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The credibility of psychological findings can be undermined by a history of questionable research practices (QRPs) of researchers. One remedy for this problem is the use of the pre-registration of studies in which a research protocol is registered before the experiment starts. However, the current style of pre-registration can be negatively affected by other QRPs. The purpose of this paper was to demonstrate the ability to engage in QRPs even after a study has been pre-registered. In the demonstration study, we used a total of eight QRPs to obtain statistically meaningful results that supported an ad hoc hypothesis. Major system updates such as pre-registration, peer review, and evaluation are required to address these harmful practices. We hope that the present demonstration study gives momentum to further discussions on next-generation research practices.

The facial feedback hypothesis suggests that an individual’s subjective experience of emotion is influenced by their facial expressions. Researchers, however, currently face conflicting narratives about whether this hypothesis is valid. A large replication effort consistently failed to replicate a seminal demonstration of the facial feedback hypothesis, but meta-analysis suggests the effect is real. To address this uncertainty, a large team of researchers—some advocates of the facial feedback hypothesis, some critics, and some without strong belief—collaborated to specify the best ways to test this hypothesis. Two pilot tests suggested that smiling could both magnify ongoing feelings of happiness and initiate feelings of happiness in otherwise non-emotional scenarios. Next, multiple research sites will perform more extensive tests to examine whether there is a replicable facial feedback effect.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak is threatening not only health but also life worldwide. It is important to encourage citizens to voluntarily practise infection-prevention (IP) behaviours such as social distancing and self-restraint. Previous research on social cognition suggested that emphasizing self-identity is key to changing a person's behaviour. The present study investigated whether reminders that highlight self-identity would be effective in changing intention and behaviour related to the COVID-19 outbreak, and hypothesized that those who read reminders highlighting self-identity (Don't be a spreader) would change IP intention and behaviour better than those who read ‘Don't spread’ or no reminder. We conducted a two-wave survey of the same participants with a one-week interval, during which we assigned one of three reminder conditions to the participants: ‘Don't spread’ (spreading condition), ‘Don't be a spreader’ (spreader condition) and no reminder (control condition). Participants marked their responses to IP intentions and actual behaviours each week based on the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare guidelines. While the results did not show significant differences between the conditions, the post hoc analyses showed significant equivalence in either IP intentions or behavioural scores. We discussed the results from the perspective of the effect size, ceiling effects and ways of manipulation checks as future methods with more effective persuasive messaging. Following in-principle acceptance, the approved Stage 1 version of this manuscript was pre-registered on the OSF at https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/KZ5Y4. This pre-registration was performed prior to data collection and analysis.

Abstract. In this experiment, we replicated the effect of muscle engagement on perception such that the recognition of another’s facial expressions was biased by the observer’s facial muscular activity (Blaesi & Wilson, 2010). We extended this replication to show that such a modulatory effect is also observed for the recognition of dynamic bodily expressions. Via a multilab and within-subjects approach, we investigated the emotion recognition of point-light biological walkers, along with that of morphed face stimuli, while subjects were or were not holding a pen in their teeth. Under the “pen-in-the-teeth” condition, participants tended to lower their threshold of perception of happy expressions in facial stimuli compared to the “no-pen” condition, thus replicating the experiment by Blaesi and Wilson (2010). A similar effect was found for the biological motion stimuli such that participants lowered their threshold to perceive happy walkers in the pen-in-the-teeth condition compared to the no-pen condition. This pattern of results was also found in a second experiment in which the no-pen condition was replaced by a situation in which participants held a pen in their lips (“pen-in-lips” condition). These results suggested that facial muscular activity alters the recognition of not only facial expressions but also bodily expressions.

The spread of COVID-19 is serious, threatening not only health but also life worldwide. To resolve the crisis, governments need to encourage citizens to voluntarily change their behaviour, such as social distancing and self-restraint. This is especially important in those countries where governments cannot stop people going out, congregating, or attending events, or lock down a city legally, as is the case in Japan. Previous research on social cognition has suggested that emphasising self-identity is key to changing a person's behaviour. This study will examine whether reminders that highlight self-identity are effective in controlling behaviour related to the spread of COVID-19: Will those putting greater emphasis on self-identity (‘Don’t be a spreader’) inhibit high-risk behaviours related to infection control better than those using less (‘Don’t spread’)? A two-wave survey of the same participants will be conducted with a one-week interval, during which one of three reminder conditions will be assigned: ‘Don’t spread’ (spreading condition), ‘Don’t be a spreader’ (spreader condition), and no reminder (control condition). Participants will mark their responses to items related to the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare guidelines and the number of times per week they go out on a COVID-19 infection prevention scale. Based on the findings, effective and practical ways of designing reminders that encourage people to change their behaviour to prevent the COVID-19 pandemic will be suggested.

In this research, we replicated the effect of muscle engagement on perception such that the recognition of another’s facial expressions was biased by the observer’s facial muscular activity (Blaesi & Wilson, 2010). We extended this replication to show that such a modulatory effect is also observed for the recognition of dynamic bodily expressions. Via a multi-lab and within-subjects approach, we investigated the emotion recognition of point-light biological walkers, along with that of morphed face stimuli, while subjects were or were not holding a pen in their teeth. Under the ‘pen-in-the-teeth’ condition, participants tended to lower their threshold of perception of ‘happy’ expressions in facial stimuli compared to the ‘no-pen’ condition; thus replicating the experiment by Blaesi and Wilson (2010). A similar effect was found for the biological motion stimuli such that participants lowered their threshold to perceive ‘happy’ walkers in the ‘pen-in-the-teeth’ compared to the ‘no-pen’ condition. This pattern of results was also found in a second experiment in which the ‘no-pen’ condition was replaced by a situation in which participants held a pen in their lips (‘pen-in-lips’ condition). These results suggested that facial muscular activity not only alters the recognition of facial expressions but also bodily expression.

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