EurekAlert! News by Subject: Social & Behavior

Social & Behavior

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 25-Jun-2026 10:16 ET (25-Jun-2026 14:16 GMT/UTC)

2-Mar-2026

UTA researcher uses AI to rethink navigation skills

University of Texas at Arlington
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Steven Weisberg, a researcher at The University of Texas at Arlington, found that advanced artificial intelligence tools could not uncover a clear link between brain structure and navigation ability in healthy young adults—challenging long-standing ideas about how the brain helps us find our way.

Journal: Neuropsychologia

2-Mar-2026

Babies exposed to poverty show delays in motor development as early as six months

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Analyses conducted by researchers at the Federal University of São Carlos showed that the condition can be easily reversed through simple stimuli and strategies, reinforcing the need for programs aimed at this population.

Journal: Acta Psychologica
Funder: Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

2-Mar-2026

Insufficient sleep among US adolescents across behavioral risk groups

JAMA Network
Peer-Reviewed Publication

About The Study: The findings of this study show a broad increase in insufficient sleep across all demographic groups, driven largely by increasing reports of very short sleep (5 hours or less). Notably, insufficient sleep increased as much or more among students without behavioral risks, suggesting that structural and environmental factors affecting most adolescents, rather than specific behaviors such as electronic media use, substance use, or sedentary activity, are contributing to wide spread sleep loss. These trends highlight the need for population-level rather than targeted interventions.

Journal: JAMA

2-Mar-2026

Trends in poverty and birth outcomes in the US

JAMA Network
Peer-Reviewed Publication

About The Study: This study found stark disparities in birth outcomes by poverty status, with inequities growing for low birth weight in recent years. These disparities point to the need for more support during pregnancy and birth for low-income families. Antipoverty policies can provide needed resources to promote better maternal and child health, although the availability and generosity of these programs vary across states.

Journal: JAMA Pediatrics

2-Mar-2026

Science of fitting in: Do best friends or popular peers shape teen behavior?

Florida Atlantic University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

As kids enter adolescence, peer influence splits in two—often in ways adults miss. Following 543 middle schoolers for one semester, researchers found that best friends shape teens’ inner lives, from emotional struggles to academic challenges, while popular peers influence public, status-driven behaviors like social media use and weight concerns. Far from being easily swayed, adolescents navigate peer influence strategically—an insight frequently overlooked by parents and educators.

Journal: Development and Psychopathology

2-Mar-2026

Study reveals stable yet shifting motivational patterns among Chinese elementary students

ECNU Review of Education
Peer-Reviewed Publication

While decades of research have shown that students’ motivational beliefs tend to decline beginning in upper elementary school, new evidence suggests that students’ motivation during this stage is more stable than previously assumed.

2-Mar-2026

Is low fertility really an economic threat?

International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis
Peer-Reviewed Publication

In a new commentary, two deeply rooted assumptions in global demographic debates are challenged: that fertility will rebound as societies develop, and that “replacement-level fertility” is an ideal to be pursued. Drawing on the latest evidence, the authors show that neither view is supported by available data and argue that persistently low fertility can be sustainable and even economically desirable.

Journal: Nature Human Behaviour