Concerns have been growing about the veracity of psychological research. Many findings in psychological science are based on studies with insufficient statistical power and nonrepresentative samples, or may otherwise be limited to specific, ungeneralizable settings or populations. Crowdsourced research, a type of large-scale collaboration in which one or more research projects are conducted across multiple lab sites, offers a pragmatic solution to these and other current methodological challenges. The Psychological Science Accelerator (PSA) is a distributed network of laboratories designed to enable and support crowdsourced research projects. These projects can focus on novel research questions, or attempt to replicate prior research, in large, diverse samples. The PSA’s mission is to accelerate the accumulation of reliable and generalizable evidence in psychological science. Here, we describe the background, structure, principles, procedures, benefits, and challenges of the PSA. In contrast to other crowdsourced research networks, the PSA is ongoing (as opposed to time-limited), efficient (in terms of re-using structures and principles for different projects), decentralized, diverse (in terms of participants and researchers), and inclusive (of proposals, contributions, and other relevant input from anyone inside or outside of the network). The PSA and other approaches to crowdsourced psychological science will advance our understanding of mental processes and behaviors by enabling rigorous research and systematically examining its generalizability.

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The change in the level of oxytocin and cortisol was tested in the participants of hypnotic interaction in standardised laboratory sessions with healthy volunteers.Pre to posthypnosis changes of oxitocin and cortisol were related to the hypnotic susceptibility of Ss, and to relational experiences reposted by subjects and hypnotists on several paper and pencil tests (AIM, DIH, s-EMBU).Results show that the changes in oxytocin are not related to the hypnotic susceptibility, but to the relational experiences. After the hypnotic interaction, the level of oxytocin increases in the subject if the perceived harmony with the hypnotist is high (DIH), while it increases in the hypnotist if the subject has memories of less warm emotional relationship with his/her parents (s-EMBU).The results are interpreted within the social psychobiological model of hypnosis.

Clinical evidence for the effectiveness of hypnosis in the treatment of acute, procedural pain was critically evaluated based on reports from randomized controlled clinical trials (RCTs). Results from the 29 RCTs meeting inclusion criteria suggest that hypnosis decreases pain compared to standard care and attention control groups and that it is at least as effective as comparable adjunct psychological or behavioral therapies. In addition, applying hypnosis in multiple sessions prior to the day of the procedure produced the highest percentage of significant results. Hypnosis was most effective in minor surgical procedures. However, interpretations are limited by considerable risk of bias. Further studies using minimally effective control conditions and systematic control of intervention dose and timing are required to strengthen conclusions.

The present study explored presence of meaning in life, search for meaning in life, and their correlation with health anxiety. The Meaning in Life Questionnaire and the Short Health Anxiety Inventory were completed by 753 individuals. Results indicated higher presence of meaning in life was associated with lower health anxiety, while the opposite was observed for search for meaning in life. Results also revealed an interaction between presence of meaning in life and search for meaning in life, where individuals with high search for meaning in life and high presence of meaning in life had lower health anxiety than those with high search for meaning in life and low presence of meaning in life. These findings suggest that presence of meaning in life and search for meaning in life are correlates of health anxiety.

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Suggestive techniques might be useful tools to alleviate postoperative anxiety and pain; however, strength of the evidence is weak because of possible bias in the reviewed articles. The lack of access to within-subjects data and the overlap between moderator conditions also limit the scope of the analysis. More methodologically correct studies are required with sensitivity to moderating factors and to within-subjects changes. For clinical purposes, we advise the use of hypnosis with live presentation to reduce postoperative anxiety and pain, until convincing evidence is uncovered for the effectiveness of therapeutic suggestions and recorded presentation. Pain management with adjunct suggestive interventions is mostly encouraged in minor rather than major surgeries.

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