Articles tagged with Social Learning
Researchers demonstrate that fruit flies meet five criteria for culturally transmitted behavior: learned socially, copied from older individuals, memorized over time, involves individual characteristics, and conformist. Computer simulations also show the emergence of long-lasting cultural traditions through transmission chains.
A new study by Etienne Danchin and colleagues found that female fruit flies learn mating preferences from others and copy them when choosing a mate. This social learning can produce and maintain local traditions for potentially thousands of generations, with significant evolutionary implications.
A new study found that infants who viewed instruction with a peer showed better neural response and improved phonemic learning compared to those who watched alone. The researchers suggest that social interaction increases arousal, which in turn boosts learning, and provide motivation for acquiring new skills.
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison created a robot named Minnie to serve as a reading buddy to middle school kids, resulting in increased excitement about books and attachment to the robot. The study showed that social learning through interaction with the robot improved comprehension and motivation for reading.
Indigenous Latino immigrants are learning Spanish to aid integration and gain access to social services and job opportunities. In contrast, non-indigenous Latinos tend to learn English after arrival in the US.
Researchers found that fairy-wrens can learn to associate unfamiliar alarm calls with danger by listening to a chorus of familiar calls. This social learning allows birds to quickly adapt to new environments and may be relevant to conservation efforts.
A new study suggests that ex-smokers often relapse due to a desire to recapture their lost social identity. The research found that quitting smoking can be a 'loss' for some individuals, leading them to struggle with feelings of guilt and shame upon regaining their identity as non-smokers.
A new study found that individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have reduced ability to detect lies, making them more susceptible to manipulation. The researchers suggest training individuals with ASD to improve their deception detection skills, which could enhance their lives.
A Dartmouth-led study found that the brain consolidates new social information during rest, demonstrating increased connectivity between medial prefrontal cortex and tempoparietal junction regions. The findings suggest that engaging these regions during rest may help learn about one's social environment.
A study found that girls are more likely than boys to struggle with social-emotional learning problems, academic difficulties, and behavioral issues in high school. The researchers identified five patterns among youths, with girls accounting for nearly 66% of students with high needs across all domains.
In a study on ring-tailed lemurs, researchers found that those who learned to solve tasks received more affiliative behaviors, such as grooming, from others. This increased their social position and became more influential within their group.
Princeton University researchers found that lemurs who solve problems gain more social connections and attention from others. By observing the behavior of successful individuals, other lemurs are more likely to adopt similar skills and strategies.
Researchers found that bats can learn novel prey cues from members of the same species as well as different species. One-third of the bats learned about new prey on their own but did so more slowly than those learning from a different species.
Researchers at Princeton University used optogenetics to study social behavior in mice, revealing a neural substrate for social learning that could lead to new treatments for autism. The study also highlights the importance of spatial learning in social interactions, which are essential for humans.
Researchers found that captive gorillas can learn to clean food without witnessing others do it first. In 75% of trials, gorillas demonstrated food cleaning techniques when given dirty apples coated with sand.
Researchers found that bearded dragons incubated in colder temperatures learned to open a sliding door faster than those from warmer temperatures. This ability is crucial for adapting to changing environments and may offer a potential buffer against human-induced environmental change.
A study by IBS scientists found that mice develop 'social rules' to allocate rewards, promoting long-term benefits for both mice. The researchers used brain stimulation to induce a sense of pleasure, and observed that 60% of the mice waited for their turn, leading to more rounds and total reward time.
A new study by Dr Daniel Brown defines thriving as a combination of personal development, succeeding at mastering something, and feeling good about life. The research outlines six recommendations for future studies on thriving.
Research shows smooth-coated otters adopt a 'copy when young' strategy to solve puzzles, with young otters learning faster than parents. This social learning behavior may help improve reintroduction programs for endangered otter species.
Researchers found that bonobos do not copy actions as children do, highlighting the unique nature of human imitation. The study suggests that over-imitation in young children may be a critical factor in explaining why human cultures differ from those of great apes.
A new study found that individuals with higher cognitive abilities are more likely to learn and apply social stereotypes. However, they also tend to update their stereotypes more quickly when presented with new information.
New research shows that social-emotional learning programs have immediate positive effects on children's mental health, social skills, and learning outcomes, which continue to benefit them years later. The study found higher graduation rates, lower drug use and behavior problems, and improved public health outcomes for program particip...
Scientists reviewed 80 years of research on facial expressions in blind people to determine if they express emotions in the same way as sighted individuals. The study found that blind people use the same muscles to express individual emotions, suggesting an innate and universal emotional character.
Research highlights social and emotional learning as critical to understanding how students succeed in school. Experts emphasize the need for teacher training and assessment tools to support these skills.
Social emotional learning interventions show promise in early childhood, with training for teachers, embedded instruction, and family engagement being key factors. Longer-term studies are needed to understand long-term effects on academic success and social outcomes.
Research by Herberholz and colleagues found that isolated crayfish are less sensitive to the effects of alcohol than gregarious animals. The study suggests that social experience can impact the sensitivity to acute alcohol exposure.
Studies demonstrate that social belonging interventions can significantly increase persistence rates among learners from lower developed countries, while affirmation interventions show mixed results. By addressing concerns about group identity and promoting psychological well-being, these simple interventions have the potential to turn...
Researchers found that network structure determines success in group problem-solving strategies, and vice versa. Teams should be designed around their learning style to strike the right balance between exploration and exploitation.
Researchers found bumblebees can solve string-pulling task through social learning, with 60% of untrained bees solving it after watching others. The skill continues to spread even after the original string-puller is gone.
A UCLA-Caltech study has pinpointed the individual neurons in the brain that support observational learning, a skill essential for human decision-making. The research team discovered that these neurons fire in response to schadenfreude, the pleasure of seeing someone else make a mistake.
A comprehensive review of scientific research on sexual orientation reveals that non-heterosexual feelings are a small but nontrivial percentage of the population across cultures. The study suggests that biological and environmental factors jointly influence sexual orientation, with no evidence to support social learning or increased p...
A randomized trial found that an evidence-based social-emotional learning curriculum improved basic proficiency in reading, writing, and math among at-risk students. The intervention group showed greater basic proficiency in grades 4-6 compared to the control group, with a dosage effect also observed.
Researchers found that brain activation patterns of individuals with autism spectrum disorder adapt differently during implicit learning, with slower recognition of familiar patterns. The severity of symptoms correlates with the degree of brain adaptation, suggesting a link between neural characteristics and core ASD symptoms.
A parent involvement program, REDI-P, helps young children retain literacy skills and positive learning behaviors through home visits with educational counselors. The study found that REDI-P offsets summer loss and improves academic performance and social interaction in children from disadvantaged backgrounds. By the fall of their kind...
Researchers found that New Caledonian crows use a combination of social learning and trial-and-error methods to acquire tool shapes. The birds observe another crow's actions, then mimic the end result, rather than copying specific actions, suggesting an alternative explanation for their cumulative technological culture.
A study published in Evolution and Human Behavior found that people prefer to follow the pack, with higher IQs being more strategic in their choices. The research suggests that conformity is essential for cultural evolution, as it allows us to copy successful behaviors and avoid mistakes.
Researchers found that children adapt their behavior to different goals, showcasing flexible social learning skills. The study suggests that humans are well-equipped to acquire and adapt cultural norms from previous generations.
A Michigan State University study found that high school and college students engaged in intelligent debate about scientific issues on a voluntary Facebook forum. The informal learning environment connected students with professionals and experts, sparking interest in careers and civic engagement.
A three-year study found that students with disabilities who participated in a social-emotional learning program experienced a 20% decrease in bullying perpetration. The researchers suggest that the program helped these students better manage their impulses, reducing reactive aggression and improving overall behavior.
Researchers found that chimpanzees can adapt their 'food calls' to refer to specific objects after social interaction and learning. After three years of living together, the chimps' grunt calls for a particular food item changed to match those produced by other group members.
Researchers found that chimpanzee grunts for 'apple' changed over time as they merged groups at the Edinburgh Zoo, sounding more similar to peers. This discovery suggests a shared building block of language between humans and chimps.
Researchers found fourth graders who participated in the MindUP program showed improved stress regulation, optimism, and peer relationships. They also performed better in math compared to those in a program without a mindfulness component.
A new study found that daily fluctuations in cortisol levels are disrupted in women who experience physical violence from male partners. The researchers also found a correlation between violence and cortisol levels in women, suggesting that the HPA-axis regulatory system may be adversely influenced by violence.
A new study from the University of Chicago Crime Lab and the University of Pennsylvania found that a public summer jobs program for high school students from disadvantaged neighborhoods in Chicago reduced violent crime arrests by 43 percent. The program offered eight weeks of part-time employment at Illinois minimum wage, accompanied b...
Researchers tracked the spread of novel tool-use behaviors among Sonso chimpanzees, demonstrating that wild chimpanzees learn and adopt new skills from each other. The study provides strong evidence for social transmission and cultural diversity in wild chimpanzee communities.
A new study found that hearing diverse languages in infancy can make babies more open-minded in their social learning. Infants from diverse neighborhoods were more likely to imitate actions from a non-English speaker than those from less diverse areas.
A new study found that abusive supervisors can infect entire teams with conflict, hurting productivity. Researchers discovered that individual employees who experience abuse also cause their teammates to become hostile and mistreat one another.
Bumblebees demonstrate remarkable learning feats, including solving increasingly complex problems and sharing knowledge through social learning. Experienced bees can solve new problems, while inexperienced ones give up, showcasing scaffold learning.
A new study published in PeerJ reveals that bold baboons are more likely to learn and demonstrate new skills to others, while shy individuals watch but do not participate. Personality differences play a significant role in social learning among animals, challenging previous assumptions about animal cognition.
Researchers found that classroom programs focusing on social and emotional skills can increase reading and math achievement, regardless of student background. Adequate training and support for teachers are key to unlocking these benefits.
A new IU study explores social learning dynamics and finds that being surrounded by copycats can lead to better problem-solving success. The researchers created a virtual problem landscape using a computer game and found that imitators often make their own improvements, which are then adopted and improved upon by others.
Researchers found that watching a movie clip of someone safely interacting with a feared object can significantly reduce the fear response and prevent relapse. This type of vicarious social learning may be more effective than direct personal experience in extinguishing phobic fears.
Young zebra finches can learn their fathers' songs via their brothers, and this learning process is similar to human speech acquisition. The study found that juvenile siblings with no father exposure learned the same song as those exposed to a brother's song for a short period.
A new study found that 2-year-old children with autism's brain responses to words predicted their linguistic, cognitive, and adaptive skills at ages 4 and 6. Children with less severe social impairments showed similar brain responses as typically developing children.
Research examines how social media influences child development, including social-emotional learning, interpersonal dynamics, and emotional connections. The symposium explores the impact of new forms of media on social skills, value systems, and relationships among children and young adults.
Research published in PLOS ONE shows that chimps can learn more efficient ways to use a tool by watching others. In an experiment, chimps were given juice-boxes with small holes and straws to drink with, and those that watched peers demonstrate the more efficient 'straw-sucking' technique switched to using it.
Recent studies suggest genes play a significant role in shaping political preferences and traits. Twin studies have implicated several genes in influencing political issues such as the death penalty, unemployment, and abortion, with future research holding promise for deeper insights into genetic influences on politics.
Wild meerkats employed nine separate learning processes to solve a foraging task, with social factors drawing them in and asocial processes aiding solution. This study provides insight into the relationship between social learning mechanisms and cultural development.
Wild zebrafish use social learning to assess risk by observing other individuals' behavior and adjusting their own. They become more bold after interacting with bolder domesticated fish but do not change their behavior when encountering shy ones.
The Brandeis University Heller Center has received a $5 million grant from the Walmart Foundation to support work and learning programs for nearly 3,000 at-risk youth. The program aims to keep teens engaged and working, earning an average of $1200 over six weeks.