The Outcomes of Physical Punishment are Typical of All Corrective Actions: A Response to Heilmann et al's (2021) Narrative Review

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert E. Larzelere ◽  
Marjorie Lindner Gunnoe ◽  
Joshua Pritsker ◽  
Christopher J. Ferguson ◽  
Carla Adkison-Johnson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Studies ◽  
Causal Effect ◽  
Physical Punishment ◽  
Policy Recommendations ◽  
Average Effect ◽  
Psychological Science ◽  
Analytic Review ◽  
Meta Analyses ◽  
Evidence For Policy ◽  
Lines Of Evidence

The reputation of psychological science depends on the adequacy of the science underlying its policy recommendations. This commentary raises concerns about the science used by Heilman et al. (2021) in their recent narrative (not meta-analytic) review that encourages spanking bans worldwide. By reviewing controlled longitudinal studies, Heilmann et al. provided stronger causal evidence than the two meta-analyses of unadjusted correlations most frequently cited to support spanking bans. However, the two previously published meta-analyses of controlled longitudinal studies of spanking do not support spanking bans, due to the trivial size of the average adverse-looking effect of customary spanking in those studies. Moreover, several lines of evidence indicate that this trivial average effect is likely due to inadequate statistical controls rather than an actual adverse causal effect of typical spanking. We need stronger causal evidence for policy recommendations for both the welfare of children and the reputation of psychological science.

A Meta-Analytic Review of Sex Differences on Delay of Gratification and Temporal Discounting Tasks in ADHD and Typically Developing Samples

2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 540-561 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua L. Doidge ◽  
David B. Flora ◽  
Maggie E. Toplak
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Temporal Discounting ◽  
Delay Of Gratification ◽  
Task Type ◽  
Effect Sizes ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Average Effect ◽  
Analytic Review ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Meta Analyses

Objective: To examine whether males and females with ADHD differ in their preferences for delayed rewards, since there is some evidence that suggests a sex difference with typically developing (TD) samples. Method: We used meta-analyses to examine sex differences on delay of gratification and temporal discounting tasks in both TD and ADHD samples. We identified 28 papers with 52 effect sizes for children and adults, and calculated the average effect size for sex comparisons within TD and ADHD samples. Results: The estimated mean difference between TD males and TD females was negligible, but males with ADHD were more likely to choose the larger delayed rewards than females with ADHD. Meta-regressions indicated that task type, age, and reward type did not significantly predict sex differences. Conclusion: These findings suggest that females referred for ADHD may make less adaptive choices by preferring smaller immediate rewards over larger delayed rewards more often than males with ADHD. Implications of our findings are discussed.

scholarly journals Related Factors and Clinical Outcomes of Osteosarcopenia: A Narrative Review

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 291
Author(s):  
Tatsuro Inoue ◽  
Keisuke Maeda ◽  
Ayano Nagano ◽  
Akio Shimizu ◽  
Junko Ueshima ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Longitudinal Studies ◽  
Clinical Outcomes ◽  
Daily Living ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Meta Analyses ◽  
Community Dwelling Older Adults

Osteopenia/osteoporosis and sarcopenia are common geriatric diseases among older adults and harm activities of daily living (ADL) and quality of life (QOL). Osteosarcopenia is a unique syndrome that is a concomitant of both osteopenia/osteoporosis and sarcopenia. This review aimed to summarize the related factors and clinical outcomes of osteosarcopenia to facilitate understanding, evaluation, prevention, treatment, and further research on osteosarcopenia. We searched the literature to include meta-analyses, reviews, and clinical trials. The prevalence of osteosarcopenia among community-dwelling older adults is significantly higher in female (up to 64.3%) compared to male (8–11%). Osteosarcopenia is a risk factor for death, fractures, and falls based on longitudinal studies. However, the associations between osteosarcopenia and many other factors have been derived based on cross-sectional studies, so the causal relationship is not clear. Few studies of osteosarcopenia in hospitals have been conducted. Osteosarcopenia is a new concept and has not yet been fully researched its relationship to clinical outcomes. Longitudinal studies and high-quality interventional studies are warranted in the future.

scholarly journals A Meta-Analysis of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Effects on Brain Volume in Schizophrenia: Genotype and Serum Levels

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Anthony O. Ahmed ◽  
Samantha Kramer ◽  
Naama Hofman ◽  
John Flynn ◽  
Marie Hansen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Neurotrophic Factor ◽  
Psychotic Disorders ◽  
Brain Volume ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor ◽  
Volume Data ◽  
Analytic Review ◽  
Volume Measurements ◽  
Meta Analyses ◽  
Serum Bdnf

Aim: The Val66Met single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) on the BDNF gene has established pleiotropic effects on schizophrenia incidence and morphologic alterations in the illness. The effects of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) on brain volume measurements are however mixed seeming to be less established for most brain regions. The current meta-analytic review examined (1) the association of the Val66Met SNP and brain volume alterations in schizophrenia by comparing Met allele carriers to Val/Val homozygotes and (2) the association of serum BDNF with brain volume measurements. Method: Studies included in the meta-analyses were identified through an electronic search of PubMed and PsycInfo (via EBSCO) for English language publications from January 2000 through December 2017. Included studies had conducted a genotyping procedure of Val66Met or obtained assays of serum BDNF and obtained brain volume data in patients with psychotic disorders. Nonhuman studies were excluded. Results: Study 1 which included 52 comparisons of Met carriers and Val/Val homozygotes found evidence of lower right and left hippocampal volumes among Met allele carriers with schizophrenia. Frontal measurements, while also lower among Met carriers, did not achieve statistical significance. Study 2 which included 7 examinations of the correlation between serum BDNF and brain volume found significant associations between serum BDNF levels and right and left hippocampal volume with lower BDNF corresponding to lower volumes. Discussion: The meta-analyses provided evidence of associations between brain volume alterations in schizophrenia and variations on the Val66Met SNP and serum BDNF. Given the limited number of studies, it remains unclear if BDNF effects are global or regionally specific.

Effect of metabolites levels on type 2 diabetes mellitus and glycemic traits: a Mendelian randomization study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yue Sun ◽  
Ya-Ke Lu ◽  
Hao-Yu Gao ◽  
Yu-Xiang Yan
Keyword(s):  
Diabetes Mellitus ◽  
Type 2 Diabetes ◽  
Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus ◽  
Mendelian Randomization ◽  
Causal Effect ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Significance Level ◽  
Inverse Variance ◽  
Meta Analyses

Abstract Objective To assess the causal associations of plasma levels of metabolites with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and glycemic traits. Methods Two-sample mendelian randomization (MR) was conducted to assess the causal associations. Genetic variants strongly associated with metabolites at genome-wide significance level (P < 5 × 10 −8) were selected from public GWAS, and SNPs of Outcomes were obtained from the DIAbetes Genetics Replication And Meta-analysis (DIAGRAM) consortium for T2DM and from the Meta-Analyses of Glucose and Insulin-related traits Consortium (MAGIC) for the fasting glucose, insulin and HbA1c. The Wald ratio and inverse-variance weighted methods were used for analyses, and MR-Egger was used for sensitivity analysis. Results The β estimates per 1 SD increasement of arachidonic acid (AA) level was 0.16 (95% CI: 0.078, 0.242; P<0.001). Genetic predisposition to higher plasma AA levels were associated with higher FG levels (β 0.10 [95%CI: 0.064, 0.134], P<0.001), higher HbA1c levels (β 0.04 [95%CI: 0.027, 0.061]) and lower FI levels (β -0.025 [95%CI: -0.047, -0.002], P=0.033). Besides, 2-hydroxybutyric acid (2-HBA) might have positive causal effect on glycemic traits. Conclusions Our findings suggest that AA and 2-HBA may have the causal associations on T2DM and glycemic traits. It is beneficial for clarifying the pathogenesis of T2DM, which would be valuable for early identification and prevention for T2DM.

scholarly journals WIC Participation and Breastfeeding after the 2009 WIC Revision: A Propensity Score Approach

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (15) ◽  
pp. 2645 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li ◽  
Wen ◽  
Reynolds ◽  
Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Propensity Score ◽  
Propensity Score Matching ◽  
Causal Effect ◽  
Nutrition Examination Survey ◽  
Birth Cohorts ◽  
Average Effect ◽  
Health And Nutrition ◽  
Wic Participation ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Supplemental Nutrition Program

In this study, we examined the association between participation in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and breastfeeding outcomes before and after the 2009 revisions. Four-thousand-three-hundred-and-eight WIC-eligible children younger than 60 months were included from the 2005–2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). We compared two birth cohorts with regard to their associations between WIC participation and being ever-breastfed and breastfed at 6 months. We estimated the average effect of the treatment for the treated to assess the causal effect of WIC participation on breastfeeding based on propensity score matching. The results showed that WIC-eligible participating children born between 2000 and 2008 were significantly less likely than WIC-eligible nonparticipating children to ever receive breastfeeding (p < 0.05) or to be breastfed at 6 months (p < 0.05). Among children born between 2009 and 2014, WIC-eligible participating children were no longer less likely to ever receive breastfeeding compared to WIC-eligible nonparticipating children; the gap remained in breastfeeding at 6-months (p < 0.05). The disparities in prevalence of ever breastfed between WIC-eligible participants and nonparticipants have been eliminated since the 2009 WIC revision. More efforts are needed to improve breastfeeding persistence among WIC-participating mother–infant dyads.

The Relational Turbulence Model: A Meta-Analytic Review

2020 ◽  
Vol 46 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 222-249
Author(s):  
Alan K Goodboy ◽  
San Bolkan ◽  
Liesel L Sharabi ◽  
Scott A Myers ◽  
James P Baker
Keyword(s):  
Random Effects ◽  
Turbulence Model ◽  
Correlation Matrix ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Turbulence Theory ◽  
Relational Turbulence ◽  
Analytic Review ◽  
Relational Turbulence Model ◽  
Meta Analyses ◽  
Uncertainty Relationship

Abstract A series of 27 meta-analyses was conducted to synthesize theoretical predictions, to date, of the relational turbulence model (RTM), which has informed relational turbulence theory (RTT). In line with theorized predictions, 12 random-effects meta-analyses (k = 9–15; n = 1,395–5,493) confirmed that RTM variables (i.e., self uncertainty, partner uncertainty, relationship uncertainty, and partner interference), on average, correlated with topic avoidance, depressive symptoms, and relationship satisfaction. An additional 15 random-effects meta-analyses (k = 4–41; n = 930–8,975) were conducted to pool an average correlation matrix among self uncertainty, partner uncertainty, relationship uncertainty, partner interference, partner facilitation, and relational turbulence. This pooled correlation matrix was used to test a meta-analytic structural equation model of the RTM commonly specified in the literature. Global and local fit statistics indicated the meta-analytic data fit the RTM well. Collectively, these results offer empirical and theoretical evidence for the RTM across nearly 2 decades of research and provide insights for future scholarship guided by the axioms and propositions of RTT.

scholarly journals Corrigendum: Pleiotropic Meta-Analyses of Longitudinal Studies Discover Novel Genetic Variants Associated with Age-Related Diseases

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liang He ◽  
Yelena Kernogitski ◽  
Irina Kulminskaya ◽  
Yury Loika ◽  
Konstantin G. Arbeev ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Studies ◽  
Genetic Variants ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Meta Analyses

The Rules of the Game Called Psychological Science

2012 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. 543-554 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marjan Bakker ◽  
Annette van Dijk ◽  
Jelte M. Wicherts
Keyword(s):  
Null Hypothesis ◽  
Research Strategy ◽  
Significance Testing ◽  
Null Hypothesis Significance Testing ◽  
Questionable Research Practices ◽  
Psychological Science ◽  
Track Record ◽  
Journal Policies ◽  
Meta Analyses ◽  
Rules Of The Game

If science were a game, a dominant rule would probably be to collect results that are statistically significant. Several reviews of the psychological literature have shown that around 96% of papers involving the use of null hypothesis significance testing report significant outcomes for their main results but that the typical studies are insufficiently powerful for such a track record. We explain this paradox by showing that the use of several small underpowered samples often represents a more efficient research strategy (in terms of finding p < .05) than does the use of one larger (more powerful) sample. Publication bias and the most efficient strategy lead to inflated effects and high rates of false positives, especially when researchers also resorted to questionable research practices, such as adding participants after intermediate testing. We provide simulations that highlight the severity of such biases in meta-analyses. We consider 13 meta-analyses covering 281 primary studies in various fields of psychology and find indications of biases and/or an excess of significant results in seven. These results highlight the need for sufficiently powerful replications and changes in journal policies.

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