XI Conference – European Congress of Methodology

Trends in Reliability Induction Practices in Neuropsychology: A Systematic Review

24 Jul 2025, 11:30

30m

Faculty of Social Sciences and Communication. (The Pyramid)/. - Foyer (Faculty of Social Sciences and Communication. (The Pyramid))

Poster Measurement Poster Session 3

Speakers

Dr Emilio Verche (Complutense University (Spain))Dr Eva Ruiz (Complutense University (Spain))Dr Julio Sánchez-Meca (University of Murcia (Spain))Dr Raimundo Aguayo-Estremera (Complutense University (Spain))Dr Ángeles Correas (Complutense University (Spain))

Abstract

Reliability is an important property that all psychological measurement instruments must demonstrate. Researchers should report the reliability of tests based on the scores obtained from their own samples. However, in many cases, they engage in a malpractice known as reliability induction, either by failing to report it (by omission) or by not reporting it with their own data (by report). Induction by report can further be divided into induction by vague reporting, when it is simply stated that the test's reliability was appropriate in a previous study, and induction by precise reporting, when a specific value or range of values is provided.
In the present study, we aim to examine the trends in reliability reporting in the field of neuropsychology, taking into account the different types of reliability induction. A systematic review was conducted of studies that used standardized tests and were published over the last 25 years in neuropsychology journals. Specifically, studies published in the two journals with the highest impact factor within quartiles 1, 2, and 3 of the Journal Citation Report were selected. From the year 2000 to 2024, five articles per year were randomly selected from each journal among all issues published that year.
Since methodological studies with recommendations on the need to report reliability indices using researchers' own samples have been published over time, we expect the rate of reliability induction to be lower in recent years than in earlier years. Furthermore, based on findings from previous meta-analyses on reliability generalization, we anticipate a higher rate of reliability induction by omission than by report. The findings will contribute to the ongoing debate on results replicability in neuropsychology.