Psychological Research Research Articles

Greater attention to socioeconomic status in developmental research can improve the external validity, generalizability, and replicability of developmental science.

Psychological researchers have been criticized for making broad presumptions about human behavior based on limited sampling. In part, presumptive generalizability is reflected in the limited representation of sociodemographic variation in research reports. In this analysis, we examine time-trends in reporting of a key sociodemographic construct relevant to many aspects of child development-socioeconomic status (SES)-across six mainstream developmental journals (Infancy, Child Development, Developmental Science, Developmental Psychology, Infant and Child Development, and Infant Behavior & Development) between 2016 and 2022. Findings point to limited reporting of SES across developmental journals and across time. Reporting rates varied significantly by region and by topic of development. In terms of specific indicators of SES, there was consistent use of income and caregiver education as SES indicators. The epistemic costs of the lack of integration of socio-economic factors in developmental research are addressed. Pathways to greater integration of SES are proposed. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: We analyzed reporting and representation of socioeconomic status in published studies on early child development. A large proportion of published studies did not report any socio-economic information. Suggestions for greater attention to socioeconomic status are proposed.

Exploring the Role of Resilience as a Mediator in Selective Preventive Transdiagnostic Intervention (PROCARE+) for Adolescents at Risk of Emotional Disorders

Abstract: Introduction: Psychological treatments are becoming an increasingly important component of medical healthcare, as a growing number of people seek treatment for a wide range of mental health problems. While these treatments are known to be effective, much remains to be understood about their mechanisms and reasons for effectiveness. The study of statistical mediators is crucial in psychological research, as it is fundamental to understanding how psychological factors influence health, well-being, and human behavior, and thus to designing effective psychological interventions. Aim: This study investigates the role of resilience as a treatment mediator in PROCARE+, a brief transdiagnostic, personalized protocol for the selective prevention of emotional disorders in adolescents. This approach has proven effective for young people at risk of developing emotional issues. Method: We used simple mediation models in a sample of 153 adolescents to assess the impact of interventions on resilience. Outcome variables included self-reported and parent-reported emotional risk, mood, anxiety symptoms, and quality of life. Discussion: The results of this study provide valuable information on how PROCARE+ works and how to improve its effectiveness, pointing to resilience as a key mediator in reducing the risk of developing emotional disorders and improving quality of life.

Exposures for anxiety: A survey of practicing school psychologists

AbstractDespite robust evidence supporting exposure‐based interventions for anxiety disorders in youth, these treatments are often underutilized, implemented with low fidelity, and delivered in an unnecessarily cautious manner. Few studies have examined important implementation variables (e.g., knowledge, training, perceptions) related to using exposures in schools. A national sample of school psychologists (N = 318) working in K‐12 public schools reported on their knowledge, training, perceptions, confidence, and use regarding exposures. Over 50% of respondents reported they do not use exposures. Only slightly more than half of the respondents received training in exposures through graduate coursework. Eighty percent endorsed negative beliefs about exposures, with nearly 50% expressing concern about acceptability of the intervention by parents. Barriers to delivering exposures within schools endorsed included inadequate time (79% of sample), training (61%), and access to training materials (51%). Implications for training, practice, and research in school psychology are discussed.

Study of Etiology, Diagnosis and Treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a behavioral- developmental disorder that causes impulsive reactions, learning disorders and excessive physical activities and is associated with some abnormal behaviors. Attention deficit disorder is diagnosed more often in children. However, this disorder has also been observed in adults. Hyperactivity disorder begins around the ages of 2 to 4 years and 3 to 7 percent of children in the world suffer from this disorderو and the prevalence of this disorder in boys is 2 to 9 times higher than in girls. The present research is descriptive-analytical which was done in the form of a library. The tools for collecting information in this research are psychology books, research articles and reputable national and international scientific journals. According to the researches, it can be said that the most important symptoms of this disorder are the inability to concentrate, excessive mobility, and impulsive behaviors. Psychosocial, biological and genetic factors play a major role in the occurrence of this disorder. To treat this disorder, drug therapy is used in the first step, and psychotherapy approaches such as cognitive behavioral therapy, play therapy, and coaching are used in the next step. Research findings show that if this disorder is not treated, it can disrupt the important functions of a person's life, such as family function, social function, and educational function.

The Current Situation, Characteristics and Prospects of the Research on Tennis Theme Literature in China from the Perspective of Artificial Intelligence

With the rapid development of artificial intelligence technology, the function of artificial intelligence to help the high-quality development of sports is increasingly visible, and the continuous, comprehensive and deep integration of artificial intelligence and sports will be an inevitable trend. This paper summarized and analyzed the characteristics of the tennis research theme literature published in the core journals of China from 2012 to 2022 by using the methods of literature and logical induction. The results show that, in the past 10 years, there are problems such as insufficient use of artificial intelligence in technical and tactical statistical analysis, insufficient use in tennis professionalization research, lack of artificial intelligence perspectives in tennis tournament research, and shortage of artificial intelligence use in tennis psychology research. In the future, scientific research on tennis in China should rely on scientific and technological means such as 5G technology, big data technology, computer vision and intelligent wearable devices. etc, cross integrate multidisciplinary knowledge, accurately locate the physical fitness weaknesses of Chinese tennis players, focus on building an intelligent measurement system for tennis players, and scientifically develop a big data platform for tennis skills and tactics; And guided by practical problems, we should focus on exploring intelligent wearable devices suitable for tennis sports programs, and integrating computer vision technology with intelligent wearable devices to achieve complementary advantages and enhance the accuracy and credibility of data collection. And use natural science methods to conduct quantitative analysis to provide scientific solutions for the development of tennis.

Sociocultural Responsive Frameworks to Increase Engagement in Service Systems Through a Peer-to-Peer Model.

Service engagement is critical when working with children and families experiencing chronic adversities because of their socially marginalized status. Further, sociodemographic disparities exist in service engagement within service systems including Community-Based Behavioral Health; likely in part, a result of structural issues driving unresponsive service systems. Despite this knowledge, a large proportion of the family engagement literature continues to be approached through a deficit-based and family-centric lens leaving out important systemic considerations and furthering health inequities. Drawing from a Socio-Ecological Framework (Stokols, 1996), this study focuses on exploring the value of peer support providers (PSPs) to understand how sociocultural responsiveness functions under this service model. Individual interviews and focus group data were collected from both families and PSPs. Thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke in Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77-101, 2006) was utilized to code and synthetize the data collected. Findings highlight the importance of capitalizing on meaningful and trusting relationships to foster family engagement in services. These findings solidify the understanding that family engagement is a function of crucial relationships between family, provider, and systems. This work also illustrates how PSPs organic embodiment of sociocultural responsiveness through cultural humility is an avenue through which family engagement can be sustained.

A behaviour digital twin for residential demand response: Modelling intention and motivation to improve the prediction of the likelihood of reaction to behavioural triggers

Background: Residential demand response is a resource in the evolving energy infrastructure which thus far has not achieved its full potential. Amongst the reasons for this underutilisation is a lack of understanding, and therefore predictability, in relation to the uncertainty of the behaviour of human actors and its potential impact on energy demand side management. Optimal model predictive control of energy assets requires a digital twin to operate, however, most approaches so far are focused predominantly on technical indicators only and neglect the individuality of people and their behaviour in the operation. To fully integrate human led actions into such a system, the digital twin must therefore also provide social and psychological indicators to facilitate better predictability of reactions to demand response triggers. Methods: In the following a behaviour digital twin model will be presented based on the theory of planned behaviour and the self-determination theory, which provide well-established and validated tools to capture indicators of intention and motivation. The key contribution of this work is to operationalise and combine these models into a software tool, which continuously adapts its parameters to the evolving behaviour of users and provides up-to-date predictions. Results: The resulting model predicts the likelihood of each individual to react to appropriate demand response triggers, which can be used in model predictive control involving human actors to optimally select whom to target and when. Conclusions: The presented behaviour digital twin aims at bridging the gap between research in psychology to evaluate and assess drivers of behaviour and innovations in the space of model predictive control to optimally facilitate asset operation in residential settings.

Is it time to move on from ‘Mr Big’? Scenario evidence and the risk of unreliable confessions in Australia

The ‘Mr Big’ method is a non-custodial investigative method used by police forces worldwide. A Mr Big operation involves an undercover operation in which a person suspected of involvement in an indictable offence, is unknowingly drawn into a fictitious criminal enterprise, in order to elicit a confession. There are ample concerns around the use of this method. Consequently, courts around the world have grappled with the admissibility of the confession evidence gathered through this approach. This article will first provide an outline of the Mr Big method. Following this, it will discuss the psychological explanation of associated potential coerced confessions which are unreliable. Additionally, various Australian cases and court rulings on confessions obtained using this approach will be described. This information will then be used, given the concerns indicated by psychological research and foreign court responses, in an attempt to address the question of whether the Mr Big method should have a place within the Australian legal system.

A Survey on Speech Emotion based Music Recommendation System

Psychological research has proven that music can reduce stress, improve mood, and help release “happy” chemicals like oxytocin, serotonin, and dopamine. It's no surprise that music has always been a popular tool in clinics and in the treatment of many ailments, so as people facing mental health issues continue to wander around the world, coping with mental illness is more important than ever. Although music recommendations already exist, they do not have all the scheduling algorithms that take into account the user's needs. Considering that it is undeniable that most people listen to music on a regular basis, music has also been shown to reduce stress, pain, and blood pressure while improving cognition, memory, and sleep quality. The most comprehensive and practical product that sorts all the good music. Our goal is to improve the emotional state of the user by creating a positive feeling based on the recommended music called "Viby".

Development process, clinical utility, and preliminary psychometric evidence of a new tool for screening psychological distress in renal care settings: the Hemodialysis Distress Thermometer (HD-DT)

Objective This study aimed to develop, evaluate the clinical utility, and test the psychometric properties of a new tool – the Hemodialysis Distress Thermometer (HD-DT) – designed to screen self-reported psychological distress and its sources in adults receiving hemodialysis. Methods and Measures Phase 1 focused on the process of developing and evaluating the content validity and clinical utility of the HD-DT using a stepwise mixed-methods approach; in Phase 2, the measurement properties of the European Portuguese version of the HD-DT were tested against reference measures in a cross-sectional study (n = 134 people on hemodialysis); while in Phase 3 the HD-DT was translated and culturally adapted into American English using forward-backward translation and review by a panel of experts. Results Qualitative findings suggested that the HD-DT was perceived by feedback panels as practical and useful for rapidly screening psychological distress in nephrology centers. The European Portuguese version of this new tool showed good test-retest reliability and high diagnostic accuracy using a cutoff point of ≥ 6 for total distress. High convergent validity was found with reference measures that assess psychological health, and symptoms of anxiety and depression. Conclusion This study highlights the potential clinical utility of the HD-DT as an acceptable, reliable, and valid measure that can be used by health psychologists in clinical practice and research in renal care settings. Data collection to validate the American English version of the HD-DT is currently underway.

Advancing the understanding of children's digital engagement: responsive methodologies and ethical considerations in psychological research.

Children's perspectives and experiences with digital media (digital engagement for short) are becoming difficult to observe and measure in today's highly multi-faceted, personalized and dynamic media ecosystem. In response, psychologists are developing a host of innovative methods. These may be broadly divided into those which prioritize children's active participation in research and those which develop techniques for passive observation. This article presents a state-of-the-art review of emerging methodologies to highlight the ethical issues that arise, by drawing on the Belmont principles for ethical research. We identify strengths and weaknesses of both participatory and non-participatory methods and recommend ways for future research to harness the potential of child-centered, responsive, and ethical methods.

From whispers to warriors: Public atmosphere’s role in mobilizing social media users against rumors

Governments and social media platforms strive to combat the spread of online rumors by fostering a positive public atmosphere of rumor combating. However, the effectiveness of this approach remains uncertain, as do the underlying mechanisms through which public atmosphere mobilizes social media users against rumors. Leveraging insights from psychological attachment theory and ethics research, this study aims to examine the mediating mechanisms and boundary conditions for the relationship between public atmosphere and rumor-combating participation (RCP). This empirical study employed a hypothetical scenario method to design two scenarios (i.e., strong vs. weak public atmosphere of rumor combating), and collected 331 valid responses using the MTurk platform. The results provide empirical evidence that public atmosphere significantly facilitates RCP. Moreover, high-level psychological attachment (i.e., identification and internalization) fully mediates the relationship between public atmosphere and RCP, but low-level psychological attachment (i.e., compliance) does not act as a mediator. Further examination of the boundary conditions revealed that moral judgment positively moderates the relationship between public atmosphere and psychological attachment (both high-level and low-level). However, anticipated guilt only exerts a positive moderating influence on the relationship between public atmosphere and low-level psychological attachment. This study provides fresh insights by revealing that public atmosphere can promote RCP by enhancing high-level psychological attachment, while uncovering the distinct moderating roles played by moral cognition and emotion in the process. Therefore, this paper not only advances our theoretical understanding of why and under what conditions public atmosphere influences RCP, but also offers practical insights into strategies for mobilizing social media users to combat rumors.

Testing memory of a VR environment: comparison with the real environment and 2D pictures

In recent years, there has been a growing trend in cognitive psychology research towards recreating experimental situations in virtual reality (VR). VR settings are thought to have higher ecological validity than laboratory settings using digital, two-dimensional (2D) pictures. Some studies have shown cognitive performance in VR settings to follow that of the real world. However, other studies obtained controversial results. The present study tested the memory performance of three groups of participants who were exposed to the same environment (a room) through different modalities: in real life, in VR, and through 2D pictures. The results highlighted that participants who were exposed to the target room in real life had an overall better memory performance, compared to participants who saw the room in VR or through 2D pictures. On the other hand, no differences in memory performance emerged between the VR and 2D picture groups, except for the non-suggestive verbal task. The results suggest that future research should be careful in assuming that performance in VR settings is comparable to real life and that VR is more ecological than traditional 2D media.

Causal relationships in longitudinal observational data: An integrative modeling approach.

Much research in psychology relies on data from observational studies that traditionally do not allow for causal interpretation. However, a range of approaches in statistics and computational sciences have been developed to infer causality from correlational data. Based on conceptual and theoretical considerations on the integration of interventional and time-restrainment notions of causality, we set out to design and empirically test a new approach to identify potential causal factors in longitudinal correlational data. A principled and representative set of simulations and an illustrative application to identify early-life determinants of cognitive development in a large cohort study are presented. The simulation results illustrate the potential but also the limitations for discovering causal factors in observational data. In the illustrative application, plausible candidates for early-life determinants of cognitive abilities in 5-year-old children were identified. Based on these results, we discuss the possibilities of using exploratory causal discovery in psychological research but also highlight its limits and potential misuses and misinterpretations. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Mindfulness, Phenomenology, and Psychological Science.

Most present-day research on mindfulness treats mindfulness as a variable that is studied in relation to other variables. Although this research may provide us with important knowledge at the population level and mechanism level, it contributes little to our understanding of the phenomenon of mindfulness as it is experienced and enacted at the person level. The present paper takes a person-oriented phenomenological perspective on mindfulness, comparing this perspective with that of von Fircks' (2023). In a first part of the paper, mindfulness is discussed as a phenomenological practice that can be studied by means of experimental phenomenology. It is argued that there is room for the development of an immense variety of personalized mindfulness practices that may serve people's health and well-being. The second part of the paper contains a brief discussion of the possible role of mindful observation and reflection in psychological research. It is argued that mindfulness skills may be important both for improving the quality of phenomenological observation and to facilitate creative thinking in connection with the development of psychological theory. A main implication is that an integration between mindfulness and phenomenology may serve as an important part of this process.

Combinational regularity analysis (CORA): An introduction for psychologists.

Increasingly, psychologists make use of modern configurational comparative methods (CCMs), such as qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) and coincidence analysis (CNA), to infer regularity-theoretic causal structures from psychological data. At the same time, existing CCMs remain unable to reveal such structures in the presence of complex effects. Given the strong emphasis configurational methodology generally puts on the notion of complex causation, and the ubiquity of multieffect problems in psychological research, such as multimorbidity and polypharmacy, this limitation is severe. In this article, we introduce psychologists to combinational regularity analysis (CORA)-a new member in the family of CCMs-with which regularity-theoretic causal structures that may include complex effects can be uncovered. To this end, CORA draws on algorithms originally developed in electrical engineering for the analysis of multioutput switching circuits, which regulate the behavior of electrical signals between a set of inputs and a set of outputs. After having situated CORA within the landscape of modern CCMs, we present its technical foundations. Subsequently, we demonstrate the method's analytical and graphical capabilities by means of artificial and empirical data. To facilitate familiarization, we use the concept of the "method game" to compare CORA with QCA and CNA. Through CORA, configurational analyses of complex effects come into the analytical reach of CCMs. CORA thus represents a useful addition to the methodological toolkit of psychologists who want to analyze their data from a configurational perspective. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Psychological analysis of child witness testimony

Purpose of the study: Because children's own perception, memory and expressive powers differ significantly from those of adults, resulting in a difference between child and adult witnesses, the debate on the competence of the child as a witness has shifted to a judgement on the reliability of the child's testimony in the context of the development of psycho-cognitive science. Methodology: The physiological and psychological characteristics of child witnesses determine their deficiencies in the encoding, storage and extraction of memory information, and therefore the reliability of child testimonies is a key and difficult issue. For this reason, this paper uses documentary analysis to further analyse child witness testimony as the focus of the study. Main Findings: A psychological analysis of the multiple factors that affect the reliability of children's testimony. Two conclusions are drawn: 1. Children are in principle competent to testify. The development of children's testimonial competence leads to the conclusion that even very young children can remember events that happened long ago, especially if they already have prior knowledge about them. 2. Practical guidance for improving the truthfulness of the content of child witness statements improves the reliability of child witness testimony. Children can be influenced in a variety of ways to recount detailed and complete accounts of events that did not occur, such that professionals are unable to distinguish between false and truthful accounts. Perhaps the next step is to improve "questioning techniques". Novelty of the study: Correct and reliable witness testimony is key to the investigation and trial process. The importance of child witness testimony has become increasingly apparent in recent years as the number of cases involving children has increased. This issue has previously only been the focus of jurists, and this study analyses it from a psychological perspective, laying the groundwork for subsequent research in law and psychology.

Соотношение Мотива и Способа в актах развития действия

<p>The article raises a question how the cultural-historical psychology today should be reserached. The analysis of transitions of periods of childhood, periods (ages) and epochs of development, presented in D.B. Elkonin's understanding of the essence of periodization of child’s developement requires the identification of the situations when clearly appears the correlation of motive, purpose and method in the cumulative action of a child and an adult. Identifying such situations requires a change in the position of the researcher-experimenter, a consideration of the way and conditions of the child-adult interaction, i.e., a consideration of situations in which the Mediating Action unfolds. It’s required from the researchers in Nonclassical Psychology.</p>

Человек сквозь призму совместности или о возможности общей психологии

<p>The paper raises the question of the possibility of creating a general psychological field of research. The condition for the beginning of such research is a sufficiently complete general model of psychological phenomena. The assumption is made that the work of identifying suitable psychological universals has already been done as a part of cultural-historical psychology. We summarised the investigations, starting with L.S. Vygotsky's idea of a psychological «unit». With the help of some modern theories, the assumption is substantiated that meaning is a feeling of jointness, the essence of the human in man. As an example we took the «integral unit of the human life world» construction in the F.E. Vasilyuk’s school and its transformation into a scheme of jointness. By analysing F.E. Vasilyuk's notion of «experience», the activity-dialogical model of jointness is extrapolated and filled with «meaning». This model is proposed as a suitable tool for generalising psychological knowledge. An assumption is made about resonance as a fundamental mechanism of jointness formation. In this paper we describe the properties of the prism of jointness and question its sufficiency for the beginning of general psychological research.</p>

Replication Studies Using Secondary or Nonexperimental Datasets

Replication studies have been promoted as a means to investigate the fragility or robustness of findings from prior studies. However, less well known is that replication studies can be done with nonexperimental or secondary datasets and are not just for experimental studies. We present a framework of different types of replication studies with nonexperimental or secondary data and provide examples in the context of school psychology. We show that replication studies can be used as robustness checks, as a means of testing the generalizability of existing theories, and as a way of extending findings of prior studies. We advocate for the thoughtful use of replication studies and highlight some of the benefits of replications. IMPACT STATEMENT The replication rate for articles in school psychology journals (2011–2020) was 0.86%. Although replication efforts largely pertain to experimental studies, we discuss replication studies using secondary or nonexperimental datasets. We show a typology of four types of replication studies and provide examples in the context of school psychology research.