{"title":"Narratives of collective memory in intractable conflict: The Israeli case","authors":"Daniel Bar-Tal","doi":"10.1016/j.copsyc.2025.102154","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.copsyc.2025.102154","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Collective societal memory refers to the shared understanding and representation of past events within a society — their antecedents, processes, and consequences within a society. In the context of intractable conflict, in addition to the direct violence between opposing parties, there exists another highly contentious and aggressive rivalry: the struggle over competing collective memories. This battle is not only rhetorical but is usually deeply rooted in the narratives each side constructs about its past. Narratives of collective societal memory are inherently unreliable, but they serve psychological and social functions and thus facilitate coping with conflict. The present paper illustrates the use of the formal Israeli collective memory in the Israeli Palestinian conflict.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48279,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Psychology","volume":"67 ","pages":"Article 102154"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2025-08-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144920811","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The OTTER framework: Willful ignorance as the greatest barrier to allyship at work and five steps to overcome it","authors":"Hsuan-Che (Brad) Huang","doi":"10.1016/j.copsyc.2025.102153","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.copsyc.2025.102153","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Despite growing equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) efforts in organizations, many socially advantaged individuals remain inactive as potential allies. To understand why, the present article introduces <em>willful ignorance</em>—the conscious avoidance of knowledge about inequality—as a core psychological barrier to <em>allyship</em>. Reviewing and synthesizing insights from existing research, we show how two forms of willful ignorance manifest at work (passively <em>overlook</em> among the “left” and actively <em>turn away</em> among the “right” on the ideological spectrum) and propose the OTTER framework to address them: Observe, Think, Talk, Examine, and Reorient. By illustrating how each intervention step disrupts willful ignorance among advantaged group members, we offer theoretical and practical guidance for advancing workplace EDI. This work further opens a pathway for future research on willful ignorance in allyship contexts.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48279,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Psychology","volume":"67 ","pages":"Article 102153"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2025-08-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144920808","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The nocebo effect in psychotherapy","authors":"Andrea W.M. Evers","doi":"10.1016/j.copsyc.2025.102152","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.copsyc.2025.102152","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The nocebo effect, negative treatment outcomes arising from patient expectations, therapeutic context, or clinician communication, plays a possibly significant yet often underestimated role in psychotherapy. Drawing on recent empirical and theoretical contributions, possible mechanisms how nocebo effects occur and can be attenuated in psychotherapeutic practice are discussed. Nocebo effects may arise from therapist communication, previous treatment failures, adverse therapeutic dynamics, poorly managed expectations, social influences outside the therapy, or context factors elements such as waiting lists. Strategies for mitigating such effects include, for example, empathic engagement, expectation management, and reconditioning of previous negative treatment experiences in clinical settings.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48279,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Psychology","volume":"67 ","pages":"Article 102152"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2025-08-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144899766","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Community gardens and the cultivation of social capital","authors":"Chiara D'Amore , Loni Cohen , Justin Chen , Paige Owen , Calvin Ball","doi":"10.1016/j.copsyc.2025.102149","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.copsyc.2025.102149","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Community gardens are shared green spaces that provide more than produce—they foster psychological resilience, social connectedness, and civic engagement. This article synthesizes findings from 50 recent studies on community gardens, applying social capital theory to examine their multifaceted social benefits. Through the mechanisms of bonding, bridging, and linking social capital, community gardens enhance psychological well-being, promote inclusive social networks, and cultivate empathy and civic participation. Drawing on both empirical literature and the authors’ community-based experiences, the article underscores the potential of community gardens to support individual wellness and community resilience.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48279,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Psychology","volume":"67 ","pages":"Article 102149"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2025-08-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144899809","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Mnemonic asymmetries: How collective memory shapes and reflects intergroup relations","authors":"Maria Babińska, Laurent Licata","doi":"10.1016/j.copsyc.2025.102150","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.copsyc.2025.102150","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This review synthesizes recent findings demonstrating that advantaged and disadvantaged groups construct divergent memory narratives, each serving distinct identity-related needs and motivating contrasting collective actions from status quo maintenance to sociopolitical change. Institutions such as museums and educational systems mediate these processes by either reinforcing dominant-group perspectives or enabling recognition of disadvantaged groups perspectives. We integrate these developments into the Asymmetric Memory-Identity Model (AMIM), which conceptualizes how memory content reflects power structures and contributes to maintenance or contestation of sociopolitical hierarchies. The model also highlights how institutional contexts can determine whether memory reinforces existing hierarchies or supports more inclusive and just intergroup engagement.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48279,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Psychology","volume":"67 ","pages":"Article 102150"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2025-08-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144899813","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Brian P Meier, Amanda J Dillard, Courtney M Lappas
{"title":"The naturalness bias.","authors":"Brian P Meier, Amanda J Dillard, Courtney M Lappas","doi":"10.1016/j.copsyc.2025.102143","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2025.102143","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Research shows that people have a natural-is-better belief whereby things described as \"natural\" are perceived as better than artificial, synthetic, or human-made items. For example, people report they would prefer a host of items when they are described as natural versus synthetic including drugs, vaccines, food, cigarettes, human talent, and lighting. Some people report preferring a natural item like a drug even when it is objectively less safe or effective than a synthetic counterpart. This naturalness bias is may become more widespread given the political climate in the U.S. and elsewhere in 2025 and beyond. However, there are many instances in which believing naturalness is better may be problematic, especially when it comes to health or medical behaviors. For example, people may forgo a synthetic or human-made medical treatment that has been rigorously tested in the laboratory and shown to influence a health condition in favor of a natural approach (e.g., herbal medicine). Research suggests that beliefs regarding the safety of natural items is one causal factor, but science skepticism is another factor that may be important. People who have a stronger naturalness bias may also be higher in science skepticism. Understanding how these two factors are connected could bring additional insight into how to reduce this bias. Implications of this connection and other ideas for future research related to the naturalness bias are discussed.</p>","PeriodicalId":48279,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Psychology","volume":" ","pages":"102143"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2025-08-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145214198","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Collective memories of urban spaces through mental maps","authors":"Martha de Alba","doi":"10.1016/j.copsyc.2025.102151","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.copsyc.2025.102151","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper presents a state-of-the-art review of collective memories of urban spaces, examining them from the perspective of mental maps. It is observed that urban memory reflects the socio-cultural diversity and inherent social inequalities of contemporary metropolises. Memory and cultural heritage play a significant role in urban dynamics. Furthermore, the clear influence of technology and the internet on how cities are experienced and remembered, as well as on the methods used to investigate these memories, is evident. Art-based and visual narratives, along with Geographic Information Systems (GIS), are valuable tools for studying collective memories in urban contexts through mental maps.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48279,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Psychology","volume":"66 ","pages":"Article 102151"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2025-08-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144899767","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The psychology of memorial sites: Space, design and visitor experience","authors":"Ignacio Brescó de Luna , Brady Wagoner","doi":"10.1016/j.copsyc.2025.102144","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.copsyc.2025.102144","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Memorials are key sites for the study of collective memory, shaping how societies remember, grieve, and engage with the past. This article reviews current psychological research on memorials from three interrelated perspectives: space, design, and visitor experience. First, it examines how memorials transform contested spaces across their life cycle—from spontaneous emergence to official establishment, re-signification, and removal. Second, it traces the historical shift from vertical, heroic monuments to minimalist, participatory counter-memorials that foster reflection and plural remembrance. Third, it explores methodological approaches—including ethnography, digital analysis, and mobile methods—that reveal how visitors actively interpret memorials through personal and sensory engagement. Together, these perspectives underscore the dynamic, affective, and political nature of memorials and highlight their relevance for understanding the social construction of memory. Memorials are not merely representations of the past, but material, symbolic, and experiential sites through which historical meaning is continuously produced and contested.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48279,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Psychology","volume":"66 ","pages":"Article 102144"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2025-08-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144892999","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Public trust in artificial intelligence users","authors":"Jianning Dang, Li Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.copsyc.2025.102148","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.copsyc.2025.102148","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In the era of artificial intelligence (AI), the crucial role that trust plays in human–AI interactions has been demonstrated. In contrast to previous studies on user trust in AI tools, we introduce trust as an emerging phenomenon in social relationships with AI users. We argue that the public places trust in AI users and synthesize the available empirical evidence on perceived trustworthiness, including ability, benevolence, and integrity expectations in AI users. As research on trust in AI users is in its infancy, we discuss future research directions. In particular, research would examine how trust in AI users differs across contexts, investigate the psychological processes underlying this trust, and develop an understanding of its broader implications. We conclude that examining trust in AI users beyond AI itself helps clarify the psychosocial outcomes of AI implementation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48279,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Psychology","volume":"66 ","pages":"Article 102148"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2025-08-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144899814","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Conspiracy belief and the willful ignorance of information","authors":"Kevin Winter","doi":"10.1016/j.copsyc.2025.102146","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.copsyc.2025.102146","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The idea that conspiracy believers are prone to willful ignorance is widespread, yet many seemingly supporting studies lack designs suited to test this claim. Emerging research that actually examines willful ignorance along the information processing stream provides a more nuanced and optimistic picture. While there is initial (though limited) evidence that conspiracy believers are less likely to engage with facts in the first place, there is only little support for willful ignorance upon confrontation with such information. That is, conspiracy believers are no more likely to reject fact-based and normative information (but potentially more likely to value conspiratorial information) and are as likely as others to adapt their judgements and decisions accordingly. However, differences between generalized and specific conspiracy beliefs emerged that need to be considered in the design and timing of informational interventions that aim to reduce the potentially negative consequences of conspiracy beliefs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48279,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Psychology","volume":"66 ","pages":"Article 102146"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2025-08-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144890480","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}