The current study focused on sociodemographic factors (i.e., parents’ education, objective household income, subjective household income, school type) in relation to Executive Functions (EF). Given the associations of preschooler EF on developmental outcomes from childhood through adulthood, Socio economic Status (SES: both parents’ education and objective household income) relations to EF warrant investigation. The sample included 215 Turkish mothers (26–47 years old) and their 3- to 5-year-old preschoolers (47.4% boys; 52.6% girls). Mothers completed a demographics form, and children were tested on the three cool components of EF (cognitive flexibility, conflict inhibition, working memory). Results indicated that SES predicted preschoolers’ cognitive flexibility and conflict inhibition. In contrast, subjective income and school type were not related to any of the EF components. The main conclusion is that broadening measures of SES will help isolate relations that are relevant for preschool EF development.
The rapid proliferation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has prompted a growing body of empirical research on its psychological consequences, yet this literature remains fragmented across disciplines and has not been systematically synthesized. No published systematic review has mapped these findings through the lens of meaning in life, leaving a critical gap in the evidence base for researchers, clinicians, and platform designers. This PRISMA-compliant systematic review searched Scopus, Web of Science, and PsycINFO using a three-block Boolean strategy. Following screening of 274 records, 20 peer-reviewed studies met full inclusion criteria. Three research questions addressed the scope of the literature, the psychological mechanisms operating within it, and the extent to which AI functions as a risk or protective factor for meaning in life. Findings documented a rapidly emerging field concentrated in East Asian contexts, with publication output increasing tenfold between 2024 and 2026. Across 63 coded findings and 28 identified mechanisms, outcomes were determined by whether human generativity, autonomy, and cognitive agency were preserved or displaced, as a pattern designated here as existential outsourcing. No single study tested the complete AI to mechanism to meaning in life causal chain, representing the field’s most critical empirical gap and primary contribution of this review.
Undergraduate students’ ability to adapt to the campus environment is closely related to their psychological well-being. One of the determinants of students’ psychological well-being is self-efficacy. Although the relationship between self-efficacy and psychological well-being among students has been widely studied, findings show varying levels of significance. This meta-analysis synthesizes the existing evidence regarding the relationship between self-efficacy and psychological well-being among undergraduate students in accordance with the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Twelve quantitative studies (n = 4,066) were included through a systematic search across Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, ERIC, EBSCOHost, IEEE Xplore, and Google Scholar. Using a random-effects model with the Hunter–Schmidt estimator, a pooled effect size of r = 0.53 was obtained, with I2 = 78.96%. No moderator reached statistical significance; therefore, this result is best understood as a descriptive central tendency across the heterogeneous set of studies, rather than as a generalized estimate of effect. Due to limited information, this meta-analysis did not examine gender proportion, socioeconomic status, academic year, or sampling methods as moderators; future studies should consider these factors. Future studies may use longitudinal or experimental designs to clarify the mechanisms linking self-efficacy and psychological well-being. Higher education institutions may promote self-efficacy through training, psychoeducation, and preventive programs.
The COVID-19 pandemic created unprecedented disruptions to international higher education and raised significant concerns regarding international students’ mental well-being in the United States. This systematic review synthesizes evidence from 34 peer-reviewed empirical studies published between December 2019 and February 2025 examining factors associated with international students’ mental health during the pandemic. Following PRISMA guidelines, studies were identified through systematic database searches, appraised using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT), and synthesized through thematic analysis. Four interrelated themes emerged: (1) structural and immigration-related stressors, including visa uncertainty, academic disruption, and financial instability; (2) discrimination, racism, and COVID-19-related stigma; (3) social isolation, disrupted belonging, and limited institutional support; and (4) psychological distress and coping responses. Findings indicate that anxiety, depression, stress, and trauma-related symptoms were common, while coping capacity varied across individuals and contexts. International students’ mental well-being was shaped not only by personal psychological challenges but also by broader structural and sociopolitical conditions. This review underscores the need for culturally responsive mental health services, proactive institutional support, and stable policies to promote international students’ well-being during future crises.
Innovative Work Behavior (IWB) is increasingly important for organizational effectiveness, yet the cultural and psychological mechanisms that support it may differ across institutional contexts. Drawing on Social Exchange Theory (SET), this study examined the relationships among Ambidextrous Organizational Culture (AOC), Psychological Safety (PS), and IWB in Indonesia’s public and private sector. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 498 public-sector and 461 private-sector employees using psychometrically validated measures of AOC, PS, and IWB. The proposed relationships and sectoral differences were tested using SEM and multigroup mediation analyses. The results showed that AOC was positively associated with IWB in both sectors. PS also positively predicted IWB and partially mediated the relationship between AOC and IWB. However, the indirect effect of AOC on IWB through PS was considerably stronger in the private sector (β = 0.336, indirect effect = 0.307, 95% CI [0.268, 0.345], p < 0.001) than in the public sector (β = 0.099, indirect effect = 0.087, 95% CI [0.063, 0.110], p < 0.001). These findings extend the IWB literature that AOC promotes IWB through PS, but this mechanism is shaped by institutional context. The study also highlights the importance of sector-specific Human Resources practices in fostering employee innovation.
Bullying among young people is a complex phenomenon that can lead to severe and long-lasting consequences. The aim of the study was to explore experiences of bullying and cyberbullying among adolescents and young adults, including the relationship to young people’s mental health, loneliness, and stress. A qualitative exploratory study, data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. A total of 35 young people (17–28 years) participated. Two main categories were created: (1) Experiences of bullying and cyberbullying, and (2) Consequences of bullying. Also six subcategories were formed: Have witnessed bullying, been bullied or have bullied, Attitudes to bullying, Negative impact on mental well-being, Loneliness, exclusion, and negative impact on relationships, Change of self and impact on schooling, Impact on coping strategies and positive consequences. Underscored is the need for comprehensive approaches to prevention and intervention that address both individual experiences and the social and structural conditions in which bullying occurs.
Approximately 56,000 missing persons reports were made to Australian police in 2023. Missing persons are often categorised by their intentions and assessed for risk of harm to themselves or others based on their age, yet there is still a limited understanding of going missing. A community sample (N = 849) was recruited, using a vignette design methodology to explore the relationship between blame attribution, missing person intention and age, as well as the predictive effects of subject and observer characteristics. Male participants attributed significantly more blame to missing persons than females, and there was a significant main effect of intention on blame. Regression models indicated a strong relationship between observer gender, subject intention and blame. These findings have significant practical implications for further research and for informing police assessments and responses and provide a basis to develop supports for affected families, missing persons and the community.
Entrepreneurial success is often attributed to persistence and beliefs in personal control, yet findings remain mixed, partly because prior studies often rely on unidimensional success measures. This study examines how persistence and internal locus of control jointly shape entrepreneurial success by conceptualizing success as a multidimensional. Drawing on self-regulation theory and Conservation of Resources theory, internal locus of control is theorized as a boundary condition that alters the effectiveness of persistent effort. Survey data from 355 entrepreneurs in Indonesia were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). Entrepreneurial success was assessed across five dimensions: firm performance, workplace relationships, personal fulfillment, community impact, and personal financial rewards. Multigroup analyses tested robustness across gender and type of business. Results show that persistence and internal locus of control do not have consistent direct effects across the five success dimensions. More importantly, internal locus of control consistently weakens the relationship between persistence and several success dimensions, indicating a negative moderating effect. These findings suggest that psychological resources may function substitutively rather than additively, as strong control beliefs reduce the marginal utility of sustained effort across distinct success domains.
This study examines the relationship between workplace flexibility and employee engagement, focusing on the mediating role of work-life conflict and the moderating effects of educational attainment and gender. Data were obtained from two waves of the European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS), collected before and during the COVID-19 pandemic (January-February 2020 and March-November 2021), with a final sample of 573 European employees. Path analysis with moderated mediation was conducted using structural equation modeling. The results demonstrate that educational attainment significantly moderates the indirect relation of flexibility on engagement via work-life conflict, while gender does not. Notably, employees with higher levels of education benefit more from workplace flexibility, exhibiting stronger positive indirect effects across multiple levels of tertiary education. These findings suggest that considering employees’ educational profiles in the design of flexibility policies may enhance their effectiveness in promoting engagement and mitigating work-life conflict.
The current study examined how beliefs about human nature—specifically, belief in pure good (BPG) and belief in pure evil (BPE)—uniquely related to self-reported reactive (i.e. in response to provocation) and proactive (i.e. without provocation) forms of self-reported interpersonal aggression. Using a nationwide US sample (final N = 380), participants completed BPG and BPE scales, a modified version of the Peer Conflict Scale, and the Aggression Provocation Questionnaire. Control variables included the Dark Tetrad (narcissism, Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and sadism), trait anger, trait irritability, and demographic variables (e.g. gender, education). BPG is uniquely related to lower self-reported reactive and proactive aggression on both the Peer Conflict Scale and Aggression Provocation Questionnaire. BPE weakly correlated with higher scores on the Peer Conflict Scale, but control variables rendered the relationship non-significant. In sum, BPG (vs. BPE) showed more consistent associations with interpersonal aggression, whether it is a response to provocation or self-initiated. Our Discussion highlights BPG’s potential role in contemporary models of aggression. (166 words)
The implementation of smart technology has fundamentally restructured task processes and organisational optimisation. Simultaneously, its implementation presents multidimensional implications for employees, especially their well-being, while current empirical studies remain disjointed and lacks integration. A meta-analysis is considered fruitful since it provides a systematic synthesis to guide future research and delivers critical perspective for practical strategies, specifically HRM aimed at sustaining employee well-being. The objective of this meta-analysis was to investigate the correlation of employee perceptions towards robot, artificial intelligence, and service automation and their well-being, incorporating well-being conceptualisation and industry type as moderating variables. Peer-reviewed articles were retrieved from five databases, including Web of Science Scopus and EBSCOhost. Adhering the pre-determined inclusion criteria, 20 articles were statistically analyzed. The analysis conducted included effect size calculation, meta-analytic model, and heterogeneity assessment. Results revealed a significant correlation between employee perceptionsof RAISA and employee well-being. The effect size was low-to-moderate and the study heterogeneity was high. Additionally, meta-regression showed a non-significant moderating effect of industry type, yet a significant result for well-being conceptualization. This meta-analysis offers comperhensive direction for further studies, encompassing conceptual and methodological aspects, to encourage a more focused analysis on the relation between both variables.
Teaching and learning experiences can be emotionally exhausting, affecting both students and teachers. In this context, socio-emotional competencies become key in the educational field, being necessary to promote processes that allow to acquire and effectively apply knowledge, attitudes and skills for understanding and emotional management, setting positive goals, empathy, positive relationships and responsible decision-making. The study investigates the socio-emotional competencies of teachers of early childhood, primary and secondary education in Spain, Portugal, and Italy, and their impact on adaptability to change. To this end, this study includes 894 teachers with an average age of 46.71 years who filled out the Social and Emotional Competencies Questionnaire (SEC-Q) and the Adaptation to Change Questionnaire (ADAPTA-10). Preliminary results indicate positive associations between socio-emotional competencies and adaptability, identifying key competencies such as self-awareness and the ability to offer help are identified, noting cultural differences among countries. In conclusion, the study highlights the importance of strengthening these competencies in teachers to improve their adaptability and emotional well-being.
Tourism research and innovation (R&I) are essential for enhancing destination competitiveness, evidence-based policymaking, and sustainable tourism development. However, limited attention has been given to how researcher development and institutional governance jointly influence research effectiveness, particularly in emerging tourism economies. Drawing on Human Capital Theory and Institutional Theory, this study examines the factors shaping tourism research capacity and career development within Thailand’s tourism R&I ecosystem. A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining survey data from 409 tourism researchers with qualitative insights from 52 senior research leaders from universities, research institutes, and government agencies. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to test relationships among key constructs, while thematic analysis explored institutional barriers and governance challenges. The findings reveal that Researcher Development Support is the strongest determinant of Research Outcome Effectiveness, exerting both direct and indirect effects through Strategic Management Capacity. Strategic Management Capacity emerged as a significant mediating mechanism linking researcher capabilities to organizational outcomes. Qualitative findings identified fragmented governance, career uncertainty, mentorship deficits, administrative bottlenecks, and misaligned evaluation systems as major barriers to research effectiveness. The study extends Human Capital Theory and Institutional Theory by demonstrating that researcher development yields the greatest impact when supported by strong strategic governance, providing practical implications for strengthening tourism research systems in emerging economies.
University students routinely navigate academic environments characterized by continuous decisions, time pressure, and competing demands that may strain their psychological resources. This mixed-methods study examined the relationships among decision fatigue, self-compassion, and perceived stress among university students. Quantitative data were collected from 382 undergraduate students using established measures of decision fatigue, self-compassion, and perceived stress (PSS-10), while qualitative data were obtained through semi-structured interviews with 24 students. Quantitative findings showed that decision fatigue was positively associated with perceived stress (*r* = .44, *p* < .01), whereas self-compassion was negatively associated with perceived stress (*r* = -.47, *p* < .01). Regression analyses indicated that higher decision fatigue was associated with higher perceived stress (*beta* = .32, *p* < .001), whereas higher self-compassion was associated with lower perceived stress (*beta* = -.37, *p* < .001). Moderation analysis showed that the relationship between decision fatigue and perceived stress was weaker among students reporting higher levels of self-compassion. Qualitative findings revealed that repeated academic decisions were experienced as cognitively and emotionally demanding, whereas self-compassion supported greater emotional balance during periods of academic pressure. Overall, the findings underscore the importance of academic decision demands and emotional regulation processes in understanding student stress in higher education.
Memory is selective, with certain images lingering in the mind while others fade away. While emotional arousal enhances memory, factors such as image design, vividness, and semantic meaning also contribute to stimulus memorability. This study investigated the cognitive and attentional mechanisms underlying image memorability by comparing different image characteristics (memorability, arousal, valence). Using a within-subject design, participants engaged in an encoding and recognition task involving images with varying levels of these characteristics. Eye-tracking data were collected during encoding to measure eye movement behavior and pupil dilation. Our results revealed that image characteristics interacted to influence memory performance (d ') and pupil dilation in a context-dependent manner. In the physiological domain, the influence of memorability on pupil responses was attenuated under high arousal, but more evident under low arousal. Similarly, memory performance (d ') showed significant interactions among image characteristics, alongside an overall tendency for higher memorability to be associated with better performance. Finally, only pupil dilation was associated with recognition outcomes (hits), which may indicate a closer link between pupil responses and memory-related processing. Accordingly, eye movement behavior did not reliably predict memory performance or differentiate between image characteristics.
Habits play a central role in shaping everyday behaviour, supporting both health-promoting and maladaptive patterns that are difficult to change. Habits are typically defined as cue-response associations that automatically trigger behaviour when familiar contexts are encountered. However, accounts differ in how cues translate into action: do they directly trigger behaviour, or do they create a preparatory state that makes action more likely? This review advances and evaluates the concept of the habit impulse – a cue-triggered event in the preparatory stage preceding behaviour, reflecting readiness to perform a learned action that may or may not be enacted. Drawing on associative learning and computational perspectives, we show that adding this intermediate stage helps separate response preparation from behaviour and its regulation. We synthesise evidence from behavioural tasks, self-report measures, reaction time paradigms, and neural methods to assess whether this preparatory stage can be detected. Although response preparation and behaviour can sometimes be separated, most existing measures of habit capture outcomes rather than the preparatory stage itself. Current evidence therefore cannot determine whether, or to what extent, the habit impulse is observable, as null findings may reflect either its absence or limitations in measurement. Methods for directly capturing the preparatory stage preceding behavioural enactment (or inhibition) are essential so that the habit impulse can be properly operationalised and, in turn, used to advance theory, improve measurement, and optimise behaviour change interventions.
This study assesses whether home learning environment and positive parenting are associated with children's literacy and numeracy. This study used cross-section quantitative data from 2152 school children aged 7-16 years from seven provinces in Afghanistan. Principal component analysis was used to compute home learning environment and positive parenting dimensions. Children literacy and numeracy were captured as ordered levels. Multivariate ordered logistic regressions were used for analysis. Results showed that children with conducive home learning environment were 1.6% and 1.8% more likely to have highest literacy and numeracy levels, respectively. Children who experienced positive parenting were 1.9% and 1.0% more likely to have highest literacy and numeracy levels, respectively. Home learning environment and positive parenting were positively associated with children literacy and numeracy. Home learning environment and positive parenting had a significant relationship with the attainment of highest literacy and numeracy among boys. For girls the association was significant for literacy and not numeracy. There is scope for the public sector and development partners to promote interventions aimed at improving home learning environment and positive parenting to improve children's education. Policymakers and development practitioners should train parents and caregivers on home learning environment and positive parenting.
In this work, through correlational surveys, we explored the psychological antecedents of public compliance with the Indonesian government policies about COVID-19 containment measures in 2020 (Study 1; N = 1005) and the capital city relocation (Study 2; N = 1263) started in 2022 and planned to finish in 2045. Using the theoretical framework of the Value-Belief-Norm (VBN; Stern, 2002), we assessed the roles of shared responsibility and positive evaluations of national ethics in promoting participants’ compliance taking shape via self-sacrifice and policy-supporting actions. Findings across two studies revealed that higher levels of shared responsibility explained greater levels of self-sacrifice and policy support. In addition, stronger positive evaluations of national ethics fostered shared responsibility, which in turn mediated the role of the positive evaluations of national ethics in positively predicting both self-sacrifice and policy support. COVID-19 conspiratorial beliefs were negatively related to the positive evaluations of national ethics. In Study 2, the positive emotion of confidence in the capital city relocation mediated the role of shared responsibility in enhancing participants’ self-sacrifice and policy support. Study 2 also showed that national identification augmented shared responsibility, given its role in promoting participants’ positive evaluations of national ethics. These findings implicate the best practices of the government policies by framing public health measures and capital city relocation as a shared communal responsibility, to facilitate sustained policy support and self-sacrificial behaviours that can contribute to the promotion of justice and strong institutions.
The Tetrahedron Model of Rumination is a conceptual heuristic designed to simplify and clarify the complex interplay of cognitive, emotional, attentional, and neurobiological factors that sustain repetitive negative thinking, especially as they pertain to work-related rumination. Although existing frameworks have advanced our theoretical understanding of how rumination is maintained and why it impairs recovery, they were not intended to be deployed by individuals in the moment rumination occurs, offering limited guidance on which aspect of the ruminative cycle to target and how. Drawing inspiration from the fire tetrahedron - a framework used to understand combustion processes - this model posits that rumination is a self-perpetuating system requiring four interacting elements: thoughts (fuel), emotional arousal (heat), attention (oxygen), and neurological activity (chain reaction). Each element represents a hypothetically necessary component in maintaining the ruminative process. Attenuating or removal of any one element can, in theory, disrupt the cycle. This structural insight provides practitioners and individuals with a memorable and actionable framework for understanding why rumination persists and how it can be attenuated, while also offering a principled guide for designing and selecting interventions that target one or more of its sustaining components.
Caring for an autistic child has been linked with poorer prospective memory (PM). However, potential underlying cerebrovascular mechanisms have not been examined. Here we explore whether variations in prefrontal hemodynamic activity, assessed using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), might underlie caregiver related differences in PM failures. A total of 37 participants, of which 19 were caregivers of autistic children and 18 were parents of non-autistic children, completed an objective PM task in the lab. Cerebrovascular activity, measured via oxygenated (Oxy-Hb), deoxygenated (Deoxy-Hb), and total (Total-Hb) haemoglobin, was assessed at baseline and during the PM task. Relative change from baseline was calculated for all indices. Caregivers performed poorer on the PM task, recalling fewer items. However, groups could not be differentiated on cerebrovascular activity. Moreover, cerebrovascular change did not predict PM failures, ruling out mediation effects. Caring for an autistic child was associated with poorer PM. However, caregivers’ poorer PM was not mediated by reduced prefrontal hemodynamic response. Whether caregivers’ PM failures might detrimentally affect quality of provided care should be explored. However, findings reported here should be deemed preliminary, and conclusions from these findings tempered, until consolidated with adequate statistical power.
