSS have since been validated across a multitude of international populations. However, findings support a five- and six-factor model. Methodological issues make interpreting most studies supporting a five-factor model challenging. The purpose of this study was to re-evaluate the factor structure of the CSS using data from North American samples, to assess for potential factorial invariance, and compare these results to cross-cultural findings. Multiple confirmatory factor analyses (mCFA) were conducted across 28 different groups (e.g., age, ethnicity/race, sex) from two large independent North American samples from 2020 (n = 6827) and 2021 (n = 5787), assessing the fit indices of the five-, six-, and alternative-factor model of the CSS. The current results provide evidence for factorial invariance of the six-factor model of the CSS across different North American demographics and highlight potential challenges in interpreting the results of studies that have supported a five-factor model of the CSS.

Methods for Including Adverse Events in Economic Evaluations: Suggestions for Improvement

ObjectiveInclusion of relevant effectiveness and safety outcomes in economic evaluation of health technologies is required to aid efficient healthcare decisions. Our objective was to identify the key issues related to the inclusion of adverse events (AEs) in economic evaluation and explore perspectives for good practice recommendations to handle these issues. MethodsWe focused on the frequently encountered methodological issues related to the integration of AEs in economic evaluations of health technologies. We distinguished the following elements: the incorporation of AEs in decision models, the terminology of AEs, the estimation of AEs consequences in terms of quality of life (QoL) and costs, and the exploration of the uncertainty related to the impact of AEs on the economic results. ResultsWe illustrated and discussed each of the identified issues by giving health technology assessment examples. We focused on the extent to which the integration of AEs in decision models can be improved by dealing with the lack of relevant real-world safety data, estimating the consequences of AEs (eg, for costs and QoL loss), exploring the impacts of AEs that are not adequately captured in current measurement of health-related QoL, and identifying the need for development of a good terminology of relevant types of AEs to be incorporated in economic evaluation. ConclusionBased on a reflection the key methodological issues related to the incorporation of adverse drug events in economic evaluations, we suggested several recommendations to serve a starting point for health technology assessment agencies and researchers to develop good research practices in this field.

Producing Altered States of Consciousness, Reducing Substance Misuse: A Review of Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy, Transcendental Meditation and Hypnotherapy

A set of interventions that can produce altered states of consciousness (ASC) have shown utility in the treatment of substance misuse. In this review, we examine addiction-related outcomes associated with three common interventions that produce ASCs: psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy (PP), Transcendental Meditation (TM) and hypnotherapy (HT). While procedurally distinct, all three interventions are associated with some common phenomenological, psychological, and neurobiological features, indicating some possible convergent mechanisms of action. Along with addiction and mental health outcomes, these common features are reviewed, and their impact on substance misuse is discussed. While our review highlights some mixed findings and methodological issues, results indicate that PP and TM are associated with significant improvements in substance misuse, alongside improvements in emotional, cognitive and social functioning, behavior-change motivation, sense of self-identity, and meaning. In contrast, and despite its broader acceptance, HT has been associated with mixed and minimal results with respect to substance misuse treatment. Authors identify key research gaps in the role of ASC interventions in addiction and outline a set of promising future research directions.

Теоретико-правові аспекти конституційних норм у системі правового регулювання

The article covers one of the pressing theoretical and methodological issues of jurisprudence regarding the role of constitutional law in the system of legal regulation. Using the method of system analysis, the author examines legal regulation, the system of legal regulation, and the legal regulation mechanism. Legal regulation, i.e., the impact on social relations through legal means, is one of the properties of the legal system. The system of legal regulation features simultaneously the integrity, stability and dynamism. The stabilizing role of the system of legal regulation is ensured by the relevant rules of constitutional law, i.e. principles, definitions, and conflict of laws. These rules promote compatibility of the legal regulation system elements, ensure the required completeness of legal regulation, sufficient to regulate important social relations, and legalize the development strategy. The fact that the legal regulation system features the quality of stability does not mean that the system is rigid and not object to change. Dynamism means that the system of legal regulation is in motion, changes its characteristics, loses some elements and acquires others. Such transformations do not affect the stability; they are manifested in a change in the interaction patterns between elements. The rules of the constitutional law, which add dynamism to the system of legal regulation, constitute the rules of behavior; they represent specific regulation. The classification of these rules is based on the main elements of the legal regulation system: a single object of legal regulation; a single method of legal regulation; and the process of regulation. The importance of the role of constitutional and legal rules in the system of legal regulation is highlighted by the analysis of substantive and procedural rules. The rules of the constitutional law contribute to the stability of the legal regulation system, and add dynamism to the system, ensuring the ability of the system to adapt to the performance of various tasks and functions.

The longitudinal association of adverse events and working memory among preschoolers: A random-intercept cross-lag analysis.

Past research examining the relation between adversity and working memory (WM) has found mixed results and has been limited by methodological issues (e.g., cross-sectional studies, limited measurement of adversity). The present study examined how adverse life events may impact WM among preschoolers who live in financially underresourced families and communities longitudinally over the course of 1 year. The sample included 325 children (aged 3-5 at baseline), recruited because of their increased risk of exposure to high levels of adversity, and their primary caregivers. Children completed WM tasks and caregivers reported on their child's exposure to adverse events in the past 6 months across three time points, each time point occurring 6 months apart. Associations between adverse life events and WM over time were explored using a random-intercept cross-lagged panel model. No relations between preschoolers' adverse event exposure and WM (B = 0.05-0.75, p = .056-.764) were found across the three time points. Results indicated that at the individual level, when controlling for stable covariates, frequency of adverse life event exposure and WM abilities were unrelated to subsequent frequency of adverse event exposure and WM abilities. Findings suggest that WM may continue to develop typically, in the preschool years, despite exposure to adverse life events. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

The Relationship between Executive Functions and Body Weight: Sex as a Moderating Variable.

This study explores the interplay between executive functions and body weight, examining both the influence of biological factors, specifically sex, and methodological issues, such as the choice between Body Mass Index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) as the primary anthropometric measure. A total of 386 participants (222 females, mean age = 45.98 years, SD = 17.70) were enrolled, from whom sociodemographic (sex, age, years of formal education) and anthropometric (BMI and WC) data were collected. Executive functions were evaluated using the Frontal Assessment Battery-15 (FAB15). The results showed the increased effectiveness of WC over BMI in examining the relationships between executive functions, sex differences, and body weight. In particular, this study revealed that there was a significant moderating effect of sex at comparable levels of executive functioning. Specifically, women with higher executive performance had lower WCs than their male counterparts, suggesting that executive function has a greater impact on WC in women than in men. Our findings highlight the importance of conducting more in-depth investigations of the complex relationship between cognitive deficits and weight gain, considering confounding variables of behavioral, psychobiological, and neurophysiological origin.

Uses of interpersonal touch in educational settings: A methodological commentary

Touch is a primordial resource for interaction and for managing social relations, something that quite literally connects us with other human beings. This discussion paper approaches the articles in this special issue from a methodological perspective by reflecting on analytical challenges and possibilities in investigating interpersonal touch in educational encounters. It will briefly outline relevant methodological issues and transcription-related concerns in approaching interpersonal touch from a multimodal and sensorial research perspective. Key ideas in the empirical articles are then discussed with a view to what kinds of insights the articles in the special issue generate for future studies of interpersonal touch in educational settings.

Self-Esteem in Adults With ADHD Using the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale: A Systematic Review

Objective: To summarize and analyze recent articles investigating self-esteem in adults with ADHD, focusing on the impact of demographic and clinical characteristics, and methodological issues. Method: Following PRISMA guidelines, a systematic search for literature published between 2010 and 2022 was conducted in the Web of Science, Ovid, Pubmed, and EBSCO databases. Results: Eleven studies met inclusion criteria. Five of the six studies including healthy controls reported lower self-esteem in participants with ADHD. ADHD symptoms correlated negatively with self-esteem. Gender differences were not observed. Self-esteem mediated several outcomes associated with ADHD. There was a lack of studies that examined potential mechanisms behind the reduced self-esteem, and studies controlling for confounding variables. Conclusion: A robust association between ADHD and low self-esteem in adults emerged, but the lack of control of confounding variables is critical to consider when interpreting the findings. Longitudinal studies addressing the limitations of the current studies are needed.

Historical Musicology and Digital Archives in Portugal: possibilities and challenges. The musical archives from the Monastery of Arouca and the Casa de Bragança Library-Museum: some methodological issues about the construction of a digital archive

O relevo da tecnologia digital nas Humanidades não precisa de ser sublinhado, tão vastas se revelam as possibilidades trazidas pelas ferramentas digitais na conservação, no processamento e no acesso em larga escala às mais variadas fontes de informação. Também na Musicologia Histórica se tem feito sentir de modo profundo o impacto do mundo digital, particularmente visível na multiplicação de bases de dados, seja na catalogação de repertórios específicos ou fundos documentais localizados, seja mesmo com a incorporação de recursos relacionados com a codificação da notação musical. No processo de construção das plataformas para a catalogação das fontes musicais, as questões metodológicas são fulcrais, de modo a que os dados acumulados permitam distintos níveis de utilização e produção acrescida de conhecimento, potenciando a interoperacionalidade entre sistemas digitais. A diversidade das fontes consideradas (nos planos temporal, do suporte material, dos conteúdos, da destinação, da conservação, etc.) suscita dificuldades. A isto acresce, por outro lado, a multidisciplinaridade envolvida na descrição destes materiais, englobando várias áreas de especialidade: musicologia, paleografia, codicologia, liturgia, história da arte, entre outras. São ainda escassos, todavia, os estudos sobre a catalogação de fontes musicais, faltando critérios normalizados, sejam eles de cariz musicológico, bibliográfico ou arquivístico. Este artigo considera, como estudos de caso, dois arquivos digitais de fundos musicais: “Acervo histórico do Mosteiro de Arouca – Catálogo” e o “Catálogo do Arquivo Musical do Museu-Biblioteca da Casa de Bragança”, procurando apresentar algumas das coordenadas metodológicas que têm orientado a construção destas bases.

Life cycle assessment of citrus tree nurseries in Uruguay: Are their environmental impacts relevant?

Perennial fruit production at the commercial scale, such as citrus fruits, begins with seedling production in a nursery. This stage lasts several months and involves different phases and the use of substrates and infrastructure. As the seedling does not produce fruit but does consume inputs, studying the environmental impacts associated with this stage becomes relevant, especially to understand its contribution to the total impact of the crop cycle. Despite the global relevance of fruit tree seedlings production, LCA studies in the literature focus on horticultural crop nurseries, and those on perennial tree nurseries do not consider both substrate and structures in the analysis, which is key for this type of crop since the main production system is soilless production in greenhouses. Thus, the main goal of this study is to quantify the environmental impacts related to the production of citrus fruit tree seedlings using LCA, analyse the main production system applied nowadays, and study its relevance with respect to the crop cycle. To this end, a certified Uruguayan citrus nursery was analysed, from which primary data was obtained. As well, methodological issues concerning water consumption and modelling emissions from input applications in soilless greenhouse systems are tackled. Results show that the main hotspots of the nursery stage are infrastructure production and peat transportation, which highlights the relevance of their inclusion when modelling the system. Extending the lifespan of the galvanised steel structures and decreasing substrate transport distances are shown to be effective measures to reduce environmental impacts. The contribution of the nursery stage to the citrus production cycle is negligible for almost all the impact categories assessed except cancer human toxicity, as it accounts for 0–3.6% of the impacts depending on the impact category. Great differences (from 10 to 400 times higher results on average) are observed when comparing the results with those from commercial databases, as they consider open-field nurseries where seedlings are grown in the soil. The need to develop harmonised methods to model water consumption and fertiliser and pesticide emissions for soilless crops in greenhouses arises. The present study presents a complete quantification of the environmental impacts of the main production system of citrus fruit tree seedlings and provides scientific and quantitative evidence of its contribution to the production cycle, helping decision-makers understand where efforts should be focused to achieve a more sustainable fruticulture.

Familism attitudes, behaviors, and adjustment during adolescence

AbstractIn the past two decades in the United States, research has surged on familism, a multidimensional construct encompassing attitudes and behaviors related to strong attachment, identification, and obligation to the family. In this article, we define familism and argue that it is a crucial way for adolescents to contribute to their social world and achieve a sense of role fulfillment. We also present examples from key studies highlighting the advantages and potential challenges of familism for adolescent adjustment. Lastly, we discuss conceptual and methodological issues to advance the study of familism.

Transparency and nudging: an overview and methodological critique of empirical investigations

Abstract Transparency is intimately linked to debates about the ethics, political legitimacy and effectiveness of nudging. This paper provides an overview of empirical studies investigating how changes in the transparency of a nudge affect people's choices and evaluations of the nudge. I conclude that the present literature provides generally consistent evidence supporting that the effectiveness of a nudge does not decrease when choosers are given good opportunity to detect and understand the influence it might have on their choices. However, several conceptual and methodological issues are identified, significantly limiting the scope of the conclusions that can be drawn. The limitations are discussed and organized into six themes, with recommendations provided for how future research may address them.

Apmąstant pasaką: nuo asmenybės iki šiuolaikinės visuomenės etnografiniame tyrime

In Lithuania, research on folktales from an anthropological perspective is a new topic. This article aims broaden the research on traditional folktales. It highlights the methodological issues of ethnographic research of folktales as cultural heritage, and seeks to answer how ethnographic research of folktales could reveal the human phenomenon and the contexts that surround folktales. It examines the primary outcomes of ethnographic fieldwork: attitudes towards tales and perceptions of the tradition of storytelling, the role of context in defining the meaning of a tale, and the individual’s relationship to the tale, reflecting issues of interrelationship, community and identity.

Causal clauses as source of sentential complementation: cross-linguistic evidence and methodological issues

Abstract In many languages, causal clause markers can also function as – or are formally identical to – complement markers (e.g., Bulgarian če, Twi se, or Latin quod). This isomorphism is often explained as the result of independent developments from a common source (interrogatives, relativizers, etc.). By contrast, it is also frequently accepted that in some cases the aforementioned identity originates in a type of structural change by which causal clauses are eventually reanalysed as factive complements. However, the nature of the proposed CAUSE > COMPLEMENT development, involving both semantic adjustments and syntactic integration, is not yet fully understood, and it remains unclear how recurrent this phenomenon might be from a cross-linguistic perspective. This article aims to shed light on these questions by analysing diachronic and cross-linguistic data and assessing some of the evidence given for the development of complementation from causal adverbial clauses. The observations reveal significant documentation gaps for postulated models of the emergence of complement clauses and highlight methodological issues that qualify previous explanations about the diachronic relationship between causal and complement clauses.

TDCS over PPC or DLPFC does not improve visual working memory capacity

Non-invasive brain stimulation has been highlighted as a possible intervention to induce cognitive benefits, including on visual working memory (VWM). However, findings are inconsistent, possibly due to methodological issues. A recent high-profile study by Wang et al.1 reported that anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over posterior parietal cortex (PPC), but not over dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), selectively improved VWM capacity but not precision, especially at a high VWM load. Thus, in the current pre-registered conceptual replication study, we accounted for the key potential methodological issues in the original study and tested an adequate number of participants required to demonstrate the previously reported effects (n = 48 compared to n = 20). Participants underwent counterbalanced PPC, DLPFC and sham stimulation before completing 360 trials of a continuous orientation-reproduction task with a slight variation of task stimuli and setup. We found no evidence for the selective effect of PPC stimulation. Instead, our results showed that tDCS effects were absent regardless of stimulation region and VWM load, which was largely supported by substantial to strong Bayesian evidence. Therefore, our results challenge previously reported benefits of single-session anodal PPC-tDCS on VWM.