Hotspots in Psychology – 2023 Edition

Abstract

The aim of the seventh edition of the Hotspots in Psychology series is to address hotspots topics in psychology and related areas with the help of research synthesis and Big Data methods for large-scale applications. Above this, methodological advances in research synthesis are presented that are relevant for any subfield of psychology.Substantive issues using large-scale data or metaanalysis are addressed by the following two papers:An overview on a practical aspect relevant for each research synthesis is given by Burgard and Bittermann (2023, this issue). The systematic review introduces literature screening tools that allow reducing the workload in research syntheses. The tools have in common that machine learning and natural language processing are used to semiautomate decision-making in the screening process. The evidence on the performance of screening automation tools known from 21 previous applications is summarized. In comparison to sampling records randomly, active screening with prioritization approximately halves the screening workload.Seekircher and colleagues (2023, this issue) investigate the effects of meditation interventions on stress and wellbeing in RCTs of clinical populations. In line with a previous meta-analysis on the topic, the authors find that participants randomized to meditation interventions showed lower levels of perceived stress. Above this and in contrast to the former study, the meta-analysis reveals higher levels of subjective well-being for participants of meditation interventions compared to active comparison groups. Overall, the meta-analysis provides evidence for the benefit of using meditation interventions as a complementary treatment for chronically ill patients.Methodological advances in the area of research synthesis methods are the focus of the following four papers:A valuable data source for many big data applications are web data, as social media or trace data. Whether the

The role of microfinance in improving living standards: Evidence from Tunisia

“…Precontacting potential respondents also resulted in higher response rates. This result is consistent with a recent synthesis (Burgard et al, 2020) and an earlier meta‐analysis (Cook et al, 2000), both of which further recommend adopting more personal forms of contact, such as face‐to‐face or phone contacts.…”