Feature Channels: Behavioral Science

• share
• favorite_border

Study examines how neighborhood and social network characteristics relate to adult binge drinking.

• share
• favorite_border

Misunderstanding food date labeling is common and educational communications are needed to improve consumer understanding, according to a new study in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, published by Elsevier.

• share
• favorite_border

One out of every six adult workers (16%) in the United States are staying in jobs they might otherwise leave out of fear of losing their employer-sponsored health insurance, according to a new West Health-Gallup survey of more than 3,800 U.S. adults.

• share
• favorite_border

Researchers have found an independent association between COVID-19-related income loss and financial strain and depression, according to the latest study from the COVID-19 Resilience Project, run by the Lifespan Brain Institute (LiBI) of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and Penn Medicine. This association was found in two separate cohorts – one primarily in the United States and one in Israel – and the depressive symptoms worsened over time in participants who were hit financially, above and beyond pandemic-related anxiety. The findings were published today in the Journal of Affective Disorders.

• share
• favorite_border

For organizations to reach their potential, they must leverage the expertise of their employees. However, research demonstrates that lower-status employees may not be heard because their “voices” are more likely to be ignored. New research from the University of Notre Dame is the first to show that peers can help boost marginalized voices, and at the same time benefit their own status, all while helping their organization realize the potential of its employees’ diverse perspectives.

• share
• favorite_border

When we perceive that a peer’s accomplishment has risen above the usual standard of “good work” and can be rated an “exceptional” success, our motivation to learn is enhanced, according to a new study in Academy of Management Discoveries.

• share
• favorite_border

In organizational hiring, negotiating and efforts to foster creativity, there often is a tendency to see things as “either-or” or “winner vs. losers.” Such zero-sum mindset tends to lead to errors and biases, says Maryland Smith’s Rellie Derfler-Rozin, whose recent research explores this dynamic and its implications.

• share
• favorite_border

A team of researchers from the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences interviewed 174 families to examine the use of health, medical and social services for youth with autism

• share
• favorite_border

Project HEAL (“Help, Empower, and Lead”), a hospital-based violence intervention program working in coordination with the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center, opened its doors this month with the mission to address community, domestic, and gang-related violence in Monmouth County.

• share
• favorite_border

Hackensack Meridian Children’s Health will host the 38th annual Advances in Developmental Pediatrics Conference on May 24 to 26, 2021.

• share
• favorite_border

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s proposed ban on menthol-flavored cigarettes and all flavored cigars could be particularly beneficial for Black and young people, says an expert on tobacco control at Washington University in St. Louis.“Around 80% of adult Black smokers and more than half of people age 18-34 use menthol brands,” said Todd Combs, research assistant professor at the Brown School who works on the Advancing Science & Practice in the Retail Environment (ASPiRE) project, which uses agent-based modeling to test the potential impact of retail tobacco policies.

• share
• favorite_border

Social media may make it easier for people to engage online, but I does not provide certain benefits of real-life human interactions, says a Michigan State University researcher.

• share
• favorite_border

In a multi-institutional study, researchers in the Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics Research Network (DBPNet), led by Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), have conducted the first and largest analysis to date comparing the effectiveness and side effects of stimulants like methylphenidate (Ritalin) and alpha-adrenergic agonists like guanfacine (Tenex) in preschool-age children. The researchers found that both classes of drugs have benefits, with differing side effects, suggesting that decisions on which class of drugs to prescribe should be made based on individual patient factors. The retrospective study was published today in JAMA.

• share
• favorite_border

A new Cornell University-led study examines how temperature affects fishing behavior and catches among inland fisher households in Cambodia, with important implications for understanding climate change.

• share
• favorite_border

When Melodee Lasky joined Rutgers University 19 years ago, behavioral and mental health services were scattered across the individual colleges with little coordination. Psychiatry and the Alcohol and Other Drug Assistance Program were part of student health, but counseling services were separated and college-affiliated. Lasky, a physician who recognized the connection between physical and emotional wellness, recommended that mental and behavioral health be integrated within the framework of student health. That led to the creation of CAPS – Counseling, Alcohol and Other Drug Assistance Program & Psychiatric Services – a program that helps about 4,500 students each year.

• share
• favorite_border

When talking to their children about race, white parents' use of phrases like "I don't see race" can send mixed messages to their children about racial socialization and racial ideology.

• share
• favorite_border

Putting on a happy face might not be enough for entrepreneurs to win over potential investors.

• share
• favorite_border

The University of Kentucky is offering a web-based course this summer to help students hone important life skills to make the transition to adulthood easier. Adulting 101 is an eight-week summer course beginning on June 15 and meeting every Tuesday through Zoom. Organized by the UK College of Agriculture, Food and Environment and the UK Cooperative Extension Service, the course is open to teenagers nationwide, no matter their goals. Adulting 101 originated as a county-based family and consumer sciences extension program piloted in Central Kentucky.

• share
• favorite_border

Individuals who self-identify as Republicans became more skeptical of a potential COVID-19 vaccine and other inoculations, such as the flu shot, over the course of the pandemic, reveals a new study by the University of California San Diego’s Rady School of Management.

• share
• favorite_border

A lack of in-person interactions is a primary driver for older people to use social media, according to a first of its kind study of older users by a researcher at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), a part of the University of Alabama System.

• share
• favorite_border

In his new book, “Rational Rules: Towards a Theory of Moral Learning,” Nichols argues that, contrary to previous theories, we can explain many of the features of moral systems and how humans form them in terms of rational learning from evidence. In other words, he said, a moral sense is neither hardwired nor totally emotional.

• share
• favorite_border

With climate change looming, what must people hear to convince them to change their ways to stop harming the environment? A new Johns Hopkins University study finds stories to be significantly more motivating than scientific facts— at least for some people.

• share
• favorite_border

By simulating the physiology and decisions of early way-finders, an international team of archaeologists, geographers, ecologists, and computer scientists has mapped the probable “superhighways” that led to the first peopling of the Australian continent some 50,000-70,000 years ago.

• share
• favorite_border

A majority of gay and bisexual Generation Z teenage boys report being out to their parents, part of an uptick in coming out among young people that researchers have noted in recent decades, according to research published by the American Psychological Association. However, stigma and religious beliefs still prevent some young people from disclosing their sexual identity.

• share
• favorite_border

A group at the University of Illinois Chicago is on a mission to break down stereotypes of who young Black men are and what they’re capable of. We Are Men (WAM) is a program at UIC’s Jane Addams College of Social Work.

• share
• favorite_border

When faced with a cutting-edge technological idea, business leaders who approach the idea in more concrete terms are more likely to recognize its utility, which increases their propensity to invest, according to new research from the Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis.

• share
• favorite_border

As more people go online for shopping, understanding how they rely on e-commerce recommendation systems to make purchases is increasingly important. Penn State researchers now suggest that it’s not just what is recommended, but how and why it’s recommended, that helps to shape consumers’ opinions.

• share
• favorite_border

A new study provides the best evidence to date that an increase in the availability of alcohol is linked to more financial troubles among the disadvantaged.

• share
• favorite_border

During the pandemic, there was a shift to remote work, and demand for video conferencing increased. Zoom estimates daily meeting participants grew from approximately 10 million in December 2019 to more than 300 million in April 2020. Board-certified dermatologists also reported a change with this increased use of video calls: a rise in the number of patients they’re seeing with negative self-perceptions.

• share
• favorite_border

University of Washington researchers worked with almost 260 people to understand online disagreements and to develop potential design interventions that could make these discussions more productive and centered around relationship-building.

• share
• favorite_border

A virtual human can be as good as a flesh-and-blood one when it comes to helping people practice new leadership skills.

• share
• favorite_border

Does getting older impact our willingness to offer a helping hand, or does being older simply mean we have more resources and therefore more capacity to offer help when needed? New research suggests that, all things being equal, older adults are more likely to offer help than younger adults.

• share
• favorite_border

• share
• favorite_border

As older teens and young adults become eligible for COVID-19 vaccination across the country, and younger teens await their turn, new survey data suggest a strong readiness that has grown since fall. But just as with older generations, a shrinking but still sizable minority of people age 14 to 24 say they’re not willing to get vaccinated, or that their decision will depend on safety.

• share
• favorite_border

A comprehensive analysis of 80 scientific studies has identified a 'window of impairment' of between three and 10 hours caused by moderate to high doses of the intoxicating component of cannabis, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).