Registered Replication Report : Strack, Martin, & Stepper (1988)

According to the facial feedback hypothesis, people’s affective responses can be influenced by their own facial expression (e.g., smiling, pouting), even when their expression did not result from their emotional experiences. For example, Strack, Martin, and Stepper (1988) instructed participants to rate the funniness of cartoons using a pen that they held in their mouth. In line with the facial feedback hypothesis, when participants held the pen with their teeth (inducing a “smile”), they rated the cartoons as funnier than when they held the pen with their lips (inducing a “pout”). This seminal study of the facial feedback hypothesis has not been replicated directly. This Registered Replication Report describes the results of 17 independent direct replications of Study 1 from Strack et al. (1988), all of which followed the same vetted protocol. A meta-analysis of these studies examined the difference in funniness ratings between the “smile” and “pout” conditions. The original Strack et al. (1988) study reported a rating difference of 0.82 units on a 10-point Likert scale. Our meta-analysis revealed a rating difference of 0.03 units with a 95% confidence interval ranging from −0.11 to 0.16

Novel complex formed between a nonproteolytic cell wall protein of group A streptococci and alpha 2-macroglobulin.

Binding of 125I-labeled alpha 2-macroglobulin (alpha 2M) to streptococci belonging to serological groups A, B, C, and G was studied. Streptococci of groups A and G interacted only with native alpha 2M, and those of group C reacted only with alpha 2M-trypsin complex. Binding of alpha 2M to group A streptococci was saturable and reversible. The dissociation constant was 2.02 X 10(-7) M, and the number of binding sites was calculated to be 18,000 per streptococcus. The alpha 2M-binding protein could be solubilized by treatment of group A streptococci with a murolytic enzyme and subsequently purified by affinity chromatography and high-pressure liquid chromatography. The purified protein was homogeneous on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and had a molecular weight of 78,000. It possessed no proteolytic activity and interacted with native alpha 2M in Western blots (immunoblots). Interaction of purified binding protein with alpha 2M led to a change in the conformation of alpha 2M similar to that obtained by alpha 2M-protease complexes. Reversible binding of a nonproteolytic streptococcal component of alpha 2M is thus a novel feature of alpha 2M reactivity

Satisfaction of patients and primary care physicians with shared decision making

Satisfaction with treatment is regarded as an important outcome measure, but its suitability has not been thoroughly investigated in the context of shared decision making (SDM). The authors evaluated whether both patients' and physicians' satisfaction ratings differ between an intervention group and a control group within a structured tool for cardiovascular prevention (ARRIBA-Herz). In a pragmatic, cluster-randomized, controlled trial, 44 family physicians in the intervention group consecutively recruited 550 patients whereas 47 physicians in the control group included 582 patients. Main findings were high satisfaction ratings independent of group allocation in patients and physicians. Significant differences had only negligible effect sizes. Compared to global satisfaction ratings, the effects of the shared decision-making process are better measured by a more concrete approach representing different steps of this process. Further research should refine behaviorally oriented questionnaires that measure SDM and a version for physicians should also be created