ABSTRACT Future self-continuity – the perceived connectedness between one’s present and future self – has been linked to long-term motivation and goal pursuit. Yet the conditions under which future-oriented identity translates into concrete goal attainment remain unclear. This study examined whether belief in successful goal attainment mediates the association between future self-continuity and goal attainment, and whether this process is jointly conditioned by pragmatic prospection – the capacity for structured future planning – and instructional context. Using a sample of 245 M.A. students enrolled in semester-long academic courses, we tested a moderated mediation model (PROCESS Model 12). Future self-continuity predicted goal attainment both directly and indirectly through belief in successful goal attainment. Pragmatic prospection and instructional context jointly moderated the mediation process as well as the direct pathway. A significant index of moderated mediation indicated that the indirect effect varied as a function of both individual regulatory capacity and structural goal scaffolding. These findings suggest that future-oriented identity alone is insufficient for sustained behavioral progress. Its impact depends on the alignment between individual planning capacity and structured goal-engagement environments, offering a context-sensitive account of how identity-based motivation translates into action.

ABSTRACT The current study examined the perceived believability of everyday lies told by adolescents, young adults, middle-aged adults, and older adults in relation to the speaker’s closeness to the lie-recipient. Participants (N = 275, ages 13 –⁠ 86) reported on their lie-telling behaviors three times a day across a 7-day period, providing details on their own perceived believability of the lies and subjective closeness to the lie-recipient. Linear mixed model analyses revealed that young adults perceived their lies to be significantly more believable than middle-aged and older adults, and, across participants, perceived believability significantly decreased as subjective closeness to the lie-recipient increased. These results suggest that one’s perception of lying ability is a dynamic process that can differ across age groups and social contexts (i.e. closeness with others), providing insight into everyday lies from the liar’s perspective.

ABSTRACT Political commitments reflect core aspects of social identity, shaping how individuals interact with others. Authoritarianism is one feature that influences how political commitments are enacted in social contexts, and given increases in authoritarianism in democratic nations, it has become a pressing area of study. Nonetheless, left-wing authoritarianism (LWA) remains understudied. Current evidence suggests higher-LWA individuals may rely more on heuristics and exploitation to promote conformity, but limited, ambiguous data contribute to debate about whether LWA reflects an authoritarian construct. To enhance understanding of LWA as based in urgent tendencies to compel conformity (reflective of authoritarianism), participants in two studies (total N = 903) rated the perceived utility and use of a central/systematic approach and various peripheral/heuristic tactics in persuading dissenters. As hypothesized, LWA related to reports of greater perceived utility and enhanced use of various peripheral/heuristic approaches; LWA was unrelated to perceived utility of the central/systematic approach but was negatively related to its self-reported use. Additional testing revealed relations between LWA and the ratings of peripheral/heuristic tactics were reduced upon accounting for antisocial personality, suggesting its connection to these tactics is likely reflective of antagonistic mechanisms.

ABSTRACT When is it the “right time” to be in a relationship? Research has shown that perceptions of timing – how ready one feels for a committed relationship – could drive pro-relationship behaviors aimed at strengthening an existing relationship. Having positive and accurate perceptions of a partner’s commitment readiness could then facilitate a more positive relational self associated with their partner, and better relationship maintenance processes. Using the Truth and Bias model, we examined couples’ accuracy and bias in perceiving each other’s commitment readiness. Given the importance of the self in shaping relational processes, we also hypothesized that self-esteem could moderate truth and bias effects concerning a partner’s commitment readiness. Preliminary findings from a cross-sectional study revealed that while individuals tend to underestimate their partner’s commitment readiness, they were still significantly accurate in their perceptions. They also projected their own commitment readiness onto perceptions of their partners’ readiness. Finally, a significant interaction effect between own readiness and self-esteem indicated that the projection effect was stronger among individuals with higher self-esteem than among those with lower self-esteem. Future directions and limitations in self and relationships research are discussed.

ABSTRACT Dual process theories contend that the self has at least two distinct processing modes. One prominent theory describes these modes as rational and experiential, which is a formulation that overlaps considerably with conceptual metaphors for the head (rational) and heart (experiential). Because the two processing modes operate in distinct manners, the self could, potentially, recruit processing modes in a strategic manner. Such considerations led to two studies (total N = 455) in which participants were asked to indicate how much of their self typically exists in their brain and heart areas of their bodies while performing a diverse set of daily activities. These responses permitted a calculation of brain-heart dualism, defined in terms of a within-subject correlation of self-in-brain and self-in-heart estimates across activities. Participants whose self-representations suggested a self that can move up or down within its body, in a manner conducive to context, displayed higher levels of intellectual performance (e.g. as evident in high school GPAs) as well as higher levels of experiential ability (e.g. as evident on an emotional intelligence task). The research identifies a new set of individual differences that allow individuals to match processing mode to the situation at hand.

ABSTRACT People often consider their rank across multiple performances, which can be summarized in terms of its mean and variability. Prior work on performance variability examined evaluations of other people and was limited either by use of correlational designs or imaginal scenarios. Here we conducted two studies with high experimental realism to assess the immediate effects of performance means and variability on self-evaluations (total N = 408 college students). Participants completed social perception tests and were given manipulated feedback indicating that they generally performed above average or below average and had a consistent or inconsistent rank across tests. Performance means had a very large impact on self-evaluations, affective reactions, and predicted future performance. However, performance variability had small to negligible effects. These data suggest that people neglect the distribution or spread of performance ranks during self-evaluation (distribution neglect) and instead focus primarily on their mean rank.

ABSTRACT In the post-pandemic era, the sense of uncertainty among Chinese college students has generally increased, further leading to the emergence of future anxiety. However, the discussion on the internal psychological mechanisms triggered by uncertainty and intervention strategies remains insufficient. In this study, two sub-studies were conducted among Chinese college students to explore the psychological mechanisms through which uncertainty triggers future anxiety and examine the role of letter-writing intervention in alleviating future anxiety caused by uncertainty. In Study 1, a questionnaire survey (N = 833) was administered to examine the mediating effect of future self-continuity on the link between uncertainty and future anxiety, utilizing a simple mediation model for analysis. In Study 2, a randomized controlled trial (N = 185) was conducted to confirm that improving future self-continuity through letter-writing can interrupt the emergence of future anxiety prompted by uncertainty. The findings of this research indicated that future self-continuity functions as a mediating factor in the relationship between uncertainty and future anxiety among college students. Additionally, engaging in letter-writing activities may act as an indirect means to alleviate future anxiety.

ABSTRACT A person’s race and ethnicity influences how they socialize their children about such topics. Yet little is known about how the growing population of Multiracial adults, who are members of multiple racial/ethnic groups, socialize their children about their ethnic/racial backgrounds. In two preregistered online studies, U.S. parents (S1: M Age = 37.85; 52.85% female; S2: M Age = 37.85; 84.21% female) responded to open-ended questions about the interactions they have/intend to have with their 3- to 18-year-old children about racial/ethnic identities. In Study 1, Multiracial parents’ (n = 96) ethnic/racial socialization practices were more similar to monoracial parents of color (n = 99) than White parents (n = 138). However, Multiracial parents also showed distinguishing ethnic/racial socialization patterns: they expressed a greater number of coded socialization themes overall, and reported ethnic/racial identity multiplicity as a joy, significantly more than monoracial parents. There was also some evidence that the frequency with which Multiracial parents are perceived as racial/ethnic minority shapes their race/ethnic socialization practices. In Study 2, 209 new Multiracial parents reported their socialization practices in response to two different racial identity frames, overall replicating Study 1 findings. Our findings highlight the importance of studying Multiracial parents specifically when exploring ethnic/racial socialization, helping inform fully inclusive models of ethnic/racial socialization.

ABSTRACT Many parents lie to their children. Paradoxically, many also disapprove of lying to children, and teach that lying is unacceptable, suggesting discrepancies between parental lying attitudes, behaviors, and teaching. This study explored the alignment and discrepancies between parental attitudes, behaviors, and direct moral instruction across three lie types: other-oriented, self-oriented, and instrumental. Cross-sectional data were collected from parents in the Netherlands (N = 312, 79.8% mothers) and analyzed using correlational and latent profile analyses. Between-parent associations suggested general alignment between attitudes, behaviors, and direct moral instruction, with variations in strength depending on lie type. However, within-parent analyses showed many parents exhibited discrepancies between their lying attitudes, behaviors, and direct moral instruction. Prevalence and patterns of alignment and discrepancies differed by lie type. For instance, discrepant profiles were more prevalent for self-oriented and instrumental lying than for other-oriented lying. These findings suggest most parents do not fully practice what they believe or preach, nor consistently preach what they believe, reflecting internal moral conflicts within parents and inconsistencies in children’s moral socialization. This study expands understanding of parental alignment and discrepancies and proposes hypotheses about environmental, societal, and relational factors influencing how parents navigate moral beliefs, behaviors, and teaching in daily life.

ABSTRACT Low self-concept clarity is linked to a greater tendency to engage in appearance-based comparisons and a greater degree of internalization of societal appearance ideals, both of which contribute to body dissatisfaction. This study extends previous trait-level research by examining whether momentary fluctuations in self-concept clarity also predict these outcomes. A sample of 203 women completed trait measures of self-concept clarity, appearance comparisons, internalization of appearance ideals, and body dissatisfaction, and also participated in a five-day ecological momentary assessment (EMA) protocol, responding to surveys assessing these same constructs five times per day. Lower trait self-concept clarity was associated with more frequent appearance comparisons and greater internalization across the EMA period. Furthermore, lower momentary self-concept clarity was associated with a greater likelihood of engaging in (upward) appearance comparisons and internalization, both concurrently and at a subsequent time point. Upward appearance comparisons and momentary internalization were linked to momentary body dissatisfaction, lower positive affect, and higher negative affect. However, self-concept clarity (trait or momentary) did not moderate the impact of appearance comparisons or internalization on body dissatisfaction or affect. These findings suggest that low self-concept clarity increases vulnerability to sociocultural appearance processes, thereby increasing risk for body dissatisfaction.