The issue of misinformation online through social media sources has been a subject of concern in recent years. We sought to test whether memory of a crime could be altered using politicized messages in TikTok format. 147 young adults watched an analog video of a home burglary. Then they watched matched TikTok-format videos discussing the crime, either using conservative or progressive political talking points. The TikTok format video contained several key pieces of misinformation. Participants also reported on their own political position as well as neurotic personality traits. Results indicated that misinformation in a TikTok video had little impact on participants' memory for the crime even when the political talking points aligned with their personal political views. Current results suggest some nuance in the impact of political misinformation.
Childhood psychological maltreatment may be associated with difficulties in attaining satisfaction in adult romantic relationships. The present study aimed to examine the indirect associations between childhood psychological maltreatment and romantic relationship satisfaction involving relationship mindfulness and emotional intelligence. A total of 459 Turkish individuals (308 women and 151 men), all currently involved in a romantic relationship, participated in the study. Structural equation modeling indicated significant indirect associations between childhood psychological maltreatment and romantic relationship satisfaction involving relationship mindfulness and emotional intelligence. Higher levels of childhood psychological maltreatment were associated with lower levels of relationship mindfulness, emotional intelligence, and romantic relationship satisfaction. Longitudinal and experimental studies are needed to clarify the temporal ordering of these variables and determine whether interventions addressing mindfulness and emotional competencies can improve romantic relationship satisfaction.
Inconsistent findings across studies on the factorial structure of Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices (CPM) undermine the validity of this widely used test in psychological, psychopedagogical, and neuropsychological assessments. This study examines these discrepancies by testing competing factorial models. We tested nine CPM factorial models in a sample of 1,088 students (50% male; mean age 9.4 years ± 2.6 SD) from Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Confirmatory factor analysis compared models and evaluated scalar invariance across sex and school year. Structural equation modeling tested the model's predictive capacity for word reading accuracy. As for the Results, a bifactor model, with one general factor (eduction) and two specific factors (intermediate and advanced levels), best represented the CPM's structure. This model demonstrated scalar invariance for sex and school year and predicted 18.9% of variance in word reading accuracy. In conclusion, our findings robustly support the bifactor structure's factorial validity for the CPM. Its factors meaningfully assess individual differences and predict outcomes, reinforcing the test's utility in clinical and educational settings.
Subclinical paranoia and social anxiety frequently co-occur in non-clinical populations, yet the cognitive mechanisms underlying their association remain unclear. This study examined whether social anxiety severity is associated with paranoid tendencies among university students and whether cognitive biases account for this association. University students (N = 123) completed measures of social anxiety (LSAS), delusion-like experience endorsement (PDI), and cognitive biases (DACOBS and CBQp). Bivariate correlations, hierarchical regression, and cross-sectional mediation (indirect-effects) analyses were conducted, with age and sex included as covariates in the regression and mediation models. Results indicated that higher social anxiety was associated with higher levels of paranoid ideation and higher cognitive-bias scores. Regression and mediation models using total DACOBS and CBQp scores further showed that maladaptive cognitive biases were significantly associated with paranoid ideation and statistically accounted for the association between social anxiety and paranoia. The findings support a dimensional account in which maladaptive cognitive biases are linked to both social anxiety and subclinical paranoid thinking in university students.
This study examines the relationship between exploitative leadership (EL) and employee time theft (TT), with a particular focus on the mediating roles of hatred (HA) and moral disengagement (MD), and the moderating role of professional commitment (PC). Using survey data from 238 employees and managers in Pakistan's service sector, partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was employed to test the hypothesized relationships. The results indicate that EL is positively associated with TT (β = 0.205, p < .01), both directly and indirectly through HA (indirect effect: β = 0.096, p < .01) and MD (indirect effect: β = 0.233, p < .001). Specifically, EL significantly increases employees' feelings of hatred and levels of moral disengagement, which in turn are linked to higher engagement in time theft. Furthermore, professional commitment moderates these relationships such that the positive effects of EL on HA (β = -0.172, p < .001) and MD (β = -0.197, p < .001), and ultimately TT, are weaker among employees with higher levels of PC. This suggests that while exploitative leadership contributes to unethical behavior, its impact is partially buffered by employees' professional values. Overall, the findings provide empirical support for Conservation of Resources (COR) theory by demonstrating that resource depletion processes and individual differences jointly shape employee responses to negative leadership, while also indicating that the practical effect sizes are meaningful but not large. The study highlights the importance for organizations to recognize and address exploitative leadership and to foster professional commitment during recruitment and development to reduce unethical workplace behavior.
Social comparison processes play a central role in social cognition, but their relation to meaning in life remains unclear. We conducted an integrative analysis of three online studies with American, Indian, Peruvian, and French participants. After harmonizing the study-specific datasets, we examined whether social comparison orientation was associated with search for meaning and presence of meaning. Higher social comparison orientation was consistently associated with greater search for meaning, including after adjustment for age, gender, country, and presence of meaning. This association was positive in each of the four national samples. In contrast, social comparison orientation was not consistently associated with presence of meaning. Exploratory analyses indicated heterogeneity in the magnitude of these associations across national samples, but this heterogeneity could not be attributed directly to individualism-collectivism because cultural orientation was not measured and measurement equivalence was not fully supported. Overall, these findings identify social comparison orientation as a consistent correlate of the active search for meaning in life.
Adolescents (11-14 years) and their parents (N = 52 dyads) rated the appropriateness of mobile phone use by either an adolescent or parent during family dinner time, at a party, or while doing homework or work and predicted each other’s ratings of phone use appropriateness. Adolescent and parent groups generally did not differ in their mean ratings of mobile phone use appropriateness, but both adolescents and parents expected that the other groups’ ratings would differ from their own. Also, adolescents expected parents’ attitudes about mobile phone use to be more negative than parents’ actual attitudes, while parents expected adolescents’ attitudes to be more positive than they actually were. Parents’ predictions of their adolescents’ ratings were positively associated with their adolescents’ actual ratings, but adolescents’ predictions of their parents’ ratings were not related to their parents’ actual ratings.
This qualitative systematic review seeks to explore the intersections between intergenerational and complex trauma. The existing literature reveals a well-documented connection between these concepts, yet there is a lack of clarity and consistency. This study proposes the phenomenological category of Pervasive Traumatic Stress (PvTS) to explore their specific intersections. PvTS was defined as pervasive traumatic stress experienced due to being born or raised in a network of relationships affected by direct or indirect traumatization, leading to disturbances in emotion regulation, self-concept, and relational/attachment systems. The study's aim was to analyse first-person descriptions to answer questions regarding the subjective experiences, patterns, and causal mechanisms of PvTS. Four databases (Embase, CINAHL, MEDLINE, and PsycINFO) were searched for studies using qualitative methods, describing experiences of complex or intergenerational trauma, in either English or Hindi, and available in print or digital forms. Twelve studies were selected using the selection criteria. The data was analysed using Realist Thematic Analysis. This was the first time this method was employed in a review study. APA's Qualitative Meta-Analysis Article Reporting Standards were followed. PvTS experiences were organised around the themes of connection/disconnection, repetition/reorientation, and confusion/comprehension. Ten patterns were identified that captured the nuances and relationships between the themes. These findings shift the focus of trauma understanding and intervention towards trans-individualistic, historical, and social contexts; necessitating research beyond North America; and a move away from solely focusing on conventionally understood traumatic events.
Conflict has deleterious effects on the adjustment of children and adolescents. The literature is less robust on the adverse effects of conflict avoidance on adjustment as well as the beneficial effect of conflict resolution in these age groups as well as in emerging adults. We recruited N = 416 emerging adults from a private midwestern university. They primarily identified as White and female. Participants responded to the Perceived Family Conflict subscale, the Avoidant Conflict Scale, the Family Conflict Resolution Scale, and the Langner Symptom Survey. A MANOVA modeling the four variables demonstrated a significant difference based on sex for the measure of distress and need for treatment. Consequently, separate analyses were performed for males and females and yielded the same pattern for each sex. Specifically, low conflict groups, as well as low conflict avoidance groups, scored significantly lower on a measure of distress than the high conflict and high conflict avoidance group. For conflict resolution, the high groups scored significantly lower on distress than did the low conflict resolution group. The deleterious effect of conflict and conflict avoidance were found in both emerging adult males and females, thereby extending results found in children and adolescents. Similarly, the beneficial effect of high conflict resolution was replicated in emerging adult males and females. Interventions aimed at reducing conflict avoidance and increasing conflict resolution skills should theoretically reduce distress.
College students frequently engage in screen-based activities while facing elevated rates of depression, anxiety, and sleep disturbances. This study examined whether social and non-social screen time moderate the relationship between mental health symptoms and insomnia symptoms. A cross-sectional survey of 1,010 college students (Mage = 19.86; SDage = 2.33) collected self-reported data on depressive and anxiety symptoms, insomnia severity, and daily social and non-social screen time. Moderation analyses tested whether screen time types influenced the relationships between mental health symptoms and insomnia. Depressive symptoms were correlated with non-social screen time (r = .14, p =<.001) while anxiety symptoms were correlated with social screen time (r = .09, p =<.01). Social screen time but not non-social screen time moderated the relationship between anxiety (b = -.03, SE = .01, p = .01) and depressive symptoms and insomnia symptoms (b = - .02, SE = .01, p = .02). Among students with lower depressive or anxiety symptoms, greater social screen time was associated with worseinsomnia symptoms. However, for students with higher depressive or anxiety symptoms, insomnia remained elevated regardless of social screen time use. These findings highlight the need to distinguish between social and nonsocial screen time when considering their mental health and sleep impacts. For students with mild symptoms, reducing social screen time before bed may help prevent sleep difficulties. However, for those with severe depressive or anxiety symptoms, mental health treatment may be more critical than screen time reductions alone. Future research should explore individualized digital health strategies based on symptom severity.
In corporate life, job loss is a multidimensional crisis that not only threatens individuals' economic security but also profoundly shakes psychological balance, sense of identity, and future expectations. The aim of this study is to identify the factors that most significantly impact the early mental recovery process after job loss in corporate life and to develop an integrated decision-making model to guide decision-makers based on these factors. In this study, a total of 17 criteria are first identified through a literature review. Then, the N-gram technique is used to identify the seven most important criteria according to their frequency of use. Opinions are obtained from 12 academics and field professionals who are experts in the field; these opinions are weighted using the Z-score-based normalized ideal distance method to account for demographic differences. Criteria importance levels are then calculated using the SIWEC (simple weight calculation) method. This study contributes significantly to the literature by (1) systematically prioritizing the most critical factors affecting early mental recovery with a holistic approach, (2) minimizing the uncertainty and subjective judgment problems in expert opinions by developing behavioral leadership fuzzy set structures, and (3) increasing the objectivity and accuracy of the model by reducing the number of criteria based on a scientific basis using the N-gram technique. The findings indicate that financial security and resilience are the most critical factors in recovery, while self-confidence and access to healthcare are among the other important factors that directly affect the process.
Organizational bullshit refers to workplace communication with no regard for the truth. An important step toward the empirical study of this ubiquitous phenomenon was the development and validation of the organizational bullshit perception scale (OBPS; Ferreira et al., 2022). In two studies with 1,666 and 709 employees in Germany, we employed the OBPS to examine associations between perceived organizational bullshit and employee wellbeing. The standard preliminary analyses to evaluate psychometric properties of the measures used in these studies indicated some issues with our German version of the OBPS, including poor fit of measurement models and relatively low reliability estimates. Based on these findings, we conducted additional analyses of the factorial structure of the OBPS and a separate validation study using the original English version of the scale (n = 214 employees). In this commentary, we draw on results from these analyses and previous validation studies of the OBPS to discuss potential issues related to the measurement of organizational bullshit, including problems associated with reverse-coded items and possible conceptual overlap among items and dimensions, and we identify areas for theoretical advancements of the construct itself. We offer several suggestions for the further refinement of theoretical conceptualization and measurement of organizational bullshit.
Through a series of preregistered and exploratory analyses, this study examined whether a person’s perceptions of someone who has lost weight relate to physical health, psychological health, and body image outcomes for oneself. U.S. adults ( N = 206) were asked to think of someone who has lost weight and report their perceptions of that person following weight loss (e.g., the person is happier/healthier after losing weight). Participants also completed self-report measures of eating intentions and behaviors, psychological distress, weight and body concerns, and exercise motivation and behavior. Results showed that positive perceptions of another person’s weight loss were associated with healthy eating intentions and exercise motivation, but also with restrictive eating indicators and body shape concerns prior to correcting for multiple correlations. Body shape concerns statistically mediated the associations of positive weight-loss perceptions with both dieting intentions and restrained eating and with uncontrolled eating and emotional eating, such that positively perceiving another person’s weight loss related to concerns about one’s own body and body shape concerns related to maladaptive eating patterns. However, these modeled indirect effects were non-significant when controlling statistically for participants’ sex, age, and either perceived weight status or body mass index. Positive weight loss perceptions were not directly associated with psychological distress, uncontrolled eating, emotional eating, or exercise behavior. These preliminary results suggest the possibility that viewing another person’s weight loss favorably relates to unhealthy eating intentions and behaviors and to concerns about one’s own body. Our findings have implications for understanding weight-related messages in the form of exposure to another person’s weight loss, and the exploratory nature of this work illuminates necessary and interesting avenues for future research.
The number of people who remain single for extended periods is steadily increasing around the world. While studies have described a decline in the mental well-being of singles, the underlying causes remain largely unexplored. This study seeks to address this gap by examining the relationship between attachment styles and mental well-being, focusing on the roles of intolerance of uncertainty and immature defense mechanisms. By examining these factors, the study aims to identify the contributors to the reduction of mental well-being among involuntary singles and to highlight individual differences within this population. Using a cross-sectional design, a total of 183 involuntary singles (average age = 27.66, age range = 25-40) participated in the study and filled out self-report questionnaires. Data were analyzed using Pearson correlations and structural equation modeling (SEM) with bootstrapping procedures to test indirect effects. The results showed a direct negative relationship between insecure attachment styles and mental well-being. Moreover, intolerance of uncertainty and immature defense mechanisms were found to mediate this relationship, suggesting that insecure attachment style among involuntary singles, can decrease mental well-being through the mediating role of ineffective coping mechanisms and intolerance of uncertainty.
Uncertainty is an inevitable part of human life, yet its association with life satisfaction remains insufficiently understood. While previous research has linked intolerance of uncertainty (IoU) primarily to anxiety and distress, less attention has been given to the existential processes through which it may be associated with overall well-being. The present study examined whether meaning in life (MiL) and death anxiety mediate the association between IoU and life satisfaction. Participants were 485 adults (68.3% female) aged 18-63 years (M = 32.02, SD = 11.98). Using structural equation modeling, significant associations were observed among IoU, MiL, death anxiety, and life satisfaction. Bootstrap analyses with 5,000 resamples supported the hypothesized mediation model, showing that IoU was indirectly associated with lower life satisfaction through lower MiL and higher death anxiety. The sequential indirect association through MiL and death anxiety was also significant, suggesting that higher IoU was related to lower MiL, which was associated with higher death anxiety and, in turn, lower life satisfaction. These findings suggest that existential processes may help explain the association between uncertainty and well-being. By highlighting the mediating roles of MiL and death anxiety, the study points to the potential value of meaning-oriented approaches for addressing death-related concerns and supporting life satisfaction.
Career resilience refers to an individual’s capacity to adapt, persist, and remain effective when facing workplace challenges and disruptions. Although prior research has generally emphasized its uniformly positive effects, fewer studies have examined the conditions under which career resilience reduces negative emotional responses and leads to desirable work behaviors. This study tested a moderated mediation model in which organizational trust moderated the relationship between career resilience and anxiety, and the indirect effects of career resilience on workplace behaviors through anxiety. Data were collected from 229 full-time employees in South Korea across three waves with five-week intervals using a time-lagged design. Regression-based moderated mediation analyses revealed that the indirect effects of career resilience on task performance, organizational citizenship behavior (OCB), and deviant behavior via anxiety were conditional on organizational trust, supporting the hypothesized model. Career resilience reduced anxiety, and this reduction was associated with increased task performance and OCB while limiting deviant behavior. Organizational trust shaped this indirect process, suggesting that personal resources become particularly relevant when contextual resources are limited.
Individual and relational factors have been found to facilitate infidelity, yet the psychological dynamics linking personality traits and relationship quality to extradyadic infatuation - the cognitive, affective, and motivational preoccupation with someone other than the romantic partner - remain largely unexplored. The aim of our cross-sectional study was to explore the predictive roles of different individual factors (i.e., Dark and Light Triad traits and sociosexuality) and one relationship characteristic (i.e., relationship satisfaction) on extradyadic infatuation. A sample of 303 Romanians in a current committed relationship, aged between 19 and 64 (M = 37.82, SD = 11.41), filled in measures of Dark and Light Triad traits, sociosexuality, relationship satisfaction, extradyadic infatuation, and personal and relationship demographics. Multiple regression analyses indicated that higher levels of humanism, psychopathy, and sociosexuality, along with lower levels of faith in humanity, Machiavellianism, and relationship satisfaction, significantly predicted extradyadic infatuation, controlling for gender, age, Kantianism, and narcissism. These findings indicate that extradyadic infatuation arises from a complex interplay of various traits and relationship dynamics. It is not solely attributed to socially undesirable characteristics; instead, it also involves traits that are generally considered positive.
The accelerated integration of robotics within the manufacturing sector has facilitated enhanced work efficiency and reduced resource consumption among employees. How will employees utilize these resources saved by robots? Will they reinvest these resources into the organization again? Drawing from the conservation of resources theory (COR), we theorize that collaboration between employees and robots facilitates them engage in more organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). The mediating role is played by cobot identity and emotional exhaustion. Considering the supplementation of resources, we selected the personality-openness, as a moderating factor. Two field studies were conducted. Study 1 (N = 220) is a two-wave lagged survey for employees in logistics industry. The results indicated that human-robot collaboration affects OCB through cobot identity and emotional exhaustion, as well as their chain mediating pathways. Study 2 (a three-wave lagged survey; N = 294) expanded the sample to the entire manufacturing industry. It confirmed the results of Study 1 and provided further validation of the moderating effect of openness. When openness is high, the direct effect and indirect effects of human-robot collaboration on OCB are amplified. This research provides organizations with the means to establish effective human-robot collaboration and guides employees to make more OCB.
Transitive logic aids individuals in judging rank in social and competitive settings. Sport offers an interesting arena within which to evaluate transitivity, given that the competitive environment is characterized by both regularity in performance and upsets. In recent years, researchers have begun to evaluate transitive outcomes in sport, but relatively little work has explored expectations of transitivity in sport outcomes or their relationship to real-world outcomes. The present work helps fill this gap. The research includes both a historical assessment of National Football League (NFL) game results (from 1970 to 2025) and an experimental investigation into expectations of transitivity in hypothetical matchups. The impact of game location and margin of victory were also explored. Consistent with expectations, transitivity was present in real-world outcomes and participants expected transitivity when making predictions about hypothetical game results. Contrary to expectation, game location did not affect transitive likelihood in NFL outcomes, but participants were expectedly sensitive to home field advantage in their predictions. Margin of victory influenced results in the expected direction, with larger margins of victory associated with stronger evidence of transitivity in NFL game results and greater expectations of transitivity in predicted outcomes. Implications and important areas for future research are discussed.
Conspiratorial beliefs, which attribute significant events to the secret machinations of malevolent groups, have far-reaching social consequences. Social motivations are outlined as a primary factor in conspiracy theory adoption. Similarly, vulnerable narcissism shows relationships with both increased conspiracy theorising, and an increased need for social approval. To explore social motivations, this study explores the relationship between vulnerable narcissism and conspiracy beliefs with specific regard to both need for uniqueness and need for belonging. It was expected that both an increased need for uniqueness and need for belonging would significantly account for unique variance in the relationship between vulnerable narcissism and conspiracy beliefs. Participants (N = 371) residing in the United States were included in the study. A parallel mediation model showed that although vulnerable narcissism was associated with both mediators, only need for uniqueness mediated the relationship between vulnerable narcissism and conspiracy beliefs (indirect effect, B = .007, 95% CI [.003, .012]); need for belonging did not (indirect effect, B = -.002, 95% CI [-.008, .004]). The findings provide clarity around social motivations in the relationship between vulnerable narcissism and conspiracy beliefs, and provide direction for future studies.
