Publications

You can also find my articles on my Google Scholar profile.

An AI-Powered Research Assistant in the Lab: A Practical Guide for Text Analysis Through Iterative Collaboration with LLMs

Published in Behavior Research Methods, 2026

Analyzing texts such as open-ended responses, headlines, or social media posts is a time- and labor-intensive process highly susceptible to bias. LLMs are promising tools for text analysis, using either a predefined (top-down) or a data-driven (bottom-up) taxonomy, without sacrificing quality. Here we present a step-by-step tutorial to efficiently develop, test, and apply taxonomies for analyzing unstructured data through an iterative and collaborative process between researchers and LLMs. Using personal goals provided by participants as an example, we demonstrate how to write prompts to review datasets and generate a taxonomy of life domains, evaluate and refine the taxonomy through prompt and direct modifications, test the taxonomy and assess intercoder agreements, and apply the taxonomy to categorize an entire dataset with high intercoder reliability. We discuss the possibilities and limitations of using LLMs for text analysis.

Recommended citation: Carmona-Díaz, G., Jiménez-Leal, W., Grisales, M.A. et al. An AI-powered research assistant in the lab: A practical guide for text analysis through iterative collaboration with LLMs. Behav Res 58, 99 (2026). https://doi.org/10.3758/s13428-026-02966-6

Validation of the Moral Foundation Vignettes in Latin America: The scope of moral foundations through the lens of an instrument.

Published in Collabra: Psychology, 2024

In this paper we examine the structural validity of the Spanish Translation of the Moral Foundations Vignettes, an instrument developed to measure moral judgement in the context of Moral Foundations Theory. With data from 3 countries (N = 1,650, through a polling agency) we identify a restricted set of items thfat fit the seven-factor solution implied by the theory. We conducted additional analyses (invariance testing and Differential Item Functioning) to examine the stability the results of the across countries. We found non-invariance and uniform differential functioning in a large number of items. Taken together these results suggest that although the current version of the MFV can be adequately used to measure moral judgement within societies, cross-cultural comparisons with this tool are restricted. Our validation raises questions about the cross-cultural validity of the instrument but also of some of the categories that underlie the intended measurements.

Recommended citation: Jiménez-Leal, W., Carmona Díaz, G., Murray, S. & Amaya, S. (In press). Validation of the Moral Foundation Vignettes in Latin America: The scope of moral foundations through the lens of an instrument. Collabra: Psychology.

Evaluating the Convergence of Dimensions Across Social Evaluation Models

Published in Social Psychology, 2024

A recent adversarial collaboration integrated dimensions proposed in five major theories of social evaluation into two overarching dimensions: Horizontal and Vertical. This paper examines the convergence in how evaluative dimensions have been operationalized for each model to determine if they address the same constructs. Across various coding strategies and using two similarity indexes, we found robust evidence of low convergence in the traits used to operationalize dimensions assumed to represent the same constructs. These results suggest that the integration proposed by the adversarial collaboration might be limited, as it is unclear whether dimensions within the Horizontal and Vertical domains correspond to the same constructs. We discuss the theoretical and methodological implications and propose recommendations for refining construct operationalization.

Recommended citation: Carmona-Díaz, G., Barbosa, S., Arévalo-García, E., Zamora-Marcelo, G. R., & Jiménez-Leal, W. (2024). Evaluating the Convergence of Dimensions Across Social Evaluation Models. Social Psychology, 55(4), 206-220.

Loyalty from a personal point of view: A cross-cultural prototype study of loyalty

Published in Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 2024

Loyalty is considered central to people’s moral life, yet little is known about how people think about what it means to be loyal. We used a prototype approach to understand how loyalty is represented in Colombia and the United States and how these representations mediate attributions of loyalty and moral judgments of loyalty violations. Across 7 studies (N = 1,984), we found cross-cultural similarities in the associative meaning of loyalty (Study 1) but found differences in the centrality of features associated with loyalty (Study 2) and the latent structure of loyalty representations (Study 3). Colombians represent loyalty in terms of more general moral characteristics, while US participants represent loyalty in terms of interpersonal commitment, both in contrast with current approaches to loyalty. By comparing representations of loyalty and honesty, we establish that difference in loyalty conceptualizations reflect a different way of thinking about loyalty rather than morality more generally (Study 4). Further, Colombians attributed greater loyalty to individuals with general moral characteristics compared to participants from the United States sample (Study 5) and were more likely to classify non-loyal values as loyalty-related (Study 6). While the centrality of prototypical features predicts categorizing norm violations as loyalty-related, differences in prototypical structure account for differences in the severity of moral judgment for such violations (Study 7), which suggests that loyalty representations have similar functions even though these representations differ in structural characteristics. .

Recommended citation: Murray, S., Carmona, G., Vega, L., Jiménez-Leal, W., & Amaya, S. (2023). Loyalty from a personal point of view: A cross-cultural prototype study of loyalty.

Assessing the Psychometric Properties of the Functional Analytic Psychotherapy Intimacy Scale (FAPIS) in a Spanish-Speaking Population

Published in The Psychological Record, 2024

Intimacy is an interpersonal repertoire related to physical and behavioral health indicators. Functional analytic psychotherapy (FAP) is a behavioral intervention that has demonstrated utility in improving intimacy repertoires, particularly in experimental single-case designs. The FAP Intimacy Scale (FAPIS) was developed with the aim of using a theoretically sound measure to evaluate FAP effects on a large scale. This study sought to culturally adapt and validate the FAPIS for Spanish-speaking populations. A total sample of 509 Spanish-speaking participants completed the survey. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to examine FAPIS psychometric properties. A network analysis was also performed to assess the relation among scale factors. As expected, the FAPIS Spanish version demonstrated a good fit, meeting the same three-factor structure as the original version. Network loading along three factors was also found, and item 3 was identified as the most central item in the scale. Low and negative correlations among FAPIS, experiential avoidance, emotional sensitivity, and social impact were found. Findings showed that FAPIS is a valid and reliable measure for assessing intimacy in Spanish-speaking populations.

Recommended citation: Muñoz-Martínez, A. M., Márquez-Barraquer, V., Jiménez-Leal, W., Carmona-Díaz, G. M., & Acuña-Rojas, D. (2024). Assessing the Psychometric Properties of the Functional Analytic Psychotherapy Intimacy Scale (FAPIS) in a Spanish-Speaking Population. The Psychological Record, 1-11.

Persuasión moral en el marco del posconflicto en Colombia: un estudio sobre la calidad de los argumentos y la experticia de la fuente

Published in Acta Colombiana de Psicología, 2021

This study analyses the impact of argument quality and source expertise on moral persuasion, as well as the change of a moral judgment as a function of a persuasive message. Research on the effects of argument quality and source expertise on moral persuasion is scarce, although the theories of Social Intuitionism, Dual Process and Moral Convictions suggest some hints in this regard. To study the impact of these factors on moral persuasion, an experimental study was carried out with a 2 (source expertise) x 2 (argument quality) factorial design with 433 participants. A particularly sensitive moral dilemma was designed to contrast the moral foundations of Harm-Care and Justice-Reciprocity in the context of the post-conflict in Colombia to evaluate moral judgment and potential change of judgment. The results show that although most of the participants presented resistance to persuasion, both the quality of the argument and the expertise of the source facilitated persuasion, albeit independently. Results also suggest several reflections on both dual process theories of persuasion and theories of moral judgement.

Recommended citation: Carmona Díaz, G. M., Villada Zapata, J., Piñeres, J. D., & Jiménez Leal, W. (2021). Persuasión moral en el marco del posconflicto en Colombia: un estudio sobre la calidad de los argumentos y la experticia de la fuente. Acta Colombiana de Psicología, 24(2), 144-155.

Gino M. Carmona-Díaz