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Walk places, meet people and build social capital

A study by Shannon Rogers and her team found that living in a walkable neighborhood is associated with increased civic involvement, trust, and social connections. Residents in more walkable areas reported better health, happiness, and community involvement.

SourceSpringer·JournalApplied Research in Quality of Life·DateDec 7, 2010

'The friend of my enemy is my enemy'

A new study analyzing interactions between players in a virtual universe game has provided large-scale evidence to prove an 80-year-old psychological theory called Structural Balance Theory. The research shows that individuals tend to avoid stress-causing relationships when they develop a society, resulting in more stable social networks.

SourceImperial College London·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateJul 19, 2010

Signal like you mean it

A new study reveals that orangutan gestures carry specific intentional meanings and are made with the expectation of behavioral responses. The researchers identified 64 gesture types, 40 of which were used predictably to achieve six social goals, including initiating interactions and requesting objects.

SourceSpringer·JournalAnimal Cognition·DateJun 17, 2010

Communication intervention in preschool children with autism improves parent-child interaction but does not deliver clinically significant reduction in autism symptoms

A new autism intervention for preschool children showed improvements in parent-child interaction, but failed to deliver a clinically significant reduction in autism symptoms. The study assessed 152 children aged 2-4 years and found that the PACT intervention led to enhanced communicative and social development.

SourceThe Lancet_DELETED·JournalThe Lancet·DateMay 20, 2010

Personality predicts success in medical school, says new study by U of Minnesota professor

A new study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology found that personality characteristics play a significant role in determining who succeeds in medical school. Conscientious individuals tend to excel in early years, while extraverted students perform better in later years as interpersonal skills become more important.

SourceUniversity of Minnesota·JournalJournal of Applied Psychology·DateDec 3, 2009

It takes 2 to tutor a sparrow

In a field study, University of Washington researchers found that juvenile song sparrows learn their repertoire by eavesdropping on singing conversations between two adult birds. This process involves tracking the birds' movements and responses to recorded bird songs played over two speakers.

Need something? Talk to my right ear!

Researchers found that people prefer to be addressed in their right ear and are more likely to perform a task when receiving a request there. In noisy night club environments, the side bias was consistently displayed, with 72% of interactions occurring on the right side.

SourceSpringer·JournalZeitschrift für Didaktik der Naturwissenschaften·DateJun 23, 2009

R U learning?

A pilot study is testing the effectiveness of text messaging as a medium for delivering HIV prevention education to at-risk teens. The study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, uses a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-approved curriculum and involves sending text, image, and video material to teen participants.

Fate and 'face': Cultural differences lead to different consumer approaches

A new study published in the Journal of Consumer Research found that Asian consumers are more tolerant of nonsocial failures due to their strong belief in fate, while Western consumers are more demanding. The researchers also discovered that brands emphasizing fate can increase Asian consumers' tolerance for social failures.

SourceUniversity of Chicago Press Journals·JournalJournal of Consumer Research·DateFeb 23, 2009

International Journal of Social Robotics debuts at Springer

The International Journal of Social Robotics will cover a broad array of topics related to socially interactive robots, including design philosophies, human-robot interaction, and neurorobotics. The journal aims to provide an overview of the current state of the field and its impact on society.

SourceSpringer·JournalInternational Journal of Social Robotics·DateNov 10, 2008

Egalitarian revolution in the Pleistocene?

A new study published in PLOS ONE suggests that the first egalitarian societies may have appeared tens of thousands of years ago, driven by the social brain hypothesis. The research uses a complex mathematical model and large-scale numerical simulations to explore how alliances can emerge in groups, leading to a phase transition toward...

SourcePLOS·JournalPLOS ONE·DateOct 3, 2008

Who's bad? Chimps figure it out by observation

In experiments, chimpanzees showed an ability to recognize and generalize behavioral traits in strangers, forming reputation judgments based on observation. This finding suggests that chimps may possess a system for attributing reputation, a crucial feature of cooperative exchanges.

SourceSpringer·JournalAnimal Cognition·DateMar 26, 2008