# Most of our measures of a key cognitive process don’t agree

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/most-of-our-measures-of-a-key-cognitive-process-dont-agree/
- Published: 2026-11-02T19:13:26+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-02T20:19:36+00:00
- Original publisher: Ars Technica
- Original article: https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/11/most-of-our-measures-of-a-key-cognitive-process-dont-agree/
- Topics: Research, Science

## Key points

- Three common measures of cognitive reappraisal barely agree.
- Reappraisal is a key concept in cognitive behavioural therapy.
- A small brain effect would require a study of 1,105 people.

## Summary

An international study published in Nature found that three common ways of measuring cognitive reappraisal do not reliably agree. This matters because reappraisal, the practice of reframing situations to lessen their emotional impact, is central to cognitive behavioural therapy and is linked to emotional resilience.

Researchers compared questionnaire scores, emotional ratings after reappraisal tasks, and amygdala activity measured using 40 functional MRI datasets. The brain effect was small: detecting it with 80 per cent statistical power would require a single study of 1,105 participants. Individual differences across the three measures showed almost no correlation, leading the researchers to call for a reassessment of how reappraisal capacity is measured and interpreted.

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