About

Psicológica is a peer-reviewed, electronic-only journal that publishes original, high-quality empirical and theoretical research across all areas of cognitive psychology, including attention, memory, perception, consciousness, learning, language, decision-making, and reasoning. We also welcome research aimed at understanding brain functions related to these core psychological phenomena. Cross-disciplinary and applied studies will be considered if they contribute to advancing knowledge of fundamental cognitive processes.

Psicológica publishes original research articles (including replication studies), opinion letters, registered reports, and invited reviews. Special issues are also considered.

Editor in Chief
Daniel Sanabria, University of Granada

Managing editors
Julio Santiago, University of Granada
Pandelis Perakakis, Complutense University of Madrid
Sara Rodríguez-Cuadrado, University of Granada

Junior editors
Alberto Paramio, University of Cadiz
Cristina López-Rojas, University of Granada
Daniel Santos-Carrasco, University of Seville
Fernando Ojedo, Autonomous University of Madrid
Francisco Garre-Frutos, University of Granada
Jorge Romero, University of Malaga
María José Quintero, Rey Juan Carlos University
Marta De Pedis, Public University of Navarra
Pablo Solana, University of Granada
Sergio Navas, Nebrija University
Tao Coll, University of Granada

Associate editors
Mariel Musso, University of Granada

Action editors
Albert Maydeu-Olivares, University of Barcelona (Spain)
Alberto Domínguez, University of La Laguna, Cognitive Neuroscience Center (Spain)
Amparo Herrera, University of Murcia (Spain)
Ana Chica, University of Granada (Spain)
Andoni Duñabeitia, Nebrija University (Spain)
Andrew Mackenzie, Nottingham Trent University (UK)
Ángels Colomé, University of Barcelona (Spain)
Barbara Carretti, University of Padova (Italy)
Beatriz Gil Gómez de Liaño, Autonomous University of Madrid (Spain)
Carlos Gómez-Ariza, University of Jaén (Spain)
Carlos Romero-Rivas, University of Granada (Spain)
Carmen Ximénez, Autonomous University of Madrid (Spain)
Cosimo Urgesi, University of Udine (Italy)
Daniel Sanabria, University of Granada (Spain)
Daniela Paolieri, University of Granada (Spain)
Daniele Marinazzo, Ghent University (Belgium)
David Saldaña, University of Sevilla (Spain)
Elena Salillas, Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language (BCBL) (Spain)
Elisabet Tubau, Universitat de Barcelona (Spain)
Fabiano Botta, University of Granada (Spain)
Fernando Blanco, University of Granada (Spain)
Filippos Exadaktylos, University of Barcelona (Spain)
Francisco Abad, Autonomous University of Madrid (Spain)
Gabriel Rodríguez, University UPV/EHU (Spain)
Geoffrey Hall, University of York (UK)
Helena Matute, University of Deusto (Spain)
Ignacio Loy, University of Oviedo (Spain)
Inmaculada Fajardo, University of Valencia (Spain)
Isabel de Brugada, University of Granada (Spain)
Isabel Fraga, University of Santiago de Compostela (Spain)
James McQueen, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen (Netherlands)
James Steele, Solent University (UK)
Javier García-Orza, University of Málaga (Spain)
Javier Revuelta, Autonomous University of Madrid (Spain)
Javier Rodríguez-Ferreiro, University of Barcelona (Spain)
José Ángel Martínez-Huertas, National Distance Education University (Spain)
José Antonio Hinojosa, Complutense University of Madrid (Spain)
Jose Prados, University of Derby (UK)
Juan Lupiáñez, University of Granada (Spain)
Juan Manuel Rosas, University of Jaén (Spain)
Juan Ramón Barrada, University of Zaragoza (Spain)
Judith Kroll, UC Riverside, California (USA)
Luis Morales, University Loyola (Spain)
Mª Carmen Sanjuán Artegain, University UPV/EHU (Spain)
Manuel Perea, University of Valencia (Spain)
Manuel Suero, Autonomous University of Madrid (Spain)
Marc Guash, University Rovira i Virgili (Spain)
Marc Ouellet, University of Granada (Spain)
Marcos Díaz Lago, University of Santiago de Compostela (Spain)
María Dolores Hidalgo, University of Murcia (Spain)
María Ruz, University of Granada (Spain)
Mariagrazia Capizzi, Universidad de Granada (Spain)
Miguel Ángel Ruiz, Autonomous University of Madrid (Spain)
Miguel Ángel Sorrel, Autonomous University of Madrid (Spain)
Miguel Vadillo, Autonomous University of Madrid (Spain)
Montserrat Comesaña, University of Minho, Braga (Portugal)
Paz Suárez-Coalla, Universidad de Oviedo (Spain)
Peter Simor, Eötvös Loránd University (Hungary)
Pilar Ferré, University Rovira i Virgili (Spain)
Rafael Román Caballero, University of Granada (Spain)
Rocío Alcalá, Complutense University of Madrid (Spain)
Ruth de Diego Balaguer, University of Barcelona (Spain)
Salvador Soto Faraco, University Pompeu Fabra (Spain)
Santiago Pelegrina, University of Jaén (Spain)
Tamara Giménez, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (Spain)
Tarek Jaber-López, Spanish National Research Council (CSIC, Spain)
Teresa Bajo, University of Granada (Spain)
Yasmina Okan, Universitat Pompeu Fabra (Spain)

With the support of the international organisation Open Scholar, Psicológica implements an innovative publication model that enables free open access, open and transparent peer review, preprint publication upon submission, publication of data and software code, and a novel reputation system based on direct evaluations from authors and reviewers. The Journal complies with the Fair Open Access principles and adopts the standards established in the Transparency and Openness Promotion (TOP) Guidelines. Below is a brief description of the journal’s publication practices.

After a quick initial screening, all manuscripts submitted to Psicológica are uploaded as preprints to the DIGITAL.CSIC repository. If accepted for publication, they receive a DOI, appear on the Journal’s home page and are registered by indexing services. Non-accepted manuscripts and their reviews remain publicly available in the repository but do not receive a DOI and their authors are free to submit them to a different journal.

All data, program code and other methods must be appropriately cited. Such materials are recognized as original intellectual contributions and afforded recognition through citation. Articles will not be published until the citations conform to these standards.

All data sets and program code used in a publication must be cited in the text and listed in the reference section

References for data sets and program code must include a persistent identifier, such as a Digital Object Identifier (DOI). Persistent identifiers ensure future access to unique published digital objects, such as a text or data set. Persistent identifiers are assigned to data sets by digital archives, such as institutional repositories and partners in the Data Preservation Alliance for the Social Sciences (Data-PASS). 

Data set citation example:

1. 1. Campbell, Angus, and Robert L. Kahn. American National Election Study, 1948. ICPSR07218-v3. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 1999. http://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR07218.v3

To ensure the quality of the peer review process, the Journal requires reviewers to sign their reviews, which are made public in the institutional repository and linked to the reviewed manuscripts. Reviews receive DOIs and can be cited as any original scientific contribution. In addition, Psicológica employs an innovative metric system for articles and reviews, asking reviewers to rate each manuscript on several parameters (overall scientific quality, relevance to the field, relevance to society, etc.). Authors are also asked to rate reviews according to their usefulness in improving the scientific quality of their work. Although this rating of articles and reviews is optional, we recommend its use, as over time it can provide useful information for measuring scientific quality in ways that go beyond indirect indices based on citation and usage statistics. Reviewers will provide feedback on the manuscript and suggestions in order to improve its quality; however, reviewers are not called to recommend whether or not the manuscript should be published in Psicológica. The decision on acceptance or rejection of a manuscript is the responsibility of the Associate Editor. For more information on the open peer review process implemented by Psicológica please read the instructions for authors and reviewers.

In the case of research articles submitted for consideration to Psicológica, the Journal encourages authors to pre-register their analysis plan in an independent, institutional registry (e.g., http://clinicaltrials.gov/, http://socialscienceregistry.org/, http://openscienceframework.org/, http://egap.org/design-registration/, http://ridie.3ieimpact.org/). The link to the pre-registered version of the manuscript will become available with the final published version of the manuscript. Preregistration of studies involves registering the study design, variables, and treatment conditions prior to conducting the research. Including an analysis plan involves specification of sequence of analyses or the statistical model that will be reported. A link to the preregistration in an institutional registry must be made available to the Journal prior to publication.

Psicológica accepts and encourages the submission of Registered Reports for original or replication studies. In Registered Reports, the first stage of review is conducted prior to the data being collected or, for existing datasets, before the outcomes are observed. Specifically:  

1. On initial submission, authors should:
   1. denote in the submission form that the manuscript is submitted as a Registered Report and confirm that the data do not exist, or that the outcomes have not been observed.
   2. include a full manuscript for the abstract, introduction, and methods without the results and discussion sections.  
   3. disclose that the methods contain a complete analysis plan of what is to be included in the full article.
2. If the submission passes initial review, then the authors will receive an in-principle acceptance prior to data collection or analysis of the outcomes.
3. For the second stage of review, authors submit a complete manuscript.  Reviewers assess the extent to which the authors followed the preregistered design and/or analysis plan, and evaluate non-outcome relevant criteria (e.g., manipulation checks) to confirm whether the research was an effective test of the research question.

Psicológica adheres to the transparency and reporting standards outlined by the American Psychological Association (APA), particularly those described in the Journal Article Reporting Standards for Quantitative Research (JARS–Quant), as well as other widely recognized guidelines such as PRISMA for systematic reviews and meta-analyses. As part of our editorial workflow, all submissions undergo an initial assessment to determine their suitability for external peer review and to ensure compliance with key reporting standards. Authors are strongly encouraged to consult our internal Checklist for Review and Submission, which highlights the key points we value in submitted manuscripts, including:

• Clear statement of the variables under study (title and/or abstract);
• Transparency regarding funding, conflicts of interest and contact information;
• What sections to include;
• Adherence to APA formatting and to JARS–Quant and transparency guidelines;
• Explicit stating of hypotheses;
• Justification of sample size and power analysis;
• Clear reporting of all variables, instruments and measures, exclusions, and analytic decisions.

We recommend authors read the checklist to ensure that all elements expected by editors are included. Moreover, and in order to support reproducibility and credibility, Psicológica aligns with the statistical reporting recommendations of the Psychonomic Society, which emphasize:

• Full disclosure of all experimental conditions, outcome variables, and participant exclusion criteria;
• Pre-planned use of covariates (clearly labeled if exploratory);
  Reporting of confidence/credible intervals and visualizations, not just p-values;
  Cautious interpretation of null results;
• Consideration of Bayesian methods when appropriate, but not selectively to justify null findings.

Authors are strongly encouraged to consult the following resources when preparing their manuscripts:

• Lakens, D. (2024). Statistical Inferences (online book)
• Sample Size Justification
• Reporting Effect Sizes and Power
• Power to Detect What? Considerations for Planning and Evaluating Sample Size
• PaperCheck – Automated Statistical Reporting Feedback

We particularly recommend the APA’s official JARS guidelines as a foundational reference.

Data, Analytic Methods (Code), and Research Materials Transparency

To further promote reproducible research, authors are strongly encouraged to document and share:

• Anonymised raw data;
  
• All code and scripts used in data processing and analysis;
• Research materials and any procedural documentation necessary for replication.
  
  

When possible, materials should be deposited in trusted repositories (e.g., those listed on re3data.org). If all data are presented in the article (e.g., tables or figures), separate repository upload is not required.

For original data, authors must:

• Include all variables, treatment conditions, and observations referenced;
  
• Describe data collection, preprocessing, and cleaning procedures;
  
• Provide complete program code, codebooks, and documentation;
  
• Make available any instruments or materials used in the study;
  
• Clarify any limitations on data access (e.g., legal or ethical) and describe how access requests will be handled.
  

Supplementary materials may be hosted on DIGITAL.CSIC or deposited in external repositories, depending on format and size.

The publication of articles and supplementary material in public infrastructure minimises publication expenses and enables open access at no cost to authors or readers (Diamond Open Access). All manuscripts and other resources are published under a creative commons license. Authors can choose from four different licences (CC BY, CC BY-SA, CC BY-NC, CC BY-NC-SA), all of which allow them to retain the copyright and full publishing rights without restrictions. Psicológica is member of the Free Journal Network and adheres to the fair open access principles as set out at the Budapest Open Access Initiative and the Go FAIR initiative.

Psicológica is covered by the following indexing services and search engines:

• Baidu Scholar
• Cabell’s Whitelist
• CNKI Scholar (China National Knowledge Infrastructure)
• CNPIEC – cnpLINKer
• Dimensions
• DOAJ (Directory of Open Access Journals)
• EBSCO Discovery Service
• Google Scholar
• J-Gate
• JournalTOCs
• KESLI-NDSL (Korean National Discovery for Science Leaders)
• MyScienceWork
• Naver Academic
• Naviga (Softweco)
• Primo Central (ExLibris)
• PSICODOC
• PsycINFO
• QOAM (Quality Open Access Market)
• ReadCube
• Redalyc
• SCImago (SJR)
• SCOPUS
• Semantic Scholar
• Summon (ProQuest)
• TDNet
• Ulrich’s Periodicals Directory/ulrichsweb
• WanFang Data
• Web of Science – Social Sciences Citation Index
• WorldCat (OCLC)

Journal Details
ISSN: 0211-2159
eISSN: 1576-8597
First electronic publication: 1998
Language: English
Publication model: Diamond Open Access

Journal Metrics
Please note that journal-based metrics should not be used to assess individual scientist contributions, including for hiring, promotion, or funding decisions. Psicológica strongly recommends that these metrics are used solely for assessing this particular journal.

SCImago Journal Rank: 0.394
Journal Citation Indicator: 0.25
Impact Factor: 0.8