Pub Date : 2024-06-03DOI: 10.1177/09637214241246480
Wendy Wood
Why do we act on habit even when we intend to do something else? The answer lies in habit memories, or context-response associations, that form when people repeat rewarding actions in stable contexts. Although habits can form as people pursue goals, once habits develop, the perception of the context directly activates the response in mind. Because habit activation does not depend strongly on motivation, changing intentions has limited impact on habit memory. Instead, successful habit-change interventions directly impact the behavior itself: Along with classic behavior therapy interventions, habits change with (a) reward systems that form new habits, (b) disruption of context cues to forestall activation of the habit in mind, and (c) friction that makes the habitual response difficult and alternatives easier. Despite the strong evidence that habits are activated by contexts, people tend to believe that their own habits are a product of goal pursuit. This subjective reality might also explain why some researchers continue to maintain that habit performance depends on goals.
{"title":"Habits, Goals, and Effective Behavior Change","authors":"Wendy Wood","doi":"10.1177/09637214241246480","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/09637214241246480","url":null,"abstract":"Why do we act on habit even when we intend to do something else? The answer lies in habit memories, or context-response associations, that form when people repeat rewarding actions in stable contexts. Although habits can form as people pursue goals, once habits develop, the perception of the context directly activates the response in mind. Because habit activation does not depend strongly on motivation, changing intentions has limited impact on habit memory. Instead, successful habit-change interventions directly impact the behavior itself: Along with classic behavior therapy interventions, habits change with (a) reward systems that form new habits, (b) disruption of context cues to forestall activation of the habit in mind, and (c) friction that makes the habitual response difficult and alternatives easier. Despite the strong evidence that habits are activated by contexts, people tend to believe that their own habits are a product of goal pursuit. This subjective reality might also explain why some researchers continue to maintain that habit performance depends on goals.","PeriodicalId":10802,"journal":{"name":"Current Directions in Psychological Science","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":7.2,"publicationDate":"2024-06-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141270946","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-05-23DOI: 10.1177/09637214241247017
Monica Biernat, Xian Zhao, Emily C. Watkins
Names are important signifiers of identity, but for many ethnic minority–group members, names trigger discriminatory responses. Name anglicization (or name whitening) is one proactive response to ward off anticipated discrimination and to signal assimilation. We review evidence suggesting that name anglicization may reduce discrimination (compared with using an original ethnic name), but it burdens minority-group members and is linked to lower well-being. We suggest a solution to this dilemma: training proper pronunciation of ethnic names. We provide a model of how this simple intervention may improve interethnic interactions, signal inclusion, and reduce prejudice in both ethnic majority- and minority-group members.
{"title":"Names Matter: Implications of Name “Whitening” for Ethnic Minority Discrimination and Well-Being","authors":"Monica Biernat, Xian Zhao, Emily C. Watkins","doi":"10.1177/09637214241247017","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/09637214241247017","url":null,"abstract":"Names are important signifiers of identity, but for many ethnic minority–group members, names trigger discriminatory responses. Name anglicization (or name whitening) is one proactive response to ward off anticipated discrimination and to signal assimilation. We review evidence suggesting that name anglicization may reduce discrimination (compared with using an original ethnic name), but it burdens minority-group members and is linked to lower well-being. We suggest a solution to this dilemma: training proper pronunciation of ethnic names. We provide a model of how this simple intervention may improve interethnic interactions, signal inclusion, and reduce prejudice in both ethnic majority- and minority-group members.","PeriodicalId":10802,"journal":{"name":"Current Directions in Psychological Science","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":7.2,"publicationDate":"2024-05-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141091766","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-05-20DOI: 10.1177/09637214241245412
M. J. Crockett, Judy S. Kim, Yeon Soon Shin
We explore the role of intuitive theories in the cultural evolution of moral cognition, integrating recent work across subfields of psychology and suggesting directions for future research. Focusing on intuitive theories in the moral domain concerning how people judge the moral value of actions and make inferences about moral character, we review evidence that the specific forms these theories take vary across individuals and can change via social learning. We propose that cultural selection can operate over the intuitive theories people apply in the moral domain, in which particular variants of intuitive moral theories can be more “successful” to the extent that they are cognitively efficient or provide reputational benefits. Finally, we explore some implications of considering moral cognition as a kind of cultural technology that can be innovated, considering whether intuitive moral theories help or hinder our ability to improve our collective moral norms or practices.
{"title":"Intuitive Theories and the Cultural Evolution of Morality","authors":"M. J. Crockett, Judy S. Kim, Yeon Soon Shin","doi":"10.1177/09637214241245412","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/09637214241245412","url":null,"abstract":"We explore the role of intuitive theories in the cultural evolution of moral cognition, integrating recent work across subfields of psychology and suggesting directions for future research. Focusing on intuitive theories in the moral domain concerning how people judge the moral value of actions and make inferences about moral character, we review evidence that the specific forms these theories take vary across individuals and can change via social learning. We propose that cultural selection can operate over the intuitive theories people apply in the moral domain, in which particular variants of intuitive moral theories can be more “successful” to the extent that they are cognitively efficient or provide reputational benefits. Finally, we explore some implications of considering moral cognition as a kind of cultural technology that can be innovated, considering whether intuitive moral theories help or hinder our ability to improve our collective moral norms or practices.","PeriodicalId":10802,"journal":{"name":"Current Directions in Psychological Science","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":7.2,"publicationDate":"2024-05-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141074157","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-05-20DOI: 10.1177/09637214241246553
Manuel J. Galvan, B. Keith Payne
Inequality is perpetuated, in part, by the psychological and behavioral tendencies that arise from the social context of inequality. Cognitive biases lead most people to see themselves as middle class, even when that perception does not align with economic reality. Those who perceive themselves as economically advantaged tend to view inequality as fair and legitimate, often dismissing proponents of redistributive solutions as ill-informed. And unequal contexts increase risky behaviors that can be profitable to some but are more likely to be costly for most. This research program suggests an inequality cycle, in which inequality experienced today tends to reproduce itself.
{"title":"The Inequality Cycle: How Psychology Helps Keep Economic Inequality in Place","authors":"Manuel J. Galvan, B. Keith Payne","doi":"10.1177/09637214241246553","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/09637214241246553","url":null,"abstract":"Inequality is perpetuated, in part, by the psychological and behavioral tendencies that arise from the social context of inequality. Cognitive biases lead most people to see themselves as middle class, even when that perception does not align with economic reality. Those who perceive themselves as economically advantaged tend to view inequality as fair and legitimate, often dismissing proponents of redistributive solutions as ill-informed. And unequal contexts increase risky behaviors that can be profitable to some but are more likely to be costly for most. This research program suggests an inequality cycle, in which inequality experienced today tends to reproduce itself.","PeriodicalId":10802,"journal":{"name":"Current Directions in Psychological Science","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":7.2,"publicationDate":"2024-05-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141073882","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-05-03DOI: 10.1177/09637214241242451
Christian Kandler, Simone Kühn, Bastian Mönkediek, Andreas J. Forstner, Wiebke Bleidorn
Environments shape people, and at the same time, people are attracted to environments that fit their characteristics because fit facilitates the achievement of people’s desired life outcomes, such as relationship satisfaction, work success, and well-being. In this article, we outline how persons and environments can fit, the relevance of fit and misfit for different life outcomes, and the benefits and pitfalls of different (mis)fit measures. We propose three directions for future research: (a) the use of both subjective and objective (mis)fit measures; (b) the consideration of complex dynamics between person and environment characteristics via pathways through multiple biological, experiential, behavioral, and social layers across the life span; and (c) the integration of insights from different disciplines, including psychology, sociology, neuroscience, and genetics, to move the field forward.
{"title":"A Multidisciplinary Perspective on Person-Environment Fit: Relevance, Measurement, and Future Directions","authors":"Christian Kandler, Simone Kühn, Bastian Mönkediek, Andreas J. Forstner, Wiebke Bleidorn","doi":"10.1177/09637214241242451","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/09637214241242451","url":null,"abstract":"Environments shape people, and at the same time, people are attracted to environments that fit their characteristics because fit facilitates the achievement of people’s desired life outcomes, such as relationship satisfaction, work success, and well-being. In this article, we outline how persons and environments can fit, the relevance of fit and misfit for different life outcomes, and the benefits and pitfalls of different (mis)fit measures. We propose three directions for future research: (a) the use of both subjective and objective (mis)fit measures; (b) the consideration of complex dynamics between person and environment characteristics via pathways through multiple biological, experiential, behavioral, and social layers across the life span; and (c) the integration of insights from different disciplines, including psychology, sociology, neuroscience, and genetics, to move the field forward.","PeriodicalId":10802,"journal":{"name":"Current Directions in Psychological Science","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":7.2,"publicationDate":"2024-05-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140826386","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-04-29DOI: 10.1177/09637214241242746
Louise Connell, Dermot Lynott
Language models are a rapidly developing field of artificial intelligence with enormous potential to improve our understanding of human cognition. However, many popular language models are cognitively implausible on multiple fronts. For language models to offer plausible insights into human cognitive processing, they should implement a transparent and cognitively plausible learning mechanism, train on a quantity of text that is achievable in a human’s lifetime of language exposure, and not assume to represent all of word meaning. When care is taken to create plausible language models within these constraints, they can be a powerful tool in uncovering the nature and scope of how language shapes semantic knowledge. The distributional relationships between words, which humans represent in memory as linguistic distributional knowledge, allow people to represent and process semantic information flexibly, robustly, and efficiently.
{"title":"What Can Language Models Tell Us About Human Cognition?","authors":"Louise Connell, Dermot Lynott","doi":"10.1177/09637214241242746","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/09637214241242746","url":null,"abstract":"Language models are a rapidly developing field of artificial intelligence with enormous potential to improve our understanding of human cognition. However, many popular language models are cognitively implausible on multiple fronts. For language models to offer plausible insights into human cognitive processing, they should implement a transparent and cognitively plausible learning mechanism, train on a quantity of text that is achievable in a human’s lifetime of language exposure, and not assume to represent all of word meaning. When care is taken to create plausible language models within these constraints, they can be a powerful tool in uncovering the nature and scope of how language shapes semantic knowledge. The distributional relationships between words, which humans represent in memory as linguistic distributional knowledge, allow people to represent and process semantic information flexibly, robustly, and efficiently.","PeriodicalId":10802,"journal":{"name":"Current Directions in Psychological Science","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":7.2,"publicationDate":"2024-04-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140820024","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-04-27DOI: 10.1177/09637214241242463
Tristen K. Inagaki, Peter J. Gianaros
Threats to social connectedness in the form of social and societal rejection, and the permanent loss of social bonds, are inevitable and common sources of social pain. However, sensitivity to social pain, also known as algesia, differs across individuals and contexts. Such sensitivity has implications for health, well-being, and the maintenance of social connection over time. What biological factors predict differences in sensitivity to social pain? Based on long-standing translational perspectives and emerging findings, the current review highlights blood pressure as a novel predictor of sensitivity to social pain: Higher resting blood pressure appears to relate to lower sensitivity to social pain. Despite evidence for this association, possible psychobiological bases and moderating influences are not yet established. Moreover, although higher blood pressure may afford tolerance for life’s many pains, the health-related implications and trade-offs of such an effect are unknown.
{"title":"Blood Pressure and Social Algesia: The Unexpected Relationship Between the Cardiovascular System and Sensitivity to Social Pain","authors":"Tristen K. Inagaki, Peter J. Gianaros","doi":"10.1177/09637214241242463","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/09637214241242463","url":null,"abstract":"Threats to social connectedness in the form of social and societal rejection, and the permanent loss of social bonds, are inevitable and common sources of social pain. However, sensitivity to social pain, also known as algesia, differs across individuals and contexts. Such sensitivity has implications for health, well-being, and the maintenance of social connection over time. What biological factors predict differences in sensitivity to social pain? Based on long-standing translational perspectives and emerging findings, the current review highlights blood pressure as a novel predictor of sensitivity to social pain: Higher resting blood pressure appears to relate to lower sensitivity to social pain. Despite evidence for this association, possible psychobiological bases and moderating influences are not yet established. Moreover, although higher blood pressure may afford tolerance for life’s many pains, the health-related implications and trade-offs of such an effect are unknown.","PeriodicalId":10802,"journal":{"name":"Current Directions in Psychological Science","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":7.2,"publicationDate":"2024-04-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140808519","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-04-27DOI: 10.1177/09637214241242459
Garvin Brod
The ubiquity of digital devices has made it feasible to assign different tasks and levels of support to different learners, also in the classroom. Ideally, this is done with the help of formative assessment software or intelligent tutoring systems. However, personalized assignment of tasks and support levels by a teacher or teaching agent has limitations and is only one path to successful personalization. Self-regulated learning and adaptable learning activities, such as generative learning strategies and differentiating tasks, are promising paths to personalization, too, and combine well with personalized assignment. Initial examples of such combinations are presented. I argue that, in order to be maximally effective, different paths to personalized education need to be combined. This combination promises to boost both immediate learning outcomes and successful learning in the long term, and it is facilitated by recent advances in artificial intelligence.
{"title":"There Are Multiple Paths to Personalized Education, and They Should Be Combined","authors":"Garvin Brod","doi":"10.1177/09637214241242459","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/09637214241242459","url":null,"abstract":"The ubiquity of digital devices has made it feasible to assign different tasks and levels of support to different learners, also in the classroom. Ideally, this is done with the help of formative assessment software or intelligent tutoring systems. However, personalized assignment of tasks and support levels by a teacher or teaching agent has limitations and is only one path to successful personalization. Self-regulated learning and adaptable learning activities, such as generative learning strategies and differentiating tasks, are promising paths to personalization, too, and combine well with personalized assignment. Initial examples of such combinations are presented. I argue that, in order to be maximally effective, different paths to personalized education need to be combined. This combination promises to boost both immediate learning outcomes and successful learning in the long term, and it is facilitated by recent advances in artificial intelligence.","PeriodicalId":10802,"journal":{"name":"Current Directions in Psychological Science","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":7.2,"publicationDate":"2024-04-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140808514","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-04-25DOI: 10.1177/09637214241242465
Ellen Peters, Jon Benedik Bunquin
Advantages and disadvantages exist for presenting numeric information in science communication. On the one hand, public innumeracy and experts’ concerns about providing numbers suggest not always showing them. On the other hand, people often prefer getting them, and their provision can increase comprehension, trust, and healthy behaviors while reducing risk overestimates and supporting decision-making autonomy. Presenting numeric facts without considering their comprehensibility and usability, however, is like throwing good money after bad. We summarize research concerning three theory-based strategies that improve the understanding and use of numbers by decreasing cognitive effort (e.g., doing the math for the audience), being consistent with principles of numeric cognition, and providing affective meaning.
{"title":"The Power of Numeric Evidence in Science Communication","authors":"Ellen Peters, Jon Benedik Bunquin","doi":"10.1177/09637214241242465","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/09637214241242465","url":null,"abstract":"Advantages and disadvantages exist for presenting numeric information in science communication. On the one hand, public innumeracy and experts’ concerns about providing numbers suggest not always showing them. On the other hand, people often prefer getting them, and their provision can increase comprehension, trust, and healthy behaviors while reducing risk overestimates and supporting decision-making autonomy. Presenting numeric facts without considering their comprehensibility and usability, however, is like throwing good money after bad. We summarize research concerning three theory-based strategies that improve the understanding and use of numbers by decreasing cognitive effort (e.g., doing the math for the audience), being consistent with principles of numeric cognition, and providing affective meaning.","PeriodicalId":10802,"journal":{"name":"Current Directions in Psychological Science","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":7.2,"publicationDate":"2024-04-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140651926","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-04-25DOI: 10.1177/09637214241242452
Kai Sassenberg, Kevin Winter
Societies are increasingly divided about political issues such as migration or counteracting climate change. This attitudinal polarization is the basis for intergroup conflict and prevents societal progress in addressing pressing challenges. Research on attitude change should provide an answer regarding how people might be persuaded to move away from the extremes to take a moderate stance. However, persuasive communication often most strongly affects those who hold a moderate attitude or are undecided. More importantly, barely any research has explicitly aimed at mitigating extreme attitudes and behavioral tendencies. Addressing this gap, this article summarizes research demonstrating that (different types of) intraindividual conflicts might be a means to mitigate polarized attitudes. Goal conflicts, cognitive conflicts, counterfactual thinking, and paradoxical thinking facilitate cognitive flexibility. This, in turn, seems to initiate the consideration of alternative stances and mitigate the polarization of attitudes. We discuss the limitations of the existing research and the potential of this approach for interventions.
{"title":"Intraindividual Conflicts Reduce the Polarization of Attitudes","authors":"Kai Sassenberg, Kevin Winter","doi":"10.1177/09637214241242452","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/09637214241242452","url":null,"abstract":"Societies are increasingly divided about political issues such as migration or counteracting climate change. This attitudinal polarization is the basis for intergroup conflict and prevents societal progress in addressing pressing challenges. Research on attitude change should provide an answer regarding how people might be persuaded to move away from the extremes to take a moderate stance. However, persuasive communication often most strongly affects those who hold a moderate attitude or are undecided. More importantly, barely any research has explicitly aimed at mitigating extreme attitudes and behavioral tendencies. Addressing this gap, this article summarizes research demonstrating that (different types of) intraindividual conflicts might be a means to mitigate polarized attitudes. Goal conflicts, cognitive conflicts, counterfactual thinking, and paradoxical thinking facilitate cognitive flexibility. This, in turn, seems to initiate the consideration of alternative stances and mitigate the polarization of attitudes. We discuss the limitations of the existing research and the potential of this approach for interventions.","PeriodicalId":10802,"journal":{"name":"Current Directions in Psychological Science","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":7.2,"publicationDate":"2024-04-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140651815","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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