I checked 15 psychology journals on Friday, July 24, 2026 using the Crossref API. For the period July 17 to July 23, I found 33 new paper(s) in 12 journal(s).

Behavior Research Methods

Multidimensional Bayesian adaptive testing
Aron Fink, Christoph König, Andreas Frey
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This paper introduces a fully Bayesian approach to multidimensional adaptive testing (MBAT). By incorporating uncertainty in both item and person parameter estimates, MBAT addresses limitations in conventional multidimensional adaptive testing (MAT), which relies on point item and person parameter estimates. A Monte Carlo simulation was conducted to evaluate the performance of MBAT compared to conventional MAT. The study was based on a four-factorial design, with the factors calibration sample size ( N = 250, N = 500, N = 1,000), test length ( t = 30, t = 60), true trait level (− 2.0, − 1.5, 
, 2.0), and MAT algorithm (MAT, MBAT), across a three-dimensional trait structure with within- and between-item multidimensionality. The results showed that MBAT consistently outperformed conventional MAT in terms of the bias and mean squared error ( MSE ) of the final person parameter estimates, especially at the extremes of the trait distributions. Implemented in general-purpose software (Stan, R), the approach is computationally feasible and adaptable, providing a practical foundation for future research and applications in MAT.
Measurement error is lower for visual analogue scales than for slider scales
Tim Angelike, Ulf-Dietrich Reips
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Errors in measurement can arise in study and survey responses when there is a discrepancy between the intended and selected response. A significant portion of the scientific discourse has centered on the comparison of discrete and continuous response scales. In this study, we examined various continuous rating scales to ascertain which scale would yield the lowest measurement error. To this end, we compared visual analogue scales (VAS) with different slider scales in an online study ( N = 222) that built upon the original work by Reips and Funke (2008). In this study, participants were asked to estimate where a percentage value would lie on a line ranging from 0 to 100%. The slider scale conditions differed in the initialization of the slider thumb (left, middle, right), with an additional slider condition that employed the default HTML slider with a large thumb without any modifications. The findings of this study suggest that the measurement error in estimating the true value was lower in VAS than in slider scales. Additionally, our findings suggest that VAS lead to reduced variability in errors within and between individuals. Contrary to our initial hypothesis, we did not find a higher measurement error in the default slider than in the other slider conditions. The findings of this study suggest that VAS may offer a more precise means to the assessment of ratings. Practitioners who intend to employ continuous rating scales should consider employing VAS or at least carefully consider the pitfalls of slider scales.
AI-generated familiarity estimates are a useful new source of information about word knowledge in Simplified Chinese
Ziyi Ding, Kangning Qin, Marc Brysbaert, Qing Cai
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Measuring complex constructs in large-scale text with computational social mixed methods
Alina Herderich, Jana Lasser, Mirta Galesic, Segun Aroyehun, David Garcia, Joshua Garland
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A growing convergence between social science and machine learning enables, in principle, large-scale analyses of complex social phenomena through text. Yet, approaches leveraging supervised text classification based on human-annotated data for statistical analysis often treat conceptual validity and technical performance as separate challenges, impairing measurement quality. We provide guidelines to bridge this gap in what we call computational social mixed methods pipelines across three stages: data annotation, model training, and statistical analysis. Building on best practices and our own methodological innovations, such as “Iterative Annotation” and “Training on Confident Examples”, we address recurring pitfalls like unbalanced training data or stagnant model performance. We also discuss when large language models constitute a viable alternative to transformer-based classifiers. Using a case study on countering online hate, we illustrate how consequently integrating social science and machine learning expertise improves the validity and comparability of computational social science.
Modeling intraindividual variability in affect (MIVA): Formalized theoretical approach, computational model, and parameter recovery study
Maria Wirth, Andreas Voss, Stefan T. Radev, Klaus Rothermund
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No matter how angry, sad, or happy we are, eventually, we will feel different. Studying this ebb and flow of affective experience in daily life provides important insights into psychological functioning and well-being. We have developed a parsimonious formalized model of intraindividual variability in affect (MIVA), resting on the assumption that such affective changes reflect transactions between an individual and their proximal environment. We provide an outline of its theoretical background, scope, and mathematical formulation. We situate MIVA within the research field of affect dynamics and illustrate the models’ behavior under realistic conditions using a simulation study. We use simulation-based inference to train a custom neural network on MIVA simulations, which we employ to rapidly estimate the model’s parameters on a multitude of synthetic experiments with different configurations. Our simulation study demonstrates that the synthesis between a computational model and probabilistic neural networks results in an efficient and flexible tool for model-based inference of affect dynamics. Our simulation study also offers insights into the data requirements for a precise recovery of the model’s parameters and recommendations for future data collection. The potential of MIVA for providing insights into affect dynamics is discussed.
Segmented profile analysis (SEPA): Plane-wise decomposition of within-person variation via ipsatized singular value decomposition
Se-Kang Kim, Joe Grochowalski
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Traditional profile analyses summarize multivariate person data with overall mean levels and relative patterns, but existing methods often blur these sources of variation or reduce each individual to a single best-fitting profile. Segmented Profile Analysis (SEPA) offers a unified, ipsatized singular-value decomposition (SVD) framework that decomposes individual profiles into orthogonal level (LE) and pattern (PE) effects and, crucially, introduces plane-wise segment profiles (summaries of each person's response pattern within each variable-contrast dimension) as primary person-oriented objects. Within each low-dimensional plane, SEPA defines a projected response pattern (segment profile), domain–person cosines that index variable-by-variable alignment, and plane-fit correlations that summarize how closely an individual’s pattern follows the plane’s domain structure. Across planes, SEPA aggregates information via singular-value weighting to yield an overall segment profile while preserving contrast-specific signal. A practical workflow combines ipsatized SVD, parallel analysis for PE dimensionality, marker-domain rules, bootstrap confidence intervals, and subspace-stability diagnostics. Using multivariate cognitive data from the Woodcock–Johnson IV, SEPA identifies interpretable marker domains, reveals distinct pattern facets across planes, and provides person-oriented indices that can be carried into standard regression models. Simulation studies examine the stability of segment profiles and cosines under varying sample sizes and variance structures. SEPA thus supplies a reproducible, geometry-based foundation for person-centered measurement that connects Q-type factor analysis, biplot methods, and contemporary within-person profiling in multidomain assessments.

Computers in Human Behavior

Employee Knowledge and Smart Technology Adoption: Evidence from the E-waste Sector
Amila Kasun Sampath Udage Kankanamge, Michael Odei Erdiaw-Kwasie, Matthew Abunyewah, Kerstin Zander
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Pretty Privilege? Effects of Perpetrators’ Attractiveness and Hate Type on User Responses Against Misogynist Digital Hate
Rinat Meerson, Kevin Koban, Jörg Matthes
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Emotionally Vulnerable Subtype of Internet Gaming Disorder: Measuring and Exploring the Pathology of Problematic Generative AI Use
Haocan Sun, Di Wu, Weizi Liu, Mike Yao, Guoming Yu
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Group Processes & Intergroup Relations

Public Opinion on Overturning Roe v. Wade : Separate Spheres Ideology, Abortion Identity, and Message Framing in a Three-Wave Panel Study
Lisette Horne, Eugene Borgida, Kiley Gilbert
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The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization (hereafter, Dobbs ) overturning Roe v. Wade was a landmark decision. We focus on the influence of gender ideology, measured by separate spheres ideology (SSI), on public perceptions of this decision. In a three-wave survey-experiment panel study with a nationally diverse sample, participants reported their endorsement of SSI, gender system justification, abortion identity, and attitudes toward abortion. At Wave 2, participants were randomly assigned to one of two message-framing conditions that differed in the number of facts about Dobbs or a healthcare control. Wave 3 examined the persistence of experimental effects. Overall, SSI was the only consistent moderator of message-framing effects on all outcome measures, with persisting effects on support for restrictive abortion policies and endorsement of the gendered status quo. SSI’s predictive influence in electoral choice and nonelectoral but gendered policy contexts is discussed.

Journal of Experimental Social Psychology

We're near, they're far: On the association between one's gender in-group and psychological distance
Alys Ferragamo, Cheryl Jan Wakslak
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Feeling with family, grateful to strangers: Moral reactions to compassion and gratitude align with their social functions
Alexa Weiss, Pascal Burgmer
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The subjectivity of objectivity: The effects of positionality statements on objectivity perceptions of psychological research
Sakaria Laisene Auelua-Toomey, Ellen C. Reinhart, Kengthsagn Louis
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Revisiting Gino, Ayal, et al.’s (2009) contagion and differentiation in unethical behavior: A registered conceptual replication and extension
Jareef Martuza, Esra Aslan
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Journal of Personality and Social Psychology

How institutional distrust breeds one-sided leadership: A consistency-based account.
Claire Linares, Anne-Sophie Chaxel
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When having less elevates more: Benefactor income, moral elevation, and prosocial contagion among observers.
Bingqing Miranda Yin, Jenny G. Olson, Yexin Jessica Li
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Organizational Research Methods

Interaction Effects May Indeed Be Artifacts of Common Method Variance
Arturs Kalnins
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A common belief in the organizational sciences is that estimated interaction effects in ordinary least squares regression cannot be artifacts of common method variance (CMV). This belief rests on the claim that CMV universally attenuates estimated interaction effects. As a result, researchers frequently dismiss CMV concerns when testing moderated relationships. We present an analytic closed-form regression model demonstrating that this universal attenuation claim is false in commonplace scenarios. In particular, when a quadratic term legitimately affects the dependent variable (DV) in the presence of CMV, an estimated interaction effect may be purely artifactual. The common belief holds only in two special cases: (1) when quadratic terms have zero effect on the DV, or (2) when one primary term that enters the interaction is unambiguously unaffected by CMV. We conclude that researchers should apply all standard CMV precautions when testing moderated hypotheses; the fact that one is assessing interactions should not be viewed as a “get out of CMV jail free” card. In addition, we recommend estimating and reporting model specifications both with and without quadratic terms to assess robustness.

Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin

Me, My Self (Concept), and I – Disentangling the Link Between Narcissism and the Impostor Self-Concept
Kristina Klug, Mona Leonhardt, Sophie Oprée, Sinem Rhein, Sonja Rohrmann
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The impostor self-concept involves self-doubt and fear of being exposed as a fraud. While vulnerable narcissism shares substantial psychological similarities with the impostor self-concept, grandiose narcissism is associated with an overestimation of one's own capabilities. The present study explores the relationship between the personality constructs impostor self-concept and narcissism, considering parenting styles and adult attachment. In a sample of 339 participants, path analyses revealed that overprotective and controlling parenting fostered both impostor self-concept and vulnerable narcissism, while grandiose narcissism was linked to parental warmth. Impostor self-concept and vulnerable narcissism predicted higher attachment anxiety and lower trust, whereas grandiose narcissism had no significant effects on adult attachment. Despite substantial overlap in developmental predictors and relational consequences, factor analyses confirmed the impostor self-concept as distinct from vulnerable narcissism. Findings point to shared developmental pathways and distinct relational implications, and highlight the need for longitudinal research and interventions targeting self-esteem and attachment security.
Does Self-Projection Have a Dominant Temporal Direction? In Nine Countries, People Feel More Similar to Their Future Than Past Selves
Jareef Martuza, Simen BÞ, Helge ThorbjÞrnsen, Hallgeir SjÄstad
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Do you project your current self—the person you are today—equally across time? Compared to the present, 12 studies (total N = 11,416) reveal that people feel more similar to their future selves than their equidistant past selves. This future-oriented asymmetry in self-projection is directionally consistent across nine countries, with variation in effect size, and holds across different time horizons. Time-asymmetric self-projection covaries with higher levels of emotional connection between present and future selves and lower levels of perceived future self-change. We also provide preliminary causal-chain evidence for perceived self-change as a process by experimentally manipulating self-change beliefs. The future-oriented asymmetry appears to be self-focused, as it does not extend to others. Finally, future-oriented self-projection can lead to miscalibrated expectations: People expect their future selves to be more satisfied with hypothetical decisions made in the present than they currently would be with the same decisions in the past.
Social Media is Shifting the Values in Our Societies: An Increase in People’s Achievement and Conformity Orientation
Ertugrul Uysal, Sascha Alavi, Valéry Bezençon
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Past research explored the beneficial and harmful effects of social media (SM), but no study has investigated how SM might change people’s identities. Authors suggest that SM is a catalyst for a shift in two individual values, achievement and conformity, transforming the fabric of our societies. A difference-in-differences analysis found that countries with higher SM adoption compared to their culturally similar country show an increase in achievement and conformity orientation. Next, authors manipulated SM use and established a causal link between SM use and the activation of achievement and conformity values in Facebook users. These findings were replicated with objective SM usage data, and the pertinent mechanism was explored: people’s SM use increases achievement and conformity orientation through an increased need for approval, particularly for those who self-ruminate. Findings suggest that SM use contributes to the emergence of a societal culture that places an emphasis on achievement-seeking and conformity.

Psychological Methods

A comparison of the predictive performance of continuous and class-based latent trait models.
Wanjing Anya Ma, Yiqing Liu, Klint Kanopka, Wenchao Ma, Benjamin W. Domingue
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An application of procedural knowledge space theory to the study of strategic planning in board games.
Andrea Brancaccio, Luca Stefanutti
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Adjustment set selection for estimating optimal treatment rules under confounding.
Nina Galanter, Susan M. Shortreed, Erica E. M. Moodie
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Psychological Science

Reduced Mental Health and Well-Being in Parents of Transgender Youth Following the 2025 U.S. Presidential Inauguration
Rachel A. Leshin, Aditi Kodipady, Grey F. Raber, Natalie M. Gallagher, Kristina R. Olson
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The numerous executive orders directed at transgender youth in the weeks following the 2025 U.S. presidential inauguration were likely a signal to these youth—and their parents—that the federal government no longer supported them. Using a longitudinal design spanning 3 years prior to the inauguration (2022–2024) and 2 months surrounding the inauguration, we tested whether the mental health and well-being of U.S.-based transgender youth and their parents declined relative to that of cisgender youth and their parents in a sample that, on the whole, did not support the new administration ( N = 160 youth, aged 12–17 years; N = 167 parents). Across preregistered analyses, we observed significant declines in the mental health and well-being of parents of transgender youth compared to parents of cisgender youth; we observed fewer differences over time between transgender versus cisgender youth themselves. Our findings identify an immediate potential cost of the current political environment for supportive parents of transgender youth.

Psychology of Music

The Connection Between Flow and Music Performance Anxiety Among Adolescents
Xinyu Huang
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This study investigated the relationship between flow experiences and music performance anxiety (MPA) among school-age musicians in China, with a particular focus on adolescent students (aged 13–15 years). While previous research has examined flow and MPA in professional musicians, limited attention has been paid to younger and less experienced populations. Adopting a mixed-methods approach, the study combined quantitative data from two validated self-report measures with qualitative insights from semi-structured interviews. Participants were students who had recently performed in a school concert and represented a range of proficiency levels (beginner, intermediate, and advanced). The findings suggested that: (a) both flow and MPA were commonly experienced by adolescent students; (b) flow and MPA were negatively correlated, particularly among more proficient students; and (c) higher proficiency appeared to facilitate flow experiences while mitigating MPA, possibly due to accumulated performance experience. These results suggested that musical proficiency may serve as a buffer against MPA by promoting optimal performance states. Implications for music education and psychological interventions were discussed, and directions for future research were proposed.
The Role of Past Experience With Listening to Classical Music in Liking Sophisticated Music
Valnea Ćœauhar, Igor BajĆĄanski, Sabina Vidulin
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The aim of the study was to examine the validity of the Past Experience with Listening to Classical Music Scale (PastELCMS) developed for adolescents and children, and to explore its role in preference for sophisticated music. In Study 1, participants were 151 students from a general education school who rated their liking for six excerpts of sophisticated music and completed questionnaires about previous experience with listening to classical music and other music-related tendencies and behaviours. Study 2 involved 286 pupils attending a primary music school. They reported their liking for an excerpt of classical music and completed questionnaires on the emotions evoked by the music while listening to the excerpt and on previous experience with listening to classical music. PastELCMS correlated positively with preference for sophisticated music, cognitive and emotional music listening, and music consumption in Study 1, as well as with liking for a classical music excerpt and music-evoked activation while listening to the excerpt in Study 2. Past experience with listening to classical music also positively predicted liking sophisticated music. Previous experience should be investigated to understand preferences for sophisticated music. PastELCMS is a valid and reliable measure that can be used with adolescents and children.
Flow State in Live Music Performance: A Qualitative Study on Musicians’ Stage Experiences
Uğur Özalp, Sergen Kaya
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This exploratory qualitative study examines how 32 professional musicians in Turkey described flow during live performance, and the conditions they perceived as facilitating or constraining it. Using a qualitative descriptive design with a phenomenological orientation and maximum-variation sampling, we conducted semi-structured interviews immediately after live sets to obtain performance-proximal accounts rather than implementing real-time experience sampling method (ESM) prompts. Reflexive thematic analysis of the interviews generated five themes: (1) definitions of flow (intense focus, altered time perception, unity with the music, present-centredness, well-being), (2) moments when flow tended to arise (improvisation, emotional or high-energy passages, stage entry), (3) external conditions (audience interaction, group energy, sound/technical reliability, unexpected events), (4) internal conditions (genre affinity, challenge–skill fit, music-theoretical orientation), and (5) perceived effects on performance (technical fluency, automaticity, effortlessness, expressiveness, creativity). Participants’ accounts highlight how flow in Turkish live-music venues is shaped by situated interactions with audiences, ensembles, and stage infrastructures, including genre-specific technical demands (e.g., bağlama performance). Overall, the study provides context-bound, experience-near insight into on-stage flow in contemporary Turkish popular music settings.

Psychology of Popular Media

The puzzle of engagement: An interview study on the subjective experience of engagement with mainstream narrational complexity.
Gaia Yonah, Cynthia Cabañas, Steven Willemsen, Miklós Kiss, Frank Hakemulder, Mariken van der Velden, Elly Konijn, Katalin Bålint
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Older and wiser, but not immune: A brief report examining movie exposure and male body image across development.
Kate Stewart, James Alex Bonus
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LGBTQ+ engagement with harmful online health content: Effects on self-perception and body image, health behaviors, and mental health.
Alex Penfold, Melissa Oxlad, Anna Chur-Hansen
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“It made life worth living at times”: A qualitative study of sexually explicit fanfiction as a narrative well-being resource.
Daniel R. du Plooy, Domenica A. Clowes, Gabriella Karakas
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Technology, Mind, and Behavior

Pushed to the edge: When radical political messages persuade more on social media.
Brahim Zarouali
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The bystander effect in human–robot interaction: How the presence of bystanders inhibits helping intentions for a social robot.
Guiying Liu, Tatjana Korbanka, Jasmin Timm, Naomi Oetelshofen, Laura Maier, Markus Huff, Frank Papenmeier
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