Latest

social behavior

This shows a happy face ball with other sad face balls

·April 24, 2019·3 min read

Schadenfreude: Your pain is my gain

Schadenfreude, or taking pleasure from the misfortune of others, can be contagious and leads to a vicious cycle of mistreatment of a victim, especially in a competitive workplace.

This shows a young girl and boy playing a video game

Featured Psychology

·April 23, 2019·4 min read

Playing video games generally not harmful to boys’ social development

Contrary to popular belief, playing video games does not have an overall negative impact on the social development of boys. However, girls who spend more time playing video games at age 10 have weaker social skills than girls who spend less time gaming.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·April 20, 2019·4 min read

Hello, kitty: Cats recognize their own names

Domestic cats are able to discriminate the content of human speech, including recognizing their names, based upon phonemic differences.

Featured Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·April 18, 2019·5 min read

Young children judge others based on facial features as much as adults do

Children as young as five use facial appearance to determine meaningful judgements and expectations of the behavior of others.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·April 18, 2019·5 min read

How superstitions spread

A new game theory model demonstrates how superstitious beliefs become established in a society's social norms. The model shows how distinct belief systems can evolve as a coordinated set of behaviors which are enforced by a consistent set of social norms.

This shows a brain with the amygdala highlighted

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·April 11, 2019·5 min read

‘Mindreading’ neurons simulate decisions of social partners

Neurons in the amygdala derive object values based on observations and use the values to simulate a social partner's decision making.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·April 10, 2019·4 min read

Protein pileup affects social behaviors through altered brain signaling

Study implicates disrupted autophagy and protein aggregation in the pathogenesis of autism schizophrenia and social behavior deficits in other disorders.

Autism Featured Neuroscience Neuroscience Videos Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·April 9, 2019·10 min read

Autism symptoms reduced nearly 50% two years after fecal transplant

Arizona State University researchers claim microbiota transfer therapy reduces symptoms associated with autism and gastrointestinal problems for two years post-treatment. The study suggests MTT may be a promising option for helping to treat children with ASD who also have GI problems. The researchers stress further research, including double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized trials with a larger cohort be carried out.

This shows a patient holding a guinea pig

Featured Neurology Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·April 9, 2019·3 min read

Animal-assisted therapy improves social behavior in patients with brain injuries

Animal-assisted therapy improves social behaviors and reduces negative emotions in those with TBI. The findings report those with brain injuries exposed to AAT experienced higher social engagement, satisfaction and motivation following therapy sessions.

This is a drawing of two heads with the word empathy under them

Featured Psychology

·April 9, 2019·5 min read

Empathy and cooperation go hand in hand

A capacity for empathy is key in sustaining cooperation between a social group. Findings reveal empathy can evolve through a process of social contagion.

This shows a male chimp sitting with his arms crossed

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·April 5, 2019·3 min read

Social insecurity also stresses chimpanzees

Aggression levels are reduced in male chimpanzees when social relations within their group become unstable.

This shows a young gorilla grooming a close social member who has recently died

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·April 3, 2019·4 min read

Gorillas gather around and groom their dead

Researchers observe grooming and mourning behaviors by gorillas towards others in their social groups who recently died. The study sheds light on how animals perceive and process death.