Reviews & Analysis

Certain items are better remembered than others across individuals, a property known as memorability. In this Review, Bainbridge and colleagues detail memorability effects in perception, working memory and long-term memory, and consider the role of processing efficiency in memory.

Reasoning about minds and reasoning about physical objects are governed by two distinct systems. In this Perspective, Liu et al. review research from developmental psychology and cognitive neuroscience that provides evidence for the interaction between psychological and physical reasoning systems.

In this Review, Obaidi et al. propose that understanding violent extremism requires integration of trait-descriptive models (such as Big Five and HEXACO) with process-oriented frameworks that outline mechanisms in social reactivity, needs and mindsets that make some individuals more at risk for engaging in violent extremism.

The performance of large language models (LLMs) is often compared to human performance on decision-making tasks. In this Review, Brady and colleagues examine LLM outputs through the lens of dual-process theory, considering the hallmarks of System 1 and System 2 human decision-making.

Cognitive neuroscience and clinical psychology have made substantial advances in knowledge about metacognitive processes, but these fields have progressed in parallel. In this Review, Seow et al. integrate the literature to start a cross-field dialogue that will improve the understanding and treatment of psychopathology.

Perinatal mood and anxiety disorders affect one in five women during pregnancy and up to one year postpartum and are a strong predictor of perinatal suicidality. In this Review, Singla et al. provide an overview of evidence-based psychotherapies for perinatal depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress and suicidality and describe their underlying mechanisms.

Complex decision-making tasks can be addressed with artificial intelligence (AI) systems that complement human capabilities. In this Perspective, Gonzalez and Heidari provide a conceptual framework to integrate human and AI decision-making, highlighting technical challenges and ethical risks.

As life expectancy increases globally, psychotherapy for people aged 65 years and above must become more specialized and competent. In this Review, Laidlaw et al. describe findings from gerontological and psychological research that seek to improve mental health interventions in late life and enhance older adults’ emotional capabilities and motivations.

Despite widespread adoption of diversity initiatives grounded in psychological insights, evidence for their effectiveness is mixed. In this Review, He et al. present behavioural design as a promising avenue for bridging individual-level and system-level approaches to organizational diversity.

Adolescents are particularly at risk for social contagion effects of self-harm. In this Review, Chen et al. specify factors that exacerbate self-harm social contagion at the individual, interpersonal, community and societal levels and discuss how to bridge psychological and public health perspectives to mitigate self-harm risk in this age group.

Machine learning algorithms can increase the effectiveness of mental health interventions, but biased systems might exacerbate current disparities in case identification and treatment. In this Perspective, Timmons et al. propose a model that integrates artificial intelligence methods with co-creation techniques to reduce bias and increase inclusion in mental healthcare.

Humans can infer a range of material properties from a brief glance. In this Review, Xiao and Liao discuss the varied facets of visual material perception, including its relationship to action planning and broader cognition.

Social relationships during adolescence, including relationships via social media, are fundamental to identity formation and well-being. In this Review, Sequeira et al. describe the behavioural, emotional and cognitive mechanisms linked to threats to social status, identity, connections and interpersonal security that can negatively influence adolescents’ mental health.

Deficit-based models assume that inequality arises because of deficiencies among low-status individuals. In this Perspective, Kraus et al. propose a functional approach to inequality wherein psychological processes that arise from structural context promote actions that either support or dismantle structures of inequality.

Eye movements are the most frequent movements that humans make. In this Review, Schütz and Stewart integrate evidence regarding the costs of eye movements and discuss considerations for movement dynamics, timing and the spatial control of saccades.

Birds demonstrate complex numerical abilities at levels similar to primates. In this Review, Regolin and colleagues describe the contribution of laboratory, field and neurobiological studies of avian species to our understanding of the evolution and function of numerical cognition.

There is extensive debate about whether and how social media use affects well-being. In this Perspective, Vanden Abeele et al. outline key methodological issues in experimental intervention studies on social media use and how they could be addressed.

Striving for positive emotions and avoiding negative emotions are often associated with well-being benefits, but can come with costs for the self, others and the broader community. In this Review, Ford describes these costs in terms of the emotions people value (or devalue) and the emotions they seek to achieve (or avoid) via emotion regulation.

Despite the impact of functional neurological disorder on people’s lives, effective treatments remain elusive. In this Perspective, Putica et al. identify features shared between this condition and posttraumatic stress disorder to propose mechanistic targets for improved treatment outcomes.

Psychotherapy is liable to negative effects, but the lack of a shared conceptualization of these effects has hindered research and practice. In this Review, Rosendahl et al. provide working definitions of negative psychotherapy outcomes and outline solutions to clinical, methodological and training gaps.