{"title":"Personalized interventions","authors":"Ingo Zettler , Cecilie Fenja Strandsbjerg","doi":"10.1016/j.copsyc.2025.102147","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.copsyc.2025.102147","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Personality science appears to be entering a new era centered on personalized interventions. These are designed by initiators so as to align intervention features with characteristics of the targeted recipient, with the aim of increasing intervention effectiveness. The recent rapid and widespread adoption of personalized interventions has been largely driven by technological advancements that facilitate the collection and inference of individual-level information (e.g., via passively collected or automatically generated data), as well as the development (e.g., through AI-based conversational agents) and large-scale dissemination (e.g., via push notifications) of personalized interventions. Herein, we provide a brief overview of current knowledge on personalized psychological interventions, highlighting key conceptual, empirical, and ethical aspects. Conceptually, researchers and practitioners might adapt features concerning the intervention initiator, the targeted recipient, the message, and/or the context of delivery. Empirically, personalized interventions have shown effectiveness across domains such as consumer marketing, education, financial behavior, health, and politics. Ethically, concerns remain—particularly regarding the reliability and validity of inferred characteristics from digital trace data, and the extent to which individuals can provide truly informed consent. Expecting that research on personalized interventions will do nothing but grow substantially in the coming years, we conclude with a call to design, conduct, and report studies in ways that support the accumulation of theoretically grounded and reliable knowledge.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48279,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Psychology","volume":"66 ","pages":"Article 102147"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2025-08-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144899818","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}
William Hirst, Olivia G. Cadwell, Travis Stackow, Angelina N. Vasquez, Yi Zhang
{"title":"Collective memory from a cognitive perspective","authors":"William Hirst, Olivia G. Cadwell, Travis Stackow, Angelina N. Vasquez, Yi Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.copsyc.2025.102145","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.copsyc.2025.102145","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Although they have studied individual memory for almost a century, only recently have cognitive psychologists begun to study collective memory, a surprisingly lacunae given the centrality of collective memory in shaping collective identity and social action. The relation of this recent cognitive work on collective memory to the larger more social science- and humanities-oriented studies of collective memory is discussed. Current cognitive research is divided into bottom-up and top-down approaches, and examples of each approach are provided and discussed in term of their contribution to the larger effort of understanding the dynamics of collective memory.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48279,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Psychology","volume":"67 ","pages":"Article 102145"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2025-08-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144899807","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}
Jon Roozenbeek , David J. Young , Jens Koed Madsen
{"title":"The wilful rejection of psychological and behavioural interventions","authors":"Jon Roozenbeek , David J. Young , Jens Koed Madsen","doi":"10.1016/j.copsyc.2025.102138","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.copsyc.2025.102138","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Psychology and behavioural science play a key role in the development, testing, and implementation of interventions aimed at addressing societal challenges. Some of these interventions have been impactful in shaping policy decisions, but their successful real-world implementation is beset by challenges, including a large number of people who might benefit from an intervention choosing to ignore it. However, there is almost no research on why people wilfully reject participating in an intervention: they notice it, consider participation, and decide against it. Addressing this knowledge gap is of critical importance for improving intervention uptake. Drawing on the literature on wilful ignorance, we propose a Bayesian model of the wilful rejection of psychological and behavioural interventions. People's prior beliefs about the relevance of an intervention, its effectiveness, and the goals and reliability of the intervention's source, strongly inform the probability of people wilfully rejecting an intervention when they come across it. Based on this model, we argue that people may downgrade their perceptions of the source's reliability if they perceive the intervention itself to be inefficacious, and that using intervention sources with high perceived reliability among target audiences is key to optimising intervention uptake.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48279,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Psychology","volume":"66 ","pages":"Article 102138"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2025-08-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144899811","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":"Pursuing prefigurative collective action on climate change","authors":"Shayda Azamian , Livia Dawn Dittmer","doi":"10.1016/j.copsyc.2025.102140","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.copsyc.2025.102140","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This article reviews recent empirical and theoretical work on prefigurative climate action, emphasizing psychological dimensions and implications of constructive methods that contrast with a politics of opposition to the status quo. We synthesize recent descriptions of prefigurative actions on climate change, highlighting four common characteristics or principles identified from recent literature. Emphasizing the importance of means-ends coherence, we discuss prefigurative climate actions from a systems perspective across social ecological levels of analysis. Finally, we consider the potency and potential for scaling prefigurative climate actions and their effects, including the long-term path of transformation envisioned by these modes of action and possible limitations. The aim of this review is to inform further contributions from psychology to the knowledge base on prefiguration, climate action, and social transformation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48279,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Psychology","volume":"66 ","pages":"Article 102140"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2025-08-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144885779","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}
Gabriela Czarnek , Katarzyna Jaśko , Arie W. Kruglanski
{"title":"Blissful ignorance: A motivated cognition perspective on information avoidance","authors":"Gabriela Czarnek , Katarzyna Jaśko , Arie W. Kruglanski","doi":"10.1016/j.copsyc.2025.102139","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.copsyc.2025.102139","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Extant models of willful ignorance—defined as the intentional choice not to seek or use information—typically invoke varying sets of underlying motives. In contrast, we treat willful ignorance as a case of epistemic behavior explained by a broader model of belief formation: Lay Epistemic Theory (Kruglanski, 2004). Drawing from that model, we argue that information avoidance stems from two overarching epistemic motivations: the need for specific certainty (a directional motive) and the need for non-specific certainty (a non-directional motive). Under particular conditions, these motivations may lead individuals to avoid or suppress information. This approach offers conceptual clarity by embedding information avoidance within belief formation processes and provides a unified framework that generates novel insights and testable hypotheses.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48279,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Psychology","volume":"66 ","pages":"Article 102139"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2025-08-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144890479","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}
Iva Totomanova , Eline C.H.M. Haijen , Petra P.M. Hurks, Johannes G. Ramaekers, Kim P.C. Kuypers
{"title":"Between enhancement and risk: A critical review of psychedelic microdosing","authors":"Iva Totomanova , Eline C.H.M. Haijen , Petra P.M. Hurks, Johannes G. Ramaekers, Kim P.C. Kuypers","doi":"10.1016/j.copsyc.2025.102129","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.copsyc.2025.102129","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Microdosing psychedelics, the regular use of low doses of LSD or psilocybin, have attracted growing public and scientific interest. This review synthesizes findings from 57 human studies on psychological and physiological outcomes in clinical and non-clinical populations. Reported benefits include improved mood, enhanced cognition, social functioning, and mental health, although findings are inconsistent and largely self-reported. Adverse effects such as anxiety, physical discomfort, and cognitive disruption are also frequently reported. Outcomes appear to be highly individual and shaped by user expectations, context, and baseline state. Notably, many experimental studies focus on the acute effects of single low doses, whereas observational studies reflect repeated use and generally report more benefits, while experimental trials tend to yield more null findings. Differences between observational and experimental findings highlight the need for rigorous, placebo-controlled research. While microdosing shows potential in some studies, current evidence remains inconclusive and warrants caution.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48279,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Psychology","volume":"66 ","pages":"Article 102129"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2025-08-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144865385","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":"Critical ignoring when information abundance is detrimental to democracy","authors":"Stephan Lewandowsky , Ralph Hertwig","doi":"10.1016/j.copsyc.2025.102128","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.copsyc.2025.102128","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>We live in a world of democratic backsliding, and simultaneously, in a world of information abundance. Initial expectations that the access to vast amounts of information provided by the Internet will facilitate democracy have been disappointed. We highlight how information abundance can be detrimental to democracy, from triggering misinformation cascades to generating coping strategies that result in reduced political accountability. We propose that information abundance is best met through critical ignoring; that is, the strategic decision not to consume certain content. We present new techniques of critical ignoring that permit people not only to cope with information abundance but also to avoid contributing to democratic decline.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48279,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Psychology","volume":"66 ","pages":"Article 102128"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2025-08-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144830460","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":"Children and wilful ignorance","authors":"Francesca Bonalumi , Azzurra Ruggeri","doi":"10.1016/j.copsyc.2025.102126","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.copsyc.2025.102126","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>While the drive to acquire knowledge is a hallmark of human cognition, individuals frequently choose to avoid information—a phenomenon known as wilful ignorance. While extensively studied in adults, little is known about its developmental origins. We identify from the literature two distinct developmental pathways for the emergence of wilful ignorance behaviours. We then propose a graded framework to assess children's motivations for information avoidance, accounting for epistemic, emotional, and instrumental trade-offs. Gaining a deeper understanding of the emergence and the development of wilful ignorance not only enriches the theoretical discussions but also empowers educators, policy makers, and health professionals to craft strategies and interventions that are better suited to the needs and capacities of younger populations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48279,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Psychology","volume":"66 ","pages":"Article 102126"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2025-08-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144830461","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}
Radhika Santhanagopalan , Jane L. Risen , Katherine D. Kinzler
{"title":"The development of willful ignorance","authors":"Radhika Santhanagopalan , Jane L. Risen , Katherine D. Kinzler","doi":"10.1016/j.copsyc.2025.102127","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.copsyc.2025.102127","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>What are the developmental roots of willful ignorance? Research with adults demonstrates that people avoid information across many consequential domains of life. Yet, developmental research consistently demonstrates that children show high levels of curiosity, information-seeking, and learning. When, how, and why do we transition from seemingly indiscriminate seekers of information as children, to selective information avoiders as adults? We propose that a developmentally-oriented framework is uniquely positioned to (a) uncover the origins and development of willful ignorance, including the mechanisms that shape its development; (b) inform early interventions to discourage willful ignorance and promote adaptive decision-making that compounds over time; and (c) isolate precursors to societal issues such as political polarization.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48279,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Psychology","volume":"66 ","pages":"Article 102127"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2025-08-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144830462","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":"Information management under stigma: When protective silence complements willful ignorance","authors":"Fiona Eyraud , Olivier Klein , Annalisa Casini","doi":"10.1016/j.copsyc.2025.102125","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.copsyc.2025.102125","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This article examines protective silence as a complementary strategy to willful ignorance, where individuals withhold information to protect themselves or their group from stigma. Drawing on evidence from intimate partner violence in LGBTQ+ and Black communities, we examine how social and structural pressures shape information management, preservation of bias and perpetuation of harm. By examining protective silence alongside willful ignorance, we aim to better understand how withholding information serves as a social defense, much like avoidance of information functions as an individual defense. We argue for an integrated theoretical framework that accounts for the relational and contextual roots of strategic ignorance, and outline implications for research, intervention, and policy.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48279,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Psychology","volume":"66 ","pages":"Article 102125"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144781059","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}