BackgroundDecrements in performance and the propensity for increased mind-wandering (i.e., task-unrelated thoughts) across time-on-task are two pervasive phenomena observed when people perform vigilance tasks. In the present study, we asked whether processes that lead to vigilance decrement and processes that foster the propensity for mind-wandering (MW) can be dissociated or whether they share a common mechanism. In one experiment, we introduced two critical manipulations: increasing task demands and applying anodal high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex.MethodSeventy-eight participants were randomly assigned to one of four groups resulting from the factorial combination of task demand (low, high) and stimulation (anodal, sham). Participants completed the sustained attention to response task (SART), which included thought probes on intentional and unintentional MW. In addition, we investigated the crucial role of alpha oscillations in a novel approach. By assessing pre-post resting EEG, we explored whether participants’ variability in baseline alpha power predicted performance in MW and vigilance decrement related to tDCS or task demands, respectively, and whether such variability was a stable characteristic of participants.ResultsOur results showed a double dissociation, such that task demands exclusively affected vigilance decrement, while anodal tDCS exclusively affected the rate of MW. Furthermore, the slope of the vigilance decrement function and MW rate (overall, intentional and unintentional) did not correlate. Critically, resting state alpha-band activity predicted tDCS-related gains in unintentional MW alone, but not in vigilance decrement, and remained stable after participants completed the task.ConclusionThese results show that when a sustained attention task involving executive vigilance, such as the SART, is designed to elicit both vigilance decrement effects and MW, the processes leading to vigilance decrement should be differentiated from those responsible for MW, a claim that is supported by the double dissociation observed here and the lack of correlation between the measures chosen to assess both phenomena. Furthermore, the results provide the first evidence of how individual differences in alpha power at baseline may be of crucial importance in predicting the effects of tDCS on MW propensity.

Background:The Florida Obsessive Compulsive Inventory (FOCI) and its pediatric version, the Child-Florida Obsessive Compulsive Inventory (C-FOCI) are instruments for evaluating obsessive-compulsive symptomatology. Method: A reliability generalization meta-analysis was conducted to estimate an average reliability of the scores and to identify study characteristics that explained the heterogeneity among scores. Using KR-20 and Cronbach's alpha, a total of 23 and 20 independent samples were included in the meta-analysis for the FOCI and C-FOCI. Results: We found an average KR-20 of .826 for the FOCI's Symptom Checklist and an alpha of .882 FOCI's Symptom Severity. An average KR-20 of .740 was found for the C-FOCI's Symptom Checklist, while an average alpha of .794 was found for the C-FOCI's Symptom Severity. Moderator analyses showed that the source of the coefficients (i.e. whether they were reported by the authors of the primary study or estimated by the metaanalysts) was an important variable for the FOCI Symptom Severity, and that the focus of the study (i.e. whether it was psychometric or applied) and the sample size were relevant for the C-FOCI Symptom Checklist. Conclusions: Considering that the FOCI and C-FOCI are scales characterized by their brevity and ease of use, and the reliabilities obtained here, both scales are well suited for screening purposes.

Meta-analysis is one of the most useful and powerful research approaches, however, this relevance relies on its credibility. In recent years different concerns about the credibility of psychological research have emerged. Analytical reproducibility of scientific results could be considered as the minimal threshold of it. In this study, our purpose was to assess the analytical reproducibility and data reusability of a set of published meta-analyses. From a random sample of 100 papers containing at least one meta-analysis on the effectiveness of interventions in psychology used in a previous study, 217 meta-analyses were selected. We first tried to retrieve the original data by recovering a data file, recoding the data from document files (pdf, doc), or on request. Second, through a multi-stage workflow, we tried to reproduce the main results of each meta-analysis using these data. The original data were retrieved for 146 meta-analyses from different sources. Of these, in the first stage 52 showed a discrepancy larger than 5% in the main results, in 25 of them, this discrepancy was solved with minor adjustments, or correction of coding errors. In the remaining 27, different issues were identified in an in-depth review of the papers, such as reporting inconsistencies, lack of some data, or transcription errors. Current practices of data sharing in meta-analyses hamper the reusability of meta-analytic data. On the other hand, the implementation of new tools would help to avoid certain errors in the meta-analysis reporting process.

Background Circadian rhythm patterns vary across individuals, producing the existence of different chronotypes. Chronotype refers to the preferences of individuals to perform their daily life activities, being classified as intermediate-types (no specific circadian preference), morning-types (preference for early morning hours) and evening-types (preference for later hours). We investigated whether chronotype and time-of-day modulate the time course of automatic and controlled semantic processing. Participants performed a category semantic priming task at either the optimal or non-optimal time-of-day. We varied the prime-target onset asynchrony (100-, 450-, 650-, and 850-ms SOAs) and kept the percentage of unrelated targets constant at 80%. Automatic processing, producing facilitatory priming, was expected with the short SOA, and controlled processing, producing inhibitory priming, was expected with longer SOAs. Results Intermediate-types (Experiment 1) verified that our task was sensitive to capturing both types of processes. Facilitatory automatic priming was observed early in the first trials of the short 100-ms SOA, then controlled and automatic processing cancelled each other producing a lack of priming effects (2nd and 3rd subblocks of the 100-ms SOA and the 450-ms SOA). Finally, with the longer SOAs only inhibitory controlled priming was observed, which size increased with time. This time course of automatic and controlled processing in intermediate-types served as reference to assessed both types of processes in extreme chronotypes. Morning-type and evening-type participants (Experiment 2) differed in the influence of time of testing on priming effects. Morning-types applied control in all conditions, and no modulation of performance by time-of-day was observed. In contrast, evening-types were only able to suppress automatic processing when the task was performed at their optimal time of day. Also, they were considerably slower in the implementation of controlled processing as inhibitory priming occur in the longest 850-ms SOA only. Conclusions These results suggest that extreme chronotypes are associated with different styles of cognitive control. Morning-types show a proactive control style that fosters maintenance of active response strategies to resolve conflict without producing negative effects. Evening-types show a reactive control style such that conflict resolution is influenced by task demands. This dissociation suggests a better adaptation strategy of the morning-type chronotype.

Background: Circadian rhythm patterns vary across individuals, producing the existence of different chronotypes. Chronotype refers to the preferences of individuals to perform their daily life activities, being classified as intermediate-types (no specific circadian preference), morning-types (preference for early morning hours) and evening-types (preference for later hours). We investigated whether chronotype and time-of-day modulate the time course of automatic and controlled semantic processing. Participants performed a category semantic priming task at either the optimal or non-optimal time-of-day. We varied the prime-target onset asynchrony (100-, 450-, 650-, and 850-ms SOAs) and kept the percentage of unrelated targets constant at 80%. Automatic processing, producing facilitatory priming, was expected with the short SOA, and controlled processing, producing inhibitory priming, was expected with longer SOAs. Results: Intermediate-types (Experiment 1) verified that our task was sensitive to capturing both types of processes. Facilitatory automatic priming was observed early in the first trials of the short 100-ms SOA, then controlled and automatic processing cancelled each other producing a lack of priming effects (2nd and 3rd subblocks of the 100-ms SOA and the 450-ms SOA). Finally, with the longer SOAs only inhibitory controlled priming was observed, which size increased with time. This time course of automatic and controlled processing in intermediate-types served as reference to assessed both types of processes in extreme chronotypes. Morning-type and evening-type participants (Experiment 2) differed in the influence of time of testing on priming effects. Morning-types applied control in all conditions, and no modulation of performance by time-of-day was observed. In contrast, evening-types were only able to suppress automatic processing when the task was performed at their optimal time of day. Also, they were considerably slower in the implementation of controlled processing as inhibitory priming occur in the longest 850-ms SOA only. Conclusions: These results suggest that extreme chronotypes are associated with different styles of cognitive control. Morning-types show a proactive control style that fosters maintenance of active response strategies to resolve conflict without producing negative effects. Evening-types show a reactive control style such that conflict resolution is influenced by task demands. This dissociation suggests a better adaptation strategy of the morning-type chronotype.