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Browse the failure-mode index

299 real negative results, null findings, and replication failures in Psychology. 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 ReportPsychology

Analyzing a German-language Expanded Form of the PhoPhiKat-45: Psychometric Properties, Factorial Structure, Measurement Invariance with the Likert-Version, and Self-Peer Convergence

Kay Brauer, René T. Proyer · 2020 · Journal of Personality Assessment

Personality assessment typically relies on self-report questionnaires utilizing Likert-type scales. Recently, the Expanded format has been proposed as alternative, but research on the consequences of adapting Likert-like responses to…

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Negative / Null Result ReportPsychology

Impact of a Student Success Course on Undergraduate Academic Outcomes

Leah D. Hoops, Shirley L. Yu, Andrea Burridge et al. · 2015 · Journal of College Reading and Learning

Both community colleges and four-year institutions offer Student Success Courses (SSCs) to promote student engagement (self-regulated learning, SRL) and performance (grades, retention, and graduation). However, little work has been done to…

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessPsychology

Characteristics of personally important episodic memories, counterfactual thoughts, and future projections across age and culture

Müge Özbek, Annette Bohn, Dorthe Berntsen · 2020 · Applied Cognitive Psychology

Summary We have limited knowledge as to whether the phenomenological differences between episodic memories, counterfactuals, and future projections show the same pattern across age groups and diverse samples. Here we compared the…

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Negative / Null Result ReportPsychology

Hybrid Strategy—Interference or Integration? How Corporate Communication Impacts Consumers’ Memory and Company Evaluation

Zifei Fay Chen, Weiting Tao · 2020 · International Journal of Strategic Communication

This study investigates whether hybrid strategy would be more effective than corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy in boosting CSR information recall and company evaluation. Informed by the corporate ability (CA)-CSR-hybrid…

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessPsychology

A Cognitive Approach to the Instruction of Phrasal Verbs: Rudzka-Ostyn’s Model

Ghuzayyil Mohammed Al-Otaibi · 2019 · Journal of language and Education

English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners find some phrasal verbs problematic because of their idiomatic and polysemous nature. They are frequently used in spoken English and textbooks suggest an arbitrary way in teaching them. Cognitive linguists proposed that the particle plays a major role in determining the meaning of such phrasal verbs. This study investigated the effectiveness of a cognitive approach (i.e., Rudzka-Ostyn’s Model) in teaching taught and new phrasal verbs including metaphorical ones. Using a list of frequent phrasal verbs, a quasi-experimental design was used in which an

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessPsychology

Effectiveness and moderators of individual cognitive behavioral therapy versus treatment as usual in clinically depressed adolescents: a randomized controlled trial

Yvonne Stikkelbroek, Gerko Vink, Maaike H. Nauta et al. · 2020 · Scientific Reports

We examined if manualized cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) was more effective than Treatment As Usual (TAU) for clinically depressed adolescents within routine care. This multisite Randomized controlled trail included 88 clinically depressed adolescents (aged 12-21 years) randomly assigned to CBT or TAU. Multiple assessments (pre-, post treatment and six-month follow-up) were done using semi-structured interviews, questionnaires and ratings and multiple informants. The primary outcome was depressive or dysthymic disorder based on the KSADS. Completers, CBT (n = 19) and TAU (n = 26), showed a

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessPsychology

A Statewide Randomized Controlled Trial to Compare Three Models for Implementing Parent Child Interaction Therapy

Amy D. Herschell, David J. Kolko, Ashley T. Scudder et al. · 2021 · Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology

OBJECTIVE: This study (NIMH RO1 MH095750; ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02543359) evaluated the effectiveness of three training models to implement a well-established evidence-based treatment, Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT).…

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessPsychology

Measuring Semantic Deviation: Operationalizations, Experiments, and Falsification Conditions for a Theory of Meaning as Field Deformation

Nobel Glas · 2026 · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)

EA-GLAS-02 v1.0. A self-contained empirical white paper presenting the measurement program for the Semantic Deviation Principle (Sharks 2026). Defines meaning as the time-integrated divergence a sign induces from the most probable trajectory of a semantic field, extending the Bar-Hillel and Carnap (1953) program into distributional and temporal domains. Two primary operationalizations. (F1) Closed-system trajectory deviation within a frozen language model, where the counterfactual baseline is read from logits, building on surprisal theory (Hale 2001; Levy 2008) and decomposing it into signed d

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessPsychology

SΔϕ-60 — Utilitarian Subject-Splitting Index

Sofience · 2026 · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)

SΔϕ-60 introduces the Utilitarian Subject-Splitting Index, USSI, within the Sofience-Δϕ Formalism. The paper examines whether utilitarian calculation merely evaluates the happiness of already-existing majorities and minorities, or whether such calculation can first produce the operational boundary between majority and minority by redistributing Transition Completion Cost, TCC. The document begins with the Sofience Subject Thought Experiment. A person is imagined as capable of detaching and reattaching any part of the body while the detached parts remain alive, neurologically connected, and phy

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessPsychology

Examining the reliability and validity of two versions of the Effort-Expenditure for Rewards Task (EEfRT)

Hanno Andreas Ohmann, Niclas Kuper, Jan Wacker · 2022 · PLoS ONE

The Effort-Expenditure for Rewards Task (EEfRT) has gained validity evidence from several studies. However, various modifications have been applied to the original version, which have never been compared systematically. In Study 1, we tested 120 healthy participants to directly compare two versions of the EEfRT. In Study 2, we tested a larger sample of 394 healthy participants to further examine the original EEfRT. We replicated the split-half reliability of both task versions. However, self-reported personality traits (e.g., trait BAS) correlated with only some task performance parameters in

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessPsychology

Shedding light on relations between teacher emotions, instructional behavior, and student school well-being – Evidence from disadvantaged schools

Julia Holzer, Luisa Grützmacher, Marko Lüftenegger et al. · 2024 · Learning and Instruction

Despite broad theoretical consensus on the direct and indirect relevance of teacher emotions for instructional behavior and student outcomes, empirical evidence is inconclusive. Moreover, there is limited research in this area involving disadvantaged and younger student populations, and addressing students’ school well-being as an outcome explicitly. This study investigates associations between teacher emotions (joy, anger, anxiety), teacher-reports of instructional behavior (cognitive and motivational stimulation, classroom management, and social support), and students' reported school well-b

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessPsychology

Testing the Magnitude of Correlations Across Experimental Conditions

Simone Di Plinio · 2022 · Frontiers in Psychology

Correlation coefficients are often compared to investigate data across multiple research fields, as they allow investigators to determine different degrees of correlation to independent variables. Even with adequate sample size, such differences may be minor but still scientifically relevant. To date, although much effort has gone into developing methods for estimating differences across correlation coefficients, adequate tools for variable sample sizes and correlational strengths have yet to be tested. The present study evaluated four different methods for detecting the difference between two

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Negative / Null Result ReportPsychology

Evaluating the Factor Structure of the Posttraumatic Cognitions Inventory

Sarah E. Whiteman, Lindsay B. Kramer, Madison W. Silverstein et al. · 2020 · Assessment

The Posttraumatic Cognitions Inventory (PTCI) is one of the most widely used measure of posttraumatic cognitions. The original factor analysis of the PTCI provided evidence for a three-factor model of negative cognitions about self, world,…

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessPsychology

A network analysis of female sexual function: comparing symptom networks in women with decreased, increased, and stable sexual desire

Annika Gunst, Marlene Werner, Lourens Waldorp et al. · 2018 · Scientific Reports

Problems related to low sexual desire in women are common clinical complaints, and the aetiology is poorly understood. We investigated predictors of change in levels of sexual desire using a novel network approach, which assumes that mental disorders arise from direct interactions between symptoms. Using population-based data from 1,449 Finnish women, we compared between-subject networks of women whose sexual desire decreased, increased, or remained stable over time. Networks were estimated and analyzed at T1 (2006) and replicated at T2 (2013) using R. Domains included were, among others, sexu

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Negative / Null Result ReportPsychology

Neuroscientific, Neuropsychological, and Psychological Evidence Comparably Impact Legal Decision Making: Implications for Experts and Legal Practitioners

Casey LaDuke, Benjamin Locklair, Kirk Heilbrun · 2018 · Journal of Forensic Psychology Research and Practice

Neuroscientific evidence is assuming an increasingly prominent role in criminal law, where it has considerable potential for affecting legal decision making. Our understanding of this effect is currently limited. Research initially…

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessPsychology

Perception of English phonetic contrasts by Dutch children: How bilingual are early-English learners?

Claire Goriot, James M. McQueen, Sharon Unsworth et al. · 2020 · PLoS ONE

The aim of this study was to investigate whether early-English education benefits the perception of English phonetic contrasts that are known to be perceptually confusable for Dutch native speakers, comparing Dutch pupils who were enrolled in an early-English programme at school from the age of four with pupils in a mainstream programme with English instruction from the age of 11, and English-Dutch early bilingual children. Children were 4-5-year-olds (start of primary school), 8-9-year-olds, or 11-12-year-olds (end of primary school). Children were tested on four contrasts that varied in diff

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessPsychology

Trait mindful awareness predicts inter-brain coupling but not individual brain responses during naturalistic face-to-face interactions

Yi‐Ping Phoebe Chen, Ulrich Kirk, Suzanne Dikker · 2022 · Frontiers in Psychology

In recent years, the possible benefits of mindfulness meditation have sparked much public and academic interest. Mindfulness emphasizes cultivating awareness of our immediate experience and has been associated with compassion, empathy, and various other prosocial traits. However, neurobiological evidence pertaining to the prosocial benefits of mindfulness in social settings is sparse. In this study, we investigate neural correlates of trait mindful awareness during naturalistic dyadic interactions, using both intra-brain and inter-brain measures. We used the Muse headset, a portable electroenc

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Negative / Null Result ReportPsychology

How literary can literariness be?

Massimo Salgaro · 2015 · Scientific Study of Literature

In literary theory, there are two common proposals about the nature of literature: that literariness is a distinctive characteristic of literary texts and that literariness is mostly characterized by highly foregrounded textual features.…

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessPsychology

Communicating Evidence about the Causes of Obesity and Support for Obesity Policies: Two Population-Based Survey Experiments

James P. Reynolds, Milica Vasiljevic, Mark Pilling et al. · 2020 · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Public support for numerous obesity policies is low, which is one barrier to their implementation. One reason for this low support is the tendency to ascribe obesity to failings of willpower as opposed to the environment. Correlational evidence supports this position. However, the experimental evidence is mixed. In two experimental studies, participants were randomised to receive no message, messages about the environment’s influence on obesity (Study 1 & 2), or messages about the environment’s influence on human behaviour (Study 1). We investigated whether communicating these messages cha

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessPsychology

The effects of exposure to objective coherence on perceived meaning in life: a preregistered direct replication of Heintzelman, Trent & King (2013)

Kaylin Ratner, Anthony L. Burrow, Felix Thoemmes · 2016 · Royal Society Open Science

Having a sense of meaning in life (MIL) has been acknowledged as a catalyst to psychological flourishing. As such, understanding ways to promote MIL represents a worthy goal for those interested in bolstering positive outcomes. This study sought to replicate the findings of Heintzelman, Trent & King (2013 Psychol. Sci. 24 , 991–998 ( doi:10.1177/0956797612465878 )), who found that MIL could be influenced by external stimulation. Their findings suggest that exposure to coherent stimuli produces significantly higher MIL scores than exposure to incoherent stimuli. Using materials and methodol

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessPsychology

Power vs. persuasion: can open body postures embody openness to persuasion?

Ioana M. Latu, Sean Duffy, Vaani Pardal et al. · 2017 · Comprehensive Results in Social Psychology

In the current study, we sought to replicate the finding that adopting an open/expansive body posture increases subjective feelings of power, while also investigating how these body postures influence the processing of persuasive messages.…

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessPsychology

Association between glutamate transporter gene polymorphisms and obsessive-compulsive disorder/trait empathy in a Korean population

Hae Won Kim, Jee In Kang, Eunhee Hwang et al. · 2018 · PLoS ONE

Accumulating evidence suggests that the glutamatergic system plays a major role in the pathophysiology of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and empathic processing. Particularly, genetic influence of glutamate transporter gene (SLC1A1) on OCD has been frequently replicated in previous studies, but several studies did not replicate the result. Therefore, we aimed to replicate the associations between the SLC1A1 and OCD in a Korean population. In addition, we investigated the influence of SLC1A1 on trait empathy, impairments in which are characteristic of OCD. Six single-nucleotide polymorphis

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessPsychology

Physics exam preparation: A comparison of three methods

Witat Fakcharoenphol, T. Stelzer · 2014 · Physical Review Special Topics - Physics Education Research

In this clinical study on helping students prepare for an exam, we compared three different treatments. All students were asked to take a practice exam. One group was then given worked-out solutions for that exam, another group was given the solutions and targeted exercises to do as homework based on the result of their practice exam, and the third group was given the solutions, homework, and also an hour of one-on-one tutoring. Participants from all three conditions significantly outperformed the control group on the midterm exam. However, participants that had one-on-one tutoring did not out

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