In response to recommendations to redefine statistical significance to p ≤ .005, we propose that researchers should transparently report and justify all choices they make when designing a study, including the alpha level.

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The COVID-19 pandemic has increased negative emotions and decreased positive emotions globally. Left unchecked, these emotional changes might have a wide array of adverse impacts. To reduce negative emotions and increase positive emotions, we tested the effectiveness of reappraisal, an emotion-regulation strategy that modifies how one thinks about a situation. Participants from 87 countries and regions (n = 21,644) were randomly assigned to one of two brief reappraisal interventions (reconstrual or repurposing) or one of two control conditions (active or passive). Results revealed that both reappraisal interventions (vesus both control conditions) consistently reduced negative emotions and increased positive emotions across different measures. Reconstrual and repurposing interventions had similar effects. Importantly, planned exploratory analyses indicated that reappraisal interventions did not reduce intentions to practice preventive health behaviours. The findings demonstrate the viability of creating scalable, low-cost interventions for use around the world.

There is no clear-cut boundary between Free and Open Source Software and Open Scholarship, and the histories, practices, and fundamental principles between the two remain complex. In this study, we critically appraise the intersections and differences between the two movements. Based on our thematic comparison here, we conclude several key things. First, there is substantial scope for new communities of practice to form within scholarly communities that place sharing and collaboration/open participation at their focus. Second, Both the principles and practices of FOSS can be more deeply ingrained within scholarship, asserting a balance between pragmatism and social ideology. Third, at the present, Open Scholarship risks being subverted and compromised by commercial players. Fourth, the shift and acceleration towards a system of Open Scholarship will be greatly enhanced by a concurrent shift in recognising a broader range of practices and outputs beyond traditional peer review and research articles. In order to achieve this, we propose the formulation of a new type of institutional mandate. We believe that there is substantial need for research funders to invest in sustainable open scholarly infrastructure, and the communities that support them, to avoid the capture and enclosure of key research services that would prevent optimal researcher behaviours. Such a shift could ultimately lead to a healthier scientific culture, and a system where competition is replaced by collaboration, resources (including time and people) are shared and acknowledged more efficiently, and the research becomes inherently more rigorous, verified, and reproducible.

The COVID-19 pandemic is increasing negative emotions and decreasing positive emotions globally. Left unchecked, these emotional changes may have a wide array of adverse impacts. To reduce negative emotions and increase positive emotions, we will examine the impact of reappraisal, a widely studied and highly effective form of emotion regulation. Participants from 55 countries (expected N = 25,448) will be randomly assigned to one of two brief reappraisal interventions (reconstrual or repurposing), an active control condition, or a passive control condition. We predict that both reappraisal interventions will reduce negative emotions and increase positive emotions relative to the control conditions. We further predict that reconstrual will decrease negative emotions more than repurposing, and that repurposing will increase positive emotions more than reconstrual. We hope to inform efforts to create a scalable intervention for use around the world to build resilience during the pandemic and beyond.

Background. In recent years, the veracity of scientific findings has come under intense scrutinyin what has been called the “replication crisis” (sometimes called the “reproducibility crisis” or“crisis of confidence”). This crisis is marked by the propagation of scientific claims which weresubsequently contested, found to be exaggerated, or deemed false. The causes of this crisis aremany, but include poor research design, inappropriate statistical analysis, and the manipulationof study results. Though it is uncertain if social work is in the midst of a similar crisis, it is notunlikely, given parallels between the field and adjacent disciplines in crisis.Objective. This dissertation aims to articulate these problems, as well as foundational issues instatistical theory, in order to scrutinize statistical practice in social work research. In doing so, itparallels recent work in psychology, neuroscience, medicine, ecology, and other scientificdisciplines, while introducing a new program of meta-research to the social work profession.Method. Five leading social work journals were analyzed across a five-year period (2014-2018).In all 1,906 articles were reviewed, with 310 meeting inclusion criteria. The study was dividedinto three complementary parts. Statistical reporting practices were coded and analyzed in Part 1of the study (n = 310). Using reported sample sizes from these articles, a power survey wasperformed, in Part 2, for small, medium, and large effect sizes (n = 207). A novel statistical tool,the p-curve, was used in Part 3 to evaluate the evidential value of results from one journal(Research on Social Work Practice) and to assess for bias. Results from 39 of the 78 eligiblearticles were included in the analysis. Data and materials are available at: https://osf.io/45z3h/Results. Part 1: Notably, 86.1% of articles reviewed did not report an explicit alpha level. Apower analysis was performed in only 7.4% of articles. Use of p-values was common, beingreported in 96.8% of articles, but only 29% of articles reported them in exact form. Only 36.5%of articles reported confidence intervals; with the 95% coverage rate being the most common(reported in 31.3% of all studies). Effect sizes were explicitly reported in the results section ortables in a little more than half of articles (55.2%). Part 2: The mean statistical power for articleswas 57% for small effects, 88% for medium effects, and 95% for large effects. 61% of studiesdid not have adequate power (.80) to detect a small effect, 19% did not have adequate power todetect a medium effect, and 7% a large effect. A robustness test yielded similar but moreconservative estimates for these findings. Part 3: Both the primary p-curve and robustness testyielded right-skewed curves, indicating evidential value for the included set of results, and noevidence of bias.Conclusion. Overall, these findings provide a snapshot of the status of contemporary social workresearch. The results are preliminary but indicate areas where statistical design and reporting canbe improved in published research. The results of the power survey suggest that the field hasincreased mean statistical power compared to prior decades; though these findings are tentativeand have numerous limitations. The results of the p-curve demonstrate its potential as a tool forinvestigating bias within published research; while suggesting that the results included fromResearch on Social Work Practice have evidential value. In all this study provides a first steptowards a broader and more comprehensive assessment of the field.

Significance Communicating in ways that motivate engagement in social distancing remains a critical global public health priority during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study tested motivational qualities of messages about social distancing (those that promoted choice and agency vs. those that were forceful and shaming) in 25,718 people in 89 countries. The autonomy-supportive message decreased feelings of defying social distancing recommendations relative to the controlling message, and the controlling message increased controlled motivation, a less effective form of motivation, relative to no message. Message type did not impact intentions to socially distance, but people’s existing motivations were related to intentions. Findings were generalizable across a geographically diverse sample and may inform public health communication strategies in this and future global health emergencies.

An Open Letter to Producers and Consumers of Psychological Science