Women face a variety of sociocultural and individual obstacles that can trap them in violent relationships. In this study, we aimed to explore the role of cognitive distortions in women’s decision-making (loyalty and exit) within their current relationships, distinguishing between those who experienced intimate partner violence (IPV) and those who did not. Additionally, we examined the moderating effects of the traditional female role and the dependency between the group condition (IPV victims versus nonvictims) and cognitive distortions. Results showed that the IPV victims present higher levels of the traditional female role, dependency, cognitive distortions, and use of loyalty and exit strategies to a greater extent compared with the nonvictims. Similarly, two explanatory models were tested, revealing that women who were victims of IPV by their current partner (compared to the nonvictims group) exhibited greater cognitive distortions and, consequently, were more likely to use loyalty and exit strategies. The moderating effects of the traditional female role among the group of IPV victims and cognitive distortions were obtained. These findings contribute to a better understanding of how cognitive distortions and adherence to the traditional female role can influence women’s decision-making (loyalty and exit), reinforcing the notion that they are responsible for maintaining the relationship.

Continuous speech presents a challenge to the ab initio learner, as the language-specific segmentation strategies they use in their first language are not always reliable cues in other languages (Cutler 2001 International Journal of Research and Practice in Interpreting, 5(1), 1–23). Yet, they are able to use more general acoustic, prosodic, and statistical cues to word boundaries, as well as lexical similarity to their first language (e.g., Shoemaker & Rast 2013. Second Language Research, 29(2), 165–183) to recognize words at first exposure to a new language. In the current study, we investigated whether adult ab initio learners’ ability to recognize words after brief exposure to continuous speech in a new language is improved when that speech is produced using an infant-directed register, a style of speech found to facilitate segmentation in infancy (Thiessen et al. 2005. Infancy 7(1), 53–71). In a series of experiments, we demonstrate that although English ab initio learners of German benefited from infant-directed speech, their performance was generally lower than in previous studies unless task demands were reduced. These learners also benefited from word length and from frequency of occurrence, as has been shown previously, but these did not interact with register. As in infancy, learner-directed speech registers appear to facilitate initial processing and recognition in adult ab initio learners.

The present study investigates whether parental psychopathology developed after a terrorist attack influences the development of disorders in their children in the very long term, with a mean time of 24.87 years (SD = 8.5) having elapsed between the event and the assessment. For this purpose, participants included 66 adults (Mage = 32.17, SD = 7.25; 59.1% female) who were minors at the time of the attack (Mage = 5.92, SD = 4.98) and 67 parents (Mage = 58.82, SD = 7.86; 62.7% female). We examined a possible relationship between the development of parents’ psychopathology after suffering the attack and the psychopathology of their adult offspring, whose exposure—direct or indirect—occurred during childhood. The analysis focused on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and emotional disorders (depressive and anxiety disorders). No statistically significant evidence was found to support the relationship between parental and offspring psychopathology, with measures of the effect size of OR = 1.79 for PTSD, OR = 2.22 for depressive disorders, and OR = .81 for anxiety disorders. Although the data show some tendency suggesting that offspring of parents with past psychopathology may be more likely to develop depressive disorders and PTSD over the long term, no statistically significant results were found to support the research hypothesis or much of the existing literature. Therefore, these findings should be interpreted cautiously due to the lack of significant evidence.

This study investigated weight-related stigmatization in France using a mixed-methods approach with two aims: (1) to generate a systematic inventory of weight-related stigmatizing situations and (2) to examine how quality of life, self-esteem, and internalization of responsibility vary with BMI and sociodemographic factors (age, degree, and bariatric surgery). For the first objective, 252 French women reported a negative weight-related experience between September and December 2024, rated its emotional impact, and identified the source, form, and context of the stigma. For the second objective, 387 women and 63 men completed an online survey measuring attitudes (belief in a just world, self-esteem, and quality of life) and sociodemographic variables (gender, age, BMI, and degree). Qualitative analysis identified 484 stigmatizing incidents, categorized into eight themes. The most common were unpleasant verbal remarks (comments on appearance and weight, normative injunctions, and guilt-inducing statements), mainly from healthcare professionals. Most events occurred in private or semi-private settings such as homes or healthcare environments, often when the individual was alone with another person. Quantitative analyses revealed that greater stigma exposure, especially when paired with higher BMI, was linked to lower quality of life and, consequently, reduced self-esteem. Repeated stigmatization also led to a perception by people with obesity that, while the world is fair to others, it is unfair to them, further undermining their self-worth. These findings highlight the profound psychological toll of weight-related stigmatization and the need for more inclusive social and healthcare environments.

Bilingualism research has long been challenged by a lack of a unified approach to quantifying language dominance and degree of multilingualism. While numerous questionnaires (e.g., LHQ, BLP, LEAP‑Q, and LUQ) provide valuable data on language background variables, they lack a standardized formula to compute key measures from it. We introduce two formulas that synthesize critical linguistic variables to efficiently calculate language dominance and a multilingualism score that ranges from perfect monolingualism to native-like proficiency in multiple languages. Validation across two large datasets shows our dominance measure closely aligns with more complex PCA methods while being simpler and more efficient.

Studies on bilingual individuals indicate that both first-language (L1) and second-language (L2) processing recruit linguistic and simulation systems, with L1 processing typically showing greater activation of simulation systems (often referred to as preference systems) and L2 processing relying more heavily on linguistic systems. When bilingual speakers switch between languages, the language used initially may influence the activation of preference systems in the subsequent language. The present study examines whether L2 proficiency moderates this influence. Employing a 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 mixed design, we investigated how L2 proficiency shapes embodied effects during L1 and L2 sentence comprehension under two language-switching conditions (L1 → L2 and L2 → L1) in bilingual participants. Results revealed that low-proficiency bilinguals demonstrated embodied effects in L1 comprehension across both switching directions. In contrast, highly proficient bilinguals showed such effects only when switching from L1 to L2 but not from L2 to L1. These findings suggest that, in the L2 → L1 condition, the linguistic system activated during L2 processing in highly proficient bilinguals exerts a stronger influence on subsequent L1 processing than in low-proficiency bilinguals, highlighting the role of proficiency in modulating cross-linguistic embodied effects.

The use of metaphors, whether linguistic or visual, has been shown to enhance advertisement effectiveness, and sensory marketing research highlights the positive effects of appealing to consumers’ sensory perception. Synaesthetic metaphors, which involve metaphor and sensory experiences, are ideal for studying the effects of both metaphor and (multi)sensory cues in advertisements. We experimentally tested the hypothesis that the presence of (linguistic and/or visual) metaphor and the evocation of multiple senses will enhance advertisement appreciation and the intention to purchase the advertised product. We manipulated eight print advertisements, each of which was presented in the following conditions: (1) visual and linguistic synaesthetic metaphor; (2) linguistic but no visual synaesthetic metaphor; (3) visual but no linguistic synaesthetic metaphor; and (4) neither visual nor linguistic synaesthetic metaphor. Each advertisement was also rated for its multisensoriality, that is, its association with the five basic senses. Results partly supported the hypothesis, showing that advertisements with both visual and linguistic synaesthetic metaphors and those perceived as more multisensory were most appreciated. However, purchase intentions were not influenced by either metaphor or multisensoriality. This indicates that higher aesthetic appreciation does not necessarily translate into higher purchase intentions, suggesting the need for further research into additional influencing factors.

Being literate likely has consequences for learning a second language, but surprisingly little research has been devoted to how emergent literacy affects second-language acquisition processes. Using a word learning experiment, we aimed to tease apart two possible ways through which literacy could impact second-language acquisition: through literacy-induced restructuring and through using written input in addition to spoken input. Totally, 166 (L1 Arabic and L2 Dutch) participants of varying literacy levels (emergent readers and more experienced readers) had to acquire eight words as names of people and pet animals, of which some only varied in one phoneme. Half of the participants received only auditory input to learn these names, and the other half also received written input. Bayesian mixed-effects models indicate that experienced readers are better able to acquire words and a phonological contrast than emergent readers, pointing toward a benefit from literacy-induced restructured linguistic representations. We also obtained anecdotal evidence that, although experienced readers seemingly benefit more from written input than emergent readers, the latter group could still use written input to a small extent. Possibly, written input might be beneficial, even though it cannot be properly decoded yet—at the very least it does not harm providing such input.