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296 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

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

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

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 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

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 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 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

Think First, ChatGPT Later: Guiding Human–AI Collaboration for Learning Gains in Independent Human Creativity

Sarah Shi Hui Wong, Sophia Xuefei Qiu · 2026 · Educational Psychology Review

Abstract Generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT can boost creative performance, but do these boosts translate into learning gains? This study examined whether the benefits of ChatGPT for creativity persist even when its assistance is removed, and how people can effectively use ChatGPT to enhance their learning and independent creativity. University students ( N = 196) solved a creative product improvement task either independently (human-only group) or using ChatGPT freely (general-AI group) or using ChatGPT in a guided way (regulated-AI group). Specifically, the regulat

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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 ReportPsychology

The Role of Digital Transformation and English Language Technological Self‐Efficacy in the Era of Artificial Intelligence

Muhammad Ahsan Younas, Rashid Menhas, Uzma Noor · 2026 · European Journal of Education

ABSTRACT This study investigates the multifaceted role of artificial intelligence (AI) and digital transformation (DT) in reshaping smart learning environments within the education sector. Using structural equation modelling with data…

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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

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 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

First-Year Students’ Research Challenges: Does Watching Videos on Common Struggles affect Students’ Research Self-Efficacy?

Savannah Kelly · 2017 · Evidence Based Library and Information Practice

Abstract Objective – The purpose of this quantitative study was to measure the impact of providing research struggle videos on first-year students’ research self-efficacy. The three-part video series explicated and briefly addressed common…

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessPsychology

Perceived Stress and Self-Esteem as Significant Predictors of Cigarette Smoking Behavior of Bangladeshi Male Adults

Muhammad Kamal Uddin, Md Tarikul Islam, Muhammad Asaduzzaman · 2026 · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)

A large body of research has documented that smoking behavior is associated with a number of psychological variables. Weiss, Mouttapa, Cen, Johnson, and Unger (2011) studied a culturally diverse sample of 1,771 adolescents who reported that the risk of smoking initiation was significantly higher among students who scored higher on hostility and depressive symptoms, and were bully-victims. Mykletun, Overland, Aaro, Liabo, and Stewart (2008) carried out a population-based health survey on 60,814 adults aged between 20 to 89 years and reported that anxiety and depression were the most common in c

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessPsychology

Dental Hygiene Students’ Perceptions of Older Adults

R. Constance Wiener, Alcinda Trickett Shockey, D. Leann Long · 2014 · Journal of Dental Education

Geriatric education is an important component of the dental hygiene curriculum because, in it, students acquire skills and attitudes to help provide quality care to older adults. The purpose of this study was to determine if off-site…

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessPsychology

Combating weight-stigmatization in online spaces: the impacts of body neutral, body positive, and weight-stigmatizing TikTok content on body image and mood

Raeanna Kilby, Kristin D. Mickelson · 2025 · Frontiers in Psychiatry

Social media movements centered on body positivity and body neutrality both encourage healthy attitudes toward the physical body; however, these movements are conceptually distinct and may have unique influences on body image. This study examined how brief exposure to different types of body acceptance and weight-stigmatizing content affects body image and mood. Participants consisted of women and gender-diverse individuals (N = 326) who completed an online survey and were randomly assigned to view one of four TikTok video compilations: body neutrality, body positivity, weight-stigmatizing, or

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessPsychology

Advancing the psychology of social class with large-scale replications in four countries

Anatolia Batruch, Nicolas Sommet, Frédérique Autin · 2025 · Nature Human Behaviour

Abstract Theoretical models have been developed to understand how social class influences individual thoughts, feelings and behaviours. However, the validity of these models is threatened by the prevailing use of small, non-diverse samples and flexible measurement practices. We preregistered replications of 35 key hypotheses from 17 correlational and 5 experimental studies, and collected large, quota-based or probability samples from the USA, France, Switzerland and India ( N total = 33,536). Our analysis yielded three central findings: (1) ~50% of the effects were successfully replicated; (2)

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessPsychology

The role of metacognitive awareness as mediator and moderator in the nexus between self-regulated learning and mathematics achievement

Isaac Davor, Francis Ohene Boateng, Franco Osei-Wusu et al. · 2026 · Cogent Education

This study examines the mediating and moderating role of metacognitive awareness in the relationship between self-regulated learning and mathematics achievement of university students in Ghana. Although self-regulated learning has attracted attention as a predictor of academic performance, few studies have examined how metacognitive awareness interacts with self-regulated learning to influence mathematics achievement in the Ghanaian context. A quantitative cross-sectional design was employed. Data were collected from 315 university students, representing a population of 3,240, using a structur

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessPsychology

Within-Person Association Between Daily Screen Use and Sleep in Youth

Matthew Bourke, Claudia I. Maddren, Franziska Sippel et al. · 2026 · Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine

Importance: Understanding the within-person association between daily screen use and sleep can help clarify whether this association reflects potentially causal effects or confounding factors. Objective: To synthesize evidence on the…

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessPsychology

The Influence of Reward on Facial Mimicry: No Evidence for a Significant Effect of Oxytocin

Irene Trilla, Hanna Drimalla, Malek Bajbouj et al. · 2020 · Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience

Recent findings suggest a role of oxytocin on the tendency to spontaneously mimic the emotional facial expressions of others. Oxytocin-related increases of facial mimicry, however, seem to be dependent on contextual factors. Given previous literature showing that people preferentially mimic emotional expressions of individuals associated with high (vs. low) rewards, we examined whether the reward value of the mimicked agent is one factor influencing the oxytocin effects on facial mimicry. To test this hypothesis, 60 male adults received 24 IU of either intranasal oxytocin or placebo in a doubl

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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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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessPsychology

Spurious effects in random-intercept cross-lagged panel models: Results from simulations and reanalyses of data on self-esteem and problematic eating behaviors used by Beckers et al. (2023)

Kimmo Sorjonen, Gustav Nilsonne, Ata Ghaderi et al. · 2026 · PLoS ONE

The random-intercept cross-lagged panel model (RI-CLPM) is an extension of the traditional cross-lagged panel model. The RI-CPLM specifically addresses prospective effects within individuals. In the present simulations, we found that the RI-CLPM is susceptible to spurious findings when observed scores on the two variables are affected by common auto-correlated state factors. In reanalyses of empirical data, we found contradictory decreasing, increasing, and null prospective effects between within-individual levels of self-esteem and problematic eating behaviors among Dutch teenagers (N = 1856)

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessPsychology

Robustness of the rule‐learning effect in 7‐month‐old infants: A close, multicenter replication of Marcus et al. (1999)

Andreea Geambașu, Sybren Spit, Daan van Renswoude et al. · 2022 · Developmental Science

We conducted a close replication of the seminal work by Marcus and colleagues from 1999, which showed that after a brief auditory exposure phase, 7-month-old infants were able to learn and generalize a rule to novel syllables not previously present in the exposure phase. This work became the foundation for the theoretical framework by which we assume that infants are able to learn abstract representations and generalize linguistic rules. While some extensions on the original work have shown evidence of rule learning, the outcomes are mixed, and an exact replication of Marcus et al.'s study has

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