Questionable research practices among Brazilian psychological researchers: Results from a replication study and an international comparison.

Research on scientific integrity is growing in psychology, and questionable research practices (QRPs) have received more attention due to its harmful effect on science. By replicating the procedures of previous research, the present study aimed at describing the use of QRPs among Brazilian psychological researchers and to make an international comparison with previous studies in other countries-the US and Italy. Two hundred and thirty-two Brazilian researchers in the field of psychology answered questions related to 10 different QRPs. Brazilian researchers indicated a lower tendency to engage in two QRPs (failing to report all of a study's dependent measures; deciding whether to collect more data after looking to see whether the results were significant) when compared to their Italian and North American counterparts, but indicated a higher tendency to engage in two other QRPs (selectively reporting studies that "worked"; not reporting all of a study's conditions). Most of the sample did not admit integrity conflicts in their own research but indicated that others have integrity problems, as observed in previous studies. Those discrepancies could be attributed to contextual and systemic factors regarding different publication demands among the different nations. Further studies should focus on identifying the antecedents of QRPs.

Translation and adaptation of the Social Connectedness Scale to portuguese / Tradução e adaptação da Escala de Conectividade Social para o português / Traducción y adaptación de la Escala de Conectividad Social para el portugués

The goal of the present study was to adapt the social connectedness scale (SCS) to Brazilian Portuguese and evaluate its psychometric properties. A survey was conducted with 222 participants. They answered the SCS, the positive and negative affective schedule (PANAS), the Duke University Religion Index (DUREL), two pictorial measures of social connectedness, and a socio-demographic questionnaire. The original one factor solution was supported by the data. The SCS-derived score was significantly associated with the other measures in the expected directions. The results described in the present study are favorable regarding the internal consistency and evidence of validity of SCS scores. The study offers three social connectedness measures that can be used to investigate the impacts of social connectedness on cognition, behavior and health of Brazilians. (AU)

O objetivo do presente estudo foi adaptar a Escala de Conectividade Social (SCS) para o português brasileiro e avaliar suas propriedades psicométricas. Um levantamento de dados foi realizado com 222 participantes. Eles responderam à SCS, o Positive and Negative Affective Schedule (PANAS), o Índice de Religião da Duke University (DUREL), duas medidas pictóricas de conectividade social e um questionário sociodemográfico. A solução original de um fator foi apoiada pelos dados. O escore derivado da SCS esteve significativamente associado com as outras medidas nas direções esperadas. Os resultados descritos no presente estudo são favoráveis quanto à consistência interna e à evidência de validade dos escores da SCS. O estudo oferece três medidas de conectividade social que poderão ser usadas para investigar os impactos da conectividade social na cognição, comportamento e saúde dos brasileiros. (AU)

El objetivo del presente estudio fue adaptar la escala de conectividad social (SCS) para el portugués brasileño y evaluar sus propiedades psicométricas. Se realizó una encuesta de datos con 222 participantes. La muestra respondió al SCS, el positive and negative affective schedule (PANAS), el Índice de Religión de la Universidad de Duke (DUREL), dos medidas pictóricas de conectividad social, además de un cuestionario sociodemográfico. La solución original de un factor fue respaldada por los datos. Los resultados derivados de la SCS se asociaron significativamente con las otras medidas en las direcciones esperadas. Los resultados descritos en el presente estudio son favorables con respecto a la consistencia interna y la evidencia de validez de los escores de la SCS. El estudio ofrece tres medidas de conectividad social que se pueden utilizar para investigar los impactos de la conectividad social en la cognición, el comportamiento y la salud de los brasileños. (AU)

No Effect of Weight on Judgments of Importance in the Moral Domain and Evidence of Publication Bias from a Meta-Analysis.

In different cultures, people use the concept of weight to refer to important matters. Recent studies in grounded cognition suggested that experiences of weight affect unrelated judgments of importance in metaphor-congruent ways. Theories in grounded cognition and prime-to-behavior effects state that sensations of weight activate concepts of importance, which may affect morality-related variables that are influenced by judgments of importance. The present research aimed to test the effect of carrying a heavy (or light) clipboard on the perceived importance of helping and on the judged severity of moral transgressions. After finding no significant effects in two experiments, a third study explored whether these results were due to a specific lack of effect of weight on morality-related variables or to the concept of importance not being grounded in sensations of weight in Brazilian samples. Specifically, in Study 3 we attempted to replicate two seminal studies but found no significant effects. Together with evidence of publication bias in a meta-analysis of published studies, the current results suggest that the concept of importance may not be as universally grounded in sensations of weight as previously assumed. We discuss the implications of these results for grounded cognition theories and methodological and statistical aspects of priming studies.

Adaptação e evidências de validade da Bateria de Personalidade Prosocial no Brasil / Adaptation and evidence of validity of the Prosocial Personality Battery in Brazil / Adaptación y evidencia de validez de la Batería de Personalidad Prosocial en Brasil

O interesse da psicologia social e da personalidade pela disposição duradoura a agir prosocialmente resultou no desenvolvimento de instrumentos capazes de medir tal "bondade." O objetivo do presente estudo foi traduzir para o português, adaptar e avaliar as propriedades psicométricas da Bateria de Personalidade Prosocial (Prosocial Personality Battery), um instrumento desenvolvido para medir diferenças individuais na disposição de agir prosocialmente. Dois estudos foram conduzidos para testar a estrutura teórica do instrumento e produzir evidências de validade. No Estudo 1, o instrumento original foi traduzido usando o método tradução-retradução. A estrutura original foi replicada e os indicadores psicométricos observados foram próximos dos relatados originalmente. No Estudo 2, a estrutura foi novamente replicada e a análise fatorial confirmatória demonstrou que, embora ainda possam haver aprimoramentos futuros, ele replica a estrutura original e pode ser usado no Brasil para estudar o comportamento prosocial...

The interest of personality and social psychology for the enduring disposition to act prosocially resulted in the development of instruments capable of measuring such "goodness". The aim of the present study was to translate into Portuguese, adapt and evaluate the psychometric properties of the Prosocial Personality Battery, an instrument developed to measure individual differences in the disposition to act prosocially. Two studies were conducted to test the theoretical structure of the instrument and produce evidence of validity. In Study 1, the original instrument was translated using the back-translation method. The original structure was replicated and the psychometric properties observed were similar to the originally obtained. In Study 2, the structure was replicated again and the confirmatory factor analysis showed that, even though future improvements can be made, it replicates the original structure an can be used in Brazil to study prosocial behavior...

El interés de la psicología social y de la personalidad en la tendencia a actuar prosocialmente resultó en el desarrollo de instrumentos que permitan medir esa "bondad". El objetivo de este estudio fue traducir al portugués, adaptar y conocer las propiedades psicométricas de la Batería de Personalidad Prosocial (Prosocial Personality Battery), un instrumento desarrollado para medir las diferencias individuales en la voluntad para actuar prosocialmente. Se realizaron dos estudios para probar la estructura teórica del instrumento y producir pruebas de validez. En el Estudio 1, el instrumento original fue traducido por el método de traducción- retraducción. La estructura original fue replicada y los indicadores psicométricos observados fueron similares a los obtenidos originalmente. En el Estudio 2, la estructura se repitió y el análisis factorial confirmatorio mostró que, aunque el instrumento pueda ser mejorado en futuras investigaciones, reproduce la estructura original y puede ser utilizado en Brasil para estudiar el comportamiento prosocial...