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Social & Behavior

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 23-Oct-2026 12:17 ET (23-Oct-2026 16:17 GMT/UTC)

Why do some chimpanzee mothers carry their dead infants for months?

University of Oxford
Peer-Reviewed Publication

New University of Oxford research, published in Biology Letters, finds that carrying is likely driven by the strong bond between chimpanzee mothers and their offspring and that the cause of an infant’s death is the most consistent explanation for how long its mother carries it. Importantly, these patterns need not mean mothers recognise death as final.

Journal: Biology Letters

Virtual reality helps English teachers strengthen the social side of language

ECNU Review of Education
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new study finds that socio-culturally responsive virtual reality (VR) training can strengthen English teachers’ pragmatic competence—the ability to use language appropriately across social and cultural contexts. Involving 122 EFL teachers, the 108-hour intervention used fully immersive simulations featuring AI-driven avatars. Participants showed statistically significant improvements in pragmalinguistic accuracy and sociopragmatic appropriateness. Focus-group findings highlighted immersive engagement, adaptive feedback, communicative confidence, metapragmatic awareness, and reflection as important contributors to the observed improvements.

Journal: ECNU Review of Education

National study finds violence affects millions across US with links to health, economic hardship

Tulane University
Reports and Proceedings

A new national study finds violence touches the lives of millions of Americans, with particularly high rates among women and people facing economic instability. Researchers found intimate partner violence has affected six in 10 women and nearly half of men, while recent violence was strongly associated with eviction, homelessness, mental health challenges and substance use. The first-of-its-kind national survey provides a new baseline for understanding who is most at risk and helping guide future violence prevention efforts.

Thousands of most vulnerable children and young people missing out on mental health support

University of Cambridge
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Some of the most vulnerable children and young people are failing to get access to mental health support despite much higher levels of need, according to new research from the University of Cambridge. Despite children and young people on child protection plans or in care being significantly more likely to have serious mental health issues, less than one in five of these individuals had contact with mental health services in a given year.

Journal: Child and Adolescent Mental Health
Funder: British Academy

Chatty chatbots can mislead users, but verification tools help, researchers find

Penn State
Peer-Reviewed Publication

As artificial intelligence (AI)-powered chatbots become more popular and more human-like in the way they communicate, users are increasingly turning to them as trusted sources of information on topics ranging from personal finance to health. That may be problematic, according to Penn State researchers, who found in a recent study that the more conversational an AI chatbot is, the more likely users will trust it — even when it shares misinformation. The team said verification options may help rebuild needed skepticism.

Journal: Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication

Autistic children ages 4-6 showed improved social skills after summer program conducted by UB’s Institute for Autism Research

University at Buffalo
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A summer intervention program for autistic children ages 4-6 with no intellectual disability significantly improved their social performance, according to a study by researchers at the Institute for Autism Research (IAR) at the University at Buffalo.

Journal: Advances in Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Oughton to receive funding for project on space weather satellite risk characterization and socio-economic impacts

George Mason University
Grant and Award Announcement

Edward Oughton, Associate Professor, Geography and Geoinformation Science, College of Science, is set to receive funding for the project: “Collaborative Research: AI-enabled, Uncertainty-Aware Space Weather Risk Characterization and Mitigation for Satellite Operations.”

Funder: National Science Foundation

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