Psychology Research Digest
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology - Vol 131, Iss 5
The Journal of Personality and Social Psychology publishes original papers in all areas of personality and social psychology. It emphasizes empirical reports but may include specialized theoretical, methodological, and review papers.
When and why are social categories overused relative to individuating information? A Bayesian approach to identifying biases in impression formation processes.
When making inferences about others, people often need to integrate multiple types of information, including the person’s social categories (e.g., occupation) as well as other “individuating” information (e.g., their behaviors). The current work reexamines this integration process to understand when and why it produces biases involving overreliance on category information. We identify two key challenges in identifying such biases, and develop a novel Bayesian modeling approach to overcome them. As a first step in applying this approach, the current work examined a set of novel predictions based on viewing the continuum model of impression formation in light of this Bayesian approach. Specifically, a series of six studies tested whether occupation categories might be overused in general, or especially in conditions thought to reduce effortful processing (i.e., greater cognitive load or information consistency). Results showed no evidence of category overuse, nor of shifts in this direction, in any of these conditions (though some ambiguity remained about the load manipulation’s effectiveness). This provides initial evidence against the idea that intrinsic differences in how these categories are processed or represented will lead to their overuse. A seventh study provided the first direct evidence of a case where categories were overused: when contextual factors (i.e., background goals) made them the category especially relevant, while processing resources were limited. More broadly, the current work developed the theoretical and methodological foundations for identifying category overuse that stems from biased inference processes and demonstrated the power of this approach for understanding when and why such biases occur. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved)
Publication date: Thu, 17 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT Access the article >>Judged by humans, comforted by machines: How psychological expectations shape experiences and perceptions of AI support.
People frequently encounter minor aversive experiences—such as rude interactions or social slights—that, while not major events, can still affect psychological well-being. In this research, we examine how people experience and perceive social support from artificial intelligence (AI) following such experiences. Drawing on mind perception theory, we propose that initial expectations about AI’s experiential capacity relative to humans shape how people experience and perceive AI support. A pilot study demonstrates that people have different initial expectations of AI’s versus humans’ experiential capacity. Across six studies (five preregistered; total N = 3,341), we found that these initial expectations produce two distinct effects: People report lower fear of negative evaluation after receiving support from AI versus a human, which in turn improves well-being outcomes (Studies 1–3), and people perceive AI as exceeding their expectations for empathy, which in turn drives perceived support effectiveness (Studies 4–6). These effects emerged across controlled simulations and real interactions with actual human and AI support givers. Together, these findings reveal that initial psychological expectations about AI’s experiential capacity play a central role in shaping the experience and perception of AI support. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved)
Publication date: Thu, 03 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT Access the article >>“Yeah, it’s biased, but … ”: Recognition versus moral condemnation of bias across party lines.
Amid rising political polarization, derogatory rhetoric targeting social groups has become common and highly contested across party lines. These partisan divides are often attributed to disagreement about whether bias has occurred, and theories of social norms, harm-based moral judgment, and cognitive consistency suggest that recognizing bias should track moral condemnation. Yet other theories suggest that recognition and condemnation are psychologically distinct. We propose that, even when partisans similarly recognize explicit bias (“yeah, it’s biased”), they may diverge in moral response (“but …”)—depending on the target’s advantaged or disadvantaged status. Across six prestudies (N = 1,197), eight preregistered experiments (N = 7,145), and 16 supplemental studies, including two preregistered experiments (N = 1,029), we examined this “yeah, but” phenomenon. For speech that partisans equivalently recognized as biased based on race and gender, Democrats condemned bias against disadvantaged targets more than Republicans; Republicans condemned bias against advantaged targets more than Democrats—patterns that extended to endorsing sanctions (Study 1). Partisans invoked the same justifications—invulnerability to harm and honesty—but selectively so, depending on the target (Study 2). These patterns emerged for biases based on socioeconomic status and religion (Studies 3–4), behaviors (Study 5), and partisanship (which lacks a stable status hierarchy; Study 6). However, a status-juxtaposition intervention (judging bias against both advantaged and disadvantaged groups) narrowed Democrats’ within-party asymmetry (Studies 7a–b). By disentangling bias recognition from bias condemnation, we show that moral polarization may persist even when Democrats and Republicans both “see” bias and invoke the same moral concerns. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved)
Publication date: Thu, 10 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT Access the article >>What is mine cannot be yours: How zero-sum perceptions of power and status shape men’s perceptions of ingroup harm from women’s hierarchical advancement.
Although men’s support is crucial to facilitating women’s advancement within social and organizational hierarchies, research finds that men may perceive women’s hierarchical advancement as harmful to their ingroup (i.e., in zero-sum terms). Given hierarchies are composed of two distinct bases—power (control over resources) and status (respect from others)—it is presently unknown whether power is perceived as more zero-sum than status and whether men’s perceived ingroup harm differs depending on whether women are gaining power or status. Five preregistered studies (N = 2,899) investigate these questions and examine how perceived ingroup harm mediates downstream consequences in political and organizational domains. Power was viewed as more zero-sum than status (Study 1). Men perceived more ingroup harm from women’s gains in power versus status, while women’s perceptions of ingroup benefit did not differ across power and status (Study 2). Learning of women’s gains in power increased men’s political conservatism, serially mediated by zero-sum perceptions of hierarchy and perceived ingroup harm (Study 3). Men were less supportive of a diversity initiative framed as increasing women’s power versus status, with perceived ingroup harm again serving as the mediator (Study 4). Notably, reducing the perceived zero-sumness of the initiative eliminated the difference in ingroup harm from women’s gains in power (vs. status). Men donated less money when a nonprofit organization’s mission emphasized increasing women’s power (vs. status; Study 5). These findings advance our theoretical understanding of social hierarchies and intergroup dynamics by revealing how women’s gains in power versus status elicit resistance from men. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved)
Publication date: Thu, 17 Apr 2025 00:00:00 GMT Access the article >>Racial discrimination in time investment: The intergroup time bias in different social contexts.
Intergroup time bias (ITB) is a discriminatory behavior in which individuals invest more time in members of their ingroup than of the outgroup. We examined the ITB effect in three culturally diverse countries (Angola, Portugal, and Brazil), each with distinct racialized hierarchies shaped by symbolic social values and group size dynamics. We systematically examined the robustness and moderators of ITB, providing the first culturally informed analysis of how status, based on symbolic social value and group size, underlies this effect. Study 1 replicated the pro-White ITB effect and showed that White participants in Portugal (a predominantly White country where Black individuals are socially devalued) invested more time in White than in Black individuals. Study 2 examined the ITB in Black participants in Angola (a majority-Black country where the symbolic social value of the Black population has increased since decolonization) and showed that participants tended to invest more time in Black than White individuals, although this difference did not reach statistical significance for the ITB effect. Study 3 included both White and Black participants in Brazil (a majority-Black country where deep-rooted racial inequalities characterize social interactions) and found that pro-White ITB was replicated and more pronounced among Black participants. Study 4 conducted a meta-analysis that confirmed the robustness of ITB and identified symbolic social value at the national level as a key moderator. These findings illuminate the role of social context in racialized discrimination in the investment of time and provide a basis for future research into the mechanisms underlying ITB. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved)
Publication date: Thu, 04 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMT Access the article >>Tailoring personality interventions: How timing, context, and strategies influence proximal intervention outcomes.
[Correction Notice: An Erratum for this article was reported online in Journal of Personality and Social Psychology on Aug 10 2026 (see record 2028-09309-001). In the original article, there were errors in the reported results due to problems in the data preparation pipeline that were discovered after the article was published. Specifically, (a) for two intervention strategies, the dependent variables intervention satisfaction and affect were incorrectly labeled, (b) the compliance variable was prepared inconsistently across intervention strategies, and (c) there were some duplicated rows for some intervention strategies that were included in the model estimation. Finally, several numbers shown in the article, tables, and figures changed as a result of these errors. The original article has been corrected.] Personality interventions are a field of growing interest, because many people want to change aspects of their personality and personality changes may positively impact important life outcomes. Although initial research shows that personality interventions can be successful in eliciting lasting trait changes, the strategies, timing, and context of effective personality interventions remain unclear. A careful examination of how these characteristics predict intervention effectiveness would advance theoretical models of volitional personality change. We used intensive longitudinal data from the Changing How I Live Life Study, a smartphone intervention study designed to decrease participants’ neuroticism that combines experience sampling methods and mobile sensing (N = 399; nobs = 39,878; Mage = 25.48 years; 85% female; 47% living in Switzerland). Using these data, we examined the effects of different intervention strategies and their timing and situational context on the proximal outcomes of intervention adherence, intervention satisfaction, and changes in momentary positive affect. Intervention strategies that targeted the state level of neuroticism had more positive effects on people’s momentary affect than habit-level strategies, providing novel insights into the mechanisms of successful personality change. Furthermore, effects differed depending on the timing and situational context of intervention prompts, highlighting possibilities of optimizing the timing of personality interventions. For example, people were more likely to adhere to intervention prompts in quieter environments or when at home. Together, these findings inform theoretical models of personality trait change and can be used to guide the development of effective and refined personality interventions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved)
Publication date: Mon, 09 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT Access the article >>Correction to “Tailoring personality interventions: How timing, context, and strategies influence proximal intervention outcomes” by Haehner et al. (2026).
Reports an error in "Tailoring personality interventions: How timing, context, and strategies influence proximal intervention outcomes" by Peter Haehner, Amanda J. Wright, Till Lubczyk, Rosalie Andrae, Eva Asselmann, Susanne Buecker, Christopher J. Hopwood and Wiebke Bleidorn (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Advanced Online Publication, Mar 09, 2026, np; see record 2027-38084-001). In the original article, there were errors in the reported results due to problems in the data preparation pipeline that were discovered after the article was published. Specifically, (a) for two intervention strategies, the dependent variables intervention satisfaction and affect were incorrectly labeled, (b) the compliance variable was prepared inconsistently across intervention strategies, and (c) there were some duplicated rows for some intervention strategies that were included in the model estimation. Finally, several numbers shown in the article, tables, and figures changed as a result of these errors. The original article has been corrected. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2027-38084-001). Personality interventions are a field of growing interest, because many people want to change aspects of their personality and personality changes may positively impact important life outcomes. Although initial research shows that personality interventions can be successful in eliciting lasting trait changes, the strategies, timing, and context of effective personality interventions remain unclear. A careful examination of how these characteristics predict intervention effectiveness would advance theoretical models of volitional personality change. We used intensive longitudinal data from the Changing How I Live Life Study, a smartphone intervention study designed to decrease participants’ neuroticism that combines experience sampling methods and mobile sensing (N = 399; nobs = 39,878; Mage = 25.48 years; 85% female; 47% living in Switzerland). Using these data, we examined the effects of different intervention strategies and their timing and situational context on the proximal outcomes of intervention adherence, intervention satisfaction, and changes in momentary positive affect. Intervention strategies that targeted the state level of neuroticism had more positive effects on people’s momentary affect than habit-level strategies, providing novel insights into the mechanisms of successful personality change. Furthermore, effects differed depending on the timing and situational context of intervention prompts, highlighting possibilities of optimizing the timing of personality interventions. For example, people were more likely to adhere to intervention prompts in quieter environments or when at home. Together, these findings inform theoretical models of personality trait change and can be used to guide the development of effective and refined personality interventions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved)
Publication date: Mon, 10 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Access the article >>The family environment in late childhood and early adolescence as a predictor of narcissism in emerging adulthood: Findings from a 17-year longitudinal study of Mexican-origin youth.
The development of narcissism has been theoretically tied to childhood experiences, yet little empirical research has examined the influence of the family environment on adult narcissism using long-term longitudinal data. The present study identified family factors in late childhood and early adolescence that are prospectively associated with narcissism (grandiosity, superiority, exploitativeness, vulnerability) in emerging adulthood using data from a longitudinal study of Mexican-origin youth (N = 674) spanning from age 10 to 26. Using structural equation modeling of multimethod data (child report, parent and spouse report, and coded parent–child interactions), we found that grandiosity and superiority were significantly predicted by positive aspects of the family environment (e.g., parental warmth, parent–child relationship quality, parental relationship quality), whereas exploitativeness and vulnerability were significantly predicted by negative aspects of the family environment (e.g., parental hostility, parent–child conflict). These findings were much weaker and often nonsignificant after controlling for earlier levels of narcissism, suggesting that the family environment exerts its effect on adult narcissism via its concurrent effect on adolescent narcissism. Overall, our study highlights several underexplored family factors in childhood that contribute to the development and maintenance of narcissism in adulthood. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved)
Publication date: Thu, 03 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT Access the article >>The link between self-esteem and aggression: A meta-analysis of longitudinal studies.
This preregistered meta-analysis of longitudinal studies investigated the prospective effects between self-esteem and aggression. The link between these constructs has been debated for decades. Some researchers have argued that low self-esteem is a risk factor for aggression, while others have linked high self-esteem to aggression, referring to a “dark side of high self-esteem.” A comprehensive literature search led to the inclusion of 47 samples (total N = 40,688). Using one-stage meta-analytic structural equation modeling, we estimated dynamic panel models controlling for stable between-person variance in the constructs. The analyses revealed no significant cross-lagged effects; self-esteem did not predict later aggression, nor did aggression predict later self-esteem. When using continuous time meta-analysis to account for between-study differences in time intervals, a significant but small effect of aggression on low self-esteem emerged. The effect of self-esteem on aggression remained nonsignificant. In both types of analyses, the latent factors of self-esteem and aggression were significantly correlated with a large effect size (r = −.35 and r = −.33, respectively). There was little evidence for publication bias. The only evidence of moderation of cross-lagged effects was found for the effect of aggression on self-esteem, which was stronger (i.e., more negative) for hostile-only aggression. Otherwise, the results provided no clear evidence that the prospective effects between self-esteem and aggression differed across aggression dimensions, age, and gender. Taken together, our results indicated that neither low nor high self-esteem appears to be a risk factor for future aggression. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved)
Publication date: Thu, 13 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Access the article >>