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276 real negative results, null findings, and replication failures in Psychology · Negative / Null Result Report. Search the index →

WASTE indexes published research — it does not host or republish full papers. Each entry is a metadata record compiled from open scholarly databases; the abstract is shown in full only where the paper is openly licensed, otherwise a short excerpt under fair use. Classifications are automated and approximate.

Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessPsychology

Moderators of wellbeing interventions: Why do some people respond more positively than others?

Adele Wang, S. Katherine Nelson, Kristin Layous et al. · 2017 · PLoS ONE

Interventions rarely have a universal effect on all individuals. Reasons ranging from participant characteristics, context and fidelity of intervention completion could cause some people to respond more positively than others. Understanding these individual differences in intervention response may provide clues to the mechanisms behind the intervention, as well as inform future designs to make interventions maximally beneficial for all. Here we focus on an intervention designed to improve adolescent wellbeing, and explore potential moderators using a representative and well-powered sample. 16-

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessPsychology

Evidence for Menstrual Cycle Shifts in Women's Preferences for Masculinity: A Response to Harris (in Press) “Menstrual Cycle and Facial Preferences Reconsidered”

Lisa M. DeBruine, Benedict C. Jones, David A. Frederick et al. · 2010 · Evolutionary Psychology

Over the last decade, a growing literature has shown that women in the fertile phase of the menstrual cycle demonstrate stronger preferences for men with masculine traits than they do when in the non-fertile phases of the cycle (see…

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessPsychology

Molecular-genetic correlates of infant attachment: A cautionary tale

Glenn I. Roisman, Cathryn Booth‐LaForce, Jay Belsky et al. · 2013 · Attachment & Human Development

This paper advises caution in relation to the increasing interest in molecular-genetic association studies in developmental psychology based on a set of empirical examples from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development…

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessPsychology

Negative shocks predict change in cognitive function and preferences: assessing the negative affect and stress hypothesis

Francesco Bogliacino, Cristiano Codagnone, Felipe Montealegre et al. · 2021 · Scientific Reports

In the context of the current COVID-19 pandemic, households throughout the world have to cope with negative shocks. Previous research has shown that negative shocks impair cognitive function and change risk, time and social preferences. In this study, we analyze the results of a longitudinal multi-country survey conducted in Italy (N = 1652), Spain (N = 1660) and the United Kingdom (N = 1578). We measure cognitive function using the Cognitive Reflection Test and preferences traits (risk, time and social preferences) using an experimentally validated set of questions to assess the differences b

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessPsychology

Association of regional gray matter volumes in the brain with disruptive behavior disorders in male and female children

Kalina J. Michalska, Jean Decety, Thomas A. Zeffiro et al. · 2014 · NeuroImage Clinical

Because the disruptive behavior disorders are highly impairing conditions, it is important to determine if structural variations in brain are associated early in life with these problems among children. Structural MRI data were acquired…

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessPsychology

No effect of focused attention whilst eating on later snack food intake: Two laboratory experiments

Victoria Whitelock, Suzanne Higgs, Jeffrey M. Brunstrom et al. · 2018 · Appetite

Focusing attention on food during a meal has been shown to reduce later snack consumption. We report the results of two studies that aimed to replicate this effect and to elucidate the underlying mechanisms. We hypothesised that focused attention during a lunchtime meal would improve visual memory and/or memory for the satiating effects of the meal, and that this would reduce later food intake. In Study 1, participants (N = 108, 52.8% female, BMI M = 25.75 kg/m2) were randomly allocated to eat a fixed lunchtime meal while listening to instructions that encouraged them to pay attention to the s

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessPsychology

The neuropsychological profile of professional action video game players

Julie Justine Benoit, Eugenie Roudaia, Taylor Johnson et al. · 2020 · PeerJ

In the past 20 years, there has been growing research interest in the association between video games and cognition. Although many studies have found that video game players are better than non-players in multiple cognitive domains, other studies failed to replicate these results. Until now, the vast majority of studies defined video game players based on the number of hours an individual spent playing video games, with relatively few studies focusing on video game expertise using performance criteria. In the current study, we sought to examine whether individuals who play video games at a pro

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessPsychology

Distributional Learning of Lexical Tones: A Comparison of Attended vs. Unattended Listening

Jia Hoong Ong, Denis Burnham, Paola Escudero · 2015 · PLoS ONE

This study examines whether non-tone language listeners can acquire lexical tone categories distributionally and whether attention in the training phase modulates the effect of distributional learning. Native Australian English listeners were trained on a Thai lexical tone minimal pair and their performance was assessed using a discrimination task before and after training. During Training, participants either heard a Unimodal distribution that would induce a single central category, which should hinder their discrimination of that minimal pair, or a Bimodal distribution that would induce two

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessPsychology

When failure fails to be productive: probing the effectiveness of productive failure for learning beyond STEM domains

Valentina Nachtigall, Katja Serova, Nikol Rummel · 2020 · Instructional Science

Abstract The current work builds on research demonstrating the effectiveness of Productive Failure (PF) for learning. While the effectiveness of PF has been demonstrated for STEM learning, it has not yet been investigated whether PF is also beneficial for learning in non-STEM domains. Given this need to test PF for learning in domains other than mathematics or science, and the assumption that features embodied in a PF design are domain-independent, we investigated the effect of PF on learning social science research methods. We conducted two quasi-experimental studies with 212 and 152 10th gra

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Negative / Null Result ReportPsychology

Investigating the Interplay of Chinese English as Foreign Language Learners' Growth Mindset, Enjoyment, Adaptability, and Engagement in AI ‐Mediated Informal Digital Learning of English

Yongliang Wang, Yumeng Guo · 2026 · Journal of Computer Assisted Learning

ABSTRACT Background The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has reshaped English as Foreign Language (EFL) instruction, offering new opportunities for language learning. While much of the existing research focuses on AI integration in…

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessPsychology

Motivational interviewing and self-determination theory in a web-based computer tailored physical activity intervention: A randomized controlled trial

Stijn A.H. Friederichs, Anke Oenema, Catherine Bolman et al. · 2016 · Psychology and Health

OBJECTIVE: This study explores whether a web-based physical activity (PA) intervention grounded in self-determination theory (SDT) and motivational interviewing (MI) is more effective and better appreciated than a traditional web-based PA…

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessPsychology

Towards implementation of cognitive bias modification in mental health care: State of the science, best practices, and ways forward

Janna N. Vrijsen, Ben Grafton, Ernst H. W. Koster et al. · 2024 · Behaviour Research and Therapy

Cognitive bias modification (CBM) has evolved from an experimental method testing cognitive mechanisms of psychopathology to a promising tool for accessible digital mental health care. While we are still discovering the conditions under which clinically relevant effects occur, the dire need for accessible, effective, and low-cost mental health tools underscores the need for implementation where such tools are available. Providing our expert opinion as Association for Cognitive Bias Modification members, we first discuss the readiness of different CBM approaches for clinical implementation, the

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessPsychology

Dyslexia and language impairment associated genetic markers influence cortical thickness and white matter in typically developing children

on behalf of the Pediatric Imaging Neurocognition Genetics study, John D. Eicher, Angela Montgomery et al. · 2015 · Brain Imaging and Behavior

Dyslexia and language impairment (LI) are complex traits with substantial genetic components. We recently completed an association scan of the DYX2 locus, where we observed associations of markers in DCDC2, KIAA0319, ACOT13, and FAM65B with reading-, language-, and IQ-related traits. Additionally, the effects of reading-associated DYX3 markers were recently characterized using structural neuroimaging techniques. Here, we assessed the neuroimaging implications of associated DYX2 and DYX3 markers, using cortical volume, cortical thickness, and fractional anisotropy. To accomplish this, we examin

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessPsychology

Let’s Play Cards: Multi-Component Cognitive Training With Social Engagement Enhances Executive Control in Older Adults

Chun-Yu Kuo, Yang-Ming Huang, Yei‐Yu Yeh · 2018 · Frontiers in Psychology

Cognitive training and social engagement are two of the routes that potentially improve cognitive functions in older adults. The former targets specific functions so that an intervention can trigger the plasticity and efficiency of the underpinning neural systems, and the latter also provides an environment supportive of social and emotional needs. We investigated whether an integration of the two routes could enhance cognitive functions related to executive control, because no prior research has adopted a theory-driven approach to design a group-based cognitive training program for executive

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessPsychology

Network integration and limits to social inheritance in vervet monkeys

Jonathan Jarrett, Tyler R. Bonnell, Christopher Young et al. · 2018 · Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences

, 12084 (doi:10.1038/ncomms12084)) has demonstrated that network structure can be maintained by a simple process of social inheritance. Here, we ask how juvenile vervet monkeys integrate into their adult grooming networks, using the model…

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessPsychology

Subpopulations of Addictive Behaviors in Different Sample Types and Their Relationships with Gender, Personality, and Well-Being: Latent Profile vs. Latent Class Analysis

Paweł A. Atroszko, Bartosz Atroszko, Edyta Charzyńska · 2021 · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Background: Relatively strong theoretical assumptions and previous studies concerning co-occurring addictive behaviors suggest a subpopulation representing general proclivity to behavioral addictions (BAs), and there are gender-specific subpopulations. This study aimed to compare latent profile analysis (LPA) and latent class analysis (LCA) as the methods of investigating different clusters of BAs in the general student population and among students positively screened for at least one BA. Participants and procedure: Analyses of six BAs (study, shopping, gaming, Facebook, pornography, and food

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessPsychology

Automatic avoidance tendencies for alcohol cues predict drinking after detoxification treatment in alcohol dependence.

Matt Field, Lisa Di Lemma, Paul Christiansen et al. · 2016 · Psychology of Addictive Behaviors

Alcohol dependence is characterized by conflict between approach and avoidance motivational orientations for alcohol that operate in automatic and controlled processes. This article describes the first study to investigate the predictive validity of these motivational orientations for relapse to drinking after discharge from alcohol detoxification treatment in alcohol-dependent patients. One hundred twenty alcohol-dependent patients who were nearing the end of inpatient detoxification treatment completed measures of self-reported (Approach and Avoidance of Alcohol Questionnaire; AAAQ) and auto

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Negative / Null Result ReportPsychology

An Internet-based controlled trial of interpretation bias modification versus progressive muscle relaxation for body dysmorphic disorder.

Natalie L. Wilver, Jesse R. Cougle · 2018 · Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology

OBJECTIVE: The current study extended upon previous research efforts by evaluating the utility and feasibility of an 8-session Internet-based interpretation bias modification (IBM) training protocol targeting evaluation- and…

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessPsychology

Performance similarities predict collective benefits in dyadic and triadic joint visual search

Basil Wahn, Artur Czeszumski, Peter König · 2018 · PLoS ONE

When humans perform tasks together, they may reach a higher performance in comparison to the best member of a group (i.e., a collective benefit). Earlier research showed that interindividual performance similarities predict collective benefits for several joint tasks. Yet, researchers did not test whether this is the case for joint visuospatial tasks. Also, researchers did not investigate whether dyads and triads reach a collective benefit when they are forbidden to exchange any information while performing a visuospatial task. In this study, participants performed a joint visual search task e

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessPsychology

Non-replication of the association between 5HTTLPR and response to psychological therapy for child anxiety disorders

Kathryn J. Lester, Susanna Roberts, Robert Keers et al. · 2015 · The British Journal of Psychiatry

BACKGROUND: We previously reported an association between 5HTTLPR genotype and outcome following cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) in child anxiety (Cohort 1). Children homozygous for the low-expression short-allele showed more positive…

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