Key papers in Applied Psychology
Pofolia’s corpus holds 79 papers from the Applied Psychology subfield (2012–2025). The list below starts with the most cited.
Most cited
Ranked by citation count. Because citations accumulate over time, this list naturally leans towards work published a few years ago; for where the field is now, see “recently added”.
Calculating and reporting effect sizes to facilitate cumulative science: a practical primer for t-tests and ANOVAs
Frontiers in Psychology · 2013 · Q1 · FWCI 120.32 · 9,993 citations · Open access
This primer provides a practical guide for calculating and reporting effect sizes for t-tests and ANOVAs, emphasizing their crucial role in enabling cumulative scientific research.
The Behavior Change Technique Taxonomy (v1) of 93 Hierarchically Clustered Techniques: Building an International Consensus for the Reporting of Behavior Change Interventions
Annals of Behavioral Medicine · 2013 · Q1 · SJR 1.00 · FWCI 168.19 · 8,087 citations · Open access
A new, consensually agreed taxonomy (v1) has been developed, classifying 93 distinct behavior change techniques (BCTs) into 16 hierarchical groups.
The Handbook of Research Synthesis and Meta-Analysis
Russell Sage Foundation eBooks · 2019 · FWCI 107.85 · 4,557 citations
This abstract describes a chapter on stochastically dependent effect sizes within a handbook on research synthesis and meta-analysis.
Partial, conditional, and moderated moderated mediation: Quantification, inference, and interpretation
Communication Monographs · 2017 · Q1 · FWCI 58.15 · 3,266 citations
This paper extends existing methods to test complex mediation models where the indirect effect of a variable X on Y is influenced by multiple moderators.
Getting to the “COR”
Journal of Management · 2014 · Q1 · SJR 8.00 · FWCI 65.48 · 3,123 citations
This review addresses criticisms of Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, particularly concerning its central concept of 'resources'. It aims to resolve conceptual issues and suggest future research directions.
SPSS Survival Manual
2020 · FWCI 60.90 · 3,036 citations
The SPSS Survival Manual is a comprehensive guide for students and researchers using SPSS for data analysis, covering the entire research process from question formulation to reporting results.
Delivering Cognitive Behavior Therapy to Young Adults With Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety Using a Fully Automated Conversational Agent (Woebot): A Randomized Controlled Trial
JMIR Mental Health · 2017 · Q1 · SJR 2.00 · FWCI 77.02 · 2,601 citations · Open access
A randomized trial found that a fully automated conversational agent (Woebot) significantly reduced depression symptoms in young adults compared to an information-only control group.
Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology
The Encyclopedia of Clinical Psychology · 2015 · 2,500 citations
The Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology (JCCP) is a leading bimonthly academic journal published by the American Psychological Association.
The Behaviour Change Wheel: A Guide To Designing Interventions
2014 · FWCI 61.06 · 2,374 citations
This guide introduces the Behaviour Change Wheel, a framework synthesizing 19 behavior change theories to systematically design and evaluate interventions and policies.
Just-in-Time Adaptive Interventions (JITAIs) in Mobile Health: Key Components and Design Principles for Ongoing Health Behavior Support
Annals of Behavioral Medicine · 2016 · Q1 · SJR 1.00 · FWCI 73.88 · 2,204 citations · Open access
This paper clarifies the scientific motivation, fundamental components, and design principles for Just-in-Time Adaptive Interventions (JITAIs) in mobile health, addressing a gap between technological capabilities and research in their development.
Health behavior : theory, research, and practice
2015 · FWCI 78.61 · 2,129 citations
The fifth edition of "Health Behavior: Theory, Research, and Practice" has been released, updating the gold-standard textbook for health behavior courses with new content on emerging theories, e-health, global health, and cultural disparities.
The Intention–Behavior Gap
Social and Personality Psychology Compass · 2016 · Q1 · SJR 1.00 · FWCI 40.93 · 2,029 citations
People frequently fail to act on their intentions, a gap that meta-analyses confirm is a consistent phenomenon.
Reporting reliability, convergent and discriminant validity with structural equation modeling: A review and best-practice recommendations
Asia Pacific Journal of Management · 2023 · Q1 · SJR 1.00 · FWCI 299.80 · 1,917 citations · Open access
This paper argues that common methods for reporting measurement scale quality in management studies, like Cronbach's alpha and basic CFA, are often inadequate and fail to account for sampling errors.
Latent profile analysis: A review and “how to” guide of its application within vocational behavior research
Journal of Vocational Behavior · 2020 · Q1 · SJR 3.00 · FWCI 65.36 · 1,850 citations · Open access
This review synthesizes 46 studies using Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) in vocational behavior research and provides a non-technical guide to its application.
Prevalence of Depression in the Community from 30 Countries between 1994 and 2014
Scientific Reports · 2018 · Q1 · FWCI 97.70 · 1,604 citations · Open access
This meta-analysis of 90 studies (n=1,112,573 adults) found aggregate point, one-year, and lifetime depression prevalences of 12.9%, 7.2%, and 10.8% respectively, between 1994 and 2014.
Regulatory Flexibility
Perspectives on Psychological Science · 2013 · Q1 · SJR 4.00 · FWCI 35.50 · 1,582 citations
This paper introduces and defines 'regulatory flexibility' as a construct that challenges the assumption that specific emotion regulation strategies are universally effective. It proposes that adapting to stress depends on the interaction between the person and the situation over time.
The Person-Based Approach to Intervention Development: Application to Digital Health-Related Behavior Change Interventions
Journal of Medical Internet Research · 2015 · Q1 · SJR 2.00 · FWCI 53.80 · 1,573 citations · Open access
A systematic "person-based approach" has been developed to create more effective digital health interventions by deeply understanding and incorporating user perspectives throughout the entire development process.
Theoretical explanations for maintenance of behaviour change: a systematic review of behaviour theories
Health Psychology Review · 2016 · Q1 · SJR 3.00 · FWCI 9.17 · 1,514 citations · Open access
A systematic review of 117 behaviour theories identified five interconnected themes explaining why people maintain behaviour changes, moving beyond initial adoption.
Reliability estimation in a multilevel confirmatory factor analysis framework.
Psychological Methods · 2013 · Q1 · SJR 4.00 · FWCI 31.08 · 1,499 citations
This paper introduces methods for estimating measurement reliability at different levels (e.g., individual and group) within multilevel data structures, showing that single-level estimates can be misleading.
Annual Research Review: On the relations among self‐regulation, self‐control, executive functioning, effortful control, cognitive control, impulsivity, risk‐taking, and inhibition for developmental psychopathology
Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry · 2016 · Q1 · SJR 3.00 · FWCI 70.69 · 1,491 citations
This review proposes a unified, domain-general construct of self-regulation (SR) encompassing action, emotion, and cognition, arguing for integration of top-down processes like executive functioning and cognitive control.
Recently added
Therapeutic Potential of Social Chatbots in Alleviating Loneliness and Social Anxiety: Quasi-Experimental Mixed Methods Study
Journal of Medical Internet Research · 2025 · Q1 · SJR 2.00 · FWCI 49.56 · 67 citations · Open access
University students (n=176) using the AI social chatbot "Luda Lee" for 4 weeks showed significant reductions in loneliness by week 2 and social anxiety by week 4.
Common Method Bias: It's Bad, It's Complex, It's Widespread, and It's Not Easy to Fix
Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior · 2023 · Q1 · SJR 16.00 · FWCI 215.30 · 1,376 citations · Open access
Common method bias (CMB) is a widespread and complex issue in research, stemming from multiple sources, that significantly distorts findings and is difficult to eliminate.
Reporting reliability, convergent and discriminant validity with structural equation modeling: A review and best-practice recommendations
Asia Pacific Journal of Management · 2023 · Q1 · SJR 1.00 · FWCI 299.80 · 1,917 citations · Open access
This paper argues that common methods for reporting measurement scale quality in management studies, like Cronbach's alpha and basic CFA, are often inadequate and fail to account for sampling errors.
The growing field of digital psychiatry: current evidence and the future of apps, social media, chatbots, and virtual reality
World Psychiatry · 2021 · Q1 · SJR 20.00 · FWCI 79.93 · 1,130 citations · Open access
Digital mental health technologies like apps, VR, and chatbots are increasingly used, offering accessible interventions that augment traditional care, with early evidence supporting their use across various psychiatric conditions.
Barriers to and Facilitators of User Engagement With Digital Mental Health Interventions: Systematic Review
Journal of Medical Internet Research · 2021 · Q1 · SJR 2.00 · FWCI 29.91 · 1,114 citations · Open access
A systematic review of 208 articles identified severe mental health issues, technical problems, and lack of personalization as key barriers to user engagement with digital mental health interventions (DMHIs).
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