Articles tagged with Social Groups
A new study in rats reveals that empathetic responses to fellow group members drive the desire to help them, but not strangers. This finding suggests a common biological mechanism driving socially biased behavior in humans and potentially other mammals.
Researchers propose a new approach to predicting election outcomes and identifying social trends by analyzing people's perceptions of their friends' voting intentions. By asking about a person's social circle rather than individual beliefs, they can gather highly accurate information on emerging trends.
Research finds that actively addressing inequalities fosters social change when meeting the psychological needs of both groups. Meeting the needs of disadvantaged groups through empowerment and listening helps to bolster their interest in collective action.
A study of over 11,000 individuals found that actively addressing inequalities fosters social change when both disadvantaged and advantaged groups feel heard and accepted. Empowerment through active listening and acknowledgment of injustices are key factors in promoting social justice.
Researchers used meta-analytic methods to evaluate data from 22 studies involving 5,349 individuals in 1,356 groups, finding strong support for a general factor of collective intelligence. Group collaboration processes were twice as important for predicting CI than individual skill, and group composition, including female proportion an...
A new longitudinal study revealed that overhearing a stranger's negative comments about a social group can have a lasting impact on children's attitudes. Children aged 7-9 who overheard negative messages drew themselves further from the group and were less willing to be friends with someone from the group.
Wild bonobos have been observed adopting infants from different social groups, providing maternal care, including nursing and nesting. The findings suggest that adoption in bonobos may not be limited to kin relationships or pre-existing social bonds.
A study by UC Riverside found that adopting unique rituals to make everyday tasks more meaningful can reduce feelings of loneliness. Participants who engaged in ritualistic consumption of consumer products reported feeling less lonely and having a greater sense of meaning in their lives.
Researchers found that wolf social groups affect disease transmission within and between groups. The models account for individual death rates, group split or combination, and Allee effects, showing pathogens reduce population size mainly through reduced group numbers.
Researchers confirmed a theory that networks of no more than 150 are optimal for internally sharing information, a concept proposed by British anthropologist Robin Dunbar in the 1990s. Understanding this 'Dunbar Number' is crucial for training teams and forming cohesive groups.
Researchers studied 45 female colobus monkeys in Ghana to understand the impact of social groupings and distance on their gut microbiomes. They found that individuals from different groups with closer social connections had more similar gut microbiomes, suggesting microbes can be transmitted during occasional encounters.
The Elie 2.0 project aims to improve entrepreneurship opportunities for socially excluded groups by providing skills training, confidence boosting and local business partnerships. The programme will work across the UK, Poland, Bulgaria and Greece, building on success stories from the Eliemental programme.
A new study by Brigham Young University researchers found that 20% of college students experience strong feelings of impostorism. Seeking social support from individuals outside their major is a highly effective way to reduce these feelings, as opposed to seeking support within the same academic group. The study also highlights the imp...
Researchers Maayan Stavans and Renée Baillargeon found that infants as young as 17 months old expect leaders to rectify transgressions. The study suggests that abstract expectation of authority is part of the basic structure of human moral cognition.
New research from Duke University finds that reminding children of their various identities improves their problem-solving skills and flexible thinking about social groupings. This simple mindset switch can lead to better behavior in an increasingly diverse society.
A 15-year study tracking former child soldiers in Sierra Leone reveals that earning acceptance from families and communities is crucial for their mental health and social integration. The research highlights the importance of addressing stigma and improving social supports to help these individuals recover from childhood trauma.
Additive mortality events from human activities led to weaker social associations, reduced group size, and increased survival probability, ultimately resulting in a significant population decline. The study found that 98 individuals failed to re-associate in stable social groups after the event.
Online discussions with community expectations posting increased newcomer participation by 70% and rule compliance by 8.4%. Ensuring visible community norms benefits group dynamics.
Researchers used brain scans to explore unconscious biases in movie watchers, finding that the brain is naturally biased towards people who are like us, but also against those who are different. The study suggests that our brains can be influenced by learned knowledge and external factors, changing how we perceive others.
Research on social cognition reveals that implicit attitudes play a crucial role in shaping stereotypical beliefs about social groups. The study found that individuals' automatic positive-negative judgments supersede specific group traits or stereotypes.
Researchers found that evacuees who returned to their homes after initial evacuation had more children, while those who stayed in western Finland had fewer. Those who intermarried with the host population increased their social status, but were less likely to have children.
A study published in Psychological Science found that participants' self-reported attitudes toward various social groups have shifted towards neutrality over a decade, while their implicit attitudes also decreased in bias. Notably, changes in implicit sexual orientation and race attitudes occurred across all generations.
A study found that pain treatment is more efficient when provided by a stranger, revealing the analgesic effect of surprise. Participants experienced reduced neural pain responses and subjective pain judgments after being treated by someone from a different social group.
Researchers used laboratory economic games to demonstrate that societal stereotypes about group warmth and competence can predict treatment disparities. The study found patterns of disparity similar to those documented in educational and labor markets.
A study by University of Kansas researchers found that gun owners are a strong political group who hold significant influence despite being a minority in American politics. The study suggests that the growing politicization of gun ownership is driving increased political participation among gun owners, with implications for gun control...
A review by Yale psychologist Yarrow Dunham suggests that ingroup bias is a natural phenomenon driven by membership in a social group, explaining why people favor their own group over others. This bias may have evolved to boost group living and social learning.
Researchers found that primates choose grooming partners based on various factors, including reproductive state, social relationships, and dominance rank. They also consider the social environment, adapting their choice to maximize benefit. This study reveals impressive cognitive abilities in primates.
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.
Research suggests that children's tendency to share is linked to their social status in the classroom, with those having few interaction partners tending to be more generous. Higher levels of prenatal testosterone are associated with a 'masculinisation effect' leading to less sharing.
Scientists found wild Australian magpies from larger groups showed increased intelligence and produced more offspring. The research suggests that living in complex social groups may drive the evolution of intelligence.
Research at the Santa Fe Institute shows that living systems use collective computation to make decisions, with individuals contributing their own opinions and preferences. The system can produce accurate distributions of power, even in complex environments like primate social groups.
A recent study published in Springer's journal Sex Roles found that job ads intended to appeal to women can be flawed by stereotypical wording, discouraging them from applying. The researchers recommend using task-directed language to attract high-quality and gender-diverse applicants.
Research led by Jonathan Pruitt finds that the population majority determines whether influential individuals can emerge and lead a society, not just charismatic leaders. The study uses African social spiders to show that shy, generic spiders are key to creating advantageous social orders.
A new study reveals that female mongooses evict rivals to reduce reproductive competition and increase pup survival rates. This behavior also leads to the creation of new social groups and reduced chances of successful breeding for evicted females.
New research found that male killer whales are three times more likely to die in years with scarce food and when they are not at the centre of their social group. The study highlights the importance of social bonds for male killer whales, particularly during times of scarcity.
A study published in Evolutionary Psychology Science suggests that sincere religious beliefs are not associated with hostile attitudes toward outsiders. In contrast, those who use religion for non-religious goals, such as social status or group membership, tend to exhibit greater out-group hostility.
A team of scientists led by the University of Exeter aims to understand how individual characteristics and social relationships influence collective movements in birds. The project seeks to decipher the mechanisms behind flocking behavior, with potential implications for crowd safety, crop management, and robotics.
A recent study published in the British Journal of Psychology found that US actors dominated the Academy Awards, winning over 50% of all prizes. Shared social group membership with judges was a significant factor in determining award winners. Nationality and film subject matter also played important roles in award wins.
A new study on Asian elephants found that they do not have clear dominance hierarchies or matriarchal leadership like African savannah elephants. This is due to their predictable and productive environment where food and water are readily available, allowing them to make independent movement decisions.
A new study found that infants expect people to share food preferences unless they belong to different social groups. However, disgust reactions are expected to transcend social boundaries. This early understanding has important implications for public health policies on obesity.
A study suggests that humans' disproportionately large brain size resulted from sizing each other up in large social groups. The research proposes that helping others who are at least as successful as themselves favored by evolution. This idea has implications for engineering intelligent machines to decide cooperation and generosity.
Urban rabbits use scent marks to separate themselves from neighbors along territorial boundaries, indicating a greater need for segregation.
A 3-inch monogamous hermaphrodite fish has evolved a unique reproductive strategy, trading male and female roles to fertilize eggs equally. This behavioral study reveals that long-term partnerships among animals prioritize fairness and cooperation.
A study suggests that women in Corded Ware culture were highly mobile, with 42% of individuals found to be non-local, indicating a pattern of female exogamy
A study of BMI trends in England from 1992 to 2013 found that median BMI is not increasing as much as thought, but the top end of the scale is experiencing significant increases across all social groups and sexes. Researchers highlight the growing issue of obesity among the most obese individuals, costing billions to the NHS annually.
Research suggests that joining social groups after retirement can reduce the risk of death and improve quality of life, with effects comparable to those of regular exercise. The study found that maintaining social connections is crucial for retirees, emphasizing the importance of social planning in retirement planning.
Researchers identified a link between cognitive deficits and lesions in areas processing emotions, suggesting a third category of knowledge representation for social groups. This discovery highlights the close relationship between social relations and emotional processing in the human brain.
New research on gray wolves in Yellowstone National Park reveals that social group living can offset mange's effects, increasing survival rates. Living in packs also provides a net survival benefit, even when infected individuals are present.
Researchers found that different bat species form separate social groups in adjacent woodland areas, with mixed-sex and male-female groups differing in structure. This study has significant implications for bat conservation as it shows bats may not be able to move to another area if a section of woodland is felled.
A new study by Harvard University researchers found that children as young as six exhibit in-group favoritism when reacting to unfair behavior, but by eight years old, they are more likely to intervene regardless of group affiliation. The study suggests that fairness norms may be universal and not specific to Western culture.
Researchers used statistical tools to map social connections in prairie dogs, uncovering relationships that escaped traditional observational techniques. The study found key bridge individuals connecting different groups, which could aid in conserving populations and mitigating plague spread
Researchers found that ravens can deduce the rank relations of individuals in their own group as well as neighboring groups. They exhibited stress-related behaviors when encountering unexpected dominance reversals. This cognitive ability is similar to that of primates and suggests a complex social intelligence.
Patients who joined a social group and developed a stronger connection with its members experienced reduced symptoms of depression. The study suggests that the 'group' aspect of social interaction is critical in alleviating depression.
Researchers found a functional distinction between social groups, which are processed separately from animate and inanimate objects. The study used patients with dementia to demonstrate the double dissociation of these functions.
A mathematician has calculated how peer pressure influences society, examining the effect of direct and indirect social influences on decision-making. The study found that the process begins with individuals directly connected to each other reaching agreement, then the entire social group tips into collective consensus.
Researchers found that bats react strongly to all contact calls, regardless of familiarity. However, when presented with a call from a known bat multiple times, they showed a stronger response to other partners from their social group. This suggests individual evaluation of the voice, indicating recognition of conspecifics by sound.
Researchers found that audiences affect quails' social status, with losers losing dominance when observed, but winners retaining it regardless of audience presence. Testosterone levels were raised in both winners and losers after fights, suggesting a secondary role for the hormone.
A new study suggests that more independent consumers are better at delaying gratification and perceive future events as happening in the distant future. This is because they think of the future in abstract terms, whereas less independent consumers perceive it in concrete terms.
A four-year field study shows BCG vaccination reduces TB infection risk in unvaccinated badger cubs in vaccinated groups and social groups. Vaccination can indirectly protect cubs before they emerge from their setts.
Research suggests that times of economic hardship can limit the inclusiveness of people's racial in-groups, making them more likely to categorize biracial faces as Black. The study found that participants exposed to scarce resources were more likely to do so compared to those exposed to abundant resources.