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25 February 2026, Volume 58 Issue 2 Previous Issue    Next Issue
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Column on the Psychological Impacts of Economic Situations and Their Interventions: Insights from Social Governance
Reports of Empirical Studies


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Column on the Psychological Impacts of Economic Situations and Their Interventions: Insights from Social Governance

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The psychological impact of economic situation: Intervention strategies and governance implications YANG Shen-Long, HU Xiaoyong, GUO Yongyu 2026, 58 (2):  191-197.  doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1041.2026.0191 Abstract ( 1094 )   PDF (512KB) ( 1215 )   In an era marked by uncertainty in global economic development, individuals’ economic situations and their psychological states demonstrate increasingly complex and dynamic associations. Prior research has shown that adverse economic conditions can negatively affect individuals across multiple domains—including physical and mental health, interpersonal relationships, cognitive decision-making, and performance—trapping them in a vicious cycle of “current economic hardship → negative psychological impact → future economic hardship.” However, psychological research also holds considerable potential to offer interventions for those in disadvantaged economic situations, helping them attain better psychological well-being and life outcomes. Therefore, this special issue seeks both to uncover and elucidate the mechanisms through which economic circumstances influence individual psychology, and to explore, from a social governance perspective, potential interventions capable of disrupting this cycle. Ultimately, it aims to provide psychology-informed insights rooted in the Chinese context, offering theoretical guidance for fostering the positive development of economically disadvantaged individuals and for building a more equitable social environment. References | Related Articles | Metrics

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Myopic decision-making in lower socioeconomic status individuals under threats of scarcity HU Xiaoyong, DU Tangyan, JI Yuexin, GONG Wenzhuo, WANG Dixin, GUO Yongyu 2026, 58 (2):  198-220.  doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1041.2026.0198 Abstract ( 1097 )   PDF (1133KB) ( 1307 )   Peer Review Comments China has entered a critical phase in its pursuit of fostering common prosperity. Central to this mission is the upliftment of low-income individuals and the expansion of the middle-income group. However, evidence indicates that those with lower socioeconomic status (SES) often engage in myopic behaviors that impede their economic progress, such as accruing debt, insufficient savings, and inadequate investment in education and health. Over time, these patterns can entrench a cycle of disadvantage. Previous research indicates that lower- SES undermines self-control, increasing susceptibility to irrational decisions. However, recent studies suggest that the decision-making behaviors of lower-SES individuals are adaptive responses to their threatening environments. Despite these advances, a comprehensive understanding of the underlying reasons and psychological mechanisms driving these “short-sighted” decisions remains elusive. To address this gap, we seek to elucidate why individuals with lower-SES exhibit myopic decision-making tendencies. A series of studies were conducted to investigate this phenomenon: 1) Study 1, a large-scale questionnaire survey examined the relationship between SES and intertemporal choice, alongside the moderating effect of scarcity threats; 2) Study 2, an experimental approach validated the findings of Study 1 and established a causal link between SES and intertemporal choice; 3) Study 3, further explored how scarcity threats moderated the relationship between SES and decision-making over time, focusing on the mediating role of time dominance bias; 4) Study 4, Built on the findings of Study 3 using an experimental method to confirm the causal relationships among the variables. The results reveal a direct correlation between SES and myopic decision-making: individuals with lower-SES are more likely to favor short-term options compared to their higher-SES counterparts. Additionally, scarcity threats amplify this tendency. Under conditions of perceived scarcity, lower-SES individuals exhibit an increased preference for immediate gains. Crucially, time dominance bias emerges as a psychological mechanism driving these decisions. When scarcity threats are present, lower-SES individuals prioritize the temporal dimension, leading them to favor immediate rewards over long-term benefits. In conclusion, these findings support the adaptive perspective of intertemporal decision-making among individuals from lower-SES, revealing that scarcity threats intensify their inclination toward immediate gratification. Time dominance bias plays a pivotal role in shaping these shortsighted choices, particularly under conditions of scarcity, driving preferences for short-term over future rewards. These findings shed light on the psychological underpinnings of such behaviors and provide valuable insights for designing interventions aimed at mitigating myopic decision-making tendencies in lower-SES populations. References | Related Articles | Metrics

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Poverty experience and children’s executive function: Depletion and compensation of limited resources JIANG Ying, MING Hua, ZHANG Feng, REN Yi, MEI Kehan, HUANG Silin 2026, 58 (2):  221-234.  doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1041.2026.0221 Abstract ( 1094 )   PDF (951KB) ( 1462 )   Peer Review Comments Poverty has always been a challenge for human society. For children living in poverty, improving and developing their abilities in childhood accurately is crucial for overcoming this fatalism. Despite the long-established negative effects of poverty, the underlying mechanism is still unclear. In contrast to traditional explanations that focus primarily on the disadvantaged environments or personality traits of the poor, this study focused on the mental processes required by poverty and provided initial evidence that short interventions could compensate for the depletion of poverty on Chinese children’s executive function. Two studies were conducted within the framework of limited resource depletion, which encompasses both attention scarcity and self-depletion in cognitive processing. Study 1 aimed to investigate the specific impact of money scarcity on executive function in poor children. This was achieved by examining the effects of both money-related (scarcity) and non-money-related (normal) depletion using the classic paradigm of depletion. A total of 179 children (M = 10.89, SD = 1.45, 55.30% boys) participated in this study. Half of the participants were from families in poverty registration or poverty alleviation relocation, and the other half were from a first-tier city in China. On the basis of these results, Study 2 was designed to explore whether four common compensations of self-depletion could counteract money-scarcity depletion among children in poverty and promote their executive function. A total of 180 children (M = 11.36, SD = 1.59, 45.60% boys) whose families were identified as either poverty-registered or poverty-alleviation relocated participated. This study first primed a money-scarcity state, similar to Study 1. Four compensations (i.e., money, candy, praise, and rest) were subsequently provided to simulate the depletion and recovery of mental resources in real world contexts. The findings of Study 1 indicated that the scarcity resulting from a money-related situation led to a distinctive depletion of executive function in children who had experienced poverty. This was attributed to a combination of diminished attention and self-control resources. Specifically, for children living in poverty, the scarcity-depletion group performed worse in terms of executive function than did the control group and the normal-depletion group. In contrast, children in the non-poverty group demonstrated no significant differences in inhibition control or cognitive flexibility between the scarcity-depletion and normal-depletion groups, and both groups performed worse than the control group did. The results of Study 2 revealed that not all conventional forms of compensation were effective in counteracting the depleted executive function observed in children with poor experience. Among the four compensation options, monetary and candy rewards were observed to counteract the depleted resources after scarcity depletion. These rewards were further found to facilitate the recovery of the three components of executive function, whereas resting for five minutes and praise rewards were unable to restore the expected original state of executive function. In conclusion, this study integrates and explains the significant role of limited resource depletion theory on executive function in children living in poverty. Furthermore, the temporary depletion effect of poverty on executive function in poor children can be compensated for by alleviating scarce resources or restoring self-control, which further explains the joint influence of attention and self-control resources in poverty depletion underlying the limited resource depletion framework. This study provides a novel approach to mitigate the adverse effects of poverty on children’s executive function through brief interventions. Thus, by changing the accustomed thinking process, this intervention may effectively enhance poor children’s executive function and alleviate poverty while also fostering intrinsic motivation and breaking the poverty cycle. References | Related Articles | Metrics

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How social class influences attitudes towards artificial intelligence: The mediating role of mobility beliefs LI Kai, XU Liying, LIU Caimeng, YU Feng 2026, 58 (2):  235-246.  doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1041.2026.0235 Abstract ( 746 )   PDF (601KB) ( 918 )   Peer Review Comments Artificial Intelligence (AI) significantly influences society by enhancing human capabilities, improving efficiency, and addressing complex problems. While many people hold an optimistic view of AI’s development, there is also a noticeable sense of apprehension. This duality arises from AI’s potential to create challenges related to fairness, privacy, and security. The concerns about AI’s impact on these areas highlight the need for careful management of its risks. Social class, a construct that signifies individuals’ hierarchical position within society, is shaped by both the tangible social resources they possess and their subjective perception of societal status. The social class to which individuals belong significantly influences their attitudes. However, the extent and manner in which social class shapes these attitudes remain complex and not fully understood. This paper examines the complex relationship between social class and attitudes toward Artificial Intelligence (AI), exploring the psychological mechanisms underlying this connection. Through a series of three methodologically advanced studies, we investigate how social class correlates with perceptions of AI. Our findings reveal a positive correlation between social class and attitudes toward AI. We identify beliefs about social mobility—the perceived likelihood of changing one’s social status—as a significant mediating factor. Individuals from higher social classes tend to hold more optimistic beliefs about social mobility, which in turn fosters more favorable attitudes toward AI. Additionally, we explore collectivism as a moderating variable. Our analysis indicates that high levels of collectivism amplify the relationship between social mobility beliefs and positive attitudes toward AI. This suggests that in more collectivist contexts, the belief in the possibility of social ascension is more strongly associated with favorable views on AI. This study not only highlights the disparities in AI attitudes across social classes but also uncovers new psychological dimensions of class differences. By incorporating social mobility beliefs and collectivism into our analysis, we provide fresh insights into the societal reception of AI technology. References | Related Articles | Metrics

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Desire for success but “lying flat”: The conflicting consequences of economic inequality and its mechanisms MAO Jia-Yan, YANG Shen-Long, TIAN Cai-Yu 2026, 58 (2):  247-263.  doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1041.2026.0247 Abstract ( 1197 )   PDF (541KB) ( 1215 )   Peer Review Comments Economic inequality is a significant barrier to social development and the achievement of “common prosperity”. While it is also known to drive individuals’ aspirations for wealth and status, there is limited empirical research exploring this relationship. The current research aimed to investigate how economic inequality influences the desire for wealth and status, as well as its underlying mechanisms. Meanwhile, the growing phenomenon of “lying flat” — a lifestyle choice of minimal effort and rejection of societal pressures to overwork or overachieve — challenges these aspirations. Could “lying flat” be a response to economic inequality? If so, it may suggest that the motivational effects of inequality on wealth and status are subjective and do not always translate into actual behavior. We also examined how economic inequality shapes tendencies toward “lying flat”, exploring the mechanisms and boundary conditions that influence the dual psychological outcomes of desire for wealth and status versus the tendency to subscribe to the “lying flat” lifestyle. To address these issues, we conducted two correlational studies (Studies 1 and 2) and four experimental studies (Studies 3, 4a, 4b, and 5). Studies 1 and 2 explored the relationships between economic inequality, desire for wealth and status, and the “lying flat” lifestyle through cross-sectional surveys of student and general population samples. Study 3 examined the mediating role of status anxiety in the relationship between economic inequality and the desire for wealth and status using manipulations of the perceived inequality. Studies 4a and 4b investigated the mediating role of perceived control between economic inequality and the “lying flat” lifestyle with two different manipulations — one based on the description of real-world inequality and the other on a virtual context. Study 5 tested the moderating effect of perceived social mobility in the “economic inequality → perceived control → lying flat” path. All studies were conducted with mainland Chinese samples. Studies 1 and 2 found that economic inequality had a positive correlation with both the desire for wealth and status and the “lying flat” lifestyle. Study 2 showed that status anxiety mediated the relationship between economic inequality and the desire for wealth and status, while perceived control mediated the relationship between economic inequality and “lying flat”. Study 3 further verified the “economic inequality → status anxiety → desire for wealth and status” path and once again proved that status anxiety plays a mediating role between economic inequality and the desire for wealth and status based on experimental design. Similarly, Study 4 (including Studies 4a and 4b) verified the “economic inequality → perceived control → lying flat” path and experimentally reaffirmed the mediating role of perceived control between economic inequality and “lying flat”. Study 5 revealed that perceived social mobility moderated the relationship between economic inequality and perceived control, as well as the mediating model of “economic inequality → perceived control → lying flat”. Specifically, participants with a higher perception of social mobility showed higher perceived control even at higher levels of economic inequality. This research replicated the positive effect of economic inequality on the desire for wealth and status, identifying status anxiety as a mediator. It deepens our understanding of the societal consequences of economic inequality. Additionally, we explored how perceived control mediates the relationship between economic inequality and the “lying flat” lifestyle, analyzing the mechanisms behind this contradiction. Finally, we examined the potential of perceived social mobility to mitigate this psychological state. This research provides new insights into the effects of economic inequality and explores practical measures to address the “lying flat” lifestyle, supporting the goal of “common prosperity”. References | Related Articles | Metrics

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Poor people or poor regions? Regional poverty information increases willingness to engage in poverty alleviation DING Yi, OUYANG Xueping, GUO Yongyu 2026, 58 (2):  264-278.  doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1041.2026.0264 Abstract ( 446 )   PDF (1670KB) ( 438 )   Peer Review Comments Poverty is a global challenge, and encouraging public participation in poverty alleviation is crucial for reducing income inequality and achieving common prosperity. This research examines how the framing of poverty background information—specifically, whether poverty is presented as regional (“poor regions”) or individual (“poor people”)—affects individuals’ willingness to help and their actual poverty alleviation behaviors. We hypothesize that framing poverty regionally will lead to a greater tendency for external attribution of poverty, which in turn will result in greater intentions and behaviors toward poverty alleviation. Four experiments were conducted to test these hypotheses. In Experiment 1, regional poverty information was manipulated by presenting participants with either a regional poverty map or a political-administrative map of China (as a control group). The results showed that individuals exposed to regional poverty information were more willing to engage in poverty alleviation compared to those in the control group. Experiment 2 extended these findings by manipulating regional poverty information in an anonymous area. Participants were also asked to report their tendencies for external attribution and their willingness to engage in poverty alleviation. The findings indicated that regional poverty information increased participants’ external attribution of poverty, which, in turn, enhanced their willingness to engage in poverty alleviation. Experiment 3 further tested the robustness of the findings by manipulating poverty information for regions of similar size and population and including measures of willingness to donate to poverty alleviation. The results showed that regional poverty information increased individuals' willingness to engage in poverty alleviation, and this effect was mediated by external attribution of poverty. Finally, Experiment 4 used a between-subjects design to manipulate external attribution of poverty, examining whether this external attribution is the mechanism that leads people exposed to regional poverty information to engage in poverty alleviation. The findings of Experiment 4 showed that the differences in poverty alleviation behavior were eliminated when external attribution of poverty was manipulated, thus revealing the mechanism of external attribution of poverty. In summary, our research shows that: (1) regional poverty information leads to greater willingness to engage in poverty alleviation and more actual poverty alleviation behaviors, and (2) external attribution of poverty mediates the effect of regional poverty information on poverty alleviation. Specifically, regional poverty information increases external attribution of poverty, which in turn leads to greater willingness and behaviors related to poverty alleviation. The results contribute to the literature on poverty attribution and poverty alleviation by highlighting how regional framing of poverty influences public willingness to engage in poverty alleviation. References | Related Articles | Metrics

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Workplace fundraising: The impact of donation information from superior and coworker on employee donations JIANG Chengming, YANG Xiaojuan, YU Shuqi, CHEN Lina, MA Jiatao 2026, 58 (2):  279-291.  doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1041.2026.0279 Abstract ( 333 )   PDF (1945KB) ( 380 )   Peer Review Comments Workplace fundraising, which serves as an important source of charitable funding is an effective means of quickly engaging a large pool of potential donors. A common strategy involves having superiors donate first, aiming to set an example and encourage employees to participate. However, the effectiveness of this approach warrants further investigation. To explore this, we conducted seven experimental studies with employed individuals aged 18 and above, examining how donations made by superiors (versus coworkers) might suppress employees’ donation amounts and identify the psychological mechanisms underlying this effect. Experiment 1a (N = 313) adopted a between-subjects design with five groups: 2 (previous donor identity: direct superior versus coworkers) × 2 (donation anchor value: high versus low) plus a group without social information. The results showed that employees donated less when informed of their superiors’ (versus coworkers) donation amounts. Additionally, under the high-anchor condition, employees increased their donation amounts. The interaction between the previous donor and donation anchor was not significant. Experiment 1b (N = 307), using a different charity scenario and a fixed set of seven donation options, replicated the suppressive effect of superiors’ (versus coworkers’) donations on employee contributions. Experiment 2a (N = 252) examined the mediating role of perceived disadvantage and ruled out two alternative explanations, shared responsibility and other-enhanced motivation. Experiment 2b (N = 247) employed an incentive-compatible charitable donation task to further examine the mediating mechanism of perceived disadvantage and to eliminate alternative interpretations of social pressure. Experiment 3 (N = 210) further validated the mediating role of perceived disadvantage by manipulating this mediator. A 2 (previous donor: superior versus coworker) × 2(perceived disadvantage manipulation: present versus absent) between-subjects design was employed. In the perceived disadvantage-manipulation condition, participants were instructed to imagine that their superiors or coworkers performed worse than themselves in various domains including ability, goal achievement speed, resources, and respect. The results showed that the manipulation increased donation amounts for both the superior and coworker groups. These results further validated the mediating role of perceived disadvantage. Experiment 4 (N = 286) further categorized superiors into direct superiors, higher-level superiors, and superiors from other departments using a four-group (previous donor type: coworkers, direct superiors, higher-level superiors, and other department superiors) between-subjects design. The results showed that participants donated significantly less when informed about donations from any type of superior compared to coworkers. These results further supported the hypothesis that donations made by superiors (versus coworkers) suppress employee donation amounts and reinforced the mediating role of perceived disadvantages. Experiment 5 (N = 250) compared the effects of monetary and time donations on workplace fundraising. Using a 2 (charitable resource: money versus time) × 2 (previous donor type: superior versus coworkers) between-subjects design, the results showed that donations made by superiors suppress employees’ monetary contributions, but this suppression effect is not observed in the case of time-based donations. These findings suggest that in the context of workplace fundraising, the current top-down donation strategy may not be the most effective. In a top-down approach, employees’ donation decisions are influenced by upward social comparisons, where the perception of being disadvantaged relative to superiors suppresses their willingness to contribute. To mitigate this effect, organizations can minimize the impact of upward comparisons during fundraising campaigns. Encouraging generous employees to take the lead in making donations may be a more effective approach to maximizing overall contributions. References | Related Articles | Metrics

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Psychological meaning of moving toward an olive-shaped society: Relationship between expanding the middle-income group and enhancing sense of fairness ZHANG Yan, WANG Junxiu, XU Boyang, CUI Yuqing 2026, 58 (2):  292-307.  doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1041.2026.0292 Abstract ( 476 )   PDF (1350KB) ( 530 )   Peer Review Comments Expanding the middle-income group is a strategic priority toward forming an olive-shaped society, promoting common prosperity, and achieving Chinese-style modernization. While sociologists and economists have provided numerous social and economic recommendations regarding the expansion of this group from perspectives such as income, employment, social security, and industrial economy, research and suggestions from psychologists on the social psychological implications of this expansion and how it can enhance public perceptions of fairness have been lacking. By integrating the social comparison theory and tunnel effect theory, this study proposes a parallel mechanism involving subjective socioeconomic status (SSES) and upward mobility perception, and examines the moderating effects of income and economic development level. Data was sourced from the China General Social Survey (CGSS), covering eight periods from 2010 to 2021 (N = 61,751). Participants ranged in age from 18 to 70 years (Mage = 46.20 ± 13.72). This study combined the annual survey data from the CGSS and utilized provincial data for period simulation. Given that the research model involved both micro and macro variables, a hierarchical linear regression model was employed for analysis, with individual variables treated as level-one variables and provincial variables as level-two variables. This study found that: (1) the proportion of the middle-income group was approximately 48%, which remained relatively stable, expanding the proportion of the middle-income group faces difficulties; (2) expanding the middle-income group can significantly increase the sense of fairness, which is only possible through SSES, and does not significantly predict the perception of upward mobility; in fact, the mediating effect of upward mobility perception was not significant; (3) at higher levels of economic development, expanding the middle-income group can enhance the sense of fairness for all groups, while at lower levels of economic development, it can only improve the sense of fairness for higher-income group, potentially reducing the sense of fairness for lower-income group; (4) the higher the level of economic development, the more the expansion of the middle-income group can enhance the sense of fairness for higher-income group through SSES, or for the lower-income group through the perception of upward mobility and SSES; but will potentially reduce the upward mobility of higher-income group; (5) the spatiotemporal heterogeneity test indicates that the research results of this study have a certain degree of robustness and generalizability. Through empirical research, the study demonstrates that common prosperity should be achieved step-by-step. When the level of economic development is low, equal distribution may fail to create a high sense of fairness; however, when economic development reaches a higher level, greater emphasis should be placed on equitable distribution. Therefore, for contemporary China, it is necessary to promote sustained economic development within the framework of high-quality growth while adjusting the income structure becomes increasingly crucial. Additionally, attention should be paid to differentiating strategies for enhancing the sense of fairness among different groups of people in varying periods and contexts. References | Related Articles | Metrics

Reports of Empirical Studies

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Zero-shot language learning: Can large language models (LLMs) acquire contextual emotion in a human-like manner? WU Shiyu, WANG Yiyun 2026, 58 (2):  308-322.  doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1041.2026.0308 Abstract ( 487 )   PDF (1057KB) ( 588 )   Peer Review Comments Emotion is a structural resource in human cognition that guides attention, memory, and social coordination. During incidental vocabulary acquisition (IVA), readers often internalize the affective tone of surrounding discourse and transfer it to novel words (“contextual emotion transfer/semantic prosody”). Recent LLMs appear to display analogous behavior despite lacking embodiment, raising the question of whether they can acquire contextual emotion in a human-like manner and whether the same contextual factors shape both human and model learning. Building on usage-based and distributional accounts, we expected two robust regularities to hold across agents: a positivity advantage (higher contextual valence predicts better learning) and a variability advantage (varied contexts outperform repeated ones). We further hypothesized that, in more demanding recall (definition generation), contextual valence would interact with variability, such that positive emotion would amplify the benefits of varied contexts. We conducted zero-shot, parallel evaluations with four representative LLMs (Ernie Bot 3.5, ChatGPT/GPT-4, Gemini 1.5 Pro, LLaMA 3.1-8B) and three human cohorts matched to prior IVA paradigms (English L1, Chinese L1, English L2; 306 participants). Each agent learned nine pseudowords embedded in 45 two-sentence texts spanning positive, neutral, and negative contexts; context variability was manipulated between repeated versus varied exposures. After reading, LLMs completed (a) valence rating and sentence production (emotion transfer) and (b) orthographic choice, definition matching, and definition generation (form/meaning). LLMs were evaluated in strictly isolated zero-shot sessions with no task-specific supervision or fine-tuning. Ordinal mixed-effects models (CLMM) analyzed ratings; linear/logistic mixed-effects models analyzed production and accuracy, with random effects for participant/LLM session, item, and denotation class. Contextual emotion transferred reliably to targets: across humans and LLMs, ratings followed positive > neutral > negative, and generated sentences aligned in polarity with the learning context. For vocabulary learning, both groups exhibited a positivity advantage—higher contextual valence significantly predicted better meaning performance—and a variability advantage—varied contexts significantly outperformed repeated contexts in definition matching and definition generation. In recall, valence interacted with variability: positive emotion amplified gains under varied exposure for both humans and LLMs, yielding the largest improvements in definition generation. LLMs frequently matched or exceeded human accuracy in form recognition and often reached higher overall accuracy on meaning tasks while preserving the same qualitative patterns. These effects held in mixed-effects analyses controlling for participant/session, item, and denotation, and were observed without providing LLMs with examples, feedback, or fine-tuning. The study showed that LLMs did acquire contextual emotion and reproduced core human regularities (positivity and variability advantages; valence-by-variability interaction in recall). We interpret the convergence via a Dual-Mechanism perspective: human emotion learning is embodied and socially situated, whereas LLM “emotion” arises from distributional co-occurrence and vector-space optimization; distinct mechanisms can yield functionally similar behavior. The findings advance theories of emotion-language interaction and support context variability as a general driver of vocabulary learning. Practically, emotion-sensitive LLM behavior can enhance educational and communicative applications, while necessitating safeguards against unintended amplification of corpus-borne affective biases. References | Related Articles | Metrics

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The influence of intrinsic and extrinsic grouping cues on numerosity perception of groupitizing: Evidence from fMRI PAN Yun, YANG Huanyu, JIA Liangzhi, ZHU Jun, YU Fangwen, ZHANG Di, YANG Ping 2026, 58 (2):  323-335.  doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1041.2026.0323 Abstract ( 335 )   PDF (5570KB) ( 276 )   Peer Review Comments Numerosity perception refers to the human cognitive ability to extract numerical information from various stimuli. It serves as a fundamental basis for understanding the world and processing information, thereby guiding and influencing human behavior and decision-making. Grouping strategies, also known as "groupitizing," involve organizing objects into sets or categories during numerosity perception processes. This facilitates a rapid and effective numerosity estimation, particularly in situations with short presentation times and numerous quantities. Groupitizing combines the advantages of subitizing and counting, thereby influencing individual arithmetic abilities. Previous studies have predominantly focused on investigating the groupitizing of numerosity perception based on intrinsic grouping cues. However, the influence of both intrinsic and extrinsic cues of perceptual grouping on numerosity perception during groupitizing remains underexplored. Previous studies spanning the visual and numerosity perception domains have consistently indicated that extrinsic grouping cues exhibit stronger grouping advantages than intrinsic ones. Therefore, this study employed a numerosity estimation task to separately examine the effects of intrinsic (such as color similarity and proximity) and extrinsic grouping cues (including common region and connectedness) on numerosity perception during groupitizing. This study aimed to uncover the neural mechanisms underlying groupitizing. A total of 21 university students were recruited for this study. A block design was employed for the functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) task. Stimulus presentation and generation were performed using MATLAB's PsychToolbox (version R2016b). The stimuli comprised four factors: grouping condition (grouping, no-grouping), grouping cues (extrinsic, intrinsic), and numerosity (6, 9, 12, 16). MRI scans for the numerosity estimation task were conducted using Siemens 3.0 T technology, synchronously collecting functional brain data. The participants were instructed to select the corresponding number of points they estimated based on the stimuli presented on the screen. We compared functional activation between grouping and no-grouping conditions, as well as between extrinsic and intrinsic grouping cues. Additionally, we employed the Pearson product-moment correlation method to assess the relationships between these variables. The results revealed that first, bilateral intraparietal sulcus (IPS) plays a critical role in numerosity perception, particularly showing significant activation during the quantity processing stage. Specifically, activation was observed in the IPS during numerosity perception tasks, indicating its involvement in processing numerical information. Second, both grouped and ungrouped conditions activated cortical regions associated with quantity estimation, such as the precentral gyrus and inferior temporal gyrus. Under the grouped condition, additional activation was observed in brain regions related to computation; this includes the superior frontal gyrus, IPS, and angular gyrus, exhibiting a left-hemisphere lateralization advantage. Thus, participants tended to utilize computational and retrieval strategies in the grouped condition compared to that in the ungrouped condition, suggesting a more efficient processing mechanism. Lastly, extrinsic grouping cues, relative to intrinsic grouping cues, activate additional brain regions associated with topological properties, such as the middle frontal and inferior temporal gyrus. This reveals the topological invariance characteristic of extrinsic grouping cues in the intrinsic mechanism of numerosity perception grouping strategies, highlighting the influence of extrinsic cues on neural processing mechanisms. This study’s findings suggest that participants tended to rely more on mental arithmetic and factual retrieval when employing grouping strategies to enhance numerosity perception efficiency. This sheds further light on why grouping strategies are comparatively more efficient than other approaches. Moreover, the mechanism of extrinsic grouping cues in numerosity perception strategies demonstrates topological invariance, which presents a unique advantage in perceptual processing. This discovery provides direct neural evidence of the significance of topological properties in numerosity perception, thereby deepening our understanding of numerosity perception and its neural underpinnings. References | Related Articles | Metrics

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Invalid expectations induce perceptual bias yet enhance the accuracy of metacognitive judgments LUO Tieyong, LIU Cuizhen 2026, 58 (2):  336-349.  doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1041.2026.0336 Abstract ( 302 )   PDF (1142KB) ( 345 )   Peer Review Comments Humans live in a world filled with uncertainty. To adapt to and process changes in their surroundings, the brain continuously generates predictions about the environment. Predictions can guide perception and action. However, given the ambiguous and highly unpredictable nature of the external world, individuals often lack sufficient information to form accurate predictions. This study investigates how non-informative prediction, specifically invalid prediction, shapes perceptual judgments and subsequent confidence estimates through five experiments. In a face/house judgment task, participants were required to determine whether a presented blurry image depicted a face or a house, and then rate their confidence in that perceptual judgment. Before the image was displayed, participants predicted the category of the upcoming image (face or house). Experiment 1 (n = 38, perceptual accuracy ≈ 64%), Experiment 2 (n = 44, perceptual accuracy ≈ 75%) and Experiment 3 (n = 47, perceptual accuracy ≈ 85%) systematically manipulated task difficulty to examine how non-informative predictions modulate perceptual judgments and confidence ratings. Experiment 4 (n = 41) introduced a condition without predictions to provide a baseline for evaluating the predictive effects. In Experiment 5 (n = 40), the response keys for predictions and perceptual judgments were separated to eliminate potential action-related effects. The results revealed that: (1) non-informative predictions induced perceptual biases under high and moderate task difficulty conditions (except in Experiment 3 with low difficulty), systematically biasing individuals to align their perceptual judgments with prior predictions; (2) non-informative predictions affected subjective confidence, as participants reported higher confidence in trials where their perceptions aligned with their predictions compared to trials where they did not; and (3) non-informative predictions enhanced the accuracy of metacognitive judgments, with individuals exhibiting greater metacognitive efficiency when their perceptual judgments matched predictions compared to mismatched trials. In summary, while non-informative prediction induces perceptual biases, it enhances metacognitive judgments. These findings highlight the distinct effects of non-informative predictions on perceptual judgments and metacognitive functions. The study contributes to a deeper understanding of the interplay among expectations, perception, and metacognition. Finally, it offers practical implications for optimizing cognitive decision-making and improving metacognitive accuracy. References | Related Articles | Metrics

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Hearts correspond, love follows: The relationship between couples’ similarity and marital satisfaction SU Wei, FANG Xiaoyi, HOU Juan 2026, 58 (2):  350-361.  doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1041.2026.0350 Abstract ( 776 )   PDF (461KB) ( 1793 )   Peer Review Comments Similarity constitutes an essential component of marital satisfaction,yet current research has yielded inconsistent conclusions regarding the relationship between the two factors. First,previous studies have not adequately examined the length of marriage,resulting in a lack of dynamic adaptability in the research conclusions. Second,owing to the limitations of the research content,the results of previous studies are not comparable. Third,the similarity indices utilized in previous studies vary and therefore lack comparability. Finally,the majority of prior studies have adopted the variable-centered approach (VCA),which can be employed only to investigate the similarity of a couple on the basis of a single characteristic. Consequently,the aim of this study is to adopt the couple-centered approach (CCA) for couples at different marital stages and to integrate the actor effect,partner effect,similarity effect,and difference effect by combining profile-level similarity (PCS) and attribute-level difference (ADS) indicators to examine the relationship between the similarity of individual,interaction,and family of origin variables and marital satisfaction. We utilize dyadic data to explore the following questions: (1) Are real couples more similar than random couples? (2) In which dimension are real couples at different stages of marriage more similar? (3) How do these similarities affect marital satisfaction? A total of 638 Chinese couples were recruited and divided into four marriage stages according to the family life cycle. The average ages of the husbands and wives were 48.83 years (SD = 13.42) and 47.40 years (SD = 13.36),respectively. After arriving at the laboratory,couples completed the questionnaire independently under the guidance of the interviewer. We first recorded the scores of the couples on all the items of each scale,then used RStudio to calculate the correlation coefficient between each column of these data (the correlation coefficient represents the PCS) and to calculate the absolute value of the score difference between the couple on each variable (the absolute difference score represents the ADS). Finally,we used an improved Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (APIM) incorporating ADS and PCS in Mplus to test the model. The results indicate that first,real couples are more similar than random couples are,with the exception of family of origin variables. Second,compared with individual traits and interaction variables,couples are more similar in their family of origin. Third,regarding the similarity effect,husbands' marital satisfaction is most strongly influenced by similarities in their family of origin during the first marital stage,whereas in all other marital stages,similarities in personal traits have the greatest effect. For wives,personal trait similarity has the most significant influence during the first and fourth marital stages,whereas similarities in family of origin dominate the second and third marital stages. Finally,among the four effects,the actor effect has the strongest predictive power. This study reveals the relationship between the similarity of diverse variables and marital satisfaction. It emphasizes that people should not only pay attention to the similarities between couples but also attach greater importance to the cultivation and display of their own personal traits for the sake of enhancing marital satisfaction. Overall,these findings hold crucial reference value and practical significance for our future research on the relevant mechanisms of marital satisfaction and marriage counseling. References | Related Articles | Metrics

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Be honest or tell a white lie? The impact of partner feedback in consumer decisions on relationship satisfaction LI Shihao, ZHANG Wenyue, LIANG Simeng, FU Guoqun 2026, 58 (2):  362-375.  doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1041.2026.0362 Abstract ( 662 )   PDF (558KB) ( 828 )   Peer Review Comments In intimate relationships, feedback can play a significant role in shaping relationship satisfaction. However, when providing feedback, partners often face a dilemma: to be completely honest or to tell a "white lie" to protect their significant other's feelings. Previous research has explored the effects of honest feedback and white lies on relationships, but the role of feedback timing and product type remains underexplored. This study aims to address these gaps by examining how different types of feedback (brutal truth vs. white lies) regarding consumption decisions, the timing of feedback (before vs. after a purchase decision), and product types (hedonic vs. utilitarian) influence relationship satisfaction. The study also investigates how perceived partner support mediates these effects on relationship satisfaction. Four experiments were conducted to test the proposed hypotheses. Experiment 1a involved 210 participants and examined the effect of different types of partner feedback (brutal truth vs. white lies vs.no feedback) on relationship satisfaction, employing a single-factor between-subjects design. Experiment 1b involved 230 participants and explored the impact of different types of partner feedback (brutal truth vs. white lies vs.no feedback) × 2 (feedback timing: pre-decision vs. post-decision) on relationship satisfaction. Experiment 2 involved 272 participants and introduced feedback timing as a moderating variable, utilizing a 2 (partner feedback: honest feedback vs. white lies) × 2 (feedback timing: pre-decision vs. post-decision) random assignment design. Experiment 3 included 550 participants and used a 2 (partner feedback: brutal truth vs. white lies) × 2 (feedback timing: pre-decision vs. post-decision) × 2 (product type: hedonic vs. utilitarian) design. The results revealed several key findings: (1) When feedback timing is not considered, there is no significant difference between honest feedback and white lies, and both improve relationship satisfaction compared to no feedback. (2) The timing of feedback played an important role: honest feedback provided before decision making led to higher relationship satisfaction, while white lies provided after the decision enhanced satisfaction. (3) Perceived partner support mediates the effects of feedback type and timing on relationship satisfaction. (4) Product type moderated the effect of feedback: when the product was hedonic, there was no significant difference in satisfaction between receiving a white lie or honest feedback before the decision. However, for utilitarian products, honest feedback before the decision led to higher satisfaction than white lies. Whether for hedonic products or utilitarian products, white lies lead to higher relationship satisfaction in the post-decision period. This study contributes to the understanding of communication in intimate relationships, emphasizing the importance of feedback timing and type in determining relationship satisfaction. The findings suggest that feedback can enhance satisfaction, but its effectiveness depends on when it is given and the type of product involved. Perceived partner support plays a crucial role in mediating these effects. These insights have practical implications for relationship management, suggesting that partners should consider the timing and nature of feedback when making consumption decisions. Additionally, the research highlights the importance of understanding how different product types influence feedback dynamics, which could inform marketing strategies aimed at couples. References | Related Articles | Metrics