Pub Date : 2026-10-19DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2026.107994
Zhongzhen Lin, Yukai Li, Shasha Li, Guanzhen Xiao, Nan He, Yiheng Luo
Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) has become a research focus in recent years, and has been widely applied in many fields. Due to its excellent natural language processing ability and its capability to simulate human conversation, the Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer (ChatGPT) has attracted much attention from both media and academia. However, studies have mainly focused on the technical implementation of ChatGPT and its social impact, with few paying attention to the influence of its interface design on users. This study aimed to explore the effects of three research variables-response mode, polarity display, and visual avatar-on users' perceptions and experience of chatbot graphical interfaces. The study consisted of two stages. The first stage adopted a 2 (response mode) × 2 (polarity display) × 3 (visual avatar) mixed factorial design, which aimed to evaluate the effects of the relevant research variables on users' perceptions and experience. The second stage applied the Kano model to assess users' satisfaction with and importance ranking of the related research variables. The results indicate that Word-for-Word Responses received higher SUPR-Q and perceived Technological Sophistication ratings, whereas Full-Length Responses received higher perceived Human-Likeness and overall satisfaction ratings. Positive Polarity displays generally performed better than Negative Polarity, but in the human-avatar condition, Negative Polarity can enhance the sense of Technological Sophistication. The interaction patterns differed across outcomes. For user experience quality, Word-for-Word Responses received higher ratings under Positive Polarity, whereas Full-Length Responses received higher ratings under Negative Polarity. In contrast, for perceived Human-Likeness, Word-for-Word Responses received higher ratings under Negative Polarity, whereas Full-Length Responses received higher ratings under Positive Polarity. Polarity Display interacted with Visual Avatar in perceived Technological Sophistication, although the polarity comparisons within each avatar condition were not significant after Bonferroni adjustment. In the Human Avatar condition, Full-Length Responses received higher perceived Human-Likeness ratings under Positive Polarity than under Negative Polarity. The Kano analysis classified Negative Polarity as Attractive, Positive Polarity and Full-Length Responses as Indifferent, Word-for-Word Responses and the Iconic Avatar as Reverse, the Human Avatar as Indifferent, and the Robotic Avatar as One-Dimensional. Overall, among the evaluated interface configurations, the combination of Full-Length Responses, Positive Polarity, and a Robotic Avatar was the most frequently selected by participants. These research results provide theoretical support for the iterative development of AI chatbots, and have significance for the development of user experience in future GenAI application scenarios in daily life.
{"title":"Interface cues in AI chatbots: Effects of response mode, display polarity, and visual avatars on user perceptions and satisfaction.","authors":"Zhongzhen Lin, Yukai Li, Shasha Li, Guanzhen Xiao, Nan He, Yiheng Luo","doi":"10.1016/j.actpsy.2026.107994","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2026.107994","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) has become a research focus in recent years, and has been widely applied in many fields. Due to its excellent natural language processing ability and its capability to simulate human conversation, the Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer (ChatGPT) has attracted much attention from both media and academia. However, studies have mainly focused on the technical implementation of ChatGPT and its social impact, with few paying attention to the influence of its interface design on users. This study aimed to explore the effects of three research variables-response mode, polarity display, and visual avatar-on users' perceptions and experience of chatbot graphical interfaces. The study consisted of two stages. The first stage adopted a 2 (response mode) × 2 (polarity display) × 3 (visual avatar) mixed factorial design, which aimed to evaluate the effects of the relevant research variables on users' perceptions and experience. The second stage applied the Kano model to assess users' satisfaction with and importance ranking of the related research variables. The results indicate that Word-for-Word Responses received higher SUPR-Q and perceived Technological Sophistication ratings, whereas Full-Length Responses received higher perceived Human-Likeness and overall satisfaction ratings. Positive Polarity displays generally performed better than Negative Polarity, but in the human-avatar condition, Negative Polarity can enhance the sense of Technological Sophistication. The interaction patterns differed across outcomes. For user experience quality, Word-for-Word Responses received higher ratings under Positive Polarity, whereas Full-Length Responses received higher ratings under Negative Polarity. In contrast, for perceived Human-Likeness, Word-for-Word Responses received higher ratings under Negative Polarity, whereas Full-Length Responses received higher ratings under Positive Polarity. Polarity Display interacted with Visual Avatar in perceived Technological Sophistication, although the polarity comparisons within each avatar condition were not significant after Bonferroni adjustment. In the Human Avatar condition, Full-Length Responses received higher perceived Human-Likeness ratings under Positive Polarity than under Negative Polarity. The Kano analysis classified Negative Polarity as Attractive, Positive Polarity and Full-Length Responses as Indifferent, Word-for-Word Responses and the Iconic Avatar as Reverse, the Human Avatar as Indifferent, and the Robotic Avatar as One-Dimensional. Overall, among the evaluated interface configurations, the combination of Full-Length Responses, Positive Polarity, and a Robotic Avatar was the most frequently selected by participants. These research results provide theoretical support for the iterative development of AI chatbots, and have significance for the development of user experience in future GenAI application scenarios in daily life.</p>","PeriodicalId":7141,"journal":{"name":"Acta Psychologica","volume":"270 ","pages":"107994"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-10-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149223074","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-10-19DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2026.108000
Oleksandra Romaniuk
Clothing color may influence first impressions by guiding visual attention and shaping attractiveness judgments and social meanings. Using red dress and black suit as focal cues, this study manipulated dress color (red versus blue) and suit color (black versus navy) across dyadic romantic scenes and single-person mockups. In a single experiment, 130 young heterosexual participants completed three sequential tasks assessing their eye-tracked visual attention, post-exposure interpersonal evaluation, and explicit social-meaning attribution. Eye-tracking findings showed that in dyadic scenes, women looked longer at the red than blue dress and fixated on it sooner, whereas men showed no corresponding red-blue difference. No significant dress-color effects were detected in the mockups. Direct cross-context analyses did not confirm that the effects differed reliably between the dyadic scene and mockup. Post-exposure ratings indicated that the woman was perceived as more attractive and the dyad as having stronger chemistry when she wore red rather than blue. Participants also associated the red dress with greater sexual attractiveness and stronger romantic signaling. The black-navy suit manipulation produced no reliable suit-color effects on visual attention, interpersonal evaluation, or formal-attire social meaning ratings under the present conditions.
{"title":"Red dress, black suit: Clothing color in first impression formation.","authors":"Oleksandra Romaniuk","doi":"10.1016/j.actpsy.2026.108000","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2026.108000","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Clothing color may influence first impressions by guiding visual attention and shaping attractiveness judgments and social meanings. Using red dress and black suit as focal cues, this study manipulated dress color (red versus blue) and suit color (black versus navy) across dyadic romantic scenes and single-person mockups. In a single experiment, 130 young heterosexual participants completed three sequential tasks assessing their eye-tracked visual attention, post-exposure interpersonal evaluation, and explicit social-meaning attribution. Eye-tracking findings showed that in dyadic scenes, women looked longer at the red than blue dress and fixated on it sooner, whereas men showed no corresponding red-blue difference. No significant dress-color effects were detected in the mockups. Direct cross-context analyses did not confirm that the effects differed reliably between the dyadic scene and mockup. Post-exposure ratings indicated that the woman was perceived as more attractive and the dyad as having stronger chemistry when she wore red rather than blue. Participants also associated the red dress with greater sexual attractiveness and stronger romantic signaling. The black-navy suit manipulation produced no reliable suit-color effects on visual attention, interpersonal evaluation, or formal-attire social meaning ratings under the present conditions.</p>","PeriodicalId":7141,"journal":{"name":"Acta Psychologica","volume":"270 ","pages":"108000"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-10-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149223054","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-10-19DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2026.107973
Jinsong Wang, Jinqi Wang, Jia Liu
Garden visitors evaluate scenery within a broader visit experience that includes shared spaces and visitor services. This study examined how visitor complaints and waiting arrangements relate to landscape evaluation. Study 1 analyzed 31,737 online reviews from 28 Chinese gardens. Poisson models examined the associations of crowding and shared-space complaints and ticketing and service complaints with the rate of positive landscape statements. Study 2 analyzed data from 550 participants randomly assigned to normal passage, visitor-selected waiting, or staff-designated waiting across three scenarios. Within each scenario, the two obstruction conditions used the same images and passage location and described an obstruction lasting approximately 15 min. Ticketing and service complaints showed a stronger negative association with the rate of positive landscape statements than crowding and shared-space complaints, although the magnitudes varied with denominator definition. In Study 2, landscape ratings were lower under staff-designated than visitor-selected waiting (adjusted difference = -0.295, 95% CI [-0.498, -0.093]); both obstruction conditions received lower landscape ratings than normal passage. Ratings of other visitors and the shared environment were descriptively higher under staff-designated than visitor-selected waiting. These findings extend understanding of visitor experience by linking landscape evaluation to the social and organizational context of a visit. They highlight the value of considering how shared garden spaces are used and organized when interpreting landscape ratings and planning on-site services.
花园游客在更广泛的参观体验中评估风景,包括共享空间和游客服务。本研究探讨游客投诉及轮候安排与景观评估的关系。研究1分析了来自28个中国园林的31737条在线评论。泊松模型检验了拥挤和共享空间投诉、票务和服务投诉与积极景观陈述率之间的关系。研究2分析了550名参与者的数据,他们被随机分配到三种情况下的正常通道、访客选择的等待或工作人员指定的等待。在每个场景中,两种阻塞条件使用相同的图像和通道位置,并描述了持续约15 min的阻塞。票务和服务投诉与景观正面评价率的负相关比拥挤和共享空间投诉更强,尽管其大小随分母定义而变化。在研究2中,工作人员指定的景观评分低于游客选择的等待(调整后差异 = -0.295,95% CI [-0.498, -0.093]);两种阻塞条件下的景观评级都低于正常通道。在工作人员指定的情况下,其他访客和共享环境的评分明显高于访客选择的等待。这些发现通过将景观评价与参观的社会和组织背景联系起来,扩展了对游客体验的理解。他们强调了在解释景观评级和规划现场服务时考虑如何使用和组织共享花园空间的价值。
{"title":"Visitor complaints, waiting arrangements, and landscape evaluation in Chinese gardens: Evidence from online reviews and a vignette experiment.","authors":"Jinsong Wang, Jinqi Wang, Jia Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.actpsy.2026.107973","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2026.107973","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Garden visitors evaluate scenery within a broader visit experience that includes shared spaces and visitor services. This study examined how visitor complaints and waiting arrangements relate to landscape evaluation. Study 1 analyzed 31,737 online reviews from 28 Chinese gardens. Poisson models examined the associations of crowding and shared-space complaints and ticketing and service complaints with the rate of positive landscape statements. Study 2 analyzed data from 550 participants randomly assigned to normal passage, visitor-selected waiting, or staff-designated waiting across three scenarios. Within each scenario, the two obstruction conditions used the same images and passage location and described an obstruction lasting approximately 15 min. Ticketing and service complaints showed a stronger negative association with the rate of positive landscape statements than crowding and shared-space complaints, although the magnitudes varied with denominator definition. In Study 2, landscape ratings were lower under staff-designated than visitor-selected waiting (adjusted difference = -0.295, 95% CI [-0.498, -0.093]); both obstruction conditions received lower landscape ratings than normal passage. Ratings of other visitors and the shared environment were descriptively higher under staff-designated than visitor-selected waiting. These findings extend understanding of visitor experience by linking landscape evaluation to the social and organizational context of a visit. They highlight the value of considering how shared garden spaces are used and organized when interpreting landscape ratings and planning on-site services.</p>","PeriodicalId":7141,"journal":{"name":"Acta Psychologica","volume":"270 ","pages":"107973"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-10-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149223057","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-10-19DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2026.108012
Zixiu Cai, Yahong Ma
Objectives To evaluate longitudinal changes in mental health and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among prepubertal Chinese children with short stature whose guardians selected recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) therapy or observation, using both child self-reports and parent proxy-reports. Methods Retrospective, non-randomized study of 162 prepubertal Chinese children (ages 4-12 years) with short stature at a pediatric department in Xiaoshan District. Participants were grouped according to guardian treatment decisions: rhGH group (n = 45, treated for 12 months) and control group (n = 117, standard care only). Baseline anthropometric characteristics and Chinese PedsQL 4.0 scores at baseline and 1 year were analyzed. Group comparisons and within-group longitudinal changes were evaluated using appropriate statistical tests. Results At baseline, the groups were comparable in available demographic, anthropometric, and HRQoL variables (P > 0.05). After 1 year, the control group showed no statistically significant HRQoL changes (P > 0.05), whereas children whose guardians selected rhGH therapy showed increased HRQoL scores across physical, emotional, social, and school domains in both child and parent reports (P < 0.05). At 1 year, the rhGH group had higher overall and domain-specific HRQoL scores than controls (all P < 0.05). These findings should be interpreted as associations because treatment allocation was non-randomized and follow-up growth outcomes were not available in the analyzed dataset. Conclusion In this retrospective non-randomized cohort, rhGH therapy selected by guardians was associated with greater increases in child- and parent-reported HRQoL scores over 1 year compared with observation. Causal effects and growth-mediated psychosocial mechanisms cannot be inferred without adjustment for unmeasured confounders and follow-up growth outcomes.
{"title":"The changes in health-related quality of life and psychological outcomes in Chinese children with short stature after growth hormone therapy.","authors":"Zixiu Cai, Yahong Ma","doi":"10.1016/j.actpsy.2026.108012","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2026.108012","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Objectives To evaluate longitudinal changes in mental health and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among prepubertal Chinese children with short stature whose guardians selected recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) therapy or observation, using both child self-reports and parent proxy-reports. Methods Retrospective, non-randomized study of 162 prepubertal Chinese children (ages 4-12 years) with short stature at a pediatric department in Xiaoshan District. Participants were grouped according to guardian treatment decisions: rhGH group (n = 45, treated for 12 months) and control group (n = 117, standard care only). Baseline anthropometric characteristics and Chinese PedsQL 4.0 scores at baseline and 1 year were analyzed. Group comparisons and within-group longitudinal changes were evaluated using appropriate statistical tests. Results At baseline, the groups were comparable in available demographic, anthropometric, and HRQoL variables (P > 0.05). After 1 year, the control group showed no statistically significant HRQoL changes (P > 0.05), whereas children whose guardians selected rhGH therapy showed increased HRQoL scores across physical, emotional, social, and school domains in both child and parent reports (P < 0.05). At 1 year, the rhGH group had higher overall and domain-specific HRQoL scores than controls (all P < 0.05). These findings should be interpreted as associations because treatment allocation was non-randomized and follow-up growth outcomes were not available in the analyzed dataset. Conclusion In this retrospective non-randomized cohort, rhGH therapy selected by guardians was associated with greater increases in child- and parent-reported HRQoL scores over 1 year compared with observation. Causal effects and growth-mediated psychosocial mechanisms cannot be inferred without adjustment for unmeasured confounders and follow-up growth outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":7141,"journal":{"name":"Acta Psychologica","volume":"270 ","pages":"108012"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-10-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149223113","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Objective: This cross-sectional study aimed to construct a network model linking multidimensional health indicators to depressive symptoms in Chinese older adults, using data from the 2020 wave of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS; N = 9636, aged ≥60 years).
Methods: A 20-node network comprising ten CES-D-10 depressive symptom items, six IADL sub-items, and four single-item health indicators (self-rated health, self-rated memory, physical pain, and life satisfaction) was estimated using the EBICglasso algorithm (γ = 0.5). Five centrality metrics-expected influence, strength, closeness, betweenness, and bridge expected influence-were computed, and the stability of centrality estimates was assessed via correlation-stability (CS) coefficients. Sensitivity analyses included varying γ and residualizing each node for sociodemographic covariates and chronic-disease count; network invariance across sex, age group, and urban-rural residence was tested with the Network Comparison Test (NCT).
Results: Of 190 potential edges, 133 non-zero edges were retained, forming two internally cohesive sub-networks. Among health-indicator nodes, IADL-2 (expected influence = 1.033) and IADL-1 (1.032) were most central; among depressive-symptom nodes, CES-D3 (1.116) and CES-D4 (1.079) ranked highest. Life satisfaction (bridge expected influence = 0.429) and physical pain (0.333) were the predominant bridge nodes, followed by CES-D4 (0.290) and CES-D8 (0.289). The strongest associations were IADL-1-IADL-2 (0.559), CES-D5-CES-D8 (0.335), and self-rated health-pain (0.299). CS coefficients for expected influence and bridge expected influence both reached 0.75. Centrality and bridge-node rankings remained stable across γ values and after covariate residualization (Spearman ρ ≥ 0.99), and network structure was largely invariant across subgroups.
Conclusions: Life satisfaction and physical pain bridge the association between multidimensional health status and depressive symptoms, whereas CES-D3 and CES-D4 represent the most central depressive symptoms. These cross-sectional, hypothesis-generating findings require confirmation in longitudinal cohorts and intervention trials.
{"title":"The complex interaction between multidimensional health indicators and depression among Chinese older adults: A cross-sectional network analysis of health indicators and depressive symptoms.","authors":"Zijun Chen, Ke Zheng, Zhenzhu Wang, Jiusheng Wang, Zihan Wang, Wenjuan Lu, Wenxian Wang, Liang Yu","doi":"10.1016/j.actpsy.2026.108013","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2026.108013","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>This cross-sectional study aimed to construct a network model linking multidimensional health indicators to depressive symptoms in Chinese older adults, using data from the 2020 wave of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS; N = 9636, aged ≥60 years).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A 20-node network comprising ten CES-D-10 depressive symptom items, six IADL sub-items, and four single-item health indicators (self-rated health, self-rated memory, physical pain, and life satisfaction) was estimated using the EBICglasso algorithm (γ = 0.5). Five centrality metrics-expected influence, strength, closeness, betweenness, and bridge expected influence-were computed, and the stability of centrality estimates was assessed via correlation-stability (CS) coefficients. Sensitivity analyses included varying γ and residualizing each node for sociodemographic covariates and chronic-disease count; network invariance across sex, age group, and urban-rural residence was tested with the Network Comparison Test (NCT).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Of 190 potential edges, 133 non-zero edges were retained, forming two internally cohesive sub-networks. Among health-indicator nodes, IADL-2 (expected influence = 1.033) and IADL-1 (1.032) were most central; among depressive-symptom nodes, CES-D3 (1.116) and CES-D4 (1.079) ranked highest. Life satisfaction (bridge expected influence = 0.429) and physical pain (0.333) were the predominant bridge nodes, followed by CES-D4 (0.290) and CES-D8 (0.289). The strongest associations were IADL-1-IADL-2 (0.559), CES-D5-CES-D8 (0.335), and self-rated health-pain (0.299). CS coefficients for expected influence and bridge expected influence both reached 0.75. Centrality and bridge-node rankings remained stable across γ values and after covariate residualization (Spearman ρ ≥ 0.99), and network structure was largely invariant across subgroups.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Life satisfaction and physical pain bridge the association between multidimensional health status and depressive symptoms, whereas CES-D3 and CES-D4 represent the most central depressive symptoms. These cross-sectional, hypothesis-generating findings require confirmation in longitudinal cohorts and intervention trials.</p>","PeriodicalId":7141,"journal":{"name":"Acta Psychologica","volume":"270 ","pages":"108013"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-10-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149223137","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-10-19DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2026.108017
Tania Llana, Lucia Solares, Sara Garces-Arilla, M-Carmen Juan, Marta Mendez, Magdalena Mendez-Lopez
Post-COVID-19 condition (PCC) is frequently associated with cognitive impairments, but the integrity of long-term episodic memory remains poorly understood. This study examined immediate, short-term, and very long-term episodic memory in individuals with PCC and evaluated whether emotional disturbances predict long-term recognition outcomes. Forty-one participants (30 PCC; 11 non-PCC) completed a verbal cued-recall task and an immersive virtual reality free-recall object-location memory (OLM) task immediately after learning and the following day. Nine months later, three recognition tasks (verbal, word-list of objects, and visuospatial recognition) and questionnaires assessing anxiety, depression, and perceived stress were administered. PCC participants required significantly longer retrieval times than non-PCC participants in the immediate and delayed OLM trials. Nine months later, PCC participants exhibited significant impairments in verbal cued-recall compared to the immediate and one-day recall trials. Performance on the word-list task was poorer in the PCC group, whereas scores in verbal and visuospatial recognition tasks remained comparable between groups. Emotional symptoms were significantly higher in the PCC group. Exploratory regression analyses suggested a negative association between perceived stress and nine-month visuospatial recognition performance in PCC participants. These preliminary findings suggest a potential vulnerability of very long-term verbal episodic memory in PCC, alongside slowed retrieval processes and heightened emotional distress. The observed association between chronic perceived stress and visuospatial recognition suggests a potential role of stress in very long-term memory performance. Overall, the results highlight the need for long-term cognitive follow-up in PCC and identify perceived stress as a potential factor relevant for long-term recognition of visuospatial information.
{"title":"Long-term episodic memory alterations and the role of perceived stress in post-COVID-19 condition.","authors":"Tania Llana, Lucia Solares, Sara Garces-Arilla, M-Carmen Juan, Marta Mendez, Magdalena Mendez-Lopez","doi":"10.1016/j.actpsy.2026.108017","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2026.108017","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Post-COVID-19 condition (PCC) is frequently associated with cognitive impairments, but the integrity of long-term episodic memory remains poorly understood. This study examined immediate, short-term, and very long-term episodic memory in individuals with PCC and evaluated whether emotional disturbances predict long-term recognition outcomes. Forty-one participants (30 PCC; 11 non-PCC) completed a verbal cued-recall task and an immersive virtual reality free-recall object-location memory (OLM) task immediately after learning and the following day. Nine months later, three recognition tasks (verbal, word-list of objects, and visuospatial recognition) and questionnaires assessing anxiety, depression, and perceived stress were administered. PCC participants required significantly longer retrieval times than non-PCC participants in the immediate and delayed OLM trials. Nine months later, PCC participants exhibited significant impairments in verbal cued-recall compared to the immediate and one-day recall trials. Performance on the word-list task was poorer in the PCC group, whereas scores in verbal and visuospatial recognition tasks remained comparable between groups. Emotional symptoms were significantly higher in the PCC group. Exploratory regression analyses suggested a negative association between perceived stress and nine-month visuospatial recognition performance in PCC participants. These preliminary findings suggest a potential vulnerability of very long-term verbal episodic memory in PCC, alongside slowed retrieval processes and heightened emotional distress. The observed association between chronic perceived stress and visuospatial recognition suggests a potential role of stress in very long-term memory performance. Overall, the results highlight the need for long-term cognitive follow-up in PCC and identify perceived stress as a potential factor relevant for long-term recognition of visuospatial information.</p>","PeriodicalId":7141,"journal":{"name":"Acta Psychologica","volume":"270 ","pages":"108017"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-10-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149223071","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-10-19DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2026.108018
Haitao Zhan, Qiujian Xu, Rongfeng Guan, Meihui Li, Junrui Li, Kun Wang, Xiubo Ren, Xinran Yuan, Ziqiang Jin, Shanshan Zhao, Jingjing Jiang, Dan Yang
<p><strong>Background: </strong>Healthcare workers in intensive care units (ICUs) are chronically exposed to high-intensity, high-risk clinical environments, where anxiety and burnout are highly prevalent. Music listening is a low-burden, non-pharmacological supportive strategy with potential stress-reducing effects; however, randomized trials evaluating standardized slow-tempo piano music interventions among ICU healthcare workers remain limited.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>To compare short-term trajectories in self-reported generalized anxiety symptoms and weighted MBI-GS burnout index values between ICU healthcare workers assigned to a slow-tempo piano music intervention and those assigned to a passive control condition.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This single-center, open-label, two-group parallel randomized controlled trial was conducted in the ICUs of a tertiary hospital in China. A total of 126 ICU healthcare workers were enrolled and randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to the piano music group or the passive control group, with 63 participants in each group. The piano music group received a 2-week standardized slow-tempo piano music listening intervention consisting of four 30-minute sessions per week, for a total of eight sessions. The listening sessions were conducted outside ICU working hours, after the end of the participant's shift and before bedtime. The passive control group maintained their usual routines and received neither the study-specified music intervention nor a study-arranged 30-minute rest period. Anxiety and burnout were assessed after the 1st, 4th, and 8th sessions using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 scale and the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey. No outcome assessment was conducted before the first intervention session; therefore, the first assessment (T1) was a post-session assessment rather than a pre-intervention baseline. The study was retrospectively registered with the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR2500097216).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>All 126 randomized participants completed the three assessments. In the full sample, statistically significant group × time interactions were identified for GAD-7 scores (Wald χ<sup>2</sup>(2) = 46.29, p < .001) and the weighted MBI-GS burnout index (Wald χ<sup>2</sup>(2) = 6.78, p = .034). In the T1-adjusted analyses, the passive control group had higher GAD-7 scores than the piano music group at T2 (adjusted mean difference = 1.47, 95% CI [0.69, 2.25], p < .001), whereas the adjusted difference at T3 was not statistically significant (adjusted mean difference = 0.85, 95% CI [-0.03, 1.72], p = .057). The passive control group also had higher adjusted weighted MBI-GS burnout index values at T2 (adjusted mean difference = 0.52, 95% CI [0.24, 0.80], p < .001) and T3 (adjusted mean difference = 0.97, 95% CI [0.71, 1.24], p < .001). In the nurse-only sensitivity analysis, the group × time interaction remained statistically significant for GAD-7 scor
背景:重症监护病房(icu)的医护人员长期暴露于高强度、高风险的临床环境中,焦虑和倦怠非常普遍。听音乐是一种低负担、非药物支持策略,具有潜在的减压效果;然而,在ICU医护人员中评估标准化慢节奏钢琴音乐干预的随机试验仍然有限。目的:比较慢节奏钢琴音乐干预组和被动对照组ICU医护人员自我报告的广泛性焦虑症状的短期轨迹和加权MBI-GS倦怠指数值。方法:在国内某三级医院icu进行单中心、开放标签、两组平行随机对照试验。共纳入126名ICU医护人员,按1:1的比例随机分为钢琴音乐组和被动对照组,每组63人。钢琴音乐组接受为期2周的标准慢节奏钢琴音乐聆听干预,包括每周4次30分钟的练习,共8次。聆听会议在ICU工作时间之外、参与者轮班结束后和就寝前进行。被动对照组维持他们的日常生活,既没有接受研究指定的音乐干预,也没有接受研究安排的30分钟休息时间。在第1、4和8次治疗后,使用广泛性焦虑障碍-7量表和Maslach倦怠量表对焦虑和倦怠进行评估。在第一次干预之前没有进行结果评估;因此,第一次评估(T1)是治疗后评估,而不是干预前基线。该研究已在中国临床试验注册中心(ChiCTR2500097216)进行回顾性注册。结果:126名随机受试者均完成了三项评估。在整个样本中,发现GAD-7评分的组×时间交互作用具有统计学意义(Wald χ2(2) = 46.29,p 2(2) = 6.78,p = 0.034)。t1校正分析中,被动对照组在T2时的GAD-7得分高于钢琴曲组(校正平均差值 = 1.47,95% CI [0.69, 2.25], p )结论:钢琴曲组与被动对照组在自我报告焦虑症状和加权倦怠指数上表现出不同的短期轨迹。然而,由于该研究缺乏真正的干预前评估,并且使用了被动控制条件,因此研究结果应被视为短期结果轨迹的初步关联,而不是作为干预效果或钢琴音乐特定效果的证据。进一步的试验包括干预前基线、主动比较条件和更长的随访是有必要的。
{"title":"Slow-tempo piano music listening and short-term anxiety and burnout trajectories in a predominantly nursing sample of ICU healthcare workers: A randomized controlled trial.","authors":"Haitao Zhan, Qiujian Xu, Rongfeng Guan, Meihui Li, Junrui Li, Kun Wang, Xiubo Ren, Xinran Yuan, Ziqiang Jin, Shanshan Zhao, Jingjing Jiang, Dan Yang","doi":"10.1016/j.actpsy.2026.108018","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2026.108018","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Healthcare workers in intensive care units (ICUs) are chronically exposed to high-intensity, high-risk clinical environments, where anxiety and burnout are highly prevalent. Music listening is a low-burden, non-pharmacological supportive strategy with potential stress-reducing effects; however, randomized trials evaluating standardized slow-tempo piano music interventions among ICU healthcare workers remain limited.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>To compare short-term trajectories in self-reported generalized anxiety symptoms and weighted MBI-GS burnout index values between ICU healthcare workers assigned to a slow-tempo piano music intervention and those assigned to a passive control condition.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This single-center, open-label, two-group parallel randomized controlled trial was conducted in the ICUs of a tertiary hospital in China. A total of 126 ICU healthcare workers were enrolled and randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to the piano music group or the passive control group, with 63 participants in each group. The piano music group received a 2-week standardized slow-tempo piano music listening intervention consisting of four 30-minute sessions per week, for a total of eight sessions. The listening sessions were conducted outside ICU working hours, after the end of the participant's shift and before bedtime. The passive control group maintained their usual routines and received neither the study-specified music intervention nor a study-arranged 30-minute rest period. Anxiety and burnout were assessed after the 1st, 4th, and 8th sessions using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 scale and the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey. No outcome assessment was conducted before the first intervention session; therefore, the first assessment (T1) was a post-session assessment rather than a pre-intervention baseline. The study was retrospectively registered with the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR2500097216).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>All 126 randomized participants completed the three assessments. In the full sample, statistically significant group × time interactions were identified for GAD-7 scores (Wald χ<sup>2</sup>(2) = 46.29, p < .001) and the weighted MBI-GS burnout index (Wald χ<sup>2</sup>(2) = 6.78, p = .034). In the T1-adjusted analyses, the passive control group had higher GAD-7 scores than the piano music group at T2 (adjusted mean difference = 1.47, 95% CI [0.69, 2.25], p < .001), whereas the adjusted difference at T3 was not statistically significant (adjusted mean difference = 0.85, 95% CI [-0.03, 1.72], p = .057). The passive control group also had higher adjusted weighted MBI-GS burnout index values at T2 (adjusted mean difference = 0.52, 95% CI [0.24, 0.80], p < .001) and T3 (adjusted mean difference = 0.97, 95% CI [0.71, 1.24], p < .001). In the nurse-only sensitivity analysis, the group × time interaction remained statistically significant for GAD-7 scor","PeriodicalId":7141,"journal":{"name":"Acta Psychologica","volume":"270 ","pages":"108018"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-10-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149223090","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-10-19DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2026.107997
Jingfeng Wang, Zongyu Liu, Bochuan Zhao, Li Shu
Variable-centred research overlooks how personality dimensions combine within individuals. This study used latent profile analysis (LPA) to identify Big Five personality profiles among 2291 Chinese university students, examine profile differences in depression, anxiety, stress, and mental and physical health-related quality of life, and test whether the school sports environment moderated profile differences in health-related quality of life. Participants completed the Big Five Inventory-10 (BFI-10), the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21), the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36), and a 47-item School Sports Environment Questionnaire. A three-profile solution was retained, comprising Average (68.4%), Emotionally Fragile (6.3%; low extraversion, low conscientiousness, high neuroticism), and Resilient (25.3%; high extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, openness, low neuroticism). The Resilient profile exhibited higher mental and physical health-related quality-of-life scores and lower levels of depression, anxiety, and stress, whereas the Emotionally Fragile profile showed the opposite pattern; all pairwise differences were significant (adjusted p < 0.001). A more supportive school sports environment was associated with higher mental and physical health-related quality-of-life scores across profiles. The Profile × School Sports Environment interaction was significant for both mental health-related quality of life, F(2, 2280) = 7.07, p < 0.001, and physical health-related quality of life, F(2, 2280) = 4.70, p = 0.009. Simple slope analyses indicated significant positive associations in all three profiles, with the strongest associations observed in the Emotionally Fragile profile. These findings extend person-centred evidence on personality and health among Chinese university students and identify profile-dependent associations with the school sports environment.
{"title":"Latent profiles of Big Five personality traits among Chinese university students and their associations with psychological distress and health-related quality of life: The moderating role of the school sports environment.","authors":"Jingfeng Wang, Zongyu Liu, Bochuan Zhao, Li Shu","doi":"10.1016/j.actpsy.2026.107997","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2026.107997","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Variable-centred research overlooks how personality dimensions combine within individuals. This study used latent profile analysis (LPA) to identify Big Five personality profiles among 2291 Chinese university students, examine profile differences in depression, anxiety, stress, and mental and physical health-related quality of life, and test whether the school sports environment moderated profile differences in health-related quality of life. Participants completed the Big Five Inventory-10 (BFI-10), the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21), the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36), and a 47-item School Sports Environment Questionnaire. A three-profile solution was retained, comprising Average (68.4%), Emotionally Fragile (6.3%; low extraversion, low conscientiousness, high neuroticism), and Resilient (25.3%; high extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, openness, low neuroticism). The Resilient profile exhibited higher mental and physical health-related quality-of-life scores and lower levels of depression, anxiety, and stress, whereas the Emotionally Fragile profile showed the opposite pattern; all pairwise differences were significant (adjusted p < 0.001). A more supportive school sports environment was associated with higher mental and physical health-related quality-of-life scores across profiles. The Profile × School Sports Environment interaction was significant for both mental health-related quality of life, F(2, 2280) = 7.07, p < 0.001, and physical health-related quality of life, F(2, 2280) = 4.70, p = 0.009. Simple slope analyses indicated significant positive associations in all three profiles, with the strongest associations observed in the Emotionally Fragile profile. These findings extend person-centred evidence on personality and health among Chinese university students and identify profile-dependent associations with the school sports environment.</p>","PeriodicalId":7141,"journal":{"name":"Acta Psychologica","volume":"270 ","pages":"107997"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-10-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149223105","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Purpose: To synthesize qualitative evidence on how women with breast cancer experience social support within the broader return-to-work process and to interpret how support operates across this transition.
Method: This qualitative meta-synthesis used Thomas and Harden's inductive thematic synthesis to integrate findings from seven databases searched from inception to 23 April 2026. Eligible qualitative and mixed-methods studies reported separately extractable qualitative findings from women with breast cancer. After inductive theme generation, an adapted framework analysis mapped support sources, functions and relationship quality; Meleis' Transition Theory was applied in a distinct, secondary interpretive step.
Results: Nineteen studies involving 325 women were included. Three analytical themes and twelve descriptive subthemes were generated: embodied and occupational vulnerability generated changing support needs; survivors negotiated multilevel support and workplace accommodations; and support shaped worker-identity reconstruction and sustainable participation. Emotional/esteem, informational, tangible and companionship support came from family, peers, colleagues, managers, healthcare professionals and institutions. Availability, recognition, conflict and the fit between need and response determined whether support facilitated or inhibited the transition.
Conclusions: Social support is not a single facilitator but a dynamic, relationship- and context-dependent process. The fit between changing support needs and the responses provided matters more than the mere presence of support. Sustainable return requires coordinated, individualized responses to changing health and job demands while preserving autonomy, competence and occupational identity.
{"title":"Social support experiences of breast cancer survivors returning to work: A qualitative meta-synthesis.","authors":"Yongquan Wang, Chunying Wang, Yunfeng Meng, Hanhui Wang, Xiaofang He, Bo Yue","doi":"10.1016/j.actpsy.2026.108024","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2026.108024","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>To synthesize qualitative evidence on how women with breast cancer experience social support within the broader return-to-work process and to interpret how support operates across this transition.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>This qualitative meta-synthesis used Thomas and Harden's inductive thematic synthesis to integrate findings from seven databases searched from inception to 23 April 2026. Eligible qualitative and mixed-methods studies reported separately extractable qualitative findings from women with breast cancer. After inductive theme generation, an adapted framework analysis mapped support sources, functions and relationship quality; Meleis' Transition Theory was applied in a distinct, secondary interpretive step.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Nineteen studies involving 325 women were included. Three analytical themes and twelve descriptive subthemes were generated: embodied and occupational vulnerability generated changing support needs; survivors negotiated multilevel support and workplace accommodations; and support shaped worker-identity reconstruction and sustainable participation. Emotional/esteem, informational, tangible and companionship support came from family, peers, colleagues, managers, healthcare professionals and institutions. Availability, recognition, conflict and the fit between need and response determined whether support facilitated or inhibited the transition.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Social support is not a single facilitator but a dynamic, relationship- and context-dependent process. The fit between changing support needs and the responses provided matters more than the mere presence of support. Sustainable return requires coordinated, individualized responses to changing health and job demands while preserving autonomy, competence and occupational identity.</p>","PeriodicalId":7141,"journal":{"name":"Acta Psychologica","volume":"270 ","pages":"108024"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-10-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149223049","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-10-19DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2026.108026
Mátyás Turós, Norbert Beták, Tímea Vargáné Vincze, Vanessza Kapusi, Szabolcs Ceglédi, Zoltán Szűts
Generative AI is rapidly entering writing instruction in public education; however, a systematic, quality-appraised synthesis of its effects on K-12 students' creative writing is lacking. This review synthesises and critically appraises the empirical evidence, using a scaffolding-versus-substitution framework to distinguish AI-assisted performance from the development of students' own writing. We searched seven databases without language restrictions for 2020-2026, following PRISMA 2020. Risk of bias and methodological quality were assessed with ROBINS-I, RoB 2 and CASP, the certainty of evidence with GRADE and GRADE-CERQual, and findings were synthesised without meta-analysis (SWiM), stratified by design. Seventeen studies met the criteria (total N = 736). All six comparisons of AI-supported with non-AI instruction favoured AI on text quality or creativity, but in every study the scored texts were produced with AI access or under unreported conditions; no study assessed AI-free or delayed writing performance. Effects on writing-related affect were mixed, and no intervention reported a planned withdrawal of AI support. Observational process data indicated that students used AI input to develop their ideas when they retained control, but that AI could also steer the narrative or supply text adopted with little reworking. No study was at low risk of bias, and the certainty of evidence was very low for all quantitative outcomes. The evidence therefore describes what students produce with AI rather than what they learn to do without it; studies with AI-free post-tests, delayed transfer measures and planned fading of support are needed. The protocol was pre-registered (PROSPERO: CRD420261303257).
{"title":"Generative AI in K-12 creative writing instruction: A systematic review and narrative synthesis.","authors":"Mátyás Turós, Norbert Beták, Tímea Vargáné Vincze, Vanessza Kapusi, Szabolcs Ceglédi, Zoltán Szűts","doi":"10.1016/j.actpsy.2026.108026","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2026.108026","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Generative AI is rapidly entering writing instruction in public education; however, a systematic, quality-appraised synthesis of its effects on K-12 students' creative writing is lacking. This review synthesises and critically appraises the empirical evidence, using a scaffolding-versus-substitution framework to distinguish AI-assisted performance from the development of students' own writing. We searched seven databases without language restrictions for 2020-2026, following PRISMA 2020. Risk of bias and methodological quality were assessed with ROBINS-I, RoB 2 and CASP, the certainty of evidence with GRADE and GRADE-CERQual, and findings were synthesised without meta-analysis (SWiM), stratified by design. Seventeen studies met the criteria (total N = 736). All six comparisons of AI-supported with non-AI instruction favoured AI on text quality or creativity, but in every study the scored texts were produced with AI access or under unreported conditions; no study assessed AI-free or delayed writing performance. Effects on writing-related affect were mixed, and no intervention reported a planned withdrawal of AI support. Observational process data indicated that students used AI input to develop their ideas when they retained control, but that AI could also steer the narrative or supply text adopted with little reworking. No study was at low risk of bias, and the certainty of evidence was very low for all quantitative outcomes. The evidence therefore describes what students produce with AI rather than what they learn to do without it; studies with AI-free post-tests, delayed transfer measures and planned fading of support are needed. The protocol was pre-registered (PROSPERO: CRD420261303257).</p>","PeriodicalId":7141,"journal":{"name":"Acta Psychologica","volume":"270 ","pages":"108026"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-10-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149223117","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}