EurekAlert! News by Subject: Social & Behavior - News by Subject: Social & Behavior

Social & Behavior

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 5-Jul-2025 14:10 ET (5-Jul-2025 18:10 GMT/UTC)

26-May-2025

Young people sport less when they get their first job, but social support helps

Radboud University Nijmegen
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Every year, around 90,000 young people make the transition from school to work. A large number of them start to participate in sports less during this transition. This is worrying, because those who participate less in sports usually do not pick it up again automatically. However, an activating social and work environment can restimulate participation in sports, according to research by sociologist Sara Wiertsema. Wiertsema’s PhD defense is May 28 at Radboud University.

Journal: International Review for the Sociology of Sport

26-May-2025

Hebrew University’s Dr. Roni Porat named CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar for 2025–2027

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Grant and Award Announcement

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem proudly announces that Dr. Roni Porat, a senior lecturer in the Department of Political Science and an important voice in the field of social psychology and conflict studies, has been named one of twelve members of the prestigious 2025–2027 cohort of CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholars.

26-May-2025

Self-trained vision transformers mimic human gaze with surprising precision

The University of Osaka
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers from The University of Osaka have revealed that vision transformers can develop gaze patterns similar to humans, learning to prioritize faces without ever being taught what a face is. The findings suggest that self-supervised ViTs may serve as a practical tool in computer vision and a theoretical model for studying human visual processing. The research underscores the potential of biologically inspired AI systems to uncover the mechanisms of human cognition.

Journal: Neural Networks
Funder: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science

25-May-2025

Large language model accurately predicts online chat derailments

University of Tsukuba
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers at University of Tsukuba have developed a method to predict when online conversations deviate from their original topics and escalate into personal attacks. Using large language models (LLMs) and a zero-shot prediction approach, the technique achieves high accuracy without requiring platform-specific training.

Journal: IEEE Access

25-May-2025

Research reveals missed opportunities to save George Floyd’s life

Lancaster University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The murder of George Floyd could have been avoided if police had responded to the concerns of bystanders reveals research led by Lancaster University.

George Floyd was murdered by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin on May 25 2020.

For the first time, psychologists have analysed 12 videos recorded on the body-worn cameras of the attending officers, the smartphones of bystanders and local CCTV cameras from 19:55 until 20:42 (CST) on the date of his death.

Professor Levine said: “We argue that these bystander interventions create the opportunity for officers to break the pattern of behaviour that will lead to murder

Journal: American Psychologist

23-May-2025

Research spotlight: Study provides a window into public perceptions about technological treatment options for brain conditions

Mass General Brigham
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Rémy Furrer, PhD, a postdoctoral research fellow and Amanda Merner, PhD, an instructor and research scientist in the Brain Bioethics Lab in the Department of Neurosurgery at Massachusetts General Hospital are the lead authors of a paper published in Device, “Public perceptions of neurotechnologies used to target mood, memory, and motor symptoms.” Gabriel Lázaro-Muñoz, PhD, JD, associate professor in the Departments of Neurosurgery and Psychiatry at MGH, is senior author.

Journal: Device
Funder: Dana Foundation, NIH/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NIH/National Institutes of Health, NIH/National Institute of Mental Health

23-May-2025

Excess US deaths before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic

JAMA Network
Peer-Reviewed Publication

About The Study: Between 1980 and 2023, the total number of excess U.S. deaths reached an estimated 14.7 million. Although excess deaths per year peaked in 2021, there were still more than 1.5 million during 2022 to 2023. In 2023, excess death rates remained substantially higher than pre-pandemic rates. The rising trend from 1980 to 2019 appears to have continued during and after the pandemic, likely reflecting pre-pandemic causes of death, including drug overdose, firearm injury, and cardiometabolic disease. These deaths highlight the continued consequences of U.S. health system inadequacies, economic inequality, and social and political determinants of health.

Journal: JAMA Health Forum