A meta-analysis of mental rotation in the first years of life

Mental rotation, the cognitive process of moving an object in mind to predict how it looks in a new orientation, is coupled to intelligence, learning, and educational achievement. On average, adolescent and adult males solve mental rotation tasks slightly better (i.e., faster and/or more accurate) than females. When such behavioral differences emerge during development, however, remains poorly understood. Here we analyzed effect sizes derived from 62 experiments conducted in 1705 infants aged 3–16 months. We found that male infants recognized rotated objects slightly more reliably than female infants. This difference survives correction for small degrees of publication bias. These findings indicate that gender differences in mental rotation are small and not robustly detectable in the first months of postnatal life.

Research Highlights

• We analyzed effect sizes of 62 mental rotation experiments including 1705 infants.
• Looking time reveals that 3–16-months-old infants are able to perform mental rotation.
• Mental rotation is slightly more reliable in male infants compared to female infants.
• Gender difference in mental rotation is robust to small degrees of publication bias.

     

Validity of the Finnish version of the Parental Burnout Assessment (PBA)

The aim of the present study was to validate the Finnish version of the Parental Burnout Assessment (PBA) using data from 1,688 Finnish parents (91% mothers) living in Finland with at least one child living at home. Confirmatory factor analyses supported the theoretical four-factor structure of the PBA – emotional exhaustion in one’s parental role, contrast with previous parental self, feelings of being fed up with one’s parental role, and emotional distancing from one’s children. Internal consistency for the total scale was excellent (Cronbach’s alpha ≥ 0.90) and for the subscales from acceptable (alpha ≥ 0.70) to excellent. The results further demonstrated strict factorial invariance of PBA across genders and educational status groups. Finally, the PBA and its four subscales correlated as expected with the three criteria variables (depressive symptoms, sleep disruptions, and self-esteem), the latent factors of all three criteria variables being still clearly unique and separate constructions from parental burnout factors.     

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing for mental health problems: a systematic review and meta-analysis

ABSTRACT

There is no comprehensive meta-analysis of randomised trials examining the effects of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and no systematic review at all of the effects of EMDR on other mental health problems. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of 76 trials. Most trials examined the effects on PTSD (62%). The effect size of EMDR compared to control conditions was g = 0.93 (95% CI: 0.67–.18), with high heterogeneity (I²= 72%). Only four of 27 studies had low risk of bias, and there were indications for publication bias. EMDR was more effective than other therapies (g = 0.36; 95% CI: 0.14–0.57), but not in studies with low risk of bias. Significant results were also found for EMDR in phobias and test anxiety, but the number of studies was small and risk of bias was high. EMDR was examined in several other mental health problems, but for none of these problems, sufficient studies were available to pool outcomes. EMDR may be effective in the treatment of PTSD in the short term, but the quality of studies is too low to draw definite conclusions. There is not enough evidence to advise it for the use in other mental health problems.     

Internet-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy for panic disorder with or without agoraphobia: a systematic review and meta-analysis

ABSTRACT

The current systematic review and meta-analysis examined the efficacy and effectiveness of internet-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy (iCBT) on panic disorder and agoraphobia symptom severity. Twenty-seven studies were identified. Results from nine randomised controlled trials (RCTs) showed that iCBT outperformed waiting list and information controls for panic (g = 1.22) and agoraphobia (g = .91) symptoms, but the quality of RCTs varied and heterogeneity was high. Results from three RCTs suggested iCBT may have similar outcomes to face-to-face CBT in reducing panic and agoraphobia symptoms. Within-group effect sizes between baseline and post-treatment were large for panic (n = 29, g = 1.16) and medium for agoraphobia symptom severity (n = 18, g = .73). Subgroup analyses of within-group pre/post treatment effect sizes showed larger within-group effect sizes for efficacy studies (n = 15) compared to effectiveness studies (n = 14) for panic severity (g = 1.38 vs. g = .98) but not agoraphobia severity. There was no impact of program length, inclusion or arousal reduction techniques, or degree of clinician support. Within-group effects of iCBT suggest the reduction in panic and agoraphobia symptom severity is maintained at 3–6 month follow-up (n = 12).     

The criterion-related validity of conscientiousness in personnel selection: A meta-analytic reality check

A key finding in personnel selection is the positive correlation between conscientiousness and job performance. Evidence predominantly stems from concurrent validation studies with incumbent samples but is readily generalized to predictive settings with job applicants. This is problematic because the extent to which faking and changes in personality affect the measurement likely vary across samples and study designs. Therefore, we meta-analytically investigated the relation between conscientiousness and job performance, examining the moderating effects of sample type (incumbent vs. applicant) and validation design (concurrent vs. predictive). The overall correlation of conscientiousness and job performance was in line with previous meta-analyses ($\overline{r}=.17,k=102,n=23,305$). In our analyses, the correlation did not differ across validation designs (concurrent: $\overline{r}=.18,k=78,n=19,132$; predictive: $\overline{r}=.15,k=24,n=4173$), sample types (incumbents: $\overline{r}=.18,k=92,n=20,808$; applicants: $\overline{r}=.14,k=10,n=2497$), or their interaction. Critically, however, our review revealed that only a small minority of studies (~12%) were conducted with real applicants in predictive designs. Thus, barely a fraction of research is conducted under realistic conditions. Therefore, it remains an open question if self-report measures of conscientiousness retain their predictive validity in applied settings that entail faked responses. We conclude with a call for more multivariate research on the validity of selection procedures in predictive settings with actual applicants.     

Meta-analytical review of teacher burnout across 36 societies: the role of national learning assessments and gender egalitarianism

Objective: Teacher burnout has hardly been compared across countries, although it has become a global health issue. This review aimed to examine teacher burnout (effect size) and its variation across countries by testing the effects of gender, gender egalitarianism, and national learning assessments (NLAs).

Design: A systematic literature search was carried out using keywords. In all, 156 studies from 36 countries were included that used quantitative methodology. Meta-analytical procedures were used to estimate effect sizes of three dimensions of burnout. Two-level multilevel mixed-effect model tested moderator variables at the country level.

Results: The overall effect size found for emotional exhaustion was 38.29 (95% CI = 35.26, 41.32), 29.45 (95% CI = 25.91, 32.99) for cynicism, and 68.75 (95% CI = 65.63, 71.87) for personal accomplishment, with significant differences across countries. Gender was negatively significant for personal accomplishment. Significant linear, curvilinear and interaction effects of NLAs and gender egalitarianism explained variations in burnout. Whereas more NLAs tends to increase burnout, more gender egalitarianism tends to decrease it, although this effect is not linear.

Conclusion: Teacher burnout, as a health issue, varies significantly across countries suggesting that programmes to prevent this problem should consider environmental (educational system) and cultural conditions for a greater impact.     

Psychometric Evaluation of the Parentification Inventory–Swahili Version With Kenyan Adults: Factor Structure,Reliability, and Validity

The immediate concerns and aftereffects of parentification in the United States are well documented. However, the correlates of parentification in international communities are less known. This psychometric study explored the validity of a Swahili version of the Parentification Inventory (PI; Hooper, 2009) with a sample of 279 Kenyan adults. Factor analysis produced a 3-factor structure, but with fewer items (N = 17) than in the original PI (N = 22). Recommendations for using the PI–Swahili Version are discussed. Las preocupaciones inmediatas y las secuelas de la parentificación en los Estados Unidos están bien documentadas. Sin embargo, las correlaciones de la parentificación en comunidades internacionales son menos conocidas. Este estudio psicométrico exploró la validez de una versión en suajili del Inventario de Parentificación (PI, por sus siglas en inglés; Hooper, 2009) en una muestra de 279 kenianos adultos. El análisis factorial produjo una estructura de 3 factores, pero con menos elementos (N = 17) que en el PI original (N = 22). Se discuten recomendaciones para el uso de la versión en suajili del PI.     

A meta-analysis of the criterion-related validity of prehire work experience

Organizations frequently screen or select job applicants based on their work experience. Despite this, surprisingly little is known about the criterion-related validity of prehire experience, which reflects the amount, duration, or type of experience workers have acquired before they enter a new organization. To address this critical gap in the literature, we used meta-analysis to synthesize data from 81 independent samples that reported relations between prehire experience and performance or turnover. Results revealed overall corrected correlations of .06 for job performance (k = 44, n = 11,785), .11 for training performance (k = 21, n = 8,176), and .00 for turnover (k = 32, n = 11,676). Measures that capture prehire experience with tasks, jobs, or occupations relevant to workers’ current position also are only weakly related to the outcomes (e.g.,  = .07 for job performance). Two exceptions to our main findings are that (a) prehire experience is somewhat more predictive of job performance when workers first start a new job and (b) measures of task-level experience predict training performance, although these results are based on small subsets of primary studies. Overall, the present findings suggest that the types of prehire experience measures organizations currently use to screen job applicants generally are poor predictors of future performance and turnover. We therefore caution organizations from selecting employees based on such measures unless more positive evidence emerges.