Philip Urban Gustafsson, Petri Laukka, Hillary Anger Elfenbein, Nutankumar S Thingujam
{"title":"Vocal cues to eyewitness accuracy are detected by listeners with and without language comprehension.","authors":"Philip Urban Gustafsson, Petri Laukka, Hillary Anger Elfenbein, Nutankumar S Thingujam","doi":"10.1038/s44271-025-00237-2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s44271-025-00237-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Criminal-law workers must evaluate the accuracy of eyewitness testimony, which includes nonverbal speech characteristics that may carry clues. Using a large collection of testimony statements (N = 3344), Study 1 showed that eyewitnesses use a higher speech rate, fewer pauses, and greater acoustic amplitude when remembering correctly and more confident in their answers. In Study 2, observers with vs. without language comprehension (Swedish vs. American and Indian samples) judged the accuracy of testimony statements and judged the eyewitness' confidence. Participants performed at above-chance levels regardless of nation or language comprehension, suggesting universal cues to accuracy. Participants gave higher confidence ratings to correct statements, and this calibration was higher with greater cultural proximity to the testimony source. Observers' confidence judgments were significantly correlated with amplitude, which suggests they used valid acoustical cues. Taken together, results demonstrate distinct vocal markers of eyewitness accuracy, which are detected by listeners from diverse cultures.</p>","PeriodicalId":501698,"journal":{"name":"Communications Psychology","volume":"3 1","pages":"65"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12006449/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144063570","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Emma F Thomas, Christina Stothard, Tomasz Besta, Gulcin Akbas, Julia C Becker, Maja Becker, Tymofii Brik, Maria Chayinska, Makiko Deguchi, Sandesh Dhakal, Kaltrina Kelmendi, Anna Kende, Soledad de Lemus, Paul Le Dornat, Magdalena Iwanoska, Angela Leung, Sarah Martiny, Rie Mizuki, Danny Osborne, Marek Palace, Maura Pozzi, Carlo Pistoni, Raja Intan Arifah Binti Raja Reza Shah, Pravash Kumar Raut, Saba Safdar, Katherine Stroebe, Dijana Sulejmanović, Eugene Y J Tee, Gonneke Ton, Ozden Melis Ulug, Ana Urbiola, Nathan Weber, Anna Włodarczyk, Martijn van Zomeren
{"title":"Anti-immigration conspiracy beliefs are associated with endorsement of conventional and violent actions opposing immigration and attitudes towards democracy across 21 countries.","authors":"Emma F Thomas, Christina Stothard, Tomasz Besta, Gulcin Akbas, Julia C Becker, Maja Becker, Tymofii Brik, Maria Chayinska, Makiko Deguchi, Sandesh Dhakal, Kaltrina Kelmendi, Anna Kende, Soledad de Lemus, Paul Le Dornat, Magdalena Iwanoska, Angela Leung, Sarah Martiny, Rie Mizuki, Danny Osborne, Marek Palace, Maura Pozzi, Carlo Pistoni, Raja Intan Arifah Binti Raja Reza Shah, Pravash Kumar Raut, Saba Safdar, Katherine Stroebe, Dijana Sulejmanović, Eugene Y J Tee, Gonneke Ton, Ozden Melis Ulug, Ana Urbiola, Nathan Weber, Anna Włodarczyk, Martijn van Zomeren","doi":"10.1038/s44271-025-00246-1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s44271-025-00246-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Despite widespread speculation that conspiracy beliefs foster anti-democratic outcomes, the empirical picture is inconsistent. To clarify this literature, we examine the relationships that conspiracy beliefs have with commitment to reactionary action and criticism of democracy, focusing on a global issue: immigration. We expected that people who believe that their government uses immigration to diversify the population against citizens' wishes (anti-migration conspiracy beliefs) would be more committed to conventional and violent action to oppose immigration, and more critical of democracy. However, societal-level factors - economic performance and democratic functioning - were expected to influence (strengthen, weaken) these links. As hypothesized, multi-level analyses (N = 4353) from 21 countries revealed that economic prosperity attenuated the positive link between anti-migration conspiracy beliefs and commitment to reactionary action. Paradoxically, more democratic societies evidenced stronger links between conspiracy beliefs and conventional (but not violent) action to oppose immigration. Thus, more democratic societies appear to invite conventional forms of action to oppose immigration which may, in turn, weaken democratic norms of inclusion. Results highlight the interplay of individual- and societal-level factors underlying illiberal movements.</p>","PeriodicalId":501698,"journal":{"name":"Communications Psychology","volume":"3 1","pages":"66"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12006500/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144040818","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Message source effects on rejection and costly punishment of criticism across cultures.","authors":"J Lukas Thürmer, Sean M McCrea, Hikari Beck","doi":"10.1038/s44271-025-00248-z","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s44271-025-00248-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Subgroups of societies evaluate information differently, leading to partisan polarization and societal rifts world-wide. Beyond mere disagreement about facts or different preferences, we identify a group-based mechanism predicting the rejection of critical messages and costly punishment of the commenter across three previously understudied and representative cultures. Our pre-registration was peer-reviewed within the Leibniz-Institute for Psychology lab-track scheme prior to data collection and, once accepted, funded. Participants (N = 2207) from China (collectivism, n = 786), Canada (individualism, n = 666), and Japan (honor, n = 755) consistently rejected criticism of their own national group that was attributed to a source from a different national group (intergroup criticism), as compared to the same criticism from within their group. These intergroup sensitivity effects were larger in China than in Canada or Japan. In Canada and Japan only, a bystander intergroup sensitivity effect emerged such that participants rejected criticism of another national group (i.e., they do not belong to) that was attributed to a source from a different national group (intergroup criticism), as compared to the same criticism from within that group. Apparently, the processes underlying this robust effect differ between cultures. We conclude that group-based message rejection contributes to societal rifts in many different cultures.</p>","PeriodicalId":501698,"journal":{"name":"Communications Psychology","volume":"3 1","pages":"64"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12003875/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144036895","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lee Aldar, Ruthie Pliskin, Yossi Hasson, Eran Halperin
{"title":"Intergroup psychological interventions highlighting commonalities can increase the perceived legitimacy of critical voices.","authors":"Lee Aldar, Ruthie Pliskin, Yossi Hasson, Eran Halperin","doi":"10.1038/s44271-025-00238-1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s44271-025-00238-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>With rising risks to democracy, the delegitimization of political actors that criticize state policies is increasing worldwide. Our research examines what intergroup psychological interventions can contribute to the (re)legitimization of these critical voices. We consider two approaches to legitimization, as a process involving the recategorization of a target from illegitimate to legitimate: (1) interventions encouraging recategorization of societal actors based on common preferences, values and/or the common ingroup identity; and (2) interventions highlighting inconsistencies between delegitimizing attitudes and ingroup identity, values or interest. An intervention tournament among 1691 Jewish Israelis tested several interventions, based on real information, against a generic Control condition. The results of a mixed-effects model revealed that two interventions, highlighting commonalities between the delegitimized group and mainstream attitudes and values, were effective in increasing the group's perceived legitimacy. These interventions, emphasizing common interests (e.g., supporting communities, reducing disparities in the provision of health services) and common values (e.g., human dignity, fair due process), can be applied to amplify and include critical voices as part of the effort to combat the harmful consequences of democratic backsliding.</p>","PeriodicalId":501698,"journal":{"name":"Communications Psychology","volume":"3 1","pages":"63"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12003157/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144056669","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Johannes Roth, Yunyan Duan, Florian P Mahner, Philipp Kaniuth, Thomas S A Wallis, Martin N Hebart
{"title":"Ten principles for reliable, efficient, and adaptable coding in psychology and cognitive neuroscience.","authors":"Johannes Roth, Yunyan Duan, Florian P Mahner, Philipp Kaniuth, Thomas S A Wallis, Martin N Hebart","doi":"10.1038/s44271-025-00236-3","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s44271-025-00236-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Writing code is becoming essential for psychology and neuroscience research, supporting increasingly advanced experimental designs, processing of ever-larger datasets and easy reproduction of scientific results. Despite its critical role, coding remains challenging for many researchers, as it is typically not part of formal academic training. We present a range of practices tailored to different levels of programming experience, from beginners to advanced users. Our ten principles help researchers streamline and automate their projects, reduce human error, and improve the quality and reusability of their code. For principal investigators, we highlight the benefits of fostering a collaborative environment that values code sharing. Maintaining basic standards for code quality, reusability, and shareability is critical for increasing the trustworthiness and reliability of research in experimental psychology and cognitive neuroscience.</p>","PeriodicalId":501698,"journal":{"name":"Communications Psychology","volume":"3 1","pages":"62"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12000392/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144016275","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Learning about color from language.","authors":"Qiawen Liu, Jeroen van Paridon, Gary Lupyan","doi":"10.1038/s44271-025-00230-9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s44271-025-00230-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Certain colors are strongly associated with certain adjectives (e.g. red is hot, blue is cold). Some of these associations are grounded in visual experiences such as seeing glowing red embers. Surprisingly, despite having no visual experience, many congenitally blind people show very similar color associations which are likely learned through language. We show that these associations are indeed embedded in the statistical structure of language. We apply a projection method to word embeddings trained on corpora of spoken and written language to identify color-adjective associations as they are represented in English. These projections were predictive of color-adjective associations reported by blind and sighted English speakers. The most predictive projections were generated by embeddings derived from a corpus of fiction, which outperformed even the state-of-the-art large language model, GPT-4. By augmenting the training corpora in various ways we discover the types of sentences most responsible for conveying the color-adjective associations to the models. We find that word embedding models learn these associations from indirect (second-order) co-occurrences, and that when prompted, people are able to identify some of the words that are most informative for associating colors with specific adjectives. Learning through linguistic co-occurrences is one way word meanings can be continually aligned across language users despite large variations in perceptual experience.</p>","PeriodicalId":501698,"journal":{"name":"Communications Psychology","volume":"3 1","pages":"60"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11997174/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144040819","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Distributional dual-process model predicts strategic shifts in decision-making under uncertainty.","authors":"Mianzhi Hu, Hilary J Don, Darrell A Worthy","doi":"10.1038/s44271-025-00249-y","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s44271-025-00249-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In an uncertain world, human decision-making often involves adaptively leveraging different strategies to maximize gains. These strategic shifts, however, are overlooked by many traditional reinforcement learning models. Here, we incorporate parallel evaluation systems into distribution-based modeling and propose an entropy-weighted dual-process model that leverages Dirichlet and multivariate Gaussian distributions to represent frequency and value-based decision-making strategies, respectively. Model simulations and empirical tests demonstrated that our model outperformed traditional RL models by uniquely capturing participants' strategic change from value-based to frequency-based learning in response to heightened uncertainty. As reward variance increased, participants switched from focusing on actual rewards to using reward frequency as a proxy for value, thereby showing greater preference for more frequently rewarded but less valuable options. These findings suggest that increased uncertainty encourages the compensatory use of diverse evaluation methods, and our dual-process model provides a promising framework for studying multi-system decision-making in complex, multivariable contexts.</p>","PeriodicalId":501698,"journal":{"name":"Communications Psychology","volume":"3 1","pages":"61"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11997072/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144061838","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Martha N Havenith, Max Leidenberger, Jelena Brasanac, Mafalda Corvacho, Inês Carmo Figueiredo, Leonie Schwarz, Malin Uthaug, Simona Rakusa, Marijan Bernardic, Liliana Vasquez-Mock, Sergio Pérez Rosal, Robin Carhart-Harris, Stefan M Gold, Henrik Jungaberle, Andrea Jungaberle
{"title":"Decreased CO<sub>2</sub> saturation during circular breathwork supports emergence of altered states of consciousness.","authors":"Martha N Havenith, Max Leidenberger, Jelena Brasanac, Mafalda Corvacho, Inês Carmo Figueiredo, Leonie Schwarz, Malin Uthaug, Simona Rakusa, Marijan Bernardic, Liliana Vasquez-Mock, Sergio Pérez Rosal, Robin Carhart-Harris, Stefan M Gold, Henrik Jungaberle, Andrea Jungaberle","doi":"10.1038/s44271-025-00247-0","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s44271-025-00247-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Altered states of consciousness (ASCs), induced e.g. during psychedelic-assisted therapy, show potential to treat prevalent mental health disorders like depression and posttraumatic stress disorder. However, access to such treatments is restricted by legal, medical, and financial barriers. Circular breathwork may present a non-pharmacological and hence more accessible alternative to engage similar therapeutic processes. Scientific studies of breathwork are only just emerging and its physiological and psychological mechanisms are largely unknown. Here, we track physiological and experiential dynamics throughout a breathwork session, comparing two forms of breathwork: Holotropic and Conscious-Connected breathwork. We show that a reduction in end-tidal CO<sub>2</sub> pressure due to deliberate hyperventilation is significantly correlated to ASC onset (r = -0.46; p < 0.001). Based on standard questionnaires (MEQ-30 and 11-DASC), the ASCs evoked by breathwork resembled those produced by psychedelics across several experiential domains such as ego dissolution, and their depth predicted psychological and physiological follow-on effects, including improved well-being and reduced depressive symptoms. Further analysis showed that different breathwork approaches produced highly similar outcomes. Our findings identify physiological boundary conditions for ASCs to arise in a non-pharmacological context, shedding light on the functional mechanisms of breathwork as well as its potential as a psychotherapeutic tool.</p>","PeriodicalId":501698,"journal":{"name":"Communications Psychology","volume":"3 1","pages":"59"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11994804/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144014653","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Advantaged identity management strategies differentiate five subgroups of white Americans.","authors":"Eric Shuman, Eran Halperin, Eric Knowles","doi":"10.1038/s44271-025-00239-0","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s44271-025-00239-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The United States is experiencing significant social change, compelling white Americans to grapple more directly with their white identity. This paper examines how white Americans manage their identity amidst societal shifts using a recently developed measure of advantaged identity management, representative data (N = 2648), and latent profile analysis. The findings reveal five subgroups of white Americans, each managing their identity differently. Four profiles correspond to the main advantaged identity management strategies (defend (n = 251), deny (n = 528), distance (n = 694), dismantle (n = 612)), with a fifth using strategies flexibly (n = 563). We examined how valuing hierarchy, meritocracy, and egalitarianism predicted membership in these subgroups, and most of our predictions about how these values would predict membership were supported. These profiles show contrasting attitudes toward social change, with defender-deniers opposing, denier-distancers moderately opposing, distancers remaining neutral, and dismantlers supporting change. These findings provide empirical evidence for a recently theorized model of white identity management and suggest that how white Americans manage their identity has important implications for social change.</p>","PeriodicalId":501698,"journal":{"name":"Communications Psychology","volume":"3 1","pages":"58"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11992219/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144034911","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Josué García-Arch, Christoph W Korn, Lluís Fuentemilla
{"title":"Author Correction: Self-utility distance as a computational approach to understanding self-concept clarity.","authors":"Josué García-Arch, Christoph W Korn, Lluís Fuentemilla","doi":"10.1038/s44271-025-00244-3","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s44271-025-00244-3","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":501698,"journal":{"name":"Communications Psychology","volume":"3 1","pages":"57"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11992144/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144035060","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}