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When cognitive and educational tests are administered under time limits, tests may become speeded and this may affect the reliability and validity of the resulting test scores. Prior research has shown that time limits may create or enlarge gender gaps in cognitive and academic testing. On average, women complete fewer items than men when a test is administered with a strict time limit, whereas gender gaps are frequently reduced when time limits are relaxed. In this study, we propose that gender differences in test strategy might inflate gender gaps favoring men, and relate test strategy to stereotype threat effects under which women underperform due to the pressure of negative stereotypes about their performance. First, we applied a Bayesian two-dimensional item response theory (IRT) model to data obtained from two registered reports that investigated stereotype threat in mathematics, and estimated the latent correlation between underlying test strategy (here, completion factor, a proxy for working speed) and mathematics ability. Second, we tested the gender gap and assessed potential effects of stereotype threat on female test performance. We found a positive correlation between the completion factor and mathematics ability, such that more able participants dropped out later in the test. We did not observe a stereotype threat effect but found larger gender differences on the latent completion factor than on latent mathematical ability, suggesting that test strategies affect the gender gap in timed mathematics performance. We argue that if the effect of time limits on tests is not taken into account, this may lead to test unfairness and biased group comparisons, and urge researchers to consider these effects in either their analyses or study planning.

Smoking behavior has been well-established to be more prevalent in individuals with psychosis and bipolar disorder compared to the general population. However, reports about higher suicide attempt prevalence of smoking compared to non-smoking patients suggest that smoking behavior may contribute to identifying at-risk groups of patients in a comparatively easy manner. In the present systematic quantitative review, we provide meta-analytical evidence on the smoking and suicide attempt link in 22 studies (k = 27 independent samples; N = 11,452) of patients with psychosis and bipolar disorder. We observed a small meaningful effect of smoking on suicide attempts (OR = 1.70; 95% CI [1.48; 1.95]), indicating that smokers have 1.70 the odds of having reported a suicide attempt compared to non-smokers. This effect generalized across diagnosis type (i.e., schizophrenia vs. bipolar spectrum disorder), sample type (i.e., invs. outpatients), and participant sex. However, the observed summary effect appeared somewhat inflated due to publication process-related mechanisms, showing some evidence for effect-inflating publication bias and a decline effect. In all, the presently observed smoking and suicide attempt link appears to be small but meaningful and robust, thus suggesting smoking status represents a useful variable for the identification of at-risk populations for suicide attempts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past few years, more attention has been paid to jingle and jangle fallacies in psychological science. Jingle fallacies arise when two or more distinct psychological phenomena are erroneously labeled with the same term, while jangle fallacies occur when different terms are used to describe the same phenomenon. Jingle and jangle fallacies emerge due to the vague linkage between psychological theories and their practical implementation in empirical studies, compounded by variations in study designs, methodologies, and applying different statistical procedures' algorithms. Despite progress in organizing scientific findings via systematic reviews and meta-analyses, effective strategies to prevent these fallacies are still lacking. This paper explores the integration of several approaches with the potential to identify and mitigate jingle and jangle fallacies within psychological science. Essentially, organizing studies according to their specifications, which include theoretical background, methods, study designs, and results, alongside a combinatorial algorithm and flexible inclusion criteria, may indeed represent a feasible approach. A jinglefallacy detector arises when identical specifications lead to disparate outcomes, whereas jangle-fallacy indicators could operate on the premise that varying specifications consistently yield overrandomly similar results. We discuss the role of advanced computational technologies, such as Natural Language Processing (NLP), in identifying these fallacies. In conclusion, addressing jingle and jangle fallacies requires a comprehensive approach that considers all levels and phases of psychological science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Achievement goal theory includes both personal motivational features (achievement goals) and contextual features (goal structures). The theory holds that the prevailing goal structures in learning environments (such as the classroom) influence the achievement goals students adopt. This meta-analysis (k = 68, N = 47,975) examined the strength of the relationships between student ratings of goal structures (mastery-approach goal structures, mastery-avoidance goal structures, performance-approach goal structures, and performance-avoidance goal structures) and achievement goals (mastery-approach goals, mastery-avoidance goals, performance-approach goals, and performance-avoidance goals) as well as moderating variables. Results indicated that each achievement goal was most strongly related to its contextual counterpart. Educational level and world region moderated some of the relations, and for most combinations of goal structures and achievement goals, measures framing goal structures as a climate produced higher correlations than measures using the teacher as referent. Challenges and promising routes for future research and theory building are discussed.

The identification of determinants and correlates of academic entitlement is of particular interest for researchers and (academic) tutors alike. Whilst personality traits have been linked to academic entitlement in the past, the relative importance of familial influence remains unclear. Hence, to address this deficit, this study utilizes a sample of business and psychology undergraduates (N = 170) in the United Arab Emirates. Additionally, the impact of academic entitlement on students' misestimation of coursework grades was assessed in a subsample of psychology undergraduates (N = 92). Multiple regression analyses revealed honesty-humility as the strongest predictor of academic entitlement, indicating lower entitlement of more honest students. In contrast, familial influences were unrelated to academic entitlement. Interestingly, higher entitled expectations were associated with larger overestimation of grades. Our findings indicate honesty-humility as an important driver of academic entitlement, whilst entitled expectations appear to be associated with misperceptions of students own academic performance.

Negative associations of religiosity and intelligence are well established in psychological research. However, past studies have shown a substantial heterogeneity in reported effect strengths. Causes that may be able to explain the identified inconsistencies pertain to differing religiosity measurement modalities, participant ages, or possibly cohort effects due to changing societal values in terms of being religious. Moreover, little is known about intelligence associations with the religiosity-related yet distinct construct of spirituality. Here, we provide evidence for religiosity and crystallized intelligence, as well as spirituality and crystallized intelligence associations, in 14 cohorts from 1988 to 2022 (N = 35,093) in the General Social Survey data by means of primary data analyses and meta-analytical approaches. As expected, religiosity was non-trivially negatively associated (r = −0.13, p <.001), but spirituality showed no meaningful association with crystallized intelligence (r = 0.03, p <.001). Our results broadly generalized across age groups, cohorts, and analytical approaches, thus suggesting that religiosity and intelligence may possibly be functionally equivalent to a certain extent whilst spirituality represents a distinct construct that is not functionally equivalent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Happiness has been reported to influence and be influenced by internal and external factors. Among expatriate women, cultural background, employment status, and coping ability seem to influence happiness. In the present study we investigated the effects of culture and employment status on happiness whilst controlling for self-reported resilience as a measure for adaptive capacity in 127 married expatriate women living with their immediate families in Dubai. These expatriate women were assessed using the 14-item Resilience Scale, the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire, and a questionnaire containing an open-ended question regarding reasons for participants' current employment status. Responses to the open-ended question were thematically analyzed. ANCOVA analysis revealed that adaptive capacity was significantly related to happiness. However no significant differences in happiness emerged between women from individualistic and collectivistic cultures and between employed and unemployed women. The reported frequency of qualitative themes did not differ with regards to employment status. Our results indicate adaptive capacity as a main driver of happiness within expatriate women., Author(s): Clarice Mendonca [sup.1], Anita Shrivastava [sup.1], Jakob Pietschnig [sup.2] Author Affiliations: (1) School of Science and Technology, Middlesex University Dubai, Knowledge Park, , PO Box 500967, Dubai, UAE (2) [...]

Background The effectiveness of cloth face masks to prevent viral spread has not yet been conclusively established. In this meta-analysis, we evaluate their effectiveness in comparison to standard medical/surgical and N95-typed masks against viral spread. Methods We identified literature through a systematic search in three databases and meta-analytically synthesized relevant studies by means of random-effects as well as multilevel modelling. Results Twelve studies comprising k  = 28 effect sizes (N  = 338) were included. Medical/surgical and N95-typed masks outperformed cloth masks, yielding a large effect (g  = 1.40). This effect remained robust when data were grouped according to comparisons with medical/surgical masks (g  = 1.25) and N95-typed masks (g  = 1.29). However, effects were differentiated according to mask fit, indicating reversals of signs when cloth mask effects were compared with ill-fitting medical/surgical and N95-typed masks (g s = −12.50 and − 10.90, respectively). Conclusions Cloth face masks were found to have significantly poorer filtering performance than medical/surgical masks and N95 masks, but only if non-cloth masks were properly fitted. Our results illustrate the necessity of using well-fitting medical/surgical or N95-typed masks to prevent viral spread, although some allowance should be made in circumstances where higher compliance with cloth mask mandates are expected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quality of life (QoL) is a major patient reported outcome used to measure the psychological treatments success in people with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders. To date, the specific impact of different interventions on QoL remains undefined. A meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) was carried out for this purpose. We searched Proquest, PUBMED/MEDLINE, PsycINFO, WOS, Scopus, the Cochrane Library for RCTs published until January 2023. We used multilevel meta-analysis to examine differences between intervention effectiveness of experimental and control conditions whilst accounting for data dependencies. By means of subgroup analyses, we investigated influences of intervention types (i.e. psychoeducation v. CBT v. cognitive v. combination of several types v. other, such as psychodynamic, systemic, etc.) and continuous moderators were examined with precision-weighted meta-regressions. The generalizability of results across moderators, their combinations, and analytical approaches was investigated with multiverse meta-analyses. We examined data of 60 independent studies, reporting intervention effects for objective and subjective QoL (k = 19 and 70 effect sizes based on N = 1024 and 6254 participants, respectively). Overall, psychological interventions seemed to be more effective for objective than for subjective QoL. However, specific intervention results were differentiated, suggesting largest effects of psychoeducation on objective and combined interventions on subjective QoL. Our findings suggest that QoL is a valid outcome criterion for testing intervention effectiveness, as it is sensitive to change. Additionally, psychological interventions can improve patients' QoL, though the effects are small. Further testing of less widely used interventions and a shift toward the multidimensional nature of QoL is still necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clark, Lawlor-Savage, and Goghari (this issue) provide an interesting comment on the explanatory framework of generational IQ test score changes over time in the general population (i.e., the Flynn effect). They argue that IQ test score gains are not due to genuine ability increases in the general population but are rather manifestations of incidental training due to a more stimulating (technological) environment or changes in the way we approach problems because of novel forms of (social) interactions in our everyday living. While I disagree with them that a new definition of intelligence is necessary in order to understand the Flynn effect (the definition described by Gottfredson, 1997, which has been signed by 52 intelligence researchers does not conflict with what we know about the Flynn effect), I could not agree more with Clark and colleagues that it is necessary to be aware of what population IQ changes on different ability domains and specific tasks mean. To clarify these points, I will discuss (a) empirical evidence about strength and moderators, (b) what this means for different proposed explanations, and (c) likely future developments based on the accumulated evidence about the Flynn effect.

According to the Terror Management theory, the management of existential insecurity critically influences human behavior. In philosophical schools, spirituality is viewed as a contrast to the acquisition of materialistic possessions. We investigated whether experimentally priming participants with spirituality-related, mortality-related, and neutral texts, affects materialistic attitudes among UAE residents. We did not find any significant differences in mean self-reported materialism scores between conditions (mortality salience vs. spirituality vs. neutral prime) using a repeated-measures analysis of variance (F (2, 58) = 1.143, p = .326, [[eta].sub.p.sup.2] = .04). In view of these surprising results, reflections on the nature of materialism in a diversified domain of cultural and economic viewpoints are offered, along with implications for the conceptual foundations of TMT. Specific area of psychology: mortality and materialism Keywords: Materialism, mortality salience, spirituality, terror management theory, As is prevalent in many societies, the sheer concept of death and dying instigates insurmountable fear, and individuals seek various methods of coping. The theory of terror management (TMT), as [...]