I checked 15 psychology journals on Wednesday, September 02, 2026 using the Crossref API. For the period August 26 to September 01, I found 79 new paper(s) in 12 journal(s).

Behavior Research Methods

Improving crowdsourcing for AI through cognitive-inspired data engineering
Gunnar P. Epping, Andrew Caplin, Erik Duhaime, William R. Holmes, Daniel Martin, Jennifer S. Trueblood
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Crowdsourcing offers a fast and cost-efficient approach to obtaining human-labeled datasets. However, crowdsourced datasets and the models trained on them can inherit the cognitive constraints and biases of their annotators. In a process we refer to as cognitive-inspired data engineering, we investigate whether ideas from cognitive science can be applied to mitigate the presence of cognitive constraints and cognitive biases in crowdsourced datasets and, as a result, improve the performance of models trained on these datasets. We evaluate our approach by crowdsourcing labels for medical image diagnostic tasks using two different crowdsourcing platforms across two experiments. In Experiment 1, we collect subjective probability judgments from novice annotators through Amazon Mechanical Turk and, in Experiment 2, we collect subjective probability judgments and binary classifications from skilled annotators through DiagnosUs, a crowdsourcing platform specializing in medical and scientific data annotation. In both experiments, we find that recalibrating subjective probability judgments reduces bias, yielding more accurate crowdsourced datasets and more accurate models trained on them. Our results suggest that cognitive-inspired data engineering offers a promising avenue to improve the quality of crowdsourced datasets, with consistent downstream benefits for machine learning models.
How accurate are Bayes factor-based null hypothesis tests? A simulation study
Daniel J. Schad, Martin ModrĂĄk
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Bayes factor null hypothesis tests provide a viable alternative to frequentist measures of evidence quantification. Bayes factors for realistic data sets in areas like psychology cannot be calculated exactly and require numerical approximations to complex integrals. Crucially, the accuracy of these approximations, i.e., whether an approximate Bayes factor corresponds to the exact Bayes factor, is unknown, and may depend on data, prior, and likelihood. We recently developed a novel statistical procedure, marginal simulation-based calibration (SBC) for Bayes factors, to test whether computed Bayes factors for a given analysis are accurate. Here, we use marginal SBC for Bayes factors and calibration plots to test whether Bayes factors are calculated accurately for some common cognitive designs. We use the bridgesampling/brms packages in R. We run analyses for three commonly used designs in psychology and psycholinguistics: (a) a design with random effects for subjects only, (b) a Latin square design with crossed random effects for subjects and items, but a single fixed factor, and (c) a Latin square 2x2 design with crossed random effects for subjects and items. We find that Bayes factor estimates turn out accurate in cases when the bridgesampling algorithm does not issue a warning message, but can be biased and variable when a warning message is shown. These results support the use of brms/bridgesampling for null hypothesis Bayes factor tests in commonly used factorial designs. They also suggest that when a warning message is issued, Bayes factor results should not be trusted. The results show that it is practical to check whether Bayes factors are computed correctly.
Examining within-person variability of each individual: How should we deal with non-varying individuals?
Xiaohui Luo, Yueqin Hu, Hongyun Liu
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Quantifying the dyadic interaction: A methodological framework for conducting observational moment-by-moment research
Diego FernĂĄndez-Regueras, M. Cristina Guerrero-Escagedo, Ana Calero-Elvira, Eduardo Estrada
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Systematic observation is a valuable method for studying interactive phenomena in dyads, as it captures sequences of behavior, potentially enhancing validity. However, observational studies remain underutilized compared with other tools, such as self-report questionnaires, because they require time and resources. This work aims to facilitate observational research by providing a step-by-step guide for preprocessing and exploring data from systematic observations, enabling flexible data handling beyond traditional sequential analyses. To illustrate the guide’s application, we used a dataset of 154 psychotherapy sessions collected longitudinally across different treatment phases from 32 patient–therapist dyads. We coded sessions using the Therapeutic Relationship Coding System (TRCS), which captures moment-by-moment verbal interactions relevant to the therapeutic alliance. Post-session questionnaire data were collected using the Working Alliance Inventory (WAI). An R script and a set of functions were developed to assist researchers with data preprocessing and to generate descriptive visualizations addressing the following questions: (1) What behaviors (and sequences of interacting behaviors) are more frequent? ; (2) How do behaviors evolve over time ; (3) Do behavioral changes differ across groups? After applying our proposed analytical tools, we interpret our results in light of the dominant theoretical framework on the therapeutic alliance.
Time after time, the best–worst scaling method is more reliable than ranking
Garston Liang, Mackenzie Glover, Guy E. Hawkins
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Two popular methods of preference elicitation are rankings and best–worst scaling (BWS). Rankings, while simple and widely adopted, can be burdensome with larger item sets and fail to capture indifference between options that are neither loved nor hated. Best–worst scaling is a survey method that sidesteps the set size problem by capitalizing on people’s natural capacity to identify preferences at the extremes. Across three experiments, our primary finding is that elicited preferences for ranking and BWS methods align, and that BWS methods provide additional resolution to resolve the indifference between middling options where rankings can struggle as well as the relative importance of each option. Moreover, we show that BWS methods exhibit greater test–retest reliability compared to rankings, even over time frames as short as minutes. Taken together, our results privilege BWS as a reliable and readily accessible alternative to ranking methods for preference elicitation.
Subjective age of acquisition norms for 30,849 Russian words
Andrei A. Grigoriev, Konstantin V. Sugonyaev, Svetlana A. Pashneva, Ekaterina A. Valueva, Nikolai A. Grigorev
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Age of acquisition (AoA) is a key psycholinguistic variable known to influence lexical and conceptual processing across a broad range of tasks. However, existing Russian datasets are small and mainly limited to picturable nouns and verbs. In this study, we collected AoA ratings for 30,849 Russian words that represent a broad vocabulary range. Ratings were collected from 2,201 adult respondents in both in-person and online sessions. Reliability assessed via bootstrap split-half correlations was high (mean r = 0.895, 95% CI [.893, .897]). To validate the subjective AoA estimates, we administered vocabulary tests to school students from grades 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10. Two validation procedures were used: grade-level validation and within-grade validation. The former related the grade level at which an item was reliably known with the adult ratings, the latter related adult AoA to students’ accuracy. Subjective AoA strongly predicted objective AoA measures ( r = 0.805) and showed consistent negative relations with student accuracy across grades. Correlations with existing Russian AoA datasets ( r = 0.68–0.91) further supported the reliability of the norms. The new ratings also showed expected correlations with word frequency, length, concreteness, imageability, and familiarity. The resulting norms provide the largest and most comprehensive AoA resource for the Russian language and can support future research in psycholinguistics, lexical processing, and language development. All norms are publicly available on OSF.

Computers in Human Behavior

Generic title: Not a research article
Corrigendum to ‘Psychological need experiences inside and outside gaming as predictors of adolescent problematic gaming and well-being: A longitudinal test of the Need Density Hypothesis’ [Computers in Human Behavior 186 (2026) 109140]
Lowie Bradt, Maarten Vansteenkiste, Marlies Van de Casteele, Bieke Zaman, Eva Grosemans, Rozane De Cock, Bart Soenens
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At the point of risk: Can AI-assisted decision support reduce digital fraud vulnerability across age groups and scam types?
Yicheng Sun, Jacky Keung, Hi Kuen Yu, Yuchen Cao
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Prescribing a “dose of reality”: Exploring how realistic portrayals of motherhood can mitigate the harms of social media comparison
Ciera E. Kirkpatrick
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Beyond composer labels: Aesthetic awe in music composed by humans and AI
Ke Xu, Bihai Xu, Zhongju Xie
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Time to (Re)visualise victims? Introducing shadow victims of digital misinformation
Souvik Mukherjee, Lennon Yao-Chung Chang
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From AI Psychosis to Brain Rot: How pseudo-diagnoses endanger genuine psychological and medical discovery in challenging times
Christian Montag, Daniel L. King, Benjamin Becker, Joël Billieux
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AI-powered smartphone tools and immigrant social integration. The role of personality and psychological factors
Evangelos Mourelatos, Magdalini Liontou
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No future vision, no present perseverance: How short-form video addiction erodes academic buoyancy in adolescents
Guanxing Xiong, Junting Liu, Can Huang, Yingchao Zhang, Wenqing Li, Xiaoyu Li
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The hidden cost of digital aggression: How engaging in cyberbullying facilitates moral disengagement among children through changes in normative beliefs about aggression
Xintong Zhang, Xiang Li
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Deepfaking the past: Memory and perceived truth of resurrected historical figures
MarĂ­a T. Soto-Sanfiel, Gina Junhan Fu
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Online criminal markets on telegram: Exploring the illicit products and services advertised in public group chats
Joeri Loggen, Asier Moneva, Arjan Blokland, Gerard de Roode, E. Rutger Leukfeldt
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Humans incorrectly reject confident accusatory AI judgments
Riccardo Loconte, Merylin Monaro, Pietro Pietrini, Bruno Verschuere, Bennett Kleinberg
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Paradoxical positivity and community engagement in online suicide discourse
Flynn Kelly-Brunyak, L. Christian Elledge
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Knowledge sharing in networked communities of practice: Computational network analysis of organizing dynamics in online crowdsourcing communities
Yiqi Li
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Disclosures and literacy as determinants of AI-influencer recognition and well-being
Michaela Forrai, Delia Cristina Balaban, Desirée Schmuck
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Smartphone-derived phenotypes of social media use in young adults
Elombe Calvert, Andrew Jin Soo Byun, Haruka Notsu, Sean Ryan, Shrutangi Vaidya, John Torous
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From comparison to correction: How social networking site appearance comparison shapes emotional and self-presentation processes
Fuqun Liang, Junli Liu, Dongmei Zhao, Yanting Chen, Xianyou He, Chi Yang
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Tracing need for cognition in digital learning
Aki Schumacher, Luise von Keyserlingk, Hannah Deininger, Renzhe Yu, Nia Nixon, Lisa Bardach
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Development of digital empathy: Non-linear relationships between daily digital communication time and digital empathic tendencies
Andrew M. Collins, Wayne A. Warburton, Naomi Sweller, Kay Bussey
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The tug-of-war between engagement and dysregulation: A comprehensive analysis of cognition and internet gaming disorder in adolescents
David Willinger, Sabine Wunderl, Stefan Stieger
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Group Processes & Intergroup Relations

The Honor of a Leader: Examining the Content of Honor-Congruent Leadership Prototypes
Aaron L. Pomerantz, Ryan P. Brown
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Across three studies, we investigated how honor norms are associated with leadership prototypes. An archival, national-level study and an individual-level correlational study both linked honor norms to tough, reputation-conscious leadership and preferences for male leaders. A pre-registered quasi-experiment refined our understanding of these associations. Participants “designed” an ideal leader in either the presence or absence of intergroup conflict and results again showed that honor endorsement predicted preferences for certain leader characteristics (e.g., tough, protective) and for male leaders. High intergroup conflict increased both preferences across all participants, regardless of their level of honor endorsement, and the main effects of both honor and conflict on male leader favorability ratings were partially mediated by preferences for honor-congruent leader characteristics. Together, these studies suggest that honor functions as a cultural logic that informs leadership prototypes, shaping collective perceptions of idealized power and influence.
Storytelling as a Bridge: Examining the Psychological Processes of Fictional Writing on Intergroup Understanding
Xun Zhu
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Reading a positive story about an outgroup reduces prejudice, but can writing a story about the outgroup have similar effects? Three experiments examined whether and how writing a fictional story about an outgroup character can improve writers’ perceptions of the outgroup. Study 1 ( N = 727) showed that narrative writing increased warmth and competence perceptions of the character, regardless of whether writers described cooperating directly with the character, as characters themselves, to complete a positive task or wrote the story from the character’s perspective. Higher perceived warmth, but not competence, was associated with lower intergroup anxiety and stronger empathy toward the outgroup, which in turn predicted perceived dangerousness. Two follow-up experiments sought to replicate these findings using a different character (Study 2; N = 287) and a comparison with nonnarrative persuasive writing (Study 3; N = 343). The findings contribute to theories addressing the intersection of intergroup contact, creative writing, and narrative communication.
From “Them” to “Us”: Intergroup Contact Leads to Improved Intergroup Attitudes through Building Common Ingroup Identity: Longitudinal Evidence from Four European Countries
Joanna Lindström, Siddartha Aradhya, Sabina Čehajić-Clancy
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The successful integration of ethnic minorities is largely contingent on establishing positive relations between minority and majority groups. Drawing on the common ingroup identity model, we argue that for minority youth, intergroup contact (e.g., friendship) with majority youth predicts more positive attitudes toward the majority group because it may foster a stronger common-ingroup identity. Using three-wave panel data from the Children of Immigrants Longitudinal Survey in Four European Countries ( N = 5,447), we found support for our hypothesis: intergroup contact predicted more positive attitudes toward the majority groups over time, due to an increase in common-ingroup identification. Findings suggest that intergroup friendships may play a key role in immigrant youth integration, precisely through facilitating a sense of belonging to a shared identity with the majority group.

Journal of Experimental Social Psychology

Generic title: Not a research article
Corrigendum to “A trust inoculation to protect public support of governmentally mandated actions to mitigate climate change” [Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 115 (2024) 104656]
Tobia Spampatti, Tobias Brosch, Evelina Trutnevyte, Ulf J.J. Hahnel
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Registered Report Stage II: Defending or defying democracy? Investigating the relationship between conspiracy beliefs and support for democratic principles [registered report - stage II]
Tisa Bertlich, Felicitas Flade, Roland Imhoff
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Replication and extension of Carlson and Zaki (2018): Do lay theories of altruism apply equally to all actors?
Ashley Harrell, Margaret L. Traeger
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Diversity, equity, and inclusion regression: Perceptions of organizations that fail to persevere in their stated commitments
Kim E. Chaney, Izilda Pereira-Jorge
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Testing the psychological distinctiveness of proscriptive and prescriptive moral norms: A replication and extension of
Andrew Miles, Yagana Samim, Salwa Khan
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Cognitive conflict in willful ignorance: A mouse-tracking study
Fiona tho Pesch, Anna Baumert
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Collective streaks motivate prosocial behavior
David E. Levari, Michael I. Norton
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Selective traits and general rewards: Differentiating learning effects on social impression and choice
Kira Harris, Andrew Luttrell, Peter Mende-Siedlecki, Leor M. Hackel
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Hypocrisy either way: Judgments of moral actors who choose between conflicting commitments
Jonathan Z. Berman, Graham Overton, Daniel A. Effron
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Is it my fault? How attributing exclusion to norm violations triggers self-directed emotions
Larissa C. Damp, Selma C. Rudert
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Selective ignorance? The role of the information target in allocation decisions
Hagit Sabato, Ilana Ritov
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Does attending to the nose vs. eyes reduce the cross-race recognition deficit? A systematic test
TomĂĄs A. Palma, Francisco Cruz, Joana Quarenta, Joshua Correll, Marco Carvalho, Marta Barros, Debbie Ma
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Expectations of middle school children's academic performance in STEM and the Humanities: The effects of genetic and environmental frameworks
Lisa Luis, Mauro Bianchi, Rosandra Coladonato, Valentina Piccoli, Andrea Carnaghi
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Fairness matters: The impact of leaders' emotional expressions on subordinates' behavior
Adili Abudukadier, Zhikun Zhou, Zhijun Cheng, Xudong Wang, Yangmei Luo, Xuhai Chen
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People feel but don't tell: Dispositional honesty and emotional responses to others' (mis)fortunes
Zi Ye, Feiteng Long, Roujia Feng, Wilco van Dijk, Ranran Li
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Persuasion via intermediaries: The pull of extremity
Derek D. Rucker, Mark Dyer, Jesse D'Agostino, Zakary L. Tormala
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People underestimate how receptive other people are to different political opinions
André Mata, Towe Nilsson, Arvid Erlandsson, Rosårio Ferreira
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Seeing oneself in the feed: Racialized targeting in food marketing and its impact on adolescents' visual interest and unhealthy food preferences
Emily Balcetis, Jordan Daley, Eunha Choi, Omni Cassidy, Marie A. Bragg
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Giving women credit where credit is due: The role of amplifying, attributing, and appropriating others' ideas
Tara C. Dennehy, Holly R. Engstrom, Jo Hernanto, Toni Schmader
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“Friend or foe?” the ironic effect of speaking the minority's language in intergroup conflicts: Palestinian reactions to Jewish-Israelis using Arabic
Slieman Halabi, Yechiel Klar, Murad Abu Elheja
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Journal of Personality and Social Psychology

Fleeting generalization: How unstable belief updating keeps people overly pessimistic about talking to strangers.
Stav Atir, Nicholas Epley
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Is my loneliness killing me? Effects of loneliness and social isolation on transitions between cognitive status categories and death.
Tomiko Yoneda, Kathryn L. Jackson, Emily C. Noyer, Christopher R. Beam, Gabrielle Pfund, Stephen Antonoplis, Emorie Beck, Katy Bedjeti, Pei Qin, Kayla M. Garner, Jing Luo, Karina Van Bogart, Lily Pieramici, Katherina Hauner, Nicholas A. Turiano, PĂĄraic S. O'SĂșilleabhĂĄin, Lisa Barnes, David A. Bennett, Graciela Muniz Terrera, Daniel K. Mroczek, Bryan D. James, Andrew Steptoe, Anthony D. Ong, Eileen K. Graham
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Speaking of gender: Language genderedness and its association with gender differences in personality across 48 languages.
Roxana Hofmann, René MÔttus
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Exploring the counteractive effects of mandating diversity training: Solution aversion, reactance, and polarized social beliefs.
Peter Jin, Gavan J. Fitzsimons, Aaron C. Kay
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Outgroup friendships and social influence in the development of adolescent attitudes toward secondary outgroups.
Tibor Zingora, Chloe Bracegirdle, Tobias H. Stark, Olivia Spiegler
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From charm to conflict: Simulating narcissistic interpersonal dynamics with agent-based modeling.
Lena Herchenhahn, Emanuel Jauk, Martin Schoemann, Stefan Scherbaum, Veronika Lerche
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The cost of an expanding moral circle: After living abroad, outcasts matter more but loved ones matter less.
Daniela Rodriguez-Mincey, Salvatore J. Affinito, Giselle E. Antoine, Kurt Gray, William W. Maddux
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Multivariate Behavioral Research

The Problem of Temporal Misalignment in Longitudinal Causal Research
Jeroen D. Mulder, Manuel C. Voelkle, Ellen L. Hamaker
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Modeling Between-Group Differences in Dynamics of Psychological Constructs in the Presence of Measurement Non-Invariance: A Stepwise Approach
Manuel T. Rein, Leonie V. D. E. Vogelsmeier, Jeroen K. Vermunt, Eeske van Roekel, Kim De Roover
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Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin

Whose Sincerely Held Beliefs Count? Political Ideology Shapes Perceptions of Religious Exemption Requests
Mary Katz, Nava Caluori, Michael H. Pasek
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Four studies collectively investigate whether schematic and political biases predict how people conceptualize sincerely held religious beliefs and reason about religious exemptions. Studies 1a ( N = 99) and 1b ( N = 151) suggest that U.S. Americans schematically associate conservative (but not liberal) stances on religion-relevant issues with sincerely held religious belief. Studies 2 and 3 investigate how politically diverse U.S. Americans evaluate exemption requests that are either schema-consistent (conservative request; Study 2; N = 402) or inconsistent (liberal request; Study 3; N = 400) and reveal that people might not exclusively rely on these schemas for judgments about religious exemption requests, as people are more willing to grant exemptions to both conservative schema-consistent and liberal schema-inconsistent religious claims than to nonreligious claims. However, political ideology critically shapes judgments about the religious sincerity of beliefs, whether denying exemption requests constitutes First Amendment violations, and whether exemptions should ultimately be granted.
Why Do We Talk About Race? Examining Goals in Discussions About Race in Interracial Friendships
Ashley L. Berkebile-Weinberg, Jennifer R. Steele
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Shared goals are a pillar of effective intergroup contact, yet little research has examined the specific goals that motivate people to engage in intergroup discussions. Across two studies, we assessed the goals of Latine (Study 1) and Black (Study 2) participants, compared to White (Studies 1 and 2) participants, during race-related discussions with a racial ingroup or outgroup friend. Participants from all three racial groups expressed a greater desire to socially connect with racially minoritized versus White friends. White participants’ goals to learn and express egalitarian values were higher in discussions about race with Latine and Black, versus White, friends. By contrast, White participants expressed a lower desire to challenge their friends and manage their group image relative to Latine and Black participants. Participants’ primary conversation goals were to socially connect and learn; however, White participants’ goals shifted more depending on whether they were speaking to a racial ingroup or outgroup friend.
Intergroup Competition Promotes Intragroup Cooperation: A Meta-Analysis of Social Dilemmas
Tycho van Tartwijk, Angelo Romano, Leticia Micheli, Daniel Balliet
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Current theories pose that intergroup competition elevates intragroup cooperation and put forward hypotheses about conditions that increase the magnitude of this effect. Here, we report a preregistered meta-analysis of studies using experimental games that manipulate the presence of intergroup competition and its effect on intragroup cooperation. Our investigation reveals the overall direction and magnitude of the effect, which addresses mixed empirical findings. We identified 25 articles to meet inclusion criteria, which yielded 70 effect sizes. A multilevel random effects model revealed a medium positive effect of intergroup competition on intragroup cooperation ( g = .677, N = 6,051). Studies involving intergroup competition with interdependence produced a strong effect, whereas this effect was weaker for studies without interdependence. Our findings present meta-analytic evidence that intergroup competition promotes intragroup cooperation and identify opportunities for future research.
Beliefs About Suffering, Psychological Adjustment, and Prosocial Orientation
Jinyoung Park, Mark R. Leary, Christine Lathren, John M. Davis, Mark Weiser, Rick Hoyle
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People’s beliefs about suffering may shape how they understand and respond to life’s challenges. Across five studies, we tested whether two focal beliefs—that suffering is widely shared/universal and that suffering can be potentially enriching—predict adaptive psychological and prosocial outcomes. College undergraduates who saw their problems as more common reported less distress. U.S. adults who perceived that they experienced a similar amount of suffering as other people and who viewed suffering as enriching demonstrated better adjustment and more adaptive responses to hypothetical challenges. Among Jewish Israeli participants, an enriching view was associated with mental health, common humanity, and support for peaceful resolution of the Israel–Palestine conflict. Finally, reading about suffering as enriching versus depressing increased affective well-being, and framing suffering as universal increased the common-humanity component of compassion. These findings suggest that viewing suffering as universal and potentially enriching supports psychological adjustment and prosocial orientation.
The Morality-Effectiveness Disconnect of Pro-Environmental Behaviors
Jareef Martuza, Hege Landsvik
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Not all pro-environmental behaviors are created equal—some are vastly more effective at mitigating climate change than others. Do people judge the more effective behaviors as proportionally more moral? Five main and six supplemental studies ( N = 9,247) across five countries reveal a robust morality-effectiveness disconnect: pro-environmental behaviors that rank better on objective climate-mitigation potential rank worse on individual moral judgments. Laypeople fail to predict this pattern, believing that a positive relationship exists. Furthermore, labeling behaviors by climate impact category reduces the morality-effectiveness disconnect, and detailed impact information reverses it and increases policy endorsement of more effective behaviors over less effective behaviors. While the disconnect primarily stems from effectiveness misperceptions that accurate information can mitigate, we find that personal support for less effective behaviors plays an additional role. Thus, people’s moral intuition for climate action appears miscalibrated: moral cognition can undermine the collective welfare that such cognition should presumably promote.
The Pain of Ghosting? People Underestimate How Bad Their Conversation Partners Feel About Not Responding
Sophia Li, Coral Zheng, Juliana Schroeder
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Although online communication platforms provide convenience, they also bring a risk of ghosting , when one person unexpectedly stops responding to another without explanation. Extending prior research that examines the pain of being ghosted, we instead examine whether the act of ghosting itself is emotionally painful – and whether people recognize the extent of ghosters’ bad feelings. Across three studies – recalled real ghosting experiences ( N = 195), imagined ghosting scenarios ( N = 601), and induced ghosting in a live interaction ( N = 350) – we find that people who are ghosted underestimate how bad their conversation partners feel about ghosting them. This underestimation is larger when the ghosting is unintentional and mitigated when communicators do not perceive their actions as ghosting or send a short response (e.g., “sorry, can’t talk”) instead of ghosting. Overall, this research provides a window into the overlooked pain of ghosting others.
The Lay Belief That There is Virtue in Duty and Duty in Virtue: A Novel Lens for Viewing Moral Judgment
Hajin Kim, Julian J. Zlatev, Dale T. Miller
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We praise the performance of virtuous acts (e.g., composting) and condemn the failure to perform dutiful ones (e.g., littering). Importantly, however, moral acts may contain elements of both virtue and duty. Composting elicits praise, but not composting may also elicit condemnation. Across six studies, we show that a bivalent measure of moral evaluations (assessing the blame or praise for both doing and not doing the same act) allows for more accurate predictions of moral behaviors and provides possible explanations for various existing moral puzzles. Studies 1a to 1c demonstrate that the moral evaluations for, and emotional responses to, doing and not doing an act are not systematically related. Bivalent moral evaluations illuminate why Republicans were less likely to mask than Democrats during the COVID-19 pandemic (Study 2) and why financial compensation can reduce blood donations (Study 3). These evaluations improve predictions of intended blood donations (Study 3) and actual voting behavior (Study 4).
More Than a Song: Collective Singing Increases Well-being and Self-Expansion Via Collective Effervescence
Shira Gabriel, Nicole Koefler, Michael J. Poulin, Veronica Schneider, Maayan Dvir, Czarina Gutierrez, Esha Naidu
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Humans have been singing with other humans across time and culture. Although past research found positive effects of singing with others, it has not disentangled those effects from being in an established collective. In the current research, we examined the hypothesis that singing in groups leads to increased feelings of well-being and self-expansion even without an established collective. Furthermore, we hypothesized that the main mechanism for these effects is a feeling of collective effervescence—an intertwining sense that one is connected to others and that something special is happening. Finally, we hypothesized that the positive effects of collective effervescence felt during a singing event can last weeks, even months, after the event. Across two experiments and a longitudinal study, we found support for our hypotheses. Singing in groups predicts positive outcomes (e.g., positive mood, satisfaction with life, self-concept change, donation intentions), primarily via the collective effervescence experienced at these events.
Historical Relevance and Modern Perceptions: Mixed-Black and Mixed-Native Racial Categorization and Resource Deservingness
Hailey Shangin, C. Malik Boykin, Tyler Jimenez
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Growing multiracial populations in the United States underscore the evolving complexity of racial identity, particularly in how racial perceptions shape perceived deservingness to resources. This research examines how individuals with Black/White and Native American/White ancestries are categorized and the influence of categorization on perceived deservingness of group-specific resources. It explores the persistence of hypodescent (assigning by non-dominant identity) and hyperdescent (assigning by dominant identity) relating to historical and policy contexts. Across two studies, participants categorized mixed-race targets and evaluated their deservingness for minority-specific resources (i.e., scholarship). Black/White targets were categorized as more Black, consistent with hypodescent bias, while Native/White targets were often categorized as more White, consistent with hyperdescent. Comparatively, these categorizations shaped perceptions of resource deservingness, especially for Black/White targets. This underscores the complexities of perceived multiracial group categorization and may suggest the need for nuanced understanding of racial identity in an increasingly diverse society.
Why Poverty in the Present Matters for Intergenerational Concern and the Future of Humanity
Kyle Fiore Law, Stylianos Syropoulos, Amanda Signorini, Christina Jinhee Capozzoli, Liane Young, Brendan Bo O’Connor
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Contrary to perceived tensions between addressing present and future societal needs, we find that present-day poverty and inequality are deeply connected with attitudes toward far-future welfare at both societal and individual levels. Study 1 (144 countries) shows that poorer, more unequal nations score lower on indices of intergenerational concern and farsighted policies. Study 2 (34 countries, N = 123,502) shows that subjective socioeconomic status (SES) predicts greater obligation to sacrifice for future lives, especially in nations with less inequality. In Study 3 ( N = 1,264 Americans), individuals randomly assigned more resources allocate more to future generations, though not proportionately more. Replicating Studies 1 and 2, real-world SES predicts higher donations beyond situational framings. Thus, combatting present-day societal challenges may be key to increasing concern and action for humanity’s future.

Psychological Methods

Fitting two-level structural equation models to summary statistics: Leveling up meta-analytic structural equation modeling.
Suzanne Jak, Mike W. -L. Cheung
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Psychological Science

Action Framing Modulates the Pavlovian Bias in Go and No-Go Learning
Zhang Chen, Senne Braem
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Reward- and punishment-associated (i.e., Pavlovian) cues can trigger specific responses that interfere with learning appropriate actions. Prior work has shown that reward impedes the learning of “no-go” responses, and punishment impedes the learning of “go” responses. This Pavlovian bias is theorized to arise at the motor level and may reflect a rigid coupling between reward and action activation and between punishment and action suppression. Contrary to this view, across two experiments testing adults (one preregistered, total N = 370), using behavioral analyses and computational modeling, we show that action framing strongly modulates Pavlovian bias. When go was framed as approach and no-go as avoidance, we replicated the typical asymmetry in learning. However, when go was framed as avoidance and no-go as approach, this Pavlovian bias disappeared in choice and was attenuated in response times. Pavlovian bias thus operates partly on a semantic level and is more flexible than often theorized.
What Survivors Remembered: Cognitive and Experiential Themes in Trauma Narratives From the Deadliest Mass Shooting in Modern American History
William B. Ridgway, Kevin D. Mohawk, Rhiannon N. Soriano Smith, Renato M. Liboro, Charles A. Morgan, Stephen D. Benning, Colleen M. Parks
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This study examined cognitive and experiential patterns in the trauma narratives of 42 survivors (74% women; M age = 42.1) of the Route 91 Harvest Festival shooting, the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history. We conducted a codebook thematic analysis of written narratives collected within one month of the event. We developed four themes: contextual memory (sensory-perceptual features, time, and space), physical injury, heroism, and contemplating mortality. Survivors recalled vivid sensory impressions, detailed spatial awareness organized around escape, and temporal distortions, including both subjective slowing and sequence gaps. Accounts of graphic injury, prosocial action under fire, and direct confrontation with death further structured the narratives. Limitations include prompted rather than free recall, written self-report allowing revision, and a predominantly female sample. These findings add to the scant literature on mass-shooting survivors’ memories.

Psychology of Music

Burnout, Agency, and Postgraduation Plans in Music Student Teachers
Daryl W. Kinney
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Beginning as early as student teaching, teacher burnout has been linked to demography, work conditions, and agency. The purpose of this study was to investigate burnout in music student teachers and how burnout changes during student teaching. Music education majors ( N = 46) enrolled in student teaching at a large Midwestern university in the United States completed the Maslach Burnout Inventory – Educators Survey (MBI-ES) at Weeks 4, 8, and 13 of student teaching, along with surveys measuring agency, postgraduation plans, work/planning hours, and perceptions of support. Repeated-measures analyses of variance (ANOVAs) revealed significant effects of agency, postgraduation intentions, and week on MBI-ES burnout dimensions. Higher agency was associated with lower emotional exhaustion and depersonalization and greater personal accomplishment. Those intending to pursue full-time music teaching positions showed lower emotional exhaustion and greater personal accomplishment. Emotional exhaustion decreased from Week 8 to Week 13 among high-agency participants and those planning to teach, yet increased among those with lower agency and no immediate teaching plans. Personal accomplishment increased over time for all participants, remaining higher among those with greater agency and teaching aspirations. Findings highlight the importance of fostering agency and providing targeted support for student teachers, particularly those uncertain about entering the profession.

Psychology of Popular Media

Nigerian women’s perceptions of social media’s role in skin bleaching, body image, and colorism.
Ruth Emmanuel, Kelly Merrill
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Adolescents’ appearance-related social media consciousness and photo-related behaviors are linked to social anxiety symptoms with peers digitally and in-person: An ecological momentary assessment study.
Adelaide E. Graham, Margaret V. Brehm, Zelal Kilic, Sophia Choukas-Bradley, Jacqueline L. Nesi, Cecile D. Ladouceur, Jennifer S. Silk
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Technology, Mind, and Behavior

When sharing becomes the norm: How disclosure prevalence and relational similarity shape social norms on social media.
Philipp K. Masur, Douglas A. Parry
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The revised extended iSelf: Disentangling the effects of smartphone position and ringing on cognitive performance and psychophysiological parameters.
Claudia Virginia Manara, Fabrizio Sors, Stefano Pileggi, Cristina Montesano, Maria Colomba, Mauro Murgia
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Heterogeneous associations between objectively measured screen time and sleep in early adolescence.
Sierra Clifford, Leah D. Doane, Kathryn Lemery-Chalfant
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Pushed to the edge: When radical political messages persuade more on social media.
Brahim Zarouali
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Relations among the broad autism phenotype, internet use, and cyber psychological aggression.
Hayley M. Mullinax, Lisa A. Turner
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Smartphone use patterns and well-being among older adults: A screenomics study.
Yifei Su, Andrew Z. H. Yee, Guan Peng Loy, Edmund W. J. Lee
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(Mis)perceptions of other people’s social media use.
Cameron J. Bunker, Stephanie Torres-Pantoja, Elliot Panek, Joseph B. Bayer
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