I checked 15 psychology journals on Monday, August 03, 2026 using the Crossref API. For the period July 27 to August 02, I found 66 new paper(s) in 9 journal(s).

Advances in Methods and Practices in Psychological Science

The Threat of Analytic Flexibility in Using Large Language Models to Simulate Human Data
Jamie Cummins
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Social scientists are now using large language models to create “silicon samples”: synthetic data sets intended to stand in for human respondents. However, producing these samples requires many analytic choices, including model selection, sampling parameters, prompt format, and amount of demographic or contextual information provided. Across two studies, I examine whether these choices materially affect correspondence between silicon samples and human data. In Study 1, I generated 252 silicon-sample configurations for a controlled case study using two social-psychological scales, evaluating whether configurations recovered participant rankings, response distributions, and between-scales correlations. Configurations varied substantially across all three criteria and configurations that performed well on one dimension often performed poorly on another. In Study 2, I extended this analysis to a published silicon-sample use case by reexamining Argyle et al.’s Study 3 using 66 alternative configurations. Correlations between human and silicon association structures differed substantially across configurations, from r = .23 to r = .84. Taken together, the results from these studies demonstrate that different defensible configuration choices can materially alter conclusions about the fidelity of silicon samples. I call for greater attention to the threat of analytic flexibility in using silicon samples and outline strategies that researchers may adopt to reduce this threat.

Behavior Research Methods

Validation of web-based remote photoplethysmography for heart rate measurement using standardized online infrastructure against ECG benchmarks
Gianluca Finotti, Daniele Di Lernia, Manos Tsakiris
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Remote photoplethysmography (rPPG) enables non-invasive heart rate (HR) measurement via video, offering a promising tool for remote physiological monitoring. In a previous study, we validated an adapted rPPG algorithm developed by van der Kooij and Naber (Behav Res Methods 51(5):2106–2119, 2019), collecting video via an online platform using a common web browser and comparing results to phone-based HR measurements. In the present study, we extend this methodological pipeline by validating the same refined algorithm and online video collection pipeline against electrocardiogram (ECG) ground-truth measurements. While previous studies have typically relied on online data collection without ECG reference standards or laboratory-based protocols lacking online implementation, our study bridges this gap by directly comparing video data collected through a standard web browser using the Gorilla Experiment Builder platform with simultaneous ECG recordings. We also evaluated the optimal conditions for rPPG accuracy in terms of video duration and distance from the webcam. We recorded 180 videos across five durations (10 s, 25 s, 35 s, 45 s, and 100 s) and two distances (close = 35 cm, far = 50 cm). Results showed excellent agreement between rPPG- and ECG-derived HR, with an intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of 0.96 and 95% of measurements within Bland–Altman limits of agreement. Longer video durations significantly reduced error and variability, while recording distance had no significant effect. Validation of this rPPG pipeline against ECG ground truth establishes the reliability of web-based rPPG measurements, providing a foundation for large-scale online data collection with fidelity comparable to controlled laboratory assessments.
One size Fitts’ all? Reconsidering the use of deviations from real-time action imagery in mental chronometry tasks
Carla Czilczer, Pierre Sachse, Stephan F. Dahm
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Mental chronometry tasks commonly presume that real-time action imagery indicates high action imagery ability (AIA). However, factors that systematically influence imagery durations undermine the validity of AIA scores based on deviations from real-time action imagery. Therefore, we introduce and validate a novel approach for measuring AIA using mental chronometry. This approach relies on the relationship between a movement’s difficulty and its duration (Fitts’ law), with AIA scores quantifying the degree to which this relationship is preserved in action imagery. In a Chronometric Radial Fitts’ Task (CRFT), participants ( N = 30) executed and imagined both tapping (with a stylus) and clicking (with a computer mouse) radially arranged targets. Single execution and imagery durations were isolated through simultaneous space bar presses. Targets varied in difficulty according to Fitts’ law, which held across all four conditions (for both tools, when executing and imagining the movements). The AIA scores derived from the proposed Fitts’ law approach outperformed those derived from earlier mental chronometry approaches, being the only scores indicating convergent validity across tools. Using the stylus, larger absolute and relative deviations from real-time action imagery were consistently associated with higher subjective AIA, reinforcing validity concerns. Participants struggled to incorporate the computer mouse’s properties into the internal model of the movement, resulting in imagery with the computer mouse relying on internal models similar to the stylus (simpler tool). In addition to offering a refined approach for measuring manipulation- and timing-related AIA, our study highlights the importance of tool familiarity in mental chronometry.
Adding LLMs to the psycholinguistic norming toolbox: A practical guide to getting the most out of human ratings
Javier Conde, MarĂ­a Grandury, Tairan Fu, Carlos Arriaga, Gonzalo MartĂ­nez, Thomas Clark, Sean Trott, Clarence Gerald Green, Pedro Reviriego, Marc Brysbaert
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Word-level psycholinguistic norms are necessary to test theories of language processing. However, obtaining such human-based measures is not always feasible or straightforward. One promising approach is to augment human norming datasets by using large language models (LLMs) to predict these characteristics directly, a practice that is rapidly gaining popularity in psycholinguistics and cognitive science. However, the novelty of this approach (and the relative inscrutability of LLMs) necessitates the adoption of rigorous methodologies. We discuss the range of possible approaches, and clarify limitations that are not immediately apparent. In this work, we present a comprehensive methodology for estimating word characteristics with LLMs, enriched with practical advice and lessons learned from our own experience. Our approach covers both the direct use of base LLMs and the fine-tuning of models, an alternative that can yield substantial performance gains in certain scenarios. A major emphasis in the guide is the need to validate LLM-generated data, at least with a small set of a few hundred human “gold standard” norms, before using the LLM-generated norms. We also present a software framework that implements our methodology and supports both commercial and open-weight models. We illustrate the proposed approach with a case study on estimating word familiarity in English. Using base models, we achieved a Spearman correlation of 0.8 with human ratings, which increased to 0.9 when employing fine-tuned models. This methodology, framework, and set of best practices can serve as a reference for future research on leveraging LLMs for psycholinguistic and lexical studies.

Computers in Human Behavior

Generic title: Not a research article
Corrigendum to “The influence of cyber descriptive norms on immoral online behavior: The moderating role of moral conviction” [Computers in Human Behavior, 181 (2026) 108991]
Jin Wang, Chang Liu, Tumaresi Paerhati, Zhuo Wang, Xilei Zhang, Yu Ku
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“I’ve let screens take over”: Maternal Guilt About Media and Relations to Children's Problematic Media Use
Sarah M. Coyne, Talise Hirschi, Megan Gale, Blake L. Jones, Megan Van Alfen, Lara Maximiano Almeida, Chenae Christensen-Duerden, Larry J. Nelson, Hailey G. Holmgren, Chris L. Porter, Ashley Fraser, Peter J. Reschke, McCall A. Booth, Cara Swit, Margaret L. Kerr, Rachel Barr, Heather Kirkorian, Jenny Radesky, Rebecca L. Densley
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Language mutations and the persistence of COVID-19 conspiracy theories on social media
Calvin Yixiang Cheng, Dorian Quelle, Scott A. Hale
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More externalization, but less inference? Exploring changes in young learners’ critical thinking during conversational AI bot-supported multimodal writing practice
Qi Lu, Yuan Yao, Xinhua Zhu, Longhai Xiao, Hongbiao Yin
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Not seeing eye to eye: The effects of perceptual conflicts during social interactions in mixed reality
Eugy Han, Portia Wang, Monique Santoso, Keshav Rastogi, Jeremy N. Bailenson
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When tech makes the team: Mind perception as a unifying framework for human and human-agent teams
Alexandra M. Harris-Watson, Lindsay E. Larson
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Formation and resolution of the knowledge sharing dilemma under competitive pressure: An evolutionary game approach based on complex networks
Maishuang Sun, Huayi Wang
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Engaging with cybercriminals: phases and influence strategies in ransomware negotiations
Michail Georgiou, Ellen Giebels, Miriam S.D. Oostinga, Remco Spithoven
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Self-regulation and overreliance on artificial intelligence: Unpacking a paradox through a mixed-methods study in higher education
HĂ©ctor Galindo-DomĂ­nguez, Nahia Delgado, MartĂ­n Sainz-de-la-Maza, Jose-MarĂ­a Etxabe
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Keep it perfect or keep it real? The influence of descriptive norms on adolescents’ expression of multiple selves in Instagram Stories
Arne Freya Zillich, Annika Wunderlich
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Feeding on screens, not on plates: The paradoxical impact of unhealthy food content in digital media
Esther Kang, Arun Lakshmanan
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Can AI reflect public opinion? Evidence from replicating Hainmueller and Hopkins’ immigration experiment with LLMs
Yajing Chen, Ming Lei, Zhanyu Liu, Man Tang, Jie She
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Is anthropomorphizing AI worth it? The role of hands-on experience in shaping advice uptake
Sisheng Li, Qinghua He, Yawei Qi, Ofir Turel
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How artificial intelligence functionalities boost consumer benefit and impulse shopping? The significant role of responsive communication and conversational communication
Hua Pang, Yi Wang, Mohan Sun, Rui Wang
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Beyond symptoms: Latent profiles of student burnout and their social-cognitive associations in online learning
Yaxin Tu, Changqin Huang, Chengling Gao, Yun-Fang Tu, Yafeng Pan, Gwo-Jen Hwang
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The influence of cyber descriptive norms on immoral online behavior: The moderating role of moral conviction
Jin Wang, Chang Liu, Tumaresi Paerhati, Zhuo Wang, Xilei Zhang, Yu Ku
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Detection and spill-over effects of AI-generated images in political messages: Evidence from two pre-registered experiments
Darian Harff
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Polite or playful? How service robot type and apology style influence negative word-of-mouth after service failures
Minjung Cho, Joonheui Bae, Erin Cho, Sung Hun Kevin Bae
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Digital pacifiers: Developmental trajectories of media emotion regulation in early childhood
Chenae Christensen-Duerden, Sarah M. Coyne, Peter J. Reschke, Sarah Ashby, Boston Park, Ashton K. Allen, Rachel J. Munk, Hailey Holmgren
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Strategic counter-misinformation engagement on social media: An empirical investigation of corporate response tactics and consumer attitude reconstruction
Xi Han, Xiangxiang Zhou, Tianqi Luo, Yuan Chen, Wenting Han
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From curiosity to crime: Exploring pathways into criminal hacking
E.R. Leukfeldt, L.M.J. Bekkers
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Rubric-conditioned large language model labeling: Agreement, uncertainty, and label consistency in subjective text annotation
Jin Liu
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Impact of social media use in static and dynamic functional network connectivity of social anxiety disorder
Hesun Erin Kim, Byung-Hoon Kim, Yesol Cho, Yujin Ko, Jae-Jin Kim
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GPT-4o reads the mind in the eyes
James W.A. Strachan, Oriana Pansardi, Marco Celotto, Eugenio Scaliti, Krati Saxena, Chunzhi Yi, Fabio Manzi, Alessandro Rufo, Guido Manzi, Michael S.A. Graziano, Stefano Panzeri, Cristina Becchio
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Disclosing vulnerability on social media: Effects on perceived authenticity and interpersonal attraction
Zijian Lew, Jiemin Looi
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From FoMO to learning: How social media characteristics drive explorative and exploitative use and foster sustainable social relationships in micro-learning activities
Serge-Lopez Wamba-Taguimdje, Pascal Koko Bashengezi
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Potential effects of a gaming restriction policy on problematic use of the internet and time spent on the internet among Chinese adolescents: A longitudinal study
Chao-Ying Chen, I-Hua Chen, Wen-Li Hou, Pei-Yu Chou, Servet Üztemur, Xianhe Chen, Ru-Yi Huang, Marc N. Potenza, Zsolt Demetrovics, Mark D. Griffiths, Chung-Ying Lin
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AI or human? Exploring the effects of user awareness in conversational dynamics with virtual avatars
Silvia Erika Kober, Simon Streit, Guilherme Wood
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When algorithms remember what employees forget: Reversing the common view that artificial intelligence (AI) workplace advisors lack context
Christopher R. Dishop
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From stress to emotional well-being: Exploring how multiplayer online video games foster emotional resilience among Generation Z players
Doarka Das, Juha Munnukka, Outi Niininen
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Adolescent sexting in romantic relationships and daily positive and negative affect dynamics: A dyadic intensive longitudinal study
Thao Ha, Selena I. Quiroz, Daniel McNeish
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Physiological synchrony in elite esports matches driven by competitive motivation
Ken Watanabe, Sorato Minami, Naoki Saijo, Makio Kashino
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Gendered inequalities in online harms: Fear, safety work, and online participation
Florence E. Enock, Francesca Stevens, Tvesha Sippy, Jonathan Bright, Miranda Cross, Pica Johansson, Judy Wajcman, Helen Z. Margetts
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Journal of Personality and Social Psychology

Virtue trade-offs in everyday life.
Qilin Zhang, Jeremy Jacobson, Benjamin Hardin, Jessie Sun
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Compassion persists: The effects of repeated exposure to suffering on compassion.
Jaweria Qaiser, Solomiya Draga, Linh N. P. Pham, Nathan Leonhardt, Jennifer E. Stellar
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What stands out to you about me? Implications of self-observation during online intergroup interaction for metaperceived race salience.
Jacquie D. Vorauer, Corey Petsnik, Jasmine Chen
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Within-nation variation in war exposure and psychological and physical adjustment.
Theresa M. Entringer, Christoph Halbmeier, Laura Buchinger, Anne K. Reitz
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Evolving together: Dynamic transactions of antagonistic and self-centered traits with couple relationships.
Anna Braig, Matthew D. Johnson, Marcus Mund, Franz J. Neyer
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Age as a moderator of gender differences in Five-Factor Model personality traits: A cross-national and cross-sectional study.
Arij Yehya, Liisi Ausmees, Samuel D. Gosling, Jeff Potter, Anu Realo
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In their God we trust: Religious cognition increases cooperation across religious divides.
Michael H. Pasek, Allon Vishkin, Anne Lehner, Crystal M. Shackleford, Starlett Hartley, Jeremy Ginges
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Mental contrasting prevents a negative future by changing the explicit and implicit meaning of reality.
SunYoung Kim, Peter M. Gollwitzer, Gabriele Oettingen
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Morality cut both ways: The role of cognition and emotion in attitude moralization and demoralization.
Paul E. Teas, Linda J. Skitka
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Navigating cultural identity: A 20-year longitudinal study of first-generation adult immigrants in Germany.
Ronja A. Runge, DĂ©bora B. Maehler
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Can I make the time or is it running out? That depends in part on what difficulty implies about me.
Su Young (Kevin) Choi, Daphna Oyserman
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Multivariate Behavioral Research

Mechanisms of Effect Size Differences Between Researcher Developed and Independently Developed Outcomes: An Item-Level Meta-Analysis
Joshua B. Gilbert, James Soland
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Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin

Is Healthy Neuroticism Associated with Disease Screenings? A Comparison of the Domain, Facet, and Characteristic Adaptation Levels
Priscilla H. Whang, Clayton Neighbors, Olivia E. Atherton
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It is unclear whether Healthy Neuroticism is beneficial for health, potentially due to mismatches between how Healthy Neuroticism is often conceptualized and operationalized. The present study uses data from 212 to 672 Dutch adults (54.17% female, mean age = 62.46) to examine how 3 operationalizations of Healthy Neuroticism (at the domain, facet, and characteristic adaptation levels) are associated with preventive disease screenings. Using a series of hurdle models, we found that individuals who were higher on Neuroticism domain, facets (Anxiety, Depression), and characteristic adaptations (Disease Concern) were more likely to engage in preventive disease screenings. However, Healthy Neuroticism (operationalized as interactions between domain, facet, and characteristic adaptations with Conscientiousness) was largely not associated with the likelihood or count of disease screenings, though these results should be interpreted with caution until further replication due to limits on statistical power. We discuss the theoretical implications for the Healthy Neuroticism literature and practical implications for improving health.
Underestimating Honesty in Distributive Negotiations: Misjudging Counterparts’ Motivations
Shira Garber, Simone Moran, Boaz Keysar, Yoella Bereby-Meyer
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Negotiators often face two dilemmas: whether to be honest and whether to believe their counterpart is honest. We propose a discrepancy in how negotiators approach these dilemmas, leading to an expected versus actual honesty gap. When deciding whether to be honest, negotiators are influenced not only by self-interest but also by moral identity concerns, which promote honesty. However, when deciding whether counterparts are honest, negotiators assume they are primarily motivated by self-interest and thus overestimate their dishonesty. Five studies examining online secondhand market negotiations found buyers often underestimated sellers’ honesty, and this was accounted for by their misperceptions of sellers’ motivations. While sellers tended to be honest because of moral identity concerns, buyers expected them to be driven primarily by self-interest. The actual-expected honesty gap was particularly prevalent when sellers’ moral identity concerns were situationally activated, and altering buyers’ perceptions of sellers’ motivations reduced the gap. Findings further suggest potential targeted interventions to foster trust.

Psychological Methods

Leveraging lavaan for iterated conditional expectations: A streamlined parametric g-formula.
Wen Wei Loh
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A time-varying interaction map approach for longitudinal assessments.
Minjeong Jeon, Michael Schweinberger
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Estimating curvilinear time-varying treatment effects: Combining g-estimation of structural nested mean models with time-varying effect models for longitudinal causal inference.
Wen Wei Loh
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Latent growth factors as predictors of distal outcomes.
Ethan M. McCormick, Patrick J. Curran, Gregory R. Hancock
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The invariance partial pruning approach to the network comparison in time-series and panel data.
Xinkai Du, Sverre Urnes Johnson, Sacha Epskamp
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Heteroskedasticity-robust inference in Bayesian linear regression via the generalized method of moments.
Weicong Lyu
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Factored structural equation modeling in blimp.
Craig K. Enders, Brian T. Keller
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Measures of metacognitive efficiency across cognitive models of decision confidence.
Manuel Rausch, Sebastian Hellmann, Michael Zehetleitner
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Planning falsifiable confirmatory research.
James E. Kennedy
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Quantifying heteroscedasticity in linear models using quantile locally weighted scatterplot smoothing intervals.
Martina Sladekova, Andy P. Field
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The monotonic linear model: Testing for removable interactions.
John C. Dunn, Laura M. Anderson
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Psychology of Music

Evaluation of Residential Satisfaction in Mexico: Creation and Validation of a Measure Instrument / EvaluaciĂłn de la satisfacciĂłn residencial en MĂ©xico: creaciĂłn y validaciĂłn de un instrumento de medida
Diana Laura Pérez-Ortiz, Juan A. García, María Amérigo, Joel Martínez-Soto
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Accurately measuring residential satisfaction is important when it comes to guiding architectural design strategies that improve people’s quality of life in line with their needs. The aim of this study was to create and validate a specific instrument to measure residential satisfaction in a Mexican context. The study began with a qualitative assessment of residential satisfaction across three categories – home, neighbourhood and neighbours – using the natural semantic networks technique on a sample of 90 people from the general population. Based on these assessments, a 19-item Likert-type scale was designed. The construct validity of this scale was analysed using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis with samples from the general population ( N = 201 and N = 412, respectively). The results revealed two factors explaining 63.55% of the total variance: ‘satisfaction with the home’ (McDonald’s omega coefficient = .88) and ‘satisfaction with the neighbourhood unit’ (McDonald’s omega coefficient = .92). The scale demonstrated good psychometric properties for measuring residential satisfaction in the context studied.
Emotion Regulation Through Self-Chosen Music: A Qualitative Study With Young Adults
Panagiotis Painesis, Maribella Vogopoulou, Maria Pothoulaki
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The emotional implications of music have attracted the interest of many psychology researchers in the past few decades. The current study investigated how self-chosen music facilitated emotion regulation strategies in young adults from Greece during intense emotional periods. The sample of the study involved 12 Greek students, ranging from 18 to 28 years of age. Semi-structured interviews were used for data collection, and interpretive phenomenological analysis was applied for the analysis of data. Findings suggest that the perceived manageability of an emotion plays a key role in determining the regulation strategy employed. When experiencing manageable emotions, participants remain connected to their inner feelings, using strategies such as mindful attending, music as a substitute for human presence and catharsis. In contrast, when facing unmanageable emotions, they avoid emotional confrontation, using music to suppress distressing emotions or opting not to listen to music at all. Future studies can expand on this research topic and further add to our findings.
Intentional Mental Imagery and Music Performance Anxiety
Katherine K Finch, Jonathan M Oakman
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Intentional mental imagery is an important preparation strategy for performers and can be used for different purposes. Applied imagery models suggest that a single imagery approach can be used for different functions (e.g., affect regulation and performance enhancement). However, little is known about how musicians employ mental imagery to manage music performance anxiety (MPA) and whether musicians experience difficulty controlling imagery (e.g., maintaining imagery) used to manage MPA. Thus, we investigated how musicians use mental imagery for this purpose and whether they experience difficulty controlling such imagery. Musicians ( N = 25) completed a semi-structured interview and Likert-style rating scales concerning their experiences with intentional mental imagery used to manage MPA. Thematic analysis revealed that musicians in our sample engaged in a variety of imagery approaches (e.g., mental rehearsal) to manage MPA, integrating different sensory content. Themes were identified concerning difficulties participants experienced in controlling mental imagery. Musicians in our sample used a variety of imagery approaches to manage MPA, many of which are consistent with existing intervention literature and applied imagery models. Furthermore, many musicians in our sample experienced difficulty controlling intentional imagery which raises important questions for additional research.

Psychology of Popular Media

Seeing and being seen: A latent class analysis of social media use among young individuals with visible differences and its links to sociodemographic characteristics, norms, and body image.
Laure Dedecker, Laura Vandenbosch, Chelly Maes, Jill Meirte, Lara Schreurs
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Twinks, jocks, bears, and cubs: Associations between dating app usage and body image among sexual minority men with lean and nonlean subcultural appearance identities.
Clay M. Williams, Kristen Harrison
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