Autonomous, bidding, credible, decentralized, ethical, and funded (ABCDEF) publishing [version 2; peer review: 1 approved, 2 approved with reservations]

Scientists write research articles, process ethics reviews, evaluate proposals and research, and seek funding. Several strategies have been proposed to optimize these operations and to decentralize access to research resources and opportunities. For instance, we previously proposed the trinity review method, combining registered reports with financing and research ethics assessments. However, previously proposed systems have a number of shortcomings, including how to implement them, e.g., who manages them, how incentives for reviewers are paid, etc. Various solutions have been proposed to address these issues, employing methods based on blockchain technologies, called “decentralized science (DeSci)”. Decentralized approaches that exploit these developments offer potentially profound improvements to the troubled scientific ecosystem. Here, we propose a system that integrates ethics reviews, peer reviews, and funding in a decentralized manner, based on Web3 technology. This new method, named ABCDEF publishing, would enhance the speed, fairness, and transparency of scientific research and publishing

Avoidance of Novelty Contributes to the Uncanny Valley

A hypothesis suggests that objects with a high degree of visual similarity to real humans trigger negative impressions (i.e., the uncanny valley). Previous studies have suggested that difficulty in object categorization elicits negative emotional reactions to enable the avoidance of potential threats. The present study further investigated this categorization-difficulty hypothesis. In an experiment, observers categorized morphed images of photographs and human doll faces as “photograph” or “doll” and evaluated the perceived eeriness of the images. Additionally, we asked the observers to answer questionnaires on behavioral inhibition systems (BIS). The results indicated that individual differences in the BIS score were associated with enhanced eeriness in the objects with a specific human likeness. These findings suggest that the tendency to avoid a potentially threatening novel experience contributes to promoting the perceived eeriness of objects with some degree of visual similarity to real humans

Involuntary protection against dermatosis: A preliminary observation on trypophobia

Abstract Objective Trypophobia refers to the intense negative emotions evoked by exposure to repeated visual patterns like a honeycomb. We propose a cognitive mechanism that can explain why such negative emotions are triggered by trypophobic objects, primarily through automatic and involuntary avoidance of skin diseases, which is also called as the Involuntary Protection Against Dermatosis (IPAD) hypothesis. Results We asked 856 participants to evaluate the discomfort evoked by trypophobic images and to report their past and current skin-related medical problems. Results showed that participants with a history of skin problems rated the pictures as evoking high discomfort as compared to those without skin problems. We conducted another survey to replicate the original survey using additional 690 participants, which confirmed the reliability of the current findings. The current study presents preliminary observational data that supports the IPAD hypothesis and suggests ways to reduce maladaptive emotional reactions toward trypophobic objects

Sense of agency based on the numerical magnitude of action-outcomes

Sense of agency (SoA) refers to the sensation that one’s actions cause changes in the environment. Studies have shown that SoA is strengthened with the speed of motion stimuli appearing as a result of pressing keys, suggesting that SoA depends on the extent of action outcomes. This study examined whether the numerical magnitude of action outcomes would also affect SoA. Experiment 1 was conducted online, where participants pressed keys and the dots were presented. Subsequently, the participants rated their SoA regarding the keypress on a 10-point scale. The results indicated that SoA was rated higher with a greater number of dots. Experiment 2 replicated this phenomenon in the laboratory and obtained similar results. Experiment 3 investigated whether a similar effect could be observed using the numerical values of a digit instead of the number of dots. The results showed that SoA was rated higher as the numerical value of the digit presented after pressing the keys increased. These results suggest that the numerical magnitude contributes to the formation of the SoA

Experimental psychologists also want to submit papers comfortably

Here we discussed various issues related to submitting manuscripts to journals, mainly in the field of psychology, and their solutions

Regularity ≠ symmetry: A comment on Makin, Rahman, and Bertamini (2020)

Previous studies have shown that the perceived duration of symmetrical visual patterns is longer than that of asymmetrical ones. In a different context, regular visual stimuli have been found to be judged as lasting longer than irregular ones. A recent replication study reported that the effect of symmetry on time perception might not be robust; however, the study jumbled the effects of regularity and symmetry. The stimuli used in our previous study on the effect of regularity were qualitatively and quantitatively different from those used in the study addressing symmetry. Moreover, the hypothesized underlying mechanisms involved in the effects of regularity and symmetry were completely different. Taken together, the present commentary claims that combining these findings based on the superficial similarity of these phenomena would lead to flawed scientific discussions