Psychologists should study basic social cognition processes within the context of sexual interactions

Noam Markovitch; Anat Perry; Tali Kleiman

doi:10.1038/s44271-024-00160-y

Psychologists should study basic social cognition processes within the context of sexual interactions

Commun Psychol. 2024 Dec 4;2(1):116. doi: 10.1038/s44271-024-00160-y.

Authors

Noam Markovitch^{1

2}, Anat Perry^#³, Tali Kleiman^#⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel. [email protected].
² Department of Experimental Psychology, University College London, London, United Kingdom. [email protected].
³ Department of Psychology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel. [email protected].
⁴ Department of Psychology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel. [email protected].

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Research in psychology has long underscored the significance of contextual influence on social cognition processes and behavior. However, the exploration of sexual interactions as a unique context affecting these processes has largely been neglected by previous research, despite their prominent role in our daily lives and potentially consequential outcomes. We outline the relevance of various basic social cognition processes to sexual interactions and propose a line of research integrating theoretical insights and methodologies from social cognition research with those from sex and relationship research. We elaborate on theoretical and applied contributions to both fields.

Publication types

Review