{"title":"Psycholinguistic perspectives on face-to-face conversation","authors":"Judith Holler, Anna K. Kuhlen","doi":"10.1038/s44159-026-00538-1","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44159-026-00538-1","url":null,"abstract":"Traditional psycholinguistic approaches to language have examined production and comprehension in isolation. However, these processes are tightly intertwined and embedded in social interactions. In this Review, we summarize empirical work that highlights the behavioural and cognitive complexities of communicating meaning in face-to-face conversation and that should be captured by psycholinguistic accounts and paradigms. To begin, we consider the implications of conceptualizing language as a situated joint action. Then, we summarize work on three defining features of conversation. First, visual bodily signals play an integral role in composing and comprehending meaning and achieving mutual understanding. Second, addressee feedback signals understanding or difficulty understanding, and the monitoring of interlocutors for such signals adds demands on cognitive resources. Third, multi-party interactions require participants to keep track of and adapt to multiple people’s understanding, signals and shared knowledge. In closing, we point to issues that require further research and the development of experimental paradigms that can capture defining features of face-to-face conversation while maintaining experimental control. Language production and comprehension are often studied as separate processes, but they are intertwined in naturalistic conversation. In this Review, Holler and Kuhlen summarize how visual signals, feedback and multi-party interactions contribute to language processing and require further study.","PeriodicalId":74249,"journal":{"name":"Nature reviews psychology","volume":"5 4","pages":"240-255"},"PeriodicalIF":21.8,"publicationDate":"2026-02-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147666387","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Correlates of interpersonal physiological synchrony and sources of empirical heterogeneity","authors":"Ilanit Gordon, Ronny P. Bartsch","doi":"10.1038/s44159-026-00535-4","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44159-026-00535-4","url":null,"abstract":"Interpersonal physiological synchrony refers to the temporal coordination of physiological processes among several individuals and is considered to be an emergent property of sociality and cooperation. However, despite decades of work the psychological meaning of interpersonal physiological synchrony remains ambiguous. In this Review, we synthesize all interpersonal physiological synchrony findings with a focus on key review articles and empirical papers published between 2020 and 2024. We identify social-oriented, performance-oriented and self-oriented correlates of interpersonal physiological synchrony and point to critical issues for each domain. We then expand on methodological and theoretical sources of empirical heterogeneity across the interpersonal physiological synchrony literature. We conclude with hypotheses and design recommendations for future studies with the aim of advancing the field towards a more verified, rigorous and nuanced understanding of interpersonal physiological synchrony. Despite decades of work on interpersonal physiological synchrony, its psychological function and meaning remains ambiguous. In this Review, Gordon and Bartsch identify social-oriented, performance-oriented and self-oriented correlates of interpersonal physiological synchrony and sources of empirical heterogeneity across the literature.","PeriodicalId":74249,"journal":{"name":"Nature reviews psychology","volume":"5 3","pages":"201-215"},"PeriodicalIF":21.8,"publicationDate":"2026-02-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147441942","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A many model systems thinking approach to cyberbullying","authors":"Lia Mills","doi":"10.1038/s44159-026-00542-5","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44159-026-00542-5","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":74249,"journal":{"name":"Nature reviews psychology","volume":"5 3","pages":"156-156"},"PeriodicalIF":21.8,"publicationDate":"2026-02-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147441941","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Subcomponents of reward processing in adolescent anhedonia","authors":"Xueqing Ma, Angad Sahni, Ciara McCabe","doi":"10.1038/s44159-026-00534-5","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44159-026-00534-5","url":null,"abstract":"Anhedonia is increasingly linked to dysfunctional reward processing and has been consistently reported to emerge during adolescence, a period of major developmental changes in the neurobiological and social aspects of reward experiences. Understanding anhedonia and the reward dysfunction that might underpin it could inform prevention and intervention efforts among young people, particularly for major depressive disorder. In this Review, we critically examine the relationship between anhedonia and reward processing in adolescence, including evidence from retrospective self-report questionnaires, task-based measures and ecological momentary assessment. We structure our synthesis according to the reward process subcomponents (consummatory pleasure, anticipation, motivation and learning) and with reference to the positive valence systems domain of the Research Domain Criteria framework and developmental perspectives. We discuss key limitations in the assessment of reward processing in adolescents and propose future directions to map real-time subjective anhedonia experiences to observable behaviour using objective task-based assessments. Understanding the link between anhedonia and reward processing in adolescence can enhance mental health interventions specifically for young people. In this Review, Ma et al. examine the evidence on consummatory pleasure, anticipation, motivation and learning, and discuss real-time assessment of anhedonia and the reward cycle.","PeriodicalId":74249,"journal":{"name":"Nature reviews psychology","volume":"5 3","pages":"185-200"},"PeriodicalIF":21.8,"publicationDate":"2026-02-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147441947","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Young children are sensitive to the limitations of hearsay","authors":"Teresa Schubert","doi":"10.1038/s44159-026-00539-0","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44159-026-00539-0","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":74249,"journal":{"name":"Nature reviews psychology","volume":"5 2","pages":"75-75"},"PeriodicalIF":21.8,"publicationDate":"2026-02-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146155316","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A language processing time window of around three seconds","authors":"Xinchi Yu","doi":"10.1038/s44159-026-00540-7","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44159-026-00540-7","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":74249,"journal":{"name":"Nature reviews psychology","volume":"5 3","pages":"155-155"},"PeriodicalIF":21.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147441945","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lucy Foulkes, Isaac Winterburn, Dasha Sandra, Michael Inzlicht, Jack L. Andrews, Carolina Guzman Holst
{"title":"The psychological consequences of mental health awareness efforts","authors":"Lucy Foulkes, Isaac Winterburn, Dasha Sandra, Michael Inzlicht, Jack L. Andrews, Carolina Guzman Holst","doi":"10.1038/s44159-026-00532-7","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44159-026-00532-7","url":null,"abstract":"Public health campaigns that raise awareness about mental health problems are designed to decrease stigma, increase help-seeking and improve mental health literacy. However, there is some theoretical concern that, alongside benefits, such campaigns might negatively impact how some individuals interpret, label and respond to mental health problems. In this Review, we summarize the extant evidence for the positive and negative psychological impacts of mental health awareness efforts. We integrate theoretical literature with studies using experimental designs in which mental health awareness content is manipulated in a controlled environment that might provide preliminary insights into potential causal relationships. We find that awareness materials can change cognitions and beliefs relating to one’s own mental health and to mental health more generally (such as self-diagnosis and beliefs about recovery). These effects can vary depending on individual characteristics (such as existing symptoms, stability of self-concept and suggestibility), the message being presented, identification with the messenger, and whether there is personalized information about one’s own symptoms. We discuss the implications of this work for adolescent populations and directions for future research. Mental health awareness campaigns aim to decrease stigma, increase help-seeking and improve mental health literacy. However, they might also negatively impact how individuals interpret, label and respond to mental health problems. In this Review, Foulkes et al. summarize evidence for the positive and negative psychological impacts of mental health awareness efforts.","PeriodicalId":74249,"journal":{"name":"Nature reviews psychology","volume":"5 3","pages":"173-184"},"PeriodicalIF":21.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147441948","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Patterns of healthcare access after cancer","authors":"Maja Furlan de Brito","doi":"10.1038/s44159-026-00533-6","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44159-026-00533-6","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":74249,"journal":{"name":"Nature reviews psychology","volume":"5 3","pages":"154-154"},"PeriodicalIF":21.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147441943","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}