The neurohormone Oxytocin (OT) has been one of the most studied peptides in behavioral sciences over the past two decades. Many studies have suggested that OT could increase trusting behaviors. A previous study, based on the "Envelope Task" paradigm, where trust is assessed by the degree of openness of an envelope containing participant's confidential information, showed that OT increases trusting behavior and reported one of the most powerful effects of OT on a behavioral variable. In this paper we present two failed replications of this effect, despite sufficient power to replicate the original large effect. The non-significant results of these two failed replications clearly exclude a large effect of OT on trust in this paradigm but are compatible with either a null effect of OT on trust, or a small effect, undetectable with small sample size (N = 95 and 61 in Study 1 and 2, respectively). Taken together, our results question the purported size of OT's effect on trust and emphasize the need for replications.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4569325PMC
http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0137000PLOS

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

failed replications
8
trust
5
failed replication
4
replication oxytocin
4
oxytocin effects
4
effects trust
4
trust envelope
4
envelope task
4
task case
4
case neurohormone
4

Similar Publications

Background: Letermovir is approved for primary prophylaxis of cytomegalovirus (CMV) in high-risk kidney transplant recipients. However, many experts suggest the drug be reserved as a second-line agent when valganciclovir is not tolerated or fails.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to describe the feasibility of a de novo letermovir prophylactic approach for CMV high-risk and seropositive abdominal solid organ transplant patients.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Platelet-like particles (PLPs), derived from megakaryocytic cell lines MEG-01 and K-562, are widely used as a surrogate to study platelet formation and function. We demonstrate by RNA-Seq that PLPs are transcriptionally distinct from platelets. Expression of key genes in signaling pathways promoting platelet activation/aggregation, such as the PI3K/AKT, protein kinase A, phospholipase C, and α-adrenergic and GP6 receptor pathways, was missing or under-expressed in PLPs.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Multi-item retro-cueing effects refer to better working memory performance for multiple items when they are cued after their offset compared to a neutral condition in which all items are cued. However, several studies have reported boundary conditions, and findings have also sometimes failed to replicate. We hypothesized that a strategy to focus on only one of the cued items could possibly yield these inconsistent patterns.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Evolution of Omicron lineage towards increased fitness in the upper respiratory tract in the absence of severe lung pathology.

Nat Commun

January 2025

Laboratory of Virology, Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT, USA.

The emergence of the Omicron lineage represented a major genetic drift in SARS-CoV-2 evolution. This was associated with phenotypic changes including evasion of pre-existing immunity and decreased disease severity. Continuous evolution within the Omicron lineage raised concerns of potential increased transmissibility and/or disease severity.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The viral serpin SPI-1 directly inhibits the host cell serine protease FAM111A.

J Biol Chem

January 2025

Developmental Therapeutics Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA; Department of Oncology, Division of Oncology Research, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA; Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA. Electronic address:

The host-range mutant of rabbitpox virus (RPXV) with a deletion in the gene encoding the serpin serine protease inhibitor 1 (SPI-1) fails to replicate efficiently in restrictive host cells. Depletion of the host cell serine protease FAM111A restores viral replication in these cells, suggesting that SPI-1 targets FAM111A to facilitate infection. However, direct evidence of SPI-1 inhibiting FAM111A has been lacking.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!