Journal: Communications Psychology

Abbreviation

Commun Psychol

Publisher

Nature

Journal Volumes

ISSN

2731-9121

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20243
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Publications 1 - 3 of 3
  • We urgently need a culture of multi-operationalization in psychological research
    Item type: Journal Article
    Carpentras, Dino (2024)
    Communications Psychology
    Analysis of different operationalizations shows that many scientific results may be an artifact of the operationalization process. A culture of multi-operationalization may be needed for psychological research to develop valid knowledge.
  • Asymmetric cognitive learning mechanisms underlying the persistence of intergroup bias
    Item type: Journal Article
    Nafcha, Orit; Hertz, Uri (2024)
    Communications Psychology
    Intergroup bias, the tendency to favor ingroups and be hostile towards outgroups, underlies many societal problems and persists even when intergroup members interact and share experiences. Here we study the way cognitive learning processes contribute to the persistence of intergroup bias. Participants played a game with ingroup and outgroup bot-players that entailed collecting stars and could sacrifice a move to zap another player. We found that intergroup bias persisted as participants were more likely to zap outgroup players, regardless of their zapping behavior. Using a computational model, we found that this bias was caused by asymmetries in three learning mechanisms. Participants had a greater prior bias to zap out-group players, they learned more readily about the negative behavior of out-groups and were less likely to attribute the positive behavior of one out-group player to other out-group players. Our results uncover the way cognitive social learning mechanisms shape and confound intergroup dynamics.
  • Diminished pain sensitivity mediates the relationship between psychopathic traits and reduced learning from pain
    Item type: Journal Article
    Atanassova, Dimana V.; Mathys, Christoph; Diaconescu, Andreea O.; et al. (2024)
    Communications Psychology
    Individuals with elevated psychopathic traits exhibit decision-making deficits linked to a failure to learn from negative outcomes. We investigated how reduced pain sensitivity affects reinforcement-based decision-making in individuals with varying levels of psychopathic traits, as measured by the Self-Report Psychopathy Scale-Short Form. Using computational modelling, we estimated the latent cognitive processes in a community non-offender sample (n = 111) that completed a task with choices leading to painful and non-painful outcomes. Higher psychopathic traits were associated with reduced pain sensitivity and disturbances in reinforcement learning from painful outcomes. In a Structural Equation Model, a superordinate psychopathy factor was associated with a faster return to original stimulus-outcome associations as pain tolerance increased. This provides evidence directly linking reduced pain sensitivity and learning from painful outcomes with elevated psychopathic traits. Our results offer insights into the computational mechanisms of maladaptive decision-making in psychopathy and antisocial behavior.
Publications 1 - 3 of 3