Download ArticlesMore
Read ArticlesMore
Full Abstracts

Psychological Research

2026 Vol.19,No.5

Published 2026-10-01

Next Issue
Theory Review
HE Xiaopeng, SU Dequan

In social contexts, decision making is something we experience every day and has been studied in psychology. Decision-making is the process by which an individual chooses from a number of alternatives. Although the field of decision making has received a great deal of attention, not much research has been conducted to integrate the embodied cognitive perspective with this field. This paper explored the relationship between embodied cognition and decision making behavior from the theoretical hypotheses related to embodied decision making, and discussed the superiority of embodied decision making and highlights the importance of embodied decision making research. Finally, the limitations of current embodied decision making research and future research directions were discussed, and the need to design a more ecologically valid research method in a real dynamic context was proposed.

2026 Vol. 19 (5): 387-394 [Abstract]( 0 ) HTML (1 KB)  PDF (1042 KB)  ( 7 )

LI Lili, FU Yujia

Since the 20th century, one have changed the attitude towards the body while criticizing Descartes’ dualism. On the one hand, it has changed the concept that the body is the components of the physical world, revealing phenomenality and systematicness of the body. On the other hand, it emphasizes the subjectivity and epistemological status of the body. This transformation not only fundamentally changes people’s perspectives on themselves and the world, from binary separation to systematic interaction, but also makes the problem of the origin of the mind solvable. Under the concept of phenomenal body, the body is no longer an objective object external to me, a carrier that can be separated from me and only provides nutrition and shelter for the mind, but rather an experiential starting point from which the mind develops. The mind is no longer a given thing, no longer a ghost placed in the body, no longer a homunculus in the brain that command and control the body machine, but the internal construction of body perception and movement. Therefore, the bodily experience is an important source of mental occurrence and development.

2026 Vol. 19 (5): 395-401 [Abstract]( 0 ) HTML (1 KB)  PDF (834 KB)  ( 5 )

Fundamental Research
DENG Zhen, PAN Xiaofu, LIU Jie, SANG Ping, HE Lidong, YU Tao

Physical attractiveness stereotype is a psychological tendency of people to infer their inner psychological qualities from the physical attractiveness of others in the process of social interaction. This stereotype affects people’s social life and interaction. Research showed that physical attractiveness stereotypes were mainly manifested in three forms: “beauty is good”, “ugliness is bad” and “beauty is bad”, and can produce three effects: “Beauty premium”, “plainness penalty” and “when beautiful may fail”. Based on the perspectives of social psychology, evolutionary psychology and neuropsychology, this paper discussed the mechanism of appearance attractiveness stereotypes. Future research can be expanded from the aspects of manipulation of attractiveness, selection of experimental materials and intervention of attractiveness stereotype threat.

2026 Vol. 19 (5): 402-409 [Abstract]( 0 ) HTML (1 KB)  PDF (1144 KB)  ( 9 )

LIU Hang, LI Yangyang

Based on shared intentionality theory, the psychological mechanisms of false belief understanding are explained from phylogenetic and ontogenetic perspectives. The ability to infer others’ beliefs depends on humans’ unique cooperative cultural mechanism. Individuals gradually understand others’ false beliefs through coordinated mental state experiences. From an evolutionary perspective, early humans engaged in social and psychological coordination based on cooperative motivation, perspective-taking, and recursive reasoning. From an ontogenetic perspective, individuals construct two-perspective concepts and use imagination and tracking of others’ cognitive activities for perspective processing. Around age 3, a third perspective emerges, but coordination among multiple perspectives remains difficult. Around age 4, false beliefs are understood through perspective coordination. Joint attention, visual perspective-taking, language, and executive function support perspective structures at different developmental stages. Future research should conduct neuroimaging techniques on changes in the structure and processing modes of early-life perspectives, and pursue theoretical investigations into how individuals construct the objectivity of reality.

2026 Vol. 19 (5): 410-418 [Abstract]( 0 ) HTML (1 KB)  PDF (1104 KB)  ( 3 )

SU Jiaying, WANG Shuyan

Sibling bullying refers to behaviors occurring in families with at least one sibling, in which brothers or sisters intentionally inflict physical or invisible violence to cause physical and mental harm or suffering to one another, and may involve power imbalance between siblings. The influencing factors of sibling bullying include individual factors (age, gender, birth order) and family factors (parents marital relationship, parent-child relationship, parenting style). Sibling bullying has a significant impact on internalizing psychological and externalizing behavioral problems of pure bullies, victims, and bully-victims. Future studies need to further define the relevant concepts of sibling bullying, and actively carry out localized research in the context of Chinese society and culture, according to children’s characteristics to select research methods and explore the long-term impact of sibling bullying on children’s mental health, and provides powerful support for formulating intervention schemes.

2026 Vol. 19 (5): 419-426 [Abstract]( 0 ) HTML (1 KB)  PDF (990 KB)  ( 7 )

ZHANG Zhonglu, WANG Ping, XING Qiang

The current study aimed to test the influence of self-rated insight on the recognition of solutions in both immediate and delayed tests across two experiments by employing the Chinese Remote Association Test (CRAT). During the learning phase, participants attempted to solve 126 pairs of CRATs. Afterward, they rated whether they had the solution insightfully or analytically according to the criteria given by text descriptions. During the recognition testing phase, individuals were asked to judge whether or not the presented character was the solution they had previously had within three seconds. Between these two phases, individuals had an immediate break for two minutes (Exp. 1) during which they completed a subtraction task, or a 24-hour delayed break (Exp. 2) during which they were told to take another psychological test. The results mainly showed that for the immediate test (Exp. 1), the hit rates of the insightful solutions were significantly higher than those of the analytical solutions. Meanwhile, there were partially significant differences in the reaction times between the insightful solutions and the analytical solutions. By contrast, there were no significant differences in either hit rates or reaction times between the insightful and analytical conditions for the delayed test (Exp. 2). In conclusion, the current study has revealed the memory advantage effect of self-rated insight only for the immediate test but not for the delayed test.

2026 Vol. 19 (5): 427-435 [Abstract]( 0 ) HTML (1 KB)  PDF (900 KB)  ( 3 )

ZENG Man, LI Shan, WANG Danhui, NIU Zibei, ZHONG Guiqin, GAO Xiaolei

Bilinguals demonstrate a reliable cognate processing advantage. This review synthesizes empirical evidence on the cognate effect across language comprehension, production and learning as well as its influencing factors and competing theoretical accounts rooted in lexical representation and cumulative word frequency. To date, no unified theoretical interpretation has been established. Current research is limited by intractable confounding variables, low ecological validity and fragmented theories, with limited application in second language pedagogy. Future work should optimize experimental designs, employ multimodal neurocognitive techniques, integrate existing theories to construct cross- script computational models, and strengthen the connection between research and L2 instruction.

2026 Vol. 19 (5): 436-447 [Abstract]( 0 ) HTML (1 KB)  PDF (1876 KB)  ( 6 )

Applied Psychology Research
ZHU Di, LI Rui, TIAN Xiaoming, WANG Ying

Scholarly attention has recently shifted from focusing solely on negative stressors to examining responses to positive events, aiming to leverage individual strengths and maximize benefits. One crucial response is capitalization—the process of sharing positive experiences with others. Within the workplace, this phenomenon is termed Workplace Interpersonal Capitalization (WIC), referring to employees sharing personal work-related positive events with colleagues. This paper elucidates the conceptualization of WIC and specifically examins its dual effects (both positive and negative) and their underlying theoretical mechanisms. Drawing upon Social Comparison Theory, the Approach-Avoidance Framework, and Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) Theory, we construct an integrated theoretical model to explain these divergent outcomes. Finally, we outline critical avenues for future research, emphasizing the need to explore individual differences, boundary conditions, and the consequences of negative reactions. Additionally, we advocate for localized empirical studies and the development of intervention training programs to further advance understanding and application in organizational contexts.

2026 Vol. 19 (5): 448-455 [Abstract]( 0 ) HTML (1 KB)  PDF (1114 KB)  ( 6 )

WU Wanyu, WANG Kui

Negative body image is closely associated with eating disturbances and decreased self-esteem. Fostering a positive body image has been increasingly recognized as a viable approach to address negative body image and its related consequences. As the core component of positive body image, body appreciation serves as a key target for intervention. This study reviewed different intervention strategies designed to promote body appreciation. Mindfulness and yoga were both effective in enhancing body appreciation. However, the magnitude of their effects varies with factors such as the control group settings and intervention durations. In China, negative body image manifests across diverse populations, underscoring the need to develop culturally adaptive strategies to promote body appreciation among various Chinese groups.

2026 Vol. 19 (5): 456-462 [Abstract]( 0 ) HTML (1 KB)  PDF (1060 KB)  ( 10 )

School Psychology Research
TANG Wenqing, ZHANG Wei, ZHANG Wen, LI Zefeng

To explore the influence of bullying behavior on middle school students’ friendship network, and the role of peer status, a questionnaire survey was conducted on 721 middle school students (318 girls), the data was modeled by exponential random graph models of social network analysis method. The results showed that: (1) Bullying behavior affected the formation of friendship networks within class, students with similar levels of bullying were more likely to become friends; (2) Peer status affected the sender and receiver effects of friendship networks based on bullying behavior, without controlling for peer status effects, students with higher levels of bullying tended to send and receive more friendship nominations, while both effects were not significant after controlling for the influence of peer status. The research results can provide important basis for the prevention of bullying from the perspective of group interaction.

2026 Vol. 19 (5): 463-472 [Abstract]( 0 ) HTML (1 KB)  PDF (1232 KB)  ( 2 )

LUO Pinchao, DING Nan

This study explored the characteristics of affective empathy deficits in junior high school student bullies using the empathic accuracy task (EAT), focusing on two dimensions: Emotion type sharing and emotion intensity tracking. A total of 130 junior high school students were selected, including 65 bullies and 65 non-bullies. Participants viewed six types of emotional videos (happiness, sadness, anger, fear, disgust, and calmness), and their emotional response types and changes in emotional intensity were recorded. The results indicated that bullies exhibited significant impairments in affective empathy, with significantly lower emotion type sharing indices for happiness, sadness, and disgust compared to non-bullies, while no significant differences in emotional intensity tracking indices were found between the two groups. The conclusion is that the affective empathy deficits of junior high school bullies are emotion specific, manifesting as impaired emotional type sharing for happiness, sadness, and disgust. This selective empathy pattern provides a new perspective for understanding the psychological mechanisms underlying bullying behavior.

2026 Vol. 19 (5): 473-479 [Abstract]( 0 ) HTML (1 KB)  PDF (890 KB)  ( 10 )

Address: city of Henan Province
Copyright © 2016 Psychological Research editorial
Support by Beijing Magtech      support@magtech.com.cn