1.

Tallying up the responses to questions and using that number as a rating of some
psychological characteristic.

Everybody follows the crowd? Effects of opinion polls and past election results on electoral
preferences.

Obermaier, Magdalena; Koch, Thomas; & Baden, Christian

Journal of Media Psychology: Theories, Methods, and Applications, Vol 29(2), 2017, 69-80

http://dx.doi.org/10.1027/1864-1105/a000160

Abstract

Opinion polls are a well-established part of political news coverage, especially during election
campaigns. At the same time, there has been controversial debate over the possible influences of
such polls on voters’ electoral choices. The most prominent influence discussed is the
bandwagon effect: It states that voters tend to support the expected winner of an upcoming
election, and use polls to determine who the likely winner will be. This study investigated the
mechanisms underlying the effect. In addition, we inquired into the role of past electoral
performances of a candidate and analyzed how these (as well as polls) are used as heuristic cues
for the assessment of a candidate’s personal characteristics. Using an experimental design, we
found that both polls and past election results influence participants’ expectations regarding
which candidate will succeed. Moreover, higher competence was attributed to a candidate, if
recipients believe that the majority of voters favor that candidate. Through this attribution of
competence, both information about prior elections and current polls shaped voters’ electoral
preferences. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)

2. Reaction time with average times less than 1 second.

Facilitation and inhibition of the human startle blink reflexes by stimulus anticipation.

Ison, James R.; Sanes, Jerome N.; Foss, John A.; & Pinckney, Linda A.

Behavioral Neuroscience, Vol 104(3), Jun 1990, 418-429

http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0735-7044.104.3.418

Abstract

The cutaneous eyeblink has 2 electromyographic components, 1 unilateral and early (R1) and 1
bilateral and late (R2), which are served by different neural pathways. These 2 reactions were
measured when the eliciting stimulus was expected or relatively surprising. Forewarning was
varied in 3 ways: Subjects received notice that the stimulus was about to occur on some trials
(Experiment 1); delivered the stimulus to themselves on some trials (Experiments 2 & 3); or
experienced a series of trials in which a tone was paired with the eliciting stimulus, followed by
tone-alone trials interspersed with test trials (Experiment 4). In each case, forewarning enhanced
R1 amplitudes while depressing R2 but reduced the latency of both components. This mixed
pattern of effects reveals that the preparatory state provoked by forewarning focuses excitatory
and inhibitory processes simultaneously on different reflex pathways: inhibition central and
excitation peripheral. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

3. Elapsed time for some task that is longer than 5 seconds.

Inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity

disorder.

Amorim, Wendell Noronha; Marques, Sarah Cassimiro

Psychology & Neuroscience, Vol 11(4), Dec 2018, 364-374

http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/pne0000156

Abstract

Executive functions are a set of cognitive operations that enable direct behaviors to goals.
Deficits in executive functioning have been associated with attention-deficit/hyperactivity
disorder (ADHD). The purpose of this study was to describe the performance of children
diagnosed with ADHD in tasks of inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility. Thirty children
were divided into 2 groups: clinical and control. The Five Digits Test and the Wisconsin
Classification Card Test were used as psychological instruments. A questionnaire with a
description of daily behaviors was answered by the caregivers of the children. The results
indicated that the group of patients with ADHD presented worse performance than the control
group in Five Digits Test tasks. No significant differences were observed between the groups in
the Wisconsin Classification Card Test. In the caregivers’ view, children with ADHD have
difficulties controlling motor behavior and inhibiting inappropriate behaviors in social
relationships, and ordinary children may have behaviors of not being organized with their
personal objects. The effect size was considered small for the study findings. Children with
ADHD may require more time than ordinary children to perform the same task. Investigations of
larger samples are required to confirm this data. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all
rights reserved)

4. Taking pre-test and post-test scores and analyzing the difference scores.

Group- and individual-level self-stigma reductions in promoting psychological help-seeking

attitudes among college students in helping skills courses.

Keum, Brian TaeHyuk; Hill, Clara E.; Kivlighan Jr., Dennis M.; & Lu, Yun

Journal of Counseling Psychology, Vol 65(5), Oct 2018, 661-668

http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/cou0000283

Abstract

To promote psychological help-seeking, researchers have studied interventions to reduce self-

stigma, a personally held belief that seeking psychological help would make one undesirable and
socially unacceptable. We examined the differential impact of individual- and group-level
changes in self-stigma on psychological help-seeking attitudes using data from 189 college
students nested within 20 sections of a semester-long helping skills lab groups. We applied
multi-level polynomial regression and response surface analysis to determine whether
discrepancy between pre- and posttest self-stigma scores (i.e., reduction in self-stigma) predicted
change in attitudes at the individual- and section-levels. Individual reduction in self-stigma did
not predict psychological help-seeking attitudes but students who maintained consistently low to
moderate levels of self-stigma throughout the course developed significantly more positive
attitude toward psychological help-seeking. On the other hand, we found that greater section
level reductions in self-stigma significantly predicted more positive psychological help-seeking
attitudes, suggesting potential importance of group norm changes and effects in modifications of
individual attitudes. Implications for research and stigma reduction strategies are discussed.
(PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved)

5. Measuring each participant more than one time or session (repeated measures,
longitudinal, before and after... Not just more than one measure in one setting).

Patient attachment and therapist countertransference in psychodynamic psychotherapy.

Westerling III, Thomas W.; Drinkwater, Robert; Laws, Holly; Stevens, Helen; Ortega, Shelby;
Goodman, David; Beinashowitz, Jack; & Drill, Rebecca L.

Psychoanalytic Psychology, Vol 36(1), Jan 2019, 73-81

http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/pap0000215

Abstract

The present study examines relationships between patient attachment and therapist
countertransference in a large, naturalistic, longitudinal study of psychodynamic psychotherapy
in a safety-net hospital. This study explored patterns in the relationship between therapist
countertransference and patient attachment in two ways: (a) by studying cross sectional
associations between patient-reported attachment and therapist-reported countertransference at 3
months into treatment, and (b) by studying if changes in patient-reported attachment over the
course of psychotherapy are associated with changes in therapist-reported countertransference. In
a sample of 101 therapy dyads, patients completed self-report attachment domains and therapists
completed self-report countertransference measures 3 months following initiation of
psychotherapy. Results showed initial significant positive associations between patient-rated
attachment anxiety and therapist-rated “parental/protective,” “special/overinvolved,” and
“overwhelmed/disorganized” countertransference. A sample of 119 therapy dyads (these
included dyads in which therapists and patients completed measures at any point in time) was
analyzed using multilevel modeling. Results showed that initial patient-rated attachment anxiety
was associated with decreases in therapist-rated parental/protective and special/overinvolved
countertransference over time. Decreases in patient-rated attachment anxiety were associated
with subsequent increases in therapist reports of feeling overwhelmed/disorganized. These
findings provide a greater understanding of how attending to patient attachment and therapist
countertransference together may cofacilitate treatment and improve patient outcomes.
(PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved)

6. Using an fMRI while the participants engage in some cognitive activity.

Salience network connectivity and social processing in children with nonverbal learning
disability or autism spectrum disorder.

Margolis, Amy E.; Pagliaccio, David; Thomas, Lauren; Banker, Sarah; & Marsh, Rachel

Neuropsychology, Vol 33(1), Jan 2019, 135-143

http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/neu0000494

Abstract

Objective: Nonverbal learning disability (NVLD) is a putative neurodevelopmental disorder

characterized by spatial processing deficits as well as social deficits similar to those
characteristic of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Nonetheless, NVLD may be a distinct disorder
that is differentially associated with the functioning and connectivity of the salience (SN) and
default mode (DMN) networks that support social processing. Thus, we sought to assess and
compare connectivity across these networks in children with NVLD, ASD, and typically
developing children. Method: Resting-state fMRI data were examined in 17 children with
NVLD, 17 children with ASD selected from the Autism Brain Imaging Data Exchange
(ABIDE), and 40 TD children (20 from ABIDE). Average DMN and SN functional connectivity
and pairwise region-to-region connectivity were compared across groups. Associations with
social impairment and IQ were assessed. Results: Children with NVLD showed reduced
connectivity between SN regions (anterior insula to anterior cingulate and to rostral prefrontal
cortex [rPFC]), whereas children with ASD showed greater connectivity between SN regions
(supramarginal gyrus to rPFC) relative to the other groups. Both clinical groups showed higher
levels of parent-reported social problems, which related to altered SN connectivity in the NVLD
group. No differences were detected in overall average connectivity within or between networks.
Conclusions: The social deficits common across children with NVLD and ASD may derive from
distinct alterations in connectivity within the SN. Such findings represent the first step toward
identifying a neurobiological signature of NVLD. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA,
all rights reserved)

7. Some measure of creativity.

Elaborated role play and creativity in preschool age children.

Mottweiler, Candice M.; Taylor, Marjorie

Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, Vol 8(3), Aug 2014, 277-286

http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0036083

Abstract

Elaborated role play (i.e., pretending in which children imagine and act out the part of another
individual on a regular basis) is often considered an early indicator of creativity, but there is not
strong research evidence of a relation between this type of pretend play and performance on
creativity tasks during the preschool years. One possible reason is that the measures of creativity
that are commonly used are not appropriate for young children. To address this, we developed 2
new measures of creativity based on a storytelling task, in which children were asked to
complete a story, and a drawing task, in which children were asked to draw an imaginary person.
Of the 75 4- and 5-year-old children who participated, those who engaged in elaborated role play
had higher creativity scores on both measures (controlling for age and language ability). In
contrast, children’s performance on a measure of pretend play development that did not involve
imaginary others (i.e., the action pantomime task) was not related to either measure of creativity.
These results suggest that the storytelling and drawing measures were effective in assessing
children’s creativity, and that they were specifically associated with elaborated role play, rather
than the developmental level of children’s ability to pretend. (PsycINFO Database Record (c)
2017 APA, all rights reserved)

8. Analyzing archival data.

Classroom management for ethnic–racial minority students: A meta-analysis of single-case

design studies.

Long, Anna C. J.; Miller, Faith G.; & Upright, James J.

School Psychology, Vol 34(1), Jan 2019, 1-13

http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/spq0000305

Abstract

Diversification trends of U.S. schools make clear the need for evidence-based practices
supporting ethnically–racially diverse students. Yet, there are significant hindrances to readily
identifying and summarizing findings generated from diverse classroom contexts. The current
meta-analytic review was designed to address this gap in the classroom management literature.
This review includes single-case design studies conducted in majority ethnic–racial minority
classrooms (≥50%) that included a direct comparison of baseline to treatment for behavior
management strategies implemented at the whole class level. A total of 22 studies spanning from
1973 to 2014 met eligibility criteria for this review, including 838 students and 46 K−12
classrooms. Results indicate that classwide management approaches applied in diverse
classrooms are heavily behavioral and highly effective in improving student behavior (Mτ = |.92|,
MHedges’s g = 2.52). Overall, interventions that included an individual or group contingency
consistently demonstrated large effects and were the most frequently used strategies. However,
other interventions displayed comparably high results but were less frequently studied. Findings
further revealed significant gaps in the quality and diversity of research completed to date.
Specifically, half of the studies did not include cases that met What Works Clearinghouse design
standards for demonstrating methodological rigor. There were also few studies that included
minority populations other than African American, and there was limited variation in educational
settings and intervention designs. Of some concern was the heightened frequency of response
cost procedures included in interventions for diverse classrooms, possibly running counter to
recommendations that emphasize reinforcement-based strategies. (PsycINFO Database Record
(c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved)