Physical environmental order has a profound impact on human psychological behavior; however, how ordered and disordered perception impacts conformity behavior remains unclear. By adopting the judge-advisor system (JAS) paradigm and event-related potentials (EPRs) method, three experiments systematically investigated the influence of physical environmental order on conformity behavior. In Study 1, compared to the ordered environmental pictures priming group, conformity rating in facial attractiveness decreased significantly in the disordered environmental pictures priming group. Study 2 revealed amplitudes of feedback-related negativity (FRN), P300, and late positive potential (LPP) components of the valuation judgment processing. Study 3 further demonstrated that individuals with low trait self-control exhibited a more pronounced reduction in conformity rating in the disordered environmental pictures priming condition compared to those with high trait self-control individuals. Physical environmental order perception could influence conformity, in which compared to the disordered priming, the ordered priming could make low self-control trait individuals more conformity.
Empathy for pain is a multidimensional process determined by both affective and cognitive factors.The present study investigated whether priming faces of varying physical attractiveness modulates early empathic responses to pain, as measured by event-related potentials (ERPs). To explore these dynamics, the sandwich-masked faces paradigm was used. Fifty-three healthy adults viewed photographs of faces rated as highly attractive or unattractive (prime), followed by target images depicting either painful or nonpainful situations. Findings showed that attractive facial primes, when paired with painful target stimuli, elicited enhanced N2 amplitudes, indicative of affective conflict during early empathic processing. Additionally, P3 amplitude was higher in response to painful stimuli following unattractive primes, suggesting facilitated categorization and increased cognitive engagement. Behavioral data showed that pain intensity ratings were generally higher for unattractive models, especially when prime and target valence were congruent.These findings show that facial attractiveness and affective priming modulate both early and late stages of neural empathic processing, highlighting the complex role of unconscious affective cues in empathic processing of pain.
This study examined whether emotional valence modulated online interpretation bias in adolescents with different levels of shyness when processing ambiguous social situations. A total of 328 middle school students completed the Revised Cheek and Buss Shyness Scale (RCBS) and subsequently engaged in a computerized interpretation task programmed in E-Prime 2.0. Before commencing the task, participants were randomly assigned to one of three affect-induction groups: happiness, neutrality, or anger. Following data screening and exclusion criteria, 311 participants were retained for final analyses results indicated that, across all three emotion conditions, high-shyness adolescents exhibited a statistically significantly stronger negative online interpretation bias than their low-shyness peers, as reflected in endorsement rates, reaction times, and composite bias scores. In contrast, no statistically significant group differences emerged for the positive interpretation bias. For endorsement rate measures, emotional valence did not statistically significantly moderate the relationship between shyness and interpretation bias. Although reaction time analyses revealed some emotion-related differences in the processing of negative interpretations (e.g., more pronounced group differences under the anger condition), these effects were relatively small and primarily reflected variations in processing speed rather than changes in the interpretation bias itself. Overall, the findings suggest that the negative online interpretation bias may represent a relatively stable cognitive tendency in shy adolescents, persisting across neutral, positive, and negative emotional contexts. The results further indicate that short-term emotional states may influence the processing dynamics of threat-related information without substantially altering underlying interpretive tendencies.
The Stroop task is a classic paradigm for assessing cognitive conflict and control, and the resulting Stroop effect has been widely used as an index of interference and control efficiency. Working memory (WM) plays a pivotal regulatory role in higher-order cognition, including attentional modulation, conflict inhibition, goal maintenance, and executive functioning. Within the Stroop paradigm, performance is shaped not only by externally induced stimulus conflict but also by internally generated interference arising from information maintained in WM, thereby increasing task complexity. The interaction between WM and the Stroop effect is a central focus in basic neuroscience and psychology. Clinical evidence indicates that individuals with various neurological and psychiatric disorders exhibit altered performance on tasks combining WM and Stroop demands, particularly in key event-related potential (ERP) components such as the N450 and P3. Dynamic alterations in these components have emerged as informative biomarkers for delineating pathological mechanisms of impaired cognitive resource allocation, conflict monitoring, and executive control in neuropsychiatric populations. Addressing the current lack of comprehensive and critical synthesis, this article presents a narrative review evaluating neural mechanisms, characteristic ERP signatures, and recent advances in applying WM-Stroop paradigms across diverse clinical groups. Beyond summarizing extant findings, the review develops a stage-specific account of how WM load and WM contents modulate conflict-related ERP components across different populations, and offers a critical appraisal of major methodological limitations, including paradigm heterogeneity, sample variability, and constraints on generalizability. The article concludes by outlining future directions and emerging trends to inform theory development and guide empirical research.
Music is frequently utilized to enhance emotional states during physical exercise, potentially increasing engagement. Its influence may arise independently or through the interaction with exercise. However, the relative contributions of music's independent versus interactive effect on affective responses to exercise remain underexplored. To address this gap, fifty participants performed three tasks in a within-subjects design: a 35 minute affect-regulated intensity running with (C2) or without music (C1), and a seated control condition involving listening to the same music used in C2 without physical exercise (C3). We compared in-task affective responses (arousal and valence) and post-task emotional states. Results showed significantly higher arousal and valence ratings in C2 compared to C1. In these effects, only arousal ratings were influenced by the independent presence of music. Most of the observed differences, particularly enhanced valence, were attributed to the interaction between music and exercise. These findings suggest that self-selected music primarily enhances affective responses during affect-regulated intensity running through its interaction with exercise.
Decision-making styles, defined as learned response patterns which individuals manifest in decision situations, have considerable adaptive significance. So, it comes as no surprise that the conceptualization of this construct proposed by Scott and Bruce and the measure they have created - the General Decision Making Style (GDMS) - have been used in various research contexts. Despite its undoubted usefulness, however, the tool has certain shortcomings that are repeatedly found across various language adaptations. In the present study, whose goal was to adapt the GDMS to Polish, we identified and amended potentially problematic items in each subscale and assessed the reliability and validity of the Polish version of the questionnaire in a Polish-speaking population. The results of a survey study conducted using a sample of 768 respondents demonstrated that the modifications made to the original instrument were sound, as the Polish GDSM had satisfactory reliability and validity.
In memory research, there are several well-established effects. Group membership can result in ingroup bias, while the target identity is responsible for the cheater advantage. Together, they both evoke the black sheep effect. It remains undetermined whether these effects would manifest in associative memory, and how they may differ between intact and rearranged pairs. Furthermore, exploring the function of emotion is valuable. In the current study, the minimal group paradigm and a dictator dilemma game were utilized to manipulate group membership and target identity for faces displaying different emotions during the encoding process. The test investigated the associations between group membership and target identity through an associative memory task. The findings regarding accuracy and Pr scores (hits - false alarms) were highly consistent. Specifically, we simultaneously recorded three effects: in-group bias, cheater advantage, and the black sheep effect. The in-group bias and the black sheep effect were not affected by the pair type or the emotions of the faces. However, the effect of cheater advantage was only observed in negative faces within intact pairs. These findings indicate that the influence of group membership on memory is stable and is insensitive to stimulus emotion in associative memory, whereas the impact of target identity is more flexible. The findings are discussed along with theoretical accounts. Also, potential future directions are considered.
Mark Davis's (1999) theoretical model of empathy has garnered significant interest from researchers, as the multidimensional approach to empathy has been shown to be both theoretically and practically valid. The Polish adaptation of the empathy measurement method (Ka & zacute;mierczak et al., 2007) has proven effective across numerous studies, though one limitation is the scale's length (28 items). Motivated by successful efforts to develop shorter empathy scales (Grevenstein, 2020; Ingoglia et al., 2016), we set out to create a brief version of the scale in Polish. Based on the results of CFA conducted on two independent samples (n(1) = 1841; n(2) = 1835), we propose a 15-item version of the SWE-short (referred to as S-SWE). Similar to the 2007 version, the Polish SWE-short comprises three components: Empathic Concern, Personal Distress, and Perspective Taking. The analyses provide strong evidence that the SWE-short aligns well with the theoretically predicted model. While the reliabilities of all subscales are comparable to or slightly lower than those of the full version (Ka & zacute;mierczak et al., 2007), they are consistent with the results obtained by Davis (1980). Notably, negatively worded items were removed, as recommended by earlier research (Ingoglia et al., 2016). The intercorrelations between the empathy dimensions remained consistent with those observed in the original SWE. Convergent validity of the short version of the scale was also confirmed. Two from the SWE-short subscales were negatively correlated with psychopathy, Machiavellianism and narcissism. Additionally, measurement invariance between women and men was examined, and no significant differences due to measurement bias were identified.
Problematic shopping, also known as compulsive buying or shopping addiction in its most extreme form, is a growing concern in modern consumer behavior. The present study examined the relationships between self-control, impulsivity, reinforcement sensitivity, shopping characteristics, and problematic shopping among emerging adult females and males. A sample comprising 1,075 Polish participants (835 females, 240 males), aged 18-30 years, was surveyed. The key variables (i.e., problematic shopping, impulsivity, self-control, and reinforcement sensitivity) were assessed with validated psychometric instruments. Path models were applied to evaluate the relationships between variables and gender differences. Problematic shopping was positively associated with motor and attentional impulsivity among females, while goal maintenance was negatively associated with problematic shopping among males. Among females, paying attention to product brands and credit/loan use was significantly associated with problematic shopping, while there was a negative association with paying attention to price. In both groups, problematic shopping was associated with increased online and ovine shopping time. Results also indicated that reinforcement sensitivity (behavioral activation system - reward interest) was negatively associated with problematic shopping among females. The results suggested that motor impulsivity was more important in problematic shopping among females than males. The present study highlights the importance of impulsivity, self-control deficits, and shopping characteristics in developing problematic shopping behaviors. Gender differences indicate distinct mechanisms underlying problematic shopping tendencies. The findings contribute to a better understanding of problematic shopping and offer insights for targeted prevention and intervention strategies.
Imitation is a crucial process through which humans learn. When individuals observe the actions of others, their corresponding action systems are automatically activated. Moreover, when the observed actions involve interaction intentions that require individual feedback, their response transitions from imitating the observed actions to performing complementary actions. Complementary actions refer to scenarios in social interactions where individuals perform physically inconsistent but goal-congruent behaviors to achieve collaborative tasks (e.g., one person hands a cup while another grasps it). Owing to the incomplete development of children's cognitive and self-regulatory faculties, it is imperative to investigate the manner in which children perceive and respond to danger cues in dangerous complementary contexts that require feedback. In this study, primary school students were selected as the participants for the experiment. In Experiment 1, the impact of text cues on individual responses were investigated, with the results indicating that in the absence of text cues, a complementary effect was observed in both dangerous and neutral situations. In Experiment 2, the impact of picture cues on individual responses was investigated and the results showed that in the neutral situation, the presence or absence of picture cues had no significant effect on the complementary effect. In the absence of a picture cue in the dangerous situation, the complementary effect was significant, whereas it diminished when there was a picture cue. These findings demonstrate a clear influence of danger-signaling cues on young children's reactions to potentially dangerous actions, especially when presented within a complementary context.
In this study, we examined the relationships between creativity and two distinct personality traits—narcissism and pride. Existing literature suggests that these traits are positively related to creativity; however, previous findings have been based primarily on self-reports. We extended this line of research by including both self-ratings (N = 265) and evaluations provided by independent observers (N = 261). Our results supported a positive link between self-reported creativity and both agentic narcissism and authentic pride. However, this self-perceived connection was not reflected in external evaluations, highlighting a discrepancy between self-perception and others’ judgements. Specifically, authentic pride showed a robust positive association with creativity in both self- and observer-reports, emphasizing its genuine and reliable nature. In contrast, the connection between agentic narcissism and creativity appeared only in self-reports and was absent in observer data.
Measuring insight is one of the biggest problems in the problem-solving field. Recent studies show that classic insight tasks can be solved through either insightful thinking or analytical thinking. The present work examined relationships between cognitive reasoning tasks, insight tasks and creative thinking. Additionally we explored differences in insight phenomenology when solving insight puzzles and when completing the Cognitive Reflection Test. We conducted two independent studies. Study 1 was a conceptual replication of previously observed relationships between insight puzzles, the Cognitive Reflection Test (CRT), and the Verbal Cognitive Reflection Test (VCRT). Study 2 examined differences between analytical and insightful tasks using self-report insight scales. Five dimensions of insight were measured: suddenness, confidence, pleasure, the aha! experience, and arousal. Results showed a clear and positive correlation between insight puzzles and reflective tests (CRT, VCRT) in both studies, these supporting results from previous studies. Additionally, no differences in feelings of insight were observed between insight puzzles and the Cognitive Reflection Test. However, feelings of insight were greater for the VCRT than for insight puzzles. This suggests that the experience of insight may not be exclusively tied to a specific type of problem; rather, it may reflect a style of problem solving that can emerge in various task contexts.
Uncertainty has been associated with a state of curiosity that directs attention towards the source of the uncertainty. Previous findings have shown that this attentional shift caused by uncertainty has immediate effects on attentional selection. This experiment investigated if short-term aftereffects on stimulus processing caused by uncertainty can also be observed. In an identity negative priming task, we varied the difficulty of attentional selection between the target and task-irrelevant distractors by manipulating their color congruency (same or different colors). Additionally, the uncertainty about the congruency condition was either high or low. The results revealed no significant effects of uncertainty, but the negative priming was less pronounced in the color-incongruent condition than in the color-congruent condition. The results are discussed in the context of recent findings on stimulus uncertainty and its influence on attentional processing. Stimulus uncertainty does not seem to affect aftereffects of distractor processing.
Parenting styles (PS) and parental involvement (PI) are established influencers of students' academic achievement. However, research examining their simultaneous and reciprocal impact remains sparse. The current study scrutinized these reciprocal relationships. A two-wave longitudinal research design involving 3,768 Chinese middle school students was conducted in the study. Participants completed an online questionnaire regarding their PS and PI, in addition to standardized subject tests. Results of the cross-lagged paths across two-time points revealed nuanced evocative effects, indicating that authoritative PS and PI in daily life positively predicted students' academic achievement, whereas permissive PS and PI in study negatively predicted it. Students' academic achievement positively predicted their authoritative PS and PI in daily life but negatively predicted their authoritarian and permissive PS. These insights offer valuable guidance for educators in devising effective educational interventions and help parents refine their parenting practices to bolster adolescents' academic achievement.
The perceived weight of an object is important. The weight illusion phenomenon is known to occur because of the size, color, and material of an object. Although temperature is an important environmental factor in our daily life, there are not enough studies on how the temperature of an object affects its perceived weight. In the current study, we attempted to understand the effect of the temperature of an object on the sense of weight by considering its size and weight. Therefore, a stainless cup capable of adjusting the temperature, size, and weight was selected as the experimental object. Twenty stainless steel cups were prepared with a combination of five levels of temperature (0, 9, 20, 40, and 70 degrees C), two sizes (450 and 750 cc), and two levels of weight (250 and 400 g). Forty healthy men and women in their 20s participated in this experiment. The results showed that temperature, weight, and size had a significant effect on perceived weight.The effect of temperature on the perceived weight differed depending on the size and weight of the object. When the weight of the cup was light (250 g), the cup temperature did not affect the weight. In addition, there were interaction effects according to the weight, size, and temperature of the cups. This result implies that the effect of temperature on the perceived weight of an object is related to the size-weight illusion.
The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between psychological resilience and mental well-being in young adults, with particular emphasis on the mediating role of rumination. The study involved 174 young adults aged 18 to 35. Participants completed the Psychological Resilience Scale, the Rumination-Reflection Questionnaire, and the Mental Well-Being Questionnaire. Statistical analyses revealed significant correlations: psychological resilience was negatively associated with rumination and positively associated with mental well-being. Rumination, in turn, was negatively related to well-being. Mediation analysis confirmed that rumination mediates the relationship between resilience-particularly in the areas of somatization, emotional-social functioning, and attitudes toward injury-and mental well-being. The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the psychological mechanisms underlying well-being in young adults and may inform both clinical practice and future research. Moreover, the results should be utilized in the development of prevention programs and public awareness campaigns aimed at increasing societal understanding of the factors that influence and shape psychological resilience. Understanding psychological mechanisms such as resilience and the tendency to ruminate may provide essential support for legislative initiatives undertaken at the national level in Poland. This knowledge can lead to the creation of more effective and tailored preventive and intervention strategies in the field of mental health, and help shape public policies that better address the psychological needs of the population.
While research consistently links authoritative maternal parenting to better affective well-being (AWB), the psychological mechanisms behind this association and the culturally-specific effects of authoritarianism remain underexplored. This study investigated the mediating role of gender role orientations in the relationship between maternal parenting styles and AWB, encompassing both the presence of positive and the absence of negative affect, in a sample of 480 Chinese college students. Structural equation modeling revealed no significant gender differences across the tested variables. The primary findings indicated that both masculinity and femininity partially mediated the positive association between maternal authoritative parenting and positive affect. Masculinity also partially mediated the negative association between authoritative parenting and negative affect. In contrast, maternal authoritarian parenting was only directly associated with higher negative affect. These results highlight the crucial role of an authoritative maternal style, which balances discipline with nurturance, in fostering adaptive gender role orientations. These orientations, in turn, are significant predictors of young adults' psychological well-being. The findings offer important theoretical insights and practical implications for parenting practices.
