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

Social & Behavior

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 10-Jul-2025 09:10 ET (10-Jul-2025 13:10 GMT/UTC)

Automatized vocabulary knowledge in predicting speech fluency

Waseda University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

While automatized vocabulary knowledge has been shown to strongly predict general listening ability, its role in speech production remains unknown. Now, researchers have compared conscious recognition of simple word meanings (declarative knowledge) with instant, automatic access to contextualized word meanings (automatized knowledge) in Japanese students learning English as a second language. The findings revealed that automatized vocabulary knowledge better predicts fluency, and practicing vocabulary in real-life contexts may help learners speak more smoothly and confidently.

Journal: Applied Linguistics

Children’s social media activity highlights emotional stress of living with long-term health issues

University of Plymouth
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A study led by experts in data science at the University of Plymouth has shown that children with multiple long-term health issues undergo severe emotional stress at the same time as they are trying to cope with the physical challenges of their condition. The esearch used AI language models to analyse sentiments and emotions expressed by almost 400 paediatric patients and their caregivers on social media.

Journal: Journal of Affective Disorders

Seaside more likely to make us nostalgic than green places, study finds

University of Cambridge
Peer-Reviewed Publication

People in the UK and US are more likely to feel nostalgic towards places by the sea, lakes or rivers than they are towards fields, forests and mountains, according to new research. The study suggests that coastlines may have the optimal visual properties to make us feel positive emotions, and argues that ‘place nostalgia’ offers significant psychological benefits.

Journal: Current Research in Ecological and Social Psychology

The psychological and neurological parallels between sports fandom and religious devotion

Taylor & Francis Group
Book Announcement

An in-depth exploration of the psychology of sports fandom has revealed striking similarities between the neurological and psychological patterns of devoted sports fans and religious dedication.

Murals boost Cincinnati’s vitality, community development

University of Cincinnati
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Now, a new study published in the international urban design journal Cities offers fresh insights into how murals contribute to vibrant, walkable neighborhoods. The study is led by Hyesun Jeong, assistant professor of urban design in the University of Cincinnati’s School of Art at the College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP).

Journal: Cities

Source criticism in school requires more than isolated interventions

Uppsala University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Short teaching interventions on disinformation have no long-term effect on upper secondary school students’ ability to distinguish between credible and misleading news. Strengthening school students’ resilience to disinformation requires more than isolated interventions on source criticism. A new study of 459 Swedish upper secondary school students, is no published in PLOS One.

Journal: PLOS One

Egyptian donkeys may have been incorporated into ritual burials - while local donkeys were part of the menu - in the Early Bronze Age in present-day Israel, per analysis of four complete donkey skeletons and other remains

PLOS
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Egyptian donkeys may have been incorporated into ritual burials - while local donkeys were part of the menu - in the Early Bronze Age in present-day Israel, per analysis of four complete donkey skeletons and other remains

Journal: PLOS One

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