Reproducible research in sport and exercise psychology: The role of sample sizes

ObjectivesWe aim to introduce the discussion on the crisis of confidence to sport and exercise psychology. We focus on an important aspect of this debate, the impact of sample sizes, by assessing sample sizes within sport and exercise psychology. Researchers have argued that publications in psychological research contain numerous false-positive findings and inflated effect sizes due to small sample sizes.MethodWe analyse the four leading journals in sport and exercise psychology regarding sample sizes of all quantitative studies published in these journals between 2009 and 2013. Subsequently, we conduct power analyses.ResultsA substantial proportion of published studies does not have sufficient power to detect effect sizes typical for psychological research. Sample sizes and power vary between research designs. Although many correlational studies have adequate sample sizes, experimental studies are often underpowered to detect small-to-medium effects.ConclusionsAs sample sizes are small, research in sport and exercise psychology may suffer from false-positive results and inflated effect sizes, while at the same time failing to detect meaningful small effects. Larger sample sizes are warranted, particularly in experimental studies.     

“涟漪效应”与“心理台风眼效应”：不同程度COVID-19疫情地区民众风险认知与焦虑的双视角检验

在因防控COVID-19疫情武汉“封城”后的一个半月内, 对全国34个省(区市)4833名民众的风险认知与焦虑进行了当事人视角和旁观者视角的调查研究。结果表明, (1)基于当事人视角时, 不同程度疫情地区民众的风险认知和焦虑存在类似“涟漪效应”的趋势, 疫情严重地区大于其他地区; (2)基于旁观者视角, 民众对武汉居民的焦虑和对所需心理咨询工作者和医生数量的评估存在“心理台风眼效应”; (3)基于旁观者视角, 在风险认知上, 低风险地区民众对武汉居民的评估显著低于高、中高及中风险地区的评估, 部分支持“涟漪效应”; 研究还发现了“边缘带效应”和“心理可控阈限”的存在。本研究一方面为“心理台风眼效应”研究的“当事人与旁观者”视角知觉差异提供了更为丰富的直接证据, 另一方面为突发公共卫生事件应急管理提供了有针对性的心理依据。     

Exceptional reported effects and data anomalies merit explanation from “A randomized controlled trial of coordination exercise on cognitive function in obese adolescents” by Liu et al. (2018)

We read the article in Psychology of Sport and Exercise by Liu et al. (“A randomized controlled trial of coordination exercise on cognitive function in obese adolescents”) with great interest. Our interest in the article stemmed from the extraordinary differences in obesity-related outcomes reported in response to a rope-jumping intervention. We requested the raw data from the authors to confirm the results and, after the journal editors reinforced our request, the authors graciously provided us with their data. We share our evaluation of the original data herein, which includes concerns that weight and BMI loss by the intervention appears extraordinary in both magnitude and aspects of the distributions. We request that the authors address our findings by providing explanations of the extraordinary data or correcting any errors that may have occurred in the original report, as appropriate.     

Is the Third‐Person Effect Real? A Critical Examination of Rationales,Testing Methods,and Previous Findings of the Third‐Person Effect on Censorship Attitudes

Regarding the effect of the third‐person perception on censorship attitudes, the present study first highlighted logical weaknesses of previously proposed rationales and limitations of previously used statistical models to test the effect. This study reanalyzed data from past research on the effect of the third‐person perception. In Study 1, the average effects of the other‐self perceptual gap in the media influence on censorship attitudes were estimated based on reports from 13 previous studies (total N = 6,414). Study 2 reanalyzed Schmierbach, Boyle, Xu, and McLeod's (2011) correlational data (N = 692). The results of these two studies showed that the presumed effect on others is a stronger predictor of censorship attitudes than the other‐self differential in perceived media effect.     

Base Rates,Deception Detection,and Deception Theory: A Reply to Burgoon (2015)

This essay continues a debate about the relative scientific merits of the Park‐Levine Model (PLM) and Interpersonal Deception Theory (IDT) with regard to accuracy in deception detection. Key points of disagreement include (a) the degree to which message recipients are sensitive to sender veracity and (b) the extent to which interactivity moderates the veracity and base‐rate effects specified by PLM. According to PLM, people are truth‐biased, truth‐bias makes people insensitive to deception, and as a consequence, base rates affect accuracy regardless of interactivity. IDT, in direct contrast, holds that people are sensitive to the veracity of other's communication and that interactivity is a key moderator. Consistent with PLM, data repeatedly show that people are insensitive to other's veracity and that this insensitivity is general across media affordances including interactivity. This rejoinder uses Burgoon's (2015) own interactive data to demonstrate the empirical superiority of PLM over IDT.     

不同情绪诱导条件下的自我参照效应

结合心境一致性效应和自我参照效应的经典研究范式,以情绪形容词作为学习材料,考察了情绪诱导对自我参照效应的影响。研究结果表明:(1)词的正负性对无意记忆的效果存在影响;(2)情绪形容词作为学习材料,可以引起自我参照效应;(3)情绪诱导状态影响后续的记忆加工,存在心境一致性效应;(4)情绪诱导对相异情绪特性的情绪形容词的自我参照加工均具有抑制作用。     

边疆大学生的去留:风险知觉和地方认同的推拉

为探究西部边疆大学生的去留意向及影响因素,采用问卷法测量557名某民汉合校大学生的去留意向、风险知觉和地方认同。结果发现:民语言班学生得分显著高于汉语言班学生;个体觉得当地风险越低、越值得放心,对当地的认同程度就会越高,继而更愿意选择留下来;地方认同的中介作用在民、汉语言班学生中是一致的。启示地方治理者需致力于营造安全的社会氛围,提升人们的地方认同,吸引更多的人进来并留下来,以促进边疆的稳定和发展。     

线索强度对提取练习效应的影响机制：来自ERP的证据

运用事件相关电位技术,探讨提取练习和精细加工在不同线索强度上的加工方式有何不同。结果显示：强线索词对下,二者的相继记忆效应未出现显著性的分离,出现500-700ms额叶、中央分布的模式;弱线索词对下,二者的相继记忆效应出现分离,提取条件500-700ms,700-1000ms观察到与晚期顶叶成分相似的相继记忆效应,精细加工下并没有。结果表明：提取强线索词时个体的加工方式与精细加工类似,提取弱线索词时与精细加工不同,支持情境背景理论。     

Eye'm lovin' it! The role of gazing awareness in mimetic desires

Recent studies showed that people evaluate objects more favorably when these objects are gazed-at by others, an effect coined as “mimetic desire”. In two studies, we tested whether mimetic desire stems from an automatic form of learning by examining one dimension of automaticity, i.e., people's awareness of the object-gaze association. Participants saw 6 neutral art paintings associated with a female gazing toward two of the paintings, away from two of the paintings, and closing her eyes with respect to the last two paintings. After the exposition phase, participants evaluated the paintings and performed a contingency-awareness test. Importantly, participants' responses on this test were genuinely driven by memory and not by inferences from liking. Results show that participants preferred objects that were gazed-at but only when they were aware of the object-gaze association. Hence, despite the adaptive function of joint attention, its impact on valence acquisition does not seem to qualify as an implicit learning process.