When AI Sounds Human: Can People Accurately Distinguish between Psychologists and Language Models In Mental-Health Advice

Barcelona, Spain · May 2026

Posters · Digital Life & Emerging Technology in Psychology

Bethânia Sasseron
RUMO.Solutions
Delso Batista
RUMO.Solutions
Francisco Valente Gonçalves
RUMO.Solutions
Francisco Valente Gonçalves
Universidade Europeia
Inês Gaspar
RUMO.Solutions
Francisco Cruz
Universidade de Lisboa
Francisco Cruz
Universidade Europeia
Raquel Ferreira Santos
RUMO.Solutions
Bernardo Silva
Universidade Europeia
Carolina Borges
RUMO.Solutions

Abstract

Participants (N=137) evaluated ten common mental-health questions paired with one clinician and one AI-generated answer. Signal Detection Theory indicated low sensitivity (d′ ≈ 0.10), a liberal bias (c = –.42), a .64 hit rate, and a .68 false-alarm rate, showing participants could not reliably distinguish human from AI advice.

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When AI Sounds Human: Can People Accurately Distinguish between Psychologists and Language Models In Mental-Health Advice

Abstract

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