scholarly journals General Intelligence and the Dark Triad

Author(s):  
Moritz Michels

Abstract. The dark triad of personality (D3) – consisting of psychopathy, Machiavellianism, and narcissism – is a set of socially aversive personality traits. All three traits encompass disagreeable behavior and a particular disregard for the well-being of others, but also a tendency to strategic and deceptive manipulation of social environments in order to attain one′s goals. To exercise these complex manipulations effectively it seems beneficial to have high cognitive abilities. Therefore, a meta-analysis was conducted to examine possible relationships between intelligence and the dark triad. A total of 143 studies were identified to estimate the strength of relationships between the D3 and general, verbal, and nonverbal intelligence. The results indicate that none of the constructs of the dark triad are meaningfully related to intelligence. However, there was a small negative correlation between intelligence and Factor 2 psychopathy. The substantial heterogeneity regarding the observed effect sizes could not be explained with meta-regression for the most part. There was no evidence for a publication bias. In total, the results challenge the notion that the dark triad is an adaptive set of personality traits that enables individuals to effectively manipulate their social surroundings.

2021 ◽  
pp. 174569162095983
Author(s):  
Jacqueline Davis ◽  
Jonathan Redshaw ◽  
Thomas Suddendorf ◽  
Mark Nielsen ◽  
Siobhan Kennedy-Costantini ◽  
...  

Neonatal imitation is a cornerstone in many theoretical accounts of human development and social behavior, yet its existence has been debated for the past 40 years. To examine possible explanations for the inconsistent findings in this body of research, we conducted a multilevel meta-analysis synthesizing 336 effect sizes from 33 independent samples of human newborns, reported in 26 articles. The meta-analysis found significant evidence for neonatal imitation ( d = 0.68, 95% CI = [0.39, 0.96], p < .001) but substantial heterogeneity between study estimates. This heterogeneity was not explained by any of 13 methodological moderators identified by previous reviews, but it was associated with researcher affiliation, test of moderators ( QM) (15) = 57.09, p < .001. There are at least two possible explanations for these results: (a) Neonatal imitation exists and its detection varies as a function of uncaptured methodological factors common to a limited set of studies, and (2) neonatal imitation does not exist and the overall positive result is an artifact of high researcher degrees of freedom.


BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. e043722
Author(s):  
Naomi Priest ◽  
Kate Doery ◽  
Mandy Truong ◽  
Shuaijun Guo ◽  
Ryan Perry ◽  
...  

IntroductionRacism is a critical determinant of health and health inequities for children and youth. This protocol aims to update the first systematic review conducted by Priest et al (2013), including a meta-analysis of findings. Based on previous empirical data, it is anticipated that child and youth health will be negatively impacted by racism. Findings from this review will provide updated evidence of effect sizes across outcomes and identify moderators and mediators of relationships between racism and health.Methods and analysisThis systematic review and meta-analysis will include studies that examine associations between experiences of racism and racial discrimination with health outcomes of children and youth aged 0–24 years. Exposure measures include self-reported or proxy reported systemic, interpersonal and intrapersonal racism. Outcome measures include general health and well-being, physical health, mental health, biological markers, healthcare utilisation and health behaviours. A comprehensive search of studies from the earliest time available to October 2020 will be conducted. A random effects meta-analysis will examine the average effect of racism on a range of health outcomes. Study-level moderation will test the difference in effect sizes with regard to various sample and exposure characteristics. This review has been registered with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews.Ethics and disseminationThis review will provide evidence for future research within the field and help to support policy and practice development. Results will be widely disseminated to both academic and non-academic audiences through peer-review publications, community summaries and presentations to research, policy, practice and community audiences.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42020184055.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas Parry ◽  
Brittany I Davidson ◽  
Craig Sewall ◽  
Jacob T. Fisher ◽  
Hannah Mieczkowski ◽  
...  

The influence of digital media on personal and social well-being is a question of immense public and academic interest. Scholars in this domain often use retrospective self-report measures of the quantity or duration of media use as a proxy for more objective measures, but the validity of these self-report measures remains unclear. Recent advancements in log-based data collection techniques have produced a growing collection of studies indexing both self-reported media use and device-logged measurements. Herein, we report a meta-analysis of this body of research. Based on 104 effect sizes, we found that self-reported media use was only moderately correlated with device-logged measurements, and that these self-report measures were rarely an accurate reflection of logged media use. These results demonstrate that self-reported measures of the quantity or duration of media use are not a valid index of the amount of time people actually spend using media. These findings have serious implications for the study of media use and well- being, suggesting that cautiousness is warranted in drawing conclusions regarding media effects from studies relying solely on self-reported measures of media use.


2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (8) ◽  
pp. 1358-1369 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stuart J. Ritchie ◽  
Elliot M. Tucker-Drob

Intelligence test scores and educational duration are positively correlated. This correlation could be interpreted in two ways: Students with greater propensity for intelligence go on to complete more education, or a longer education increases intelligence. We meta-analyzed three categories of quasiexperimental studies of educational effects on intelligence: those estimating education-intelligence associations after controlling for earlier intelligence, those using compulsory schooling policy changes as instrumental variables, and those using regression-discontinuity designs on school-entry age cutoffs. Across 142 effect sizes from 42 data sets involving over 600,000 participants, we found consistent evidence for beneficial effects of education on cognitive abilities of approximately 1 to 5 IQ points for an additional year of education. Moderator analyses indicated that the effects persisted across the life span and were present on all broad categories of cognitive ability studied. Education appears to be the most consistent, robust, and durable method yet to be identified for raising intelligence.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (8) ◽  
pp. 232596712092832
Author(s):  
Shanshan Li ◽  
Qianjin Wu ◽  
Zichao Chen

Background: Studies have shown that preventive psychological interventions can reduce the occurrence of sports injuries. Purpose: To systematically evaluate the published literature on the effects of psychological interventions on rates of sports injuries and propose a set of psychological interventions to reduce such injuries. Study Design: Systematic review; Level of evidence, 1. Methods: A total of 11 randomized controlled trials and intervention control trials involving 1287 participants were included. A random-effects model was used to analyze the data. Pooled results were expressed as effect sizes and 95% CIs. Bias and heterogeneity among the studies were assessed, and sensitivity and subgroup analyses were performed. Results: Meta-analysis suggested that preventive psychological interventions effectively prevented the occurrence of sports injuries (effect size = –0.55; P < .001), although the studies showed substantial heterogeneity ( I 2 = 94.2%; P < .001), which could not be attributed to specific variables. Nevertheless, sensitivity analysis suggested that overall results were reliable. No significant risk of publication bias was found. Conclusion: Preventive psychological interventions moderately reduced the risk of sports injuries. Risk screening also significantly reduced the risk of sports injuries. These interventions should focus on cognitive behavior and be administered in 1 to 6 sessions over 7 to 12 weeks for 60 minutes per session.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiroshi Hoshijima ◽  
Takahiro Mihara ◽  
Hiroyuki Seki ◽  
Shunsuke Hyuga ◽  
Norifumi Kuratani ◽  
...  

Importance: Persistent symptoms are reported in patients who survive the initial stage of COVID-19, often referred to as ″long COVID″ or ″post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection″ (PASC); however, evidence on incidence is still lacking, and symptoms relevant to pain are yet to be assessed. Objective: To determine long-term symptoms in COVID-19 survivors after infection. Data Sources: A literature search was performed using the electronic databases PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, and CHINAL and preprint servers MedRχiv and BioRχiv through January 15, 2021. Study Selection: Eligible studies were those reporting patients with a confirmed diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 and who showed any symptoms persisting beyond the acute phase. Data Extraction and Synthesis: Incidence rate of symptoms were pooled using inverse variance methods with a DerSimonian-Laird random-effects model. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was pain-related symptoms such as headache or myalgia. Secondary outcomes were symptoms relevant to pain (depression or muscle weakness) and symptoms frequently reported (anosmia and dyspnea). Heterogeneity among studies and publication bias for each symptom were estimated. The source of heterogeneity was explored using meta-regression, with follow-up period, age and sex as covariates. Results: In total, 35 studies including 18,711 patients were eligible. Eight pain-related symptoms and 26 other symptoms were identified. The highest pooled incidence among pain-related symptoms was chest pain (17%, 95% CI, 12%-25%), followed by headache (16%, 95% CI, 9%-27%), arthralgia (13%, 95% CI, 7%-24%), neuralgia (12%, 95% CI, 3%-38%) and abdominal pain (11%, 95% CI, 7%-16%). The highest pooled incidence among other symptoms was fatigue (45%, 95% CI, 32%-59%), followed by insomnia (26%, 95% CI, 9%-57%), dyspnea (25%, 95% CI, 15%-38%), weakness (25%, 95% CI, 8%-56%) and anosmia (19%, 95% CI, 13%-27%). Substantial heterogeneity was identified (I2, 50-100%). Meta-regression analyses partially accounted for the source of heterogeneity, and yet, 53% of the symptoms remained unexplained. Conclusions and Relevance: The current meta-analysis may provide a complete picture of incidence in PASC. It remains unclear, however, whether post-COVID symptoms progress or regress over time or to what extent PASC are associated with age or sex.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francieli Cristina Krey ◽  
Bruna Alvim Stocchero ◽  
Kerstin Camile Creutzberg ◽  
Bernardo Aguzzoli Heberle ◽  
Saulo Gantes Tractenberg ◽  
...  

Objectives: Through a systematic review and meta-analysis of the literature we aimed to compare the levels of BDNF, NGF, NT-3, NT-4, and GDNF between human term and preterm infants, and investigate factors implicated in the variability of effect size estimates.Methods: The analysis was performed in three online databases, MEDLINE Complete, PsycINFO, and CINAHL. A random effects model was used to calculate the standardized mean difference (SMD) of neurotrophic factor levels in preterm infants vs. term within a 95% confidence interval (CI). To explore sources of heterogeneity meta-regression models were implemented.Results: Sixteen studies were included in this meta-analysis. A combined sample of 1,379 preterm and 1,286 term newborns were evaluated. We identified significant lower BDNF (SMD = −0.32; 95% CI: −0.59, −0.06; p = 0.014) and NT-3 (SMD = −0.31; 95% CI: −0.52, −0.09; p = 0.004) levels in preterm compared to term infants. No significant difference was observed in NGF and NT-4 levels between groups. Given that only two effect sizes were generated for GDNF levels, no meta-analytical model was performed. Meta-regression models revealed sample type (placental tissue, cerebrospinal fluid, peripheral blood, and umbilical cord blood) as a significant moderator of heterogeneity for BDNF meta-analysis. No significant associations were found for gestational week, birth weight, and clinical comorbidity of newborns with effect sizes.Conclusions: Our findings indicated that lower BDNF and NT-3 levels may be associated with preterm birth. Future studies with larger samples sizes should investigate neurodevelopmental manifestations resulting from neurotrophic factor dysregulation among preterm infants.


2019 ◽  
pp. 152483801988173
Author(s):  
Elisa Romano ◽  
Kelly Weegar ◽  
Elena Gallitto ◽  
Sarah Zak ◽  
Michael Saini

Several reviews have been conducted on children’s outcomes following exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV), but there remain inconsistent findings. We conducted a meta-analysis on child emotional and behavioral outcomes of IPV exposure interventions, based on published reviews that included a child component. We also explored relative effect sizes by examining moderators of the effect sizes across studies. This meta-analysis included 21 evaluation studies across 12 published reviews, which were located using a multiple database systematic search of English publications between 2000 and 2019. Studies were required to evaluate IPV interventions that included children, to gather quantitative pre- and post-intervention data on child outcomes, to use standardized instruments, and to present data in a format that could be used in a meta-analysis. Results indicated an overall pre- to post-intervention medium effect size ( d = 0.49), with effect sizes ranging from small to large depending on the specific outcome. Improvements at follow-up were maintained for internalizing behaviors but decreased for trauma-related symptoms and social, externalizing, and total behaviors. However, externalizing and total behavior outcomes still had significant effect sizes in the small-to-medium range ( d = 0.36 and 0.44). There were greater intervention effects when treatment was not exclusively trauma-specific. It appears that IPV exposure interventions are generally effective for improving children’s emotional and behavioral well-being, although interventions would benefit from greater tailoring to children’s specific needs. Interventions may also benefit from incorporating various content areas (both trauma-specific and non-trauma-specific) and from greater focus on ensuring the maintenance of treatment gains.


2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (8) ◽  
pp. 1267-1276
Author(s):  
Joshua L Karelitz

Abstract Background Cue-elicited craving may vary due to duration of smoking history, increasing as more years of smoking strengthen associations between nicotine intake and cues. However, research on this relationship is virtually absent. This project assessed the relationship between cue reactivity and years of smoking. Methods Data from 53 studies (68 effect sizes) were analyzed. Eligible studies were those measuring self-reported craving following cue exposure in nontreatment seeking smokers and reporting mean years smoking. Preliminary subgroup analyses identified methodological factors influencing cue-reactivity effect sizes; primary meta-regression analysis assessed differences across years smoking; exploratory analyses assessed potential for ceiling effects. Results Effect sizes varied due to abstinence requirement and cue presentation modality, but not dependence severity. Unexpectedly, meta-regression analysis revealed a decline in effect sizes across years smoking. Exploratory analyses suggested declines may have been due to a ceiling effect in craving measurement for those with longer smoking histories—more experienced smokers reported higher levels of craving at baseline or following neutral cue exposure, but all reported similar levels of craving after smoking cue exposure. Conclusions Methodological factors and duration of smoking history influenced measurement of cue reactivity. Highlighted were important relationships between years smoking and magnitude of cue reactivity, depending on use of baseline or neutral cue comparisons. Further research is needed to assess differences in cue reactivity due to duration of smoking history using participant-level data, directly testing for ceiling effects. In addition, cue-reactivity studies are needed across young adults to assess onset of associations between nicotine intake and cues. Implications This meta-analysis project contributes to the cue-reactivity literature by reporting on the previously ignored relationship between duration of smoking history and magnitude of cue-elicited craving. Results suggest that declines in cue-reactivity effect sizes across years of smoking may have been due to study-level methodological factors, but not due to differences in sample-level dependence severity. Cue-reactivity effect sizes were stable across years of smoking in studies using a neutral cue comparison but declined sharply in studies when baseline assessment (typically coupled with an abstinence requirement) was used.


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