Improving preclinical studies through replications.

The purpose of preclinical research is to inform the development of novel diagnostics or therapeutics, and the results of experiments on animal models of disease often inform the decision to conduct studies in humans. However, a substantial number of clinical trials fail, even when preclinical studies have apparently demonstrated the efficacy of a given intervention. A number of large-scale replication studies are currently trying to identify the factors that influence the robustness of preclinical research. Here, we discuss replications in the context of preclinical research trajectories, and argue that increasing validity should be a priority when selecting experiments to replicate and when performing the replication. We conclude that systematically improving three domains of validity - internal, external and translational - will result in a more efficient allocation of resources, will be more ethical, and will ultimately increase the chances of successful translation.

[The others and I: How social interactions change the perception of other persons. The Cyberball paradigm and its indications in the migration context]. / Die anderen und ich: Wie soziale Interaktionen die Wahrnehmung des anderen verändern. Das Cyberball-Paradigma und seine Indikationen im Migrationskontext.

What effect does social exclusion have on the perception of the other person and how can this effect be recorded with the help of experimental methods? Answering this question can provide psychologists, sociologists and clinicians with valuable insights for understanding as well as for concrete interaction with the people or groups concerned. Social groups that are particularly frequently confronted with social exclusion include people with mental illness, migrants and ethnic minorities. In this article we present the results of an experimental preliminary study on healthy volunteers in which we used a modified version of the cyberball paradigm to investigate the effects of social exclusion on the spontaneous assessment of personality traits such as attractiveness, trustworthiness, aggressiveness and dominance. The results of our study show that these effects can be quantified with the help of the cyberball paradigm and that the perception of the other person changes after a relatively short period of social interaction depending on their valence. Against the background of these findings, we discuss the potential of this paradigm to investigate social factors that can play a role in the development of mental illness in migrants and discuss the particularities to be considered in prospective application in the risk groups mentioned above.