Europe’s Journal of Psychology

From Distraction to Delay: Unpacking Academic Procrastination

Rosa Angela Fabio, Miriam Ricciardello, Giulia Picciotto — Fri, 28 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Academic procrastination undermines students’ academic performance and psychological well-being. This study investigated key psychological and cognitive factors associated with procrastination, including personality traits, need for achievement, inattention, hyperactivity, and social media addiction. A total of 464 Italian university students completed validated self-report questionnaires; a subsample of 80 participants also completed cognitive tasks assessing attention, inhibitory control, and working memory. Predictors of procrastination were examined using multiple regression and a path analysis model (structural equation modeling). Exploratory statistical indirect-effect analyses were also conducted; given the cross-sectional design, these were interpreted as associational rather than causal. Procrastination was negatively associated with conscientiousness and need for achievement, and positively associated with inattention, hyperactivity, and problematic social media use, with inattention emerging as the strongest statistical correlate. Importantly, the integration of self-report and objective performance data revealed that high procrastinators showed poorer executive functioning. These findings highlight the combined role of personal and cognitive factors in academic procrastination. Interventions aimed at enhancing attentional control and strengthening need for achievement may help reduce procrastination and improve students’ academic outcomes and well-being.

Effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy on Sleep Outcome for Patients With Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in a Routine Clinical Service

Chotiman Chinvararak, Olivia Sterry, Trudie Chalder — Fri, 28 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Objective: We aimed to study the effectiveness of CBT for sleep difficulties in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalitis (CFS/ME). Method: We conducted a retrospective cohort study at the Persistent Physical Symptoms Research and Treatment Unit, Maudsley Hospital, between 2014 and 2019. The primary outcome was sleep quality and other sleep parameters assessed by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). The secondary assessments comprised the Chalder Fatigue Questionnaire (CFS), the Work and Social Adjustment Scale (WSAS), and the Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36). The data were gathered at baseline, discharge, and follow-up periods (3, 6, and 12 months). A paired samples t-test, repeated measures ANOVAs, and the Friedman Test were used to determine the effectiveness of CBT. A linear mixed model was employed to evaluate the effect size of CBT. Results: From all 217 participants (71.4% female; mean age = 39.42 ± 12.32 years), 85.7% experienced poor sleep quality. The associated factors of poor sleep quality at baseline included primary education/secondary education/vocational qualification (ORadj = 3.74, 95% CI [1.03, 13.64], p = .046), CFS score (ORadj = 1.08, 95% CI [1.02, 1.15], p = .015), SF-36 score (ORadj = 0.98, 95% CI [0.96, 0.99], p = .015), WSAS score (ORadj = 1.06, 95% CI [1.02, 1.11], p = .004) and HADS-A score (ORadj = 0.80, 95% CI [0.69, 0.93], p = .004). CBT had a substantial positive effect on sleep parameters, fatigue, and physical functioning over a 12-month follow-up period (p < .05). Conclusion: CBT had a significant positive effect on the sleep parameters. This effect persisted during a 12-month follow-up period. The results suggest CBT is an effective treatment for CFS/ME patients with sleep problems.

Investigating the Role of Verbal and Non-Verbal Working Memory Measures in Complex Sentence Comprehension by School-Aged Greek Speaking Children

Gavriil Karavasilis — Fri, 28 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Objectives: The present study examines the role of Working Memory (WM), as a cognitive system of limited storage—processing resources, in complex sentence comprehension by typically developing children in both the verbal and non-verbal domain. In particular, the study compares non-verbal and verbal measures of WM in regard to their contribution to complex sentence comprehension. Methods: Participants were 169 children aged 8 to 12 years, native speakers of Greek. A self-paced reading task was used to assess the comprehension of syntactically complex sentences. The sentences tested were object-relatives. Non-verbal short-term memory (nvSTM) and non-verbal working memory (nvWM) was measured by corsi blocks forward and corsi blocks backward, respectively. Forward digit span was used for the measurement of verbal short-term memory (vSTM) and backward digit span for the assessment of verbal working memory (vWM). Results: Results showed that the only significant predictor of children’s comprehension was backward digit span. Conclusions: Findings suggest an important role of vWM in the comprehension of syntactically complex structures, lending support to the view that language comprehension is underpinned by a domain-specific cognitive system specialized to verbal processing.

The Facilitation of Cognitive Procedures is not Dependent on Maintenance of Declarative Memory Elements

Fri, 28 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Previous research has demonstrated that the cognitive procedure of categorization can be facilitated with practice. That is, practice categorizing exemplars of a particular category results in faster and more accurate categorizing of new exemplars within processed categories compared to non-processed categories. Further, subsequent research using a directed-forgetting paradigm demonstrated that this facilitation of procedural memory can occur without the maintenance of declarative memory elements (i.e., category exemplars). The current research extends these findings by examining if procedural memory can be facilitated in the absence of declarative memory recall of processed category labels. Results demonstrate another replication of the facilitation of procedural memory as well as non-recalled category exemplars being categorized faster and more accurately than non-processed category exemplars. Interestingly, participants more quickly and accurately categorized non-recalled categories compared to recalled categories. The results suggest that the facilitation of exemplar comparisons is not dependent upon category label maintenance in declarative memory.

Does Exposure to Thin Ideal Bodies Increase Self-Disgust?

Fri, 28 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Objectives: This study investigates whether exposure to thin-ideal body images, commonly encountered on social networking sites (SNSs), leads to increased body dissatisfaction, body-related anxiety, and self-disgust among young women. While previous research has established a link between SNS use and body dissatisfaction, the role of self-disgust in this context remains underexplored. Methods: A total of 59 healthy young women (M age = 24.49, SD = 3.66) with a normal BMI (M = 22.38, SD = 3.27) participated. Exclusion criteria included current or past eating disorders, psychopathology, or psychiatric medication use. Participants completed pre- and post-exposure measures of body satisfaction (S-BISS), body-related anxiety (PASTAS), and self-disgust (VAS) after viewing 15 thin-ideal images. A non-parametric Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used due to non-normal data distribution. Results: Participants showed a significant decrease in body satisfaction (z = -3.017, p = .003). Self-disgust significantly increased for the stomach (z = -2.197, p = .028) and hips (z = -2.622, p = .009). Significant increases in body anxiety were observed for the waist (z = -2.352, p = .019), buttocks (z = -2.000, p = .046), muscular tone (z = -2.668, p = .008), and perceived overweight (z = -3.273, p = .001). No significant changes were found for thighs or legs. Conclusions: Consistent with sociocultural/objectification literature, thin-ideal exposure elicited immediate increases in dissatisfaction and anxiety and extended prior work by documenting state self-disgust as a plausible affective response. These findings underscore the need for media literacy interventions and further exploration of emotional mechanisms in body image disturbance. Generalizability is limited by the all-female and the single-session pre–post design without an active control. Effects should be interpreted as upper-bound estimates of immediate reactivity.

Cognitive and Emotional Predictors of Decision-Making in Adults: Roles of Cognitive Functions and Emotion Regulation Difficulties

Yuzu Yoshimaru, Shinji Okazaki — Fri, 28 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Objectives: The Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) is a widely used measure of decision-making that mimics real-life situations involving uncertainty and reward. While prior research has separately explored the roles of cognitive functions (e.g., intelligence) and non-cognitive factors (e.g., emotion regulation), few have examined their combined and relative influence. This study aimed to clarify how cognitive abilities and emotion regulation difficulties contribute to decision-making under ambiguity and risk, as assessed by the IGT. Methods: Fifty healthy adults completed a modified version of the IGT, a battery of cognitive tasks measuring planning, attention, and working memory, and the Japanese version of the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (J-DERS). Zero-order and partial correlations as well as hierarchical regression analyses were conducted. Results: Zero-order correlations indicated significant positive associations between advantageous IGT performance and both working memory and attention. These associations remained significant after controlling J-DERS scores in partial correlations. However, hierarchical regression analyses revealed that neither cognitive abilities nor emotion regulation difficulties significantly predicted overall IGT performance. Contrary to expectations, emotion regulation difficulties were not significantly related to risky choices, suggesting a weaker role than previously attributed to emotional intelligence. Conclusions: The findings suggest that cognitive functions, particularly attentional control, are more strongly associated with advantageous decision-making, especially during later stages of the task. These findings underscore the primacy of cognitive functions in implicit decision-making. Study limitations include a small sample size and a lack of neurophysiological data, highlighting the need for future studies with neuroimaging and larger samples.

Big Five Traits and Tolerance for Uncertainty as Protective Factors of Subjective Well-Being of Students in Martial Law Conditions

Olena V. Zavhorodnia, Mariia V. Shepelova — Fri, 29 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

In the context of prolonged martial law and pervasive uncertainty, the psychological well-being of student populations becomes especially vulnerable. This study examines how personality dispositions — namely, the Big Five traits and tolerance for uncertainty — relate to subjective well-being among Ukrainian university students navigating wartime conditions. Using data from 147 participants (M_age = 24), predominantly women (78%), studying across various programs in Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Zhytomyr, the research explored direct, mediating, and moderating pathways of influence. The analysis revealed a complex web of interrelations: openness partially mediated the effects of extraversion (p = .031), novelty tolerance (p = .012), and general uncertainty tolerance (p = .008) on subjective well-being. Novelty tolerance also mediated the link between agreeableness and well-being (p = .004). Emotional stability emerged as a significant moderator, enabling the protective effects of openness on well-being (p = .010), while the protective role of extraversion declined with age (p = .018). One particularly noteworthy finding was the unexpected negative association between agreeableness and well-being. In the wartime context, this may reflect a psychological overload among highly agreeable individuals — especially women — facing intense social expectations and emotional caregiving demands, often at the expense of their resources. Future research may benefit from exploring additional mediating variables such as optimism, perceived social support, coping strategies, and cognitive flexibility to better understand adaptive mechanisms under sustained stress.

A Test Battery for Measuring Individual Cognitive Ability: A Brief Practical Tutorial

Maria Lialiou, Martine Grice, Petra B. Schumacher — Fri, 29 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This tutorial provides a comprehensive, open-source collection of tasks, adapted and designed to measure key cognitive functions including inhibition, working memory, and processing speed. While a substantial body of research in experimental psychology focuses on these cognitive functions, many of the corresponding tasks are not readily accessible in one place — at least to the best of our knowledge. This lack of availability can create barriers for researchers seeking to investigate cognitive variability, necessitating additional time and effort to collate, design or code tasks that may already exist in some form. To address this issue, the present tutorial aims to make a battery of cognitive tasks freely available to the research community. By sharing these tools, we hope to enhance reproducibility in studies of cognitive variability and reduce the redundancy of repeatedly creating similar tasks from scratch. This resource is intended for researchers with an interest in exploring individual differences in cognitive and linguistic performance, offering a practical and efficient solution for accessing standardized tasks. Overall, this tutorial serves as a valuable contribution to the field, providing accessible tools to facilitate research, promote consistency across studies, and save researchers significant time and resources.

The Effect of Unethical Leadership on Employees’ Unethical Pro-Organizational Behaviour: A Meta-Analysis

Mohd Ferdaus Harun, Maisarah Mohd Taib — Fri, 29 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Background: This meta-analysis examines the relationship between unethical leadership and employees’ engagement in unethical pro-organizational behaviours. When leaders lack moral integrity, it can undermine employees’ ethical decision-making. By synthesizing evidence across studies, this research aims to clarify the scale and impact of this link, informing interventions to mitigate the harmful effects of unethical leadership on employee behaviour. Method: A systematic literature search across five online databases identified 129 empirical studies published between 2014 and 2024. These studies investigated the relationship between unethical leadership and unethical pro-organizational behaviours, examining constructs such as exploitative leadership, authoritarian leadership, and abusive supervision. Only studies that were rated as having moderate or strong overall quality based on the QATQS risk of bias assessment were included. The meta-analysis employed a univariate random-effects model, with effect sizes calculated using Fisher’s Z coefficient. Results: A total of 20 effect sizes from 12 studies were included, involving 6,892 participants across five countries, four from Asia (i.e., China, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, and Iran) and the United States. The overall effect size was positively significant, indicating that unethical leadership moderately increases employees’ unethical pro-organizational behaviours. The substantial heterogeneity suggests variability beyond chance. While the funnel plot and Egger’s regression test indicate potential publication bias in the included studies, Duval and Tweedie’s trim-and-fill method did not identify sufficient evidence of missing studies to warrant adjusting the effect size. Conclusion: Unethical leadership demonstrates a moderate positive effect on employees’ engagement in unethical pro-organizational behaviours. Leaders’ unethical conduct directly shapes this trend. However, potential mediating factors, such as a moral engagement, value-congruence, and moderating factors, such as organizational culture and ethical climate, may also influence these associations.

The High Five Model as a Predictor of Optimal Functioning in University Students: A Longitudinal Study

Diana García Dilba, Alejandro Castro Solano — Fri, 29 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Objectives: The high-five model (HFM) categorizes five positive human characteristics — erudition, peace, joviality, honesty, and tenacity — on the basis of an inductive psycholexical approach. This study aimed to evaluate the predictive power of the HFM in a sample of university students to assess whether these traits could predict optimal functioning after 20 months. Optimal functioning was defined as high academic performance; emotional, personal, and social well-being; and low levels of psychopathology. Methods: The study included 136 university students with a mean age of 30.8 years (SD = 1.86; 83% female; 17% male). The predictor variables were high factors (HFI – High Five Inventory –), and the criterion variables were emotional, personal, and social well-being (Mental Health Continuum-Short Form – MHC-SF –), psychopathological symptoms (Symptom Checklist-27, SCL-27), and academic achievement (self-reported academic grades). The data were analyzed both cross-sectionally and longitudinally. Results: The findings indicated that the HFI, particularly the factors of Honesty (β = .64, p = .05) and Tenacity (β = .49, p = .01), demonstrated high predictive power in identifying profiles of optimal functioning (high complete mental well-being) in university students after 20 months. The predictive power of the model was greater when predictors and criteria were analyzed cross-sectionally rather than longitudinally (explaining 35% vs. 17% of the variance). Conclusions: HFM effectively distinguished between high- and low-complete mental well-being groups both cross-sectionally and longitudinally, demonstrating its robustness in predicting optimal functioning at various time points.