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The behavioural immune system consists of psychological mechanisms that evolved to prevent pathogens from entering the body (such as avoiding stimuli that elicit disgust). In this Review, van Leeuwen et al. consider how pathogen avoidance gives rise to prejudice and evaluate the empirical support for principles hypothesized to underlie this phenomenon.
Mental disorder classification provides a definitional framework that underlies applied clinical and research efforts to understand, assess, predict, prevent and ameliorate the burden of psychopathology. In this Review, Eaton et al. describe transdiagnostic dimensional, network and clinical staging approaches to classification and consider their strengths, their limitations, and their scientific and clinical utility.
Traditional syntheses are limited by methodological issues and the rapid rate of research production. In this Perspective, Sakaluk et al. propose a model for more useful syntheses that integrate data on impact, consistency, research credibility and sampling inclusivity and present these data in a modular and accessible way.
The cognition needed to support cooperation in its multifaceted forms varies in different scenarios. In this Review, Melis and Raihani argue that whether individuals must recognize interaction partners and whether cooperative interactions need investment repayment can differentiate the cognitive demand posed.
Comparing effect sizes between studies is critical for evaluating empirical evidence and gaining a broader understanding of underlying phenomena. However, many effects in psychology are nonlinear, which causes problems for interpreting such comparisons and meta-analyses.
Drawing is a versatile tool that people use to convey visual information across contexts. In this Review, Fan and colleagues discuss the cognitive mechanisms of drawing and key considerations for the use of drawings as a research tool.
Two articles in Nature Reviews Psychology shift the focus of research on racial bias from individual-level biases to the systemic, structural and historic forces that shape them.
Psychosis research has traditionally focused on vulnerability and the detrimental outcomes of risk exposure. In this Review, Thakkar et al. consider an alternative resilience-based approach focused on resources and strengths that might help protect against negative illness course among people at risk.
Large language models show remarkable capacities, but it is unclear what abstractions support their behaviour. Methods from developmental psychology can help researchers to understand the representations used by these models, complementing standard computational approaches — and perhaps leading to insights about the nature of mind.