ReportWire

Tag: Behavioral Science

  • Research: Employees give better tips to taxi drivers when their company performs well in the stock market

    Research: Employees give better tips to taxi drivers when their company performs well in the stock market

    Newswise — BINGHAMTON, N.Y. — With National OverTip Day coming up March 10, new research from Binghamton University, State University of New York reveals that employees at public companies tip their taxi drivers more on days when their companies perform well in the stock market. 

    While the effect on tipping is short-lived, the research finds it is stronger for firms offering more stock-based compensation. These findings have implications for how employees make a local economic impact in the areas where they work.

    “Employee spending is a big factor that governments consider when trying to attract companies into their area, as it can stimulate the local economy,” said Cihan Uzmanoglu, an associate professor of finance at Binghamton University’s School of Management.

    Uzmanoglu analyzed the GPS and payment data from around 2 million taxi rides that took place in New York City between 2009 and 2016. He focused on pickups that took place between 5 and 6 p.m. (the end of a typical work day and New York Stock Exchange trading hours) within 100 meters of public firms headquartered in NYC to account for the taxi rides of employees. Uzmanoglu then explored how a firm’s stock market performance impacted tipping for taxis taken near its headquarters location.

    “The taxi setting is great because you’re unlikely to bump into the same taxi driver again, so how you tip now isn’t going to influence the quality of service the next time you take a taxi,” he said. “How someone tips a taxi driver probably says something about how they feel in that moment — do they feel happier and wealthier? And is that being driven by the stock performance of their employer?”

    Uzmanoglu found that when a firm experienced a positive shock to its stock performance, its employees would tip their taxi drivers more. This increase of tipping would only happen on the day of the positive stock performance though, meaning the effect is short lived.

    “The short-lived nature seems to suggest that the employee feels good about the stock performance of their company that day, and that happiness is motivating them to tip more,” Uzmanoglu said.

    Some other findings:

    • The effect of stock performance on tipping is greater at firms that offer more stock-based compensation.
    • The number of taxis taken near a firm’s headquarters increases with the firm’s stock returns.
    • Increases in tipping also came after a firm’s initial public offering (IPO), particularly at the end of its IPO lock-up period, when employees are allowed to begin selling the stocks they hold in the firm.

    Uzmanoglu also found that tipping does not decrease significantly when firms’ stocks perform poorly.

    “There seems to be a socially acceptable minimum tipping amount that people follow, regardless of stock performance. So when you have a bad day in the stock market, I don’t see people tipping less than this socially acceptable benchmark,” he said.

    Uzmanoglu ran a number of checks to test the strength of his findings by looking at tipping activity at different times of the day and in wider perimeters around the companies he studied.

    “The further you get away from the physical locations of these companies, as well as the end of the work and trading day, the more the effect decays. This just points to the conclusion that the increase in tipping behavior is coming from employees of these firms,” he said.

    Uzmanoglu said these findings could have broader implications about the impact businesses have on the community around them.

    “Employee spending is an important economic driver for the location where a business is located. If employees are doing well, they are likely to spend more money in that local economy,” he said. “While I just looked at taxi rides here, these findings may indicate that the stock performance of a firm may influence the overall discretionary spending of employees.”

    The paper, “The stock market tips,” was published in the Journal of Empirical Finance.

    Binghamton University, State University of New York

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  • Addressing social isolation may be key in preventing mass shootings, study finds

    Addressing social isolation may be key in preventing mass shootings, study finds

    Newswise — RICHMOND, Va. (Feb. 17, 2023) — An analysis of the psychological crises exhibited by 177 mass shooters has identified social isolation as the most important external indicator leading up to the attacks. The finding, which is based on research conducted at Virginia Commonwealth University, suggests that social isolation is an ideal candidate for acquaintances and communities of would-be shooters to intervene.

    “When we are isolated from our social circles, we lose that functional component of our loved ones being frank with us when our behavior might become inappropriate,” said Samuel West, Ph.D., an assistant professor of psychology at Virginia State University who led the study while he was a postdoctoral researcher at the Injury and Violence Prevention Research Lab at VCU Health.

    The study also found that the “mood swings” crisis indicator was one of the strongest predictors of a mass shooting’s severity. However, the authors concluded that social isolation was the most important because it acted as a “crisis multiplier” in that it allowed crises to increase the risk of other crises. For example, mood swings also increased the likelihood of paranoia, breaks with reality, and difficulties with daily tasks due to its connection with isolation.

    “It is easy to see how this perfect storm of multiple crises in someone who has isolated themselves could coalesce into more harmful thoughts and ultimately actions without the perspectives of others to act as a protective factor,” said West, who received his doctorate from the Department of Psychology in the College of Humanities and Sciences at Virginia Commonwealth University.

    West and co-author Nicholas Thomson, Ph.D., director of research and a forensic psychologist at the Injury and Violence Prevention Program, analyzed the data using psychometric network analysis, a new machine learning-based approach to exploring and visualizing complex relationships. They approached the study by focusing on psychological crises that nonexpert third parties — such as friends, family and co-workers — could observe and subsequently intervene.

    “Research on mass shootings is scarce, which limits our ability to develop targeted risk assessments and prevention strategies for mass shootings,” said Thomson, an associate professor in the Department of Surgery in the School of Medicine and the Department of Psychology in the College of Humanities and Sciences. “What Dr. West has achieved with the data is a step in the right direction for understanding the warning signs of people who commit mass shootings.”

    The study is novel in that the data collected is based on others’ perceptions of a mass shooter, Thomson said.

    “In many ways, this is the data that we need because others’ perceptions are integral to identifying and reporting at-risk individuals, and the community is critical to preventing violence,” he said. “Equipped with the right knowledge we can develop risk awareness strategies that can prevent mass shootings from occurring. Of course, this is only one piece of the puzzle, but it is an important piece.”

    The researchers see social isolation as an ideal target for intervention because it can be addressed both at the individual level and the societal level.

    “Although most people who experience isolation do not go on to commit such acts of violence, intervening on that isolation only holds benefits for the individual,” West said. “This can be as simple as a friend stopping by in person to say hello and catch up — something that we could all benefit from. Although this seems like it may not have such an impact, prior research makes clear that isolation is a necessary component of planning and carrying out a mass shooting as many of the behaviors involved (e.g., stockpiling guns and ammunition) are readily observable.”

    At the societal level, interventions could focus on building social ties and addressing isolation in communities.

    “One example could be to require students at public high schools to participate in civic events and organizations as part of their compulsory education,” West said. “On the other side of this coin, we also must consider that many of these individuals end up isolated for other reasons initially (i.e., social rejection). As such, working on the inclusivity of others overall while continuing to address bullying behavior in young people could be a fruitful avenue to improve the mental and social health of students and society at large.”

    Social isolation is also a good target for intervention because it was typically noticed significantly sooner, such as months or years before an attack, than other psychological crises, which tended to be observed days to weeks before an attack.

    “Although scientifically validated interventions for isolation exist, they have all been developed to address isolation in those who are seeking relief,” West said. “Such interventions would necessarily look different with would-be mass shooters as it is likely they would not willfully seek out such help on their own. Our work doesn’t speak to causality or any specific intervention that could be applied in this context.”

    The study, “Exploring Personal Crises Observed in Mass Shooters as Targets for Detection and Intervention Using Psychometric Network Analysis,” will be published in a forthcoming issue of the journal Psychology of Violence.

    The research was funded, in part, by a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention grant (1R01CE003296; PI Thomson) that was among 10 awarded nationally in 2020 to find ways to address gun violence.  

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    Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU)

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  • ¿Que coman pasteles?: Estudio revela que los abuelos miman a sus nietos con comidas y bebidas cargadas de azúcar

    ¿Que coman pasteles?: Estudio revela que los abuelos miman a sus nietos con comidas y bebidas cargadas de azúcar

    Newswise — Azúcar, golosinas y todo lo dulce – eso es lo que los abuelos dejan que sus nietos coman. De acuerdo a un nuevo estudio publicado en la edición de febrero del “Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA)”, más de dos tercios (72%) de las madres indicaron que los abuelos le dan a sus hijos pequeños alimentos y bebidas azucaradas. Las madres describieron generalmente que los abuelos le dieron grandes cantidades de alimentos y bebidas cariogénicas o que causan caries (por ejemplo, caramelos, productos horneados, jugos y gaseosas) o no limitaron el consumo de las mismas a sus nietos.

    Los investigadores de la Universidad de Pittsburgh, de la Universidad West Virginia y de la Universidad de Michigan, llevaron a cabo un estudio en persona de dos años con 126 participantes para examinar que factores influenciaron a las madres a hablar con los abuelos acerca de darle a los nietos alimentos y bebidas azucaradas.

    Los resultados publicados en JADA, muestran que a pesar de que el 72% de madres dicen que los abuelos le dieron a sus hijos alimentos y bebidas azucaradas, sólo un poco más de la mitad (51%) abordaron el problema con los abuelos. Los factores que influenciaron si las madres tenían esta conversación incluyen:

    • La frecuencia con la cual los niños y los abuelos interactuaban
    • La dependencia de las madres en los abuelos para el cuidado de los niños
    • La cantidad de alimentos y bebidas azucaradas proporcionadas por los abuelos
    • La fortaleza de la relación entre las madres y los abuelos de sus hijos

    “Tengo tantas memorias felices asaltando el tarro de caramelos en la casa de mis abuelos, y como padre, yo mismo he dudado con algunas de estas conversaciones”, dijo el portavoz de ADA, el Dr. Genaro Romo, un dentista basado en Chicago. “Aun así, las caries son la enfermedad crónica infantil más común, y puede causar un dolor innecesario, como también problemas para hablar, comer, jugar y aprender. Con el tiempo, además de problemas de salud mental, una dieta con azúcares añadidos en exceso pone a los niños en mayor riesgo de enfermedades cardiovasculares, obesidad, entre otros problemas de salud”.

    De acuerdo a la Asociación Dental Americana (por sus siglas en inglés ADA), mientras más expuesta esté la boca de un niño a golosinas y bebidas azucaradas por día, es mayor el riesgo de la aparición de caries. Las bacterias en la boca se alimentan de azúcar produciendo un ácido que ataca y debilita el esmalte dental. 

     

    Los padres en todo el país endulzan las cosas también

    Para añadir la no tan buena guinda del pastel, en enero del 2023, la Asociación Dental Americana llevó a cabo una encuesta separada de 1.002 padres estadounidenses de niños de 17 años o menos a través de una empresa de investigación del consumidor. Los resultados mostraron que más de dos tercios (68%) de los padres creen que sus hijos consumen más alimentos y bebidas azucaradas en la casa de sus abuelos que en el hogar. De esos padres: 

    • Setenta y tres por ciento (73%) dice que lo hablarían con propios padres pero no con los padres de su pareja
    • Menos de la mitad (43%) indicaron que lo hablarían con los padres de su pareja
    • Solo un tercio de padres (34%) confirmaron que ellos lo hablarían tanto con sus padres como con los padres de su pareja

    “No hay nada más dulce que la relación entre los nietos y sus abuelos”, dijo la portavoz de ADA, la Dr. Mary Hayes, una dentista pediátrica. “Tener la conversación de  ‘golosinas con moderación’, alentar un vaso de agua o de leche en vez de jugo o gaseosas, y en caso de ofrecer una golosina, optar por el chocolate puro ya que la saliva lo remueve de la boca más fácilmente que los caramelos pegajosos o duros”.

    Febrero es el Mes Nacional de la Salud Dental Infantil, y las familias pueden celebrarlo al practicar rutinas diarias de higiene oral en casa:

    • Cepillarse dos veces al día con pasta dental con flúor. Use un poco de pasta dental del tamaño de un grano de arroz para niños menores de 3 años. Después de los 3 años, los niños solo necesitan una gota de pasta dental del tamaño de un guisante.
    • Use diariamente el hilo dental o algún otro limpiador interdental para limpiar donde los cepillos dentales no pueden llegar. 
    • Visite a un dentista regularmente. La primera visita al dentista de un niño debería hacerse después de la aparición del primer diente o no más tarde del primer cumpleaños del niño. 
    • Limite los alimentos azucarados o golosinas. Los padres y los abuelos pueden ayudar a reducir el riesgo de la aparición de caries al ofrecer un dulce adicional con o después de las comidas porque masticar aumenta la producción de saliva lo cual ayuda a remover partículas de azúcar o de comida que puedan producir caries. 

    Para más tips de salud dental para toda la familia, por favor visite MouthHealthy.org 

     

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    Acerca la Asociación Dental Americana 

    La ADA es la asociación sin fines de lucro más grande del país, que representa 159.000 miembros dentistas. La principal fuente de información sobre salud dental, la ADA se ha advocado por la salud del público y ha promovido el arte y la ciencia de la odontología desde 1859. Las instalaciones de investigación de vanguardia de la ADA desarrollan y prueban productos y materiales que han hecho avanzar la práctica de la odontología y han hecho la experiencia del paciente más positiva. El Sello de Aprobación de la ADA ha sido, por mucho tiempo, una guía valiosa y respetada para los consumidores de productos del cuidado dental. El Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA), publicado mensualmente, es la publicación insignia de la ADA y la revista científica más leída en odontología. Para más información sobre la ADA, visite ADA.org. Para más información sobre la salud dental, incluida la prevención, cuidado y tratamiento de enfermedades dentales, visite el sitio web para consumidores de la ADA MouthHealthy.org.

    American Dental Association (ADA)

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  • New UniSA-Teamgage initiative tackles workplace bullying from the ground up

    New UniSA-Teamgage initiative tackles workplace bullying from the ground up

    Newswise — World-first research is at the heart of a new workplace bullying prevention program, launched today by the University of South Australia and Australian software business, Teamgage.

    The new program – Healthy Workplaces by Design – identifies and mitigates the root causes of bullying, extending beyond more obvious interpersonal triggers into psychosocial hazards, such as workplace environments, workload demands, and working practices.

    As a risk audit and prevention program it will help businesses meet new work health and safety (WHS) obligations to proactively risk manage psychosocial hazards, especially workplace bullying.

    About 1.1 million Australian workers experience serious workplace bullying, with 39 percent of mental disorder claims caused by workplace bullying, harassment, or violence.

    Psychological health and safety are foremost on the agenda of Australian WHS policymakers, statutory agencies, and peak bodies, particularly since Safe Work Australia published the Model Code of Practice: Managing psychosocial hazards at work.

    UniSA researcher Professor Michelle Tuckey says the UniSA-Teamgage partnership will deliver a risk management process that uses work redesign to prevent workplace bullying and other psychosocial hazards.

    “Every employer has a legal responsibility to provide a safe workplace, but there’s an increasing pressure for businesses to better manage psychosocial risks, including workplace bullying and sexual harassment,” Prof Tuckey says.

    “Workplace bullying already causes up to $36 billion of lost productivity in each year. And with Safe Work Australia recording a 75 per cent increase in the frequency of bullying claims over the past ten years, it’s a problem that is not slowing down.

    “The amended legislation will require businesses to proactively address workplace bullying (and other psychosocial risks) with the same rigour as physical health and safety hazards, which means they’ll need to go above and beyond administrative controls like policies and training.

    “The UniSA + Teamgage partnership will enable businesses to undertake a tailored risk audit of their workplace and generate specific recommendations, actions, and evaluations to remedy any concerns.

    “It shifts the emphasis from responding to interpersonal bullying behaviour, to proactively identifying and mitigating the root causes of bullying embedded within work environments.”

    Trialled across 85 sites, Healthy Workplaces by Design has proven results, including:

    • 34 per cent reduction in exposure to bullying behaviour
    • 46 per cent reduction in workplace bullying complaints
    • 73 per cent reduction in sexual harassment complaints.

    Teamgage CEO and Co-Founder, Noelle Smit, says the UniSA-Teamgage partnership will ensure people have safer, healthier workplaces, in Australia, and around the world.

    “Teamgage is committed to helping organisations deliver strategic outcomes by creating highly effective teams,” Smit says.

    “We achieve this by empowering teams to continuously improve how they work together, and a part of this is by ensuring a safe and healthy workplace.

    “For this to happen, we need organisations to be constantly alive to the risk of workplace harassment, toxic cultures and mistrust between staff and management – all of which can affect performance, customer outcomes, profit and most importantly people’s wellbeing.

    “We’re thrilled to be partnering with the University of South Australia to deliver the new Healthy Workplaces by Design program and look forward to delivering safe, healthy workplaces for all.”

     

     

    University of South Australia

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  • For leaders, playing favorites can be a smart strategy

    For leaders, playing favorites can be a smart strategy

    Newswise — As anyone who’s worked in an office, a factory, or any other workplace can attest, sometimes bosses play favorites. Whether it’s assigning the most comfortable cubicles or the best parking spots, or deciding whose opinions take precedence during planning sessions, leaders inevitably wind up treating some employees better than others.

    That might seem unfair, especially if you aren’t your supervisor’s favorite. But now, for the first time, research shows that in some cases, biased bosses get better results — and not just from the workers they treat best.

    “For leaders, playing favorites isn’t always a bad thing,” explained Haoying (Howie) Xu, assistant professor of management at Stevens Institute of Technology. “Favoritism is a double-edged sword — it can be harmful to team dynamics, but in the right circumstances it can also help organizations to succeed.”

    In his work, reported in the February 2023 print issue of Personnel Psychology, Xu and colleagues studied more than 200 different teams, comprising over 1,100 employees, in several Chinese companies representing a cross-section of different industries. By surveying both employees and supervisors about performance and team dynamics, Xu was able to reveal the ways in which workplace favoritism interacts with other factors to elevate or impede overall team performance.

    The results were striking.

    In teams that were already well-structured, either because some employees were placed in positions of authority or because some employees had more advanced skill sets, performance dipped when leaders played favorites. In less clearly structured teams, however, having a biased boss typically led to better outcomes, with improved coordination and performance across the entire team.

    “That’s an important finding, because most previous research has focused solely on the negative impacts of workplace favoritism,” Xu said. “Now, we’re getting a more nuanced view of the way that leadership biases play out in the real world.”

    Drawing on a branch of management science known as leader-member exchange (LMX) theory, which studies the relationships between supervisors and employees, Xu argues that leadership biases operate by sending signals about the relative status of different team-members. That can be a bad thing: in teams where a social hierarchy already exists, favoritism can create dissonance and spark conflict.

    In teams that lack a clear pecking order, however, a leader’s biases impose structure and help everyone to work together more effectively. If team members don’t already have well-differentiated roles based on levels of authority or particular skills, favoritism provides a framework that reduces conflict and increases efficiency by helping employees to establish a stable dynamic instead of simply butting heads with one another.

    “In homogenous groups, playing favorites can be a way for leaders to clarify the roles that different team-members should play,” Xu explained. “When teams lack obvious hierarchies, it helps if the boss sends clear signals about who’s on top and who is expected to take a more subordinate role.”

    “The key point is that playing favorite has clear positive and negative effects, so leaders need to ensure they’re paying attention to how their favoritism is affecting their team.”

    Other factors can also influence the impact of leadership biases: more recently formed teams are more easily destabilized by workplace favoritism, for instance. Further research is needed to fully explore the way that favoritism works at different levels of organizations, and also to zoom in on the ways in which individual team-members’ interactions are influenced by their supervisor’s favoritism.

    For now, Xu’s research offers team supervisors and more senior managers clear guidance on how to optimize team performance. Managers could adjust their relationships with team-members to ensure they’re sending appropriate signals.

    Stevens Institute of Technology

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  • Cockatoos know to bring along multiple tools when they fish for cashews

    Cockatoos know to bring along multiple tools when they fish for cashews

    Newswise — Goffin’s cockatoos have been added to the short list of non-human animals that use and transport toolsets. In a study publishing in the journal Current Biology on February 10, researchers show that the cockatoos carry multiple tools to their worksite when the job calls for it. This behavior has only been previously reported in chimpanzees, our closest relatives.

    Goffin’s cockatoos are small white parrots that hail from the Tanimbar Islands archipelago in Indonesia. Captive Goffin’s cockatoos use and manufacture tools, and a recent study of wild-caught cockatoos reported that they can use up to three different tools to extract seeds from a particular fruit. Up until now, though, it wasn’t clear whether the cockatoos considered these tools as a “set”; it’s possible that what may look like a toolset is instead nothing more than a chain of single tool uses, with the need for each new tool appearing to the animal as the task evolves.

    Now, a team of researchers have used controlled experiments to clarify that the cockatoos do indeed recognize when a job requires more than one tool. “With this experiment we can say that, like chimpanzees, Goffin’s cockatoos not only appear to be to using toolsets, but they know that they are using toolsets,” says first author Antonio Osuna-Mascaró, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna. “Their flexibility of behavior is stunning.”

    Osuna-Mascaró was inspired by the termite-fishing Goualougo Triangle chimpanzees of northern Congo, the only other known non-human animal to use toolsets. These chimpanzees fish for termites via a two-step process: first, they use a blunt stick to break holes in the termite mound, and then they insert a long, flexible probe to “fish” the termites out of the holes. In this study, Osuna-Mascaró’s team tasked the cockatoos with fishing for cashews instead of termites.

    To mimic the termite-fishing set-up, the researchers presented the cockatoos with a box containing a cashew behind a transparent paper membrane. To reach the cashew, the cockatoos had to punch through the membrane and then “fish” the cashew out. They were provided with a short, pointy stick for punching holes and a vertically halved plastic straw for fishing.

    Seven of the ten cockatoos tested taught themselves to extract cashews successfully by punching through the membrane, and two of the cockatoos (Figaro and Fini) completed the task within 35 seconds on their first attempt. The cockatoos don’t have an equivalent foraging behavior in the wild, so there was no chance that their tool use was based on innate behaviors, and each cockatoo used a slightly different technique.

    Next, the team tested the cockatoos’ ability to change their tool use in a flexible manner depending on the situation. To do this, they presented each cockatoo with two different types of box: one with a membrane and one without. The cockatoos were given the same two tools, but they only needed the pointy stick when a membrane was in the way. “The cockatoos had to act according to the problem; sometimes the toolset was needed, and sometimes only one tool was enough,” says Osuna-Mascaró.

    All of the cockatoos mastered the test in a very short period of time and were able to recognize when a single tool was sufficient. However, the birds engaged in an interesting behavior during this choosing phase. “When making the choice between which tool to use first, they were picking one up, releasing it, then picking up the other one, releasing it, returning to the first one, and so on,” says Osuna-Mascaró. The researchers found that when cockatoos did this switching, they performed better on the tests.

    Next, the team tested the cockatoos’ ability to transport the tools as a set on an as-needed basis. They put the cockatoos through a series of increasingly challenging trials to reach the boxes: first they had to climb a short ladder while carrying their tools; then they had to fly horizontally with them; and in the final test, they had to carry the tools while flying vertically. As before, the birds were only sometimes presented with a box with a membrane barrier, so they had to decide whether the problem required one or both tools.

    Some cockatoos learned to carry the two tools together—by inserting the short punching stick into the groove of the halved straw—when they were presented with a box that required both. This meant they only had to make one trip, albeit while carrying a heavier toolset. Most of the cockatoos transported the toolset on an as-needed basis, further indicating that they knew ahead of time when two tools were required, though some made two trips when necessary. One cockatoo, Figaro, decided not to waste time thinking and instead carried both tools in almost every trial.

    “We really did not know whether the cockatoos would transport two objects together,” says Alice Auersperg, senior author on the study and a cognitive biologist at the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna. “It was a little bit of a gamble because I have seen birds combining objects playfully, but they very rarely transport more than one object together in their normal behavior.”

    There’s a lot more to be learned about cockatoo tool use, the researchers say. “We feel that, in terms of technical cognition and tool use, parrots have been underestimated and understudied,” says Auersperg.

    “We’ve learned how dexterous the cockatoos are when using a toolset, and we have a lot of things to follow-up on,” says Osuna-Mascaró. “The switching behavior is very interesting to us, and we are definitely going to use it to explore their decision making and their metacognition—their ability to recognize their own knowledge.”

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    This research was supported by the Vienna Science and Technology Fund and the Austrian Science Fund.

    Current Biology, Osuna-Mascaró et al. “Flexible tool set transport in Goffin’s cockatoos,” https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(23)00057-X

    Current Biology (@CurrentBiology), published by Cell Press, is a bimonthly journal that features papers across all areas of biology. Current Biology strives to foster communication across fields of biology, both by publishing important findings of general interest and through highly accessible front matter for non-specialists. Visit: http://www.cell.com/current-biology. To receive Cell Press media alerts, contact [email protected].

    Cell Press

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  • “It’s me!” fish recognizes itself in photographs

    “It’s me!” fish recognizes itself in photographs

    Newswise — A research team led by Specially Appointed Professor Masanori Kohda from the Graduate School of Science at the Osaka Metropolitan University has demonstrated that fish think “it’s me” when they see themselves in a picture, for the first time in animals. The researchers found that the determining factor was not seeing their own body but seeing their face. These findings have been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

    In this study, relevant experiments were conducted with Labroides dimidiatus, commonly known as a cleaner fish, which are known to be able to recognize themselves in mirrors and regularly attack other unfamiliar cleaner fish who intrude on their territory. Each cleaner fish was presented with four photographs: a photo of themselves; a photo of an unfamiliar cleaner; a photo of their own face on an unfamiliar cleaner’s body; and a photo of unfamiliar cleaner’s face on their own body. Interestingly, the cleaner fish did not attack photos with their own faces but did attack those with the faces of unfamiliar cleaner fish. Together these results indicate that the cleaner fish determined who was in the photograph based on the face in the photo but not the body in the similar way humans do.

    To negate the possibility that the fish considered photographs of themselves as very close companions, a photograph mark-test was conducted. Fish were presented with a photograph where a parasite-like mark was placed on their throat. Six of the eight individuals that saw the photograph of themselves with a parasite mark were observed to rub their throats to clean it off. While showing those same fish pictures of themselves without parasite marks or of a familiar cleaner fish with parasite marks did not cause them to rub their throats.

    “This study is the first to demonstrate that fish have an internal sense of self. Since the target animal is a fish, this finding suggests that nearly all social vertebrates also have this higher sense of self,” stated Professor Kohda.

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    About OMU

    Osaka Metropolitan University is a new public university established by a merger between Osaka City University and Osaka Prefecture University in April 2022. For more science news, see https://www.omu.ac.jp/en/, and follow @OsakaMetUniv_en and #OMUScience.

    Osaka Metropolitan University

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  • Should You Really Learn Your Love Language?

    Should You Really Learn Your Love Language?

    For couples wondering how to improve the health of their relationships, Tara Suwinyattichaiporn, sex and relationship expert and associate professor of human communication studies at Cal State Fullerton, shares that a great first step is to start with self-reflection and a self-assessment of one’s primary love languages.

    There are five commonly used love languages: words of affirmation, quality time, receiving gifts, acts of service and physical touch. 

    Once an individual knows what love languages help them feel loved and cared for, it is important to communicate this information with their partner to maximize a relationship’s potential, Suwinyattichaiporn said.

    Suwinyattichaiporn said: “It’s important for everyone in a relationship or who is dating to be aware of how their partner likes to give and receive love. Knowing this will make you a better lover and partner, which can really increase satisfaction in a relationship.

    “Communication is key in all relationships and asking your partner how they like to receive love is a great conversation to have. Don’t guess or assume because that could cause resentment and conflict.”

    Visit communications.fullerton.edu for more information.

    California State University, Fullerton

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  • Study: Preschool gives a big boost to college attendance

    Study: Preschool gives a big boost to college attendance

    Newswise — Attending preschool at age 4 makes children significantly more likely to go to college, according to an empirical study led by an MIT economist.

    The study examines children who attended public preschools in Boston from 1997 to 2003. It finds that among students of similar backgrounds, attendance at a public preschool raised “on-time” college enrollment — starting right after high school — by 8.3 percentage points, an 18 percent increase. There was also a 5.4 percentage point increase in college attendance at any time.

    “We find that 4-year-olds who were randomly allocated a seat in a public Boston preschool during this time period, 1997 to 2003, are more likely to attend college, and that it’s a pretty large effect,” says Parag Pathak, a professor in MIT’s Department of Economics and co-author of a newly published paper detailing the study’s results. “They’re also more likely to graduate from high school, and they’re more likely to take the SAT.”

    The study does not find a connection between preschool attendance and higher scores for students on Massachusetts’ standardized tests. But it does find that children who attended preschool had fewer behavioral issues later on, including fewer suspensions, less absenteeism, and fewer legal-system problems.

    “There are many things that influence whether you go to college, and these behavioral outcomes are relevant to that,” says Pathak, who is also a director of Blueprint Labs, an MIT research center that uses advanced empirical methods to examine issues in education, health care, and the workforce.

    The paper, “The Long-Term Effects of Universal Preschool in Boston,” is published in the February issue of the Quarterly Journal of Economics. The authors are Guthrie Gray-Lobe, a research associate at the Becker-Friedman Institute for Economics at the University of Chicago and a research affiliate at MIT’s Blueprint Labs; Pathak, who is the Class of 1922 Professor of Economics at MIT; and Christopher Walters PhD ’13, an associate professor of economics at the University of California at Berkeley.

    Lottery numbers

    Publicly funded preschool programs have become increasingly popular and prevalent in recent decades. Across the U.S., 44 states operated publicly funded preschool programs as of 2019, along with 24 of the 40 biggest U.S. cities. The portion of 4-year-olds in the U.S. in a public preschool program has grown from 14 percent in 2002 to 34 percent in 2019.

    To conduct the study, the researchers followed the academic trajectories of over 4,000 students, in seven cohorts from 1997 to 2003, who took part in a lottery the Boston public school system conducted to place students into a limited number of available preschool slots.

    The use of the lottery makes the study rigorous: It creates a natural experiment, allowing the researchers to track the educational outcomes of two groups of students from otherwise similar backgrounds in the same school system. In this case, one group attended preschool, while the other did not. That approach has rarely been applied to studies of preschool programs. 

    “The [method] of this work is to take advantage of the elaborate rationing that happens in big-city school districts in their choice processes. We’ve developed techniques to find the right treatment and control comparisons in data produced by these systems,” Pathak says.

    The study also found a 5.9 percentage point jump in attendance at four-year colleges for students who had attended preschool. Preschool-educated students also were 8.5 percentage points more likely to take the SAT.

    “It’s fairly rare to find school-based interventions that have effects of this magnitude,” says Pathak, who won the 2018 John Bates Clark medal, awarded annually by the American Economic Association to the best economist under age 40 in the U.S.

    But while the study does find that preschool increases SAT scores, there was no discernible change on the MCAS, the standardized tests Massachusetts students take in multiple fields in elementary school, middle school, and high school. That stands in contrast to the larger link in education between higher test scores and college attendance.

    “It’s not the case that we have an increase in test scores and it corresponds with an increase in college-going,” Pathak says. “That’s very intriguing.” At the same time, he adds, “I don’t think the takeaway here is we shouldn’t have people take tests.”

    On their best behavior?

    Indeed, the study’s findings suggest that preschool may have a long-term beneficial effect that is not strictly or even primarily academic, but has an important behavioral component. Children attending preschool may be gaining important behavioral habits that keep them out of trouble. For instance: Attending preschool lowers juvenile incarceration by 1 percentage point. 

    “If I had to speculate what’s behind these long-term effects for college, this is our leading hypothesis,” Pathak says of the reduction in behavioral problems. “There’s a lot more that needs to be done on this. It’s an intriguing finding. Others have highlighted these sorts of so-called noncognitive sleeper effects of education, and I’ve been quite skeptical about it. But now our own findings suggest there may be something to that story.”

    While academic research about preschool programs dates at least to the 1960s, the current study has a distinctive set of attributes and findings, including the use of the Boston lottery to create a natural experiment; the long-range nature of the effects being found; and the combination of minimal impact on test scores coupled with indications that preschool has lasting behavioral benefits.

    “There are probably two broader lessons,” Pathak says. “We cannot judge the effectiveness of early childhood interventions by just looking at short-run outcomes, stopping by third grade. You’d get a totally misleading picture of Boston’s program if you did that. The second is that I think it’s really critical to measure outcomes beyond test scores, such as these behavioral outcomes, to have a more complete picture of what’s happening to the child.”

    Shedding more light on the subject is possible, Pathak thinks, by further analyzing preschool programs with policies that create natural experiments.

    “We’re really excited because there’s a lot of potential to apply our approach to other settings,” Pathak says.

    The study was supported, in part, by the W.T. Grant Early Career Scholars Program, while the Boston Public Schools and Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education helped facilitate the research.

    ###

    Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

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  • Free speech vs. harmful misinformation: How people resolve dilemmas in online content moderation

    Free speech vs. harmful misinformation: How people resolve dilemmas in online content moderation

    Newswise — The issue of content moderation on social media platforms came into sharp focus in 2021, when major platforms such as Facebook and Twitter suspended the accounts of then U.S. President Donald Trump. Debates continued as platforms confronted dangerous misinformation about the COVID-19 and the vaccines, and after Elon Musk singlehandedly overturned Twitter’s COVID-19 misinformation policy and reinstated previously suspended accounts.

    “So far, social media platforms have been the ones making key decisions on moderating misinformation, which effectively puts them in the position of arbiters of free speech. Moreover, discussions about online content moderation often run hot, but are largely uninformed by empirical evidence,” says lead author of the study Anastasia Kozyreva, Research Scientist at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development. “To deal adequately with conflicts between free speech and harmful misinformation, we need to know how people handle various forms of moral dilemmas when making decisions about content moderation,” adds Ralph Hertwig, Director at the Center for Adaptive Rationality of the Max Planck Institute for Human Development.

    In the conjoint survey experiment, more than 2,500 U.S. respondents indicated whether they would remove social media posts spreading misinformation about democratic elections, vaccinations, the Holocaust, and climate change. They were also asked whether they would take punitive action against the accounts by issuing a warning or a temporary or indefinite suspension. Respondents were shown information about hypothetical accounts, including political leaning and number of followers, as well as the accounts’ posts and the consequences of the misinformation they contained.

    The majority of respondents chose to take some action to prevent the spread of harmful misinformation. On average, 66 percent of respondents said they would delete the offending posts, and 78 percent would take some action against the account (of which 33 percent opted to “issue a warning” and 45 percent chose to indefinitely or temporarily suspend accounts spreading misinformation). Not all misinformation was penalized equally: Climate change denial was acted on the least (58%), whereas Holocaust denial (71%) and election denial (69%) were acted on most often, closely followed by anti-vaccination content (66%).

    “Our results show that so-called free-speech absolutists such as Elon Musk are out of touch with public opinion. People by and large recognize that there should be limits to free speech, namely, when it can cause harm, and that content removal or even deplatforming can be appropriate in extreme circumstances, such as Holocaust denial,” says co-author Stephan Lewandowsky, Chair in Cognitive Psychology at the University of Bristol.

    The study also sheds light on the factors that affect people’s decisions regarding content moderation online. The topic, the severity of the consequences of the misinformation, and whether it was a repeat offense had the strongest impact on decisions to remove posts and suspend accounts. Characteristics of the account itself—the person behind the account, their partisanship, and number of followers—had little to no effect on respondents’ decisions. 

    Respondents were not more inclined to remove posts from an account with an opposing political stance, nor were they more likely to suspend accounts that did not match their political preferences. However, Republicans and Democrats tended to take different approaches to resolving the dilemma between protecting free speech and removing potentially harmful misinformation. Democrats preferred to prevent dangerous misinformation across all four scenarios, whereas Republicans preferred to protect free speech, imposing fewer restrictions.

    “We hope our research can inform the design of transparent rules for content moderation of harmful misinformation. People’s preferences are not the only benchmark for making important trade-offs on content moderation, but ignoring the fact that there is support for taking action against misinformation and the accounts that publish it risks undermining the public’s trust in content moderation policies and regulations,” says co-author Professor Jason Reifler from the University of Exeter. “Effective and meaningful platform regulation requires not only clear and transparent rules for content moderation, but general acceptance of the rules as legitimate constraints on the fundamental right to free expression. This important research goes a long way to informing policy makers about what is and, more importantly, what is not acceptable user-generated content,” adds co-author Professor Mark Leiser from the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

    Max Planck Institute for Human Development

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  • Incivility reduces interest in what politicians have to say, shows research

    Incivility reduces interest in what politicians have to say, shows research

    Newswise — Toronto — Nasty remarks by politicians against their critics are so common that we may not pay them much mind. That’s the problem of political incivility, say a pair of researchers who’ve studied the phenomenon among U.S. politicians.

    “The results are pretty clear,” says Matthew Feinberg, an associate professor of organizational behaviour at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management. “Incivility may grab attention, but the ultimate result is less interest in what you have to say.”

    Prof. Feinberg and fellow researcher Jeremy A. Frimer from the University of Winnipeg already knew from their past work that incivility has been on the rise, especially online. In this most recent research, their analysis of rude and demeaning language in former U.S. president Donald Trump’s and current U.S. president Joe Biden’s social media posts revealed that the two gained fewer additional followers in the days after they made particularly uncivil comments.

    The researchers analyzed more than 32,000 tweets issued from Trump’s Twitter account between mid-2015 and Jan. 8, 2021, when he was permanently suspended from the platform. Over that time, Trump’s followers rose from 3 million to about 89 million. However, his biggest gains were made in the days after his tweets were particularly civil – about 43,000 new followers versus only 16,000 new followers after he was especially rude.

    The researchers used a machine-learning program that detects toxic speech and phrases to identify and classify the most uncivil tweets.

    In Biden’s case, the researchers analyzed just over 7,000 tweets between 2012 and June 2021. His followers rose from 5 million to 32 million over that time. He gained an average of 45,000 new followers when his tweets were very civil but only 11,000 in the days after they were not.

    Prof. Feinberg said the steeper drop in new followers for Biden may be due to people expecting more civil behaviour from him than Trump. However, the researchers estimated that Trump’s incivility cost him more than 6.3 million followers.

    Two additional experimental studies that formed part of the research, with a total of about 2,000 participants confirmed the finding that political incivility breeds longer-term disinterest. That was true even when the participant identified with the same political party, something Prof. Feinberg called “surprising.” As well, the third study showed that moral disapproval of what a politician said had a stronger influence on a person’s ongoing interest than whether the politician’s words were attention-grabbing.

    So given the results, how come politicians continue to lob rhetorical grenades at one another? It’s possible they do it because they may inflict greater damage on their opponents’ reputations or even turn voters off so much that they don’t even bother going to the polls, the researchers suggest. Or, says Prof. Feinberg, “maybe it’s just that they’re wrong.”

    The study was published in Social Psychological and Personality Science.

    Bringing together high-impact faculty research and thought leadership on one searchable platform, the new Rotman Insights Hub offers articles, podcasts, opinions, books and videos representing the latest in management thinking and providing insights into the key issues facing business and society. Visit www.rotman.utoronto.ca/insightshub.

    The Rotman School of Management is part of the University of Toronto, a global centre of research and teaching excellence at the heart of Canada’s commercial capital. Rotman is a catalyst for transformative learning, insights and public engagement, bringing together diverse views and initiatives around a defining purpose: to create value for business and society. For more information, visit www.rotman.utoronto.ca

    -30-

    University of Toronto, Joseph L. Rotman School of Management

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  • Going for an immediate transition to a green economy pays off, even if such transition is very unlikely to happen, a study finds

    Going for an immediate transition to a green economy pays off, even if such transition is very unlikely to happen, a study finds

    Newswise — Nicola Botta of PIK Potsdam, Germany, and colleagues have developed a new method for assessing how much decisions matter in situations in which the consequences of such decisions are highly uncertain. Applying the method to a stylized greenhouse-gas emission problem reveals that opting for an early transition to a decarbonized society is rational even when the probability of actually realizing such a transition is very low. The work “Responsibility under uncertainty: which climate decisions matter most?”, published in Environmental Modeling & Assessment is part of the European TiPES project on tipping points in the Earth’s system.

    ”We have discovered that it is almost always the case that best decisions are still best, even when the probability that they are actually implemented becomes very, very small,” says Nicola Botta.

    In the study, the group applied a verified theory of policy advice which makes it possible to compute “best” policies for problems in which decisions have to be taken step-by-step and under uncertainty.

    These policies are then compared, at a given decision step, with the remaining options to evaluate how important it is to avoid a mistake when taking a decision at that step.

    The method was then applied to a stylized greenhouse-gas emission problem in which the goal of decision making is twofold: 1) avoid unmanageable impacts from climate change and 2) avoid hurting the economy. The program now evaluated the consequences of two options: immediately start a transition to a green economy or postpone such a transition to avoid economical damage.

    The analysis indicates that best decisions pay off even when the probability that such decisions are actually implemented becomes very low, for example, because of political uncertainty or because of the inertia of legislation.

    ”At the first glance this seems surprising, as the common wisdom is that it’s not worth betting on something that is not likely to happen”, says Nicola Botta.

    ”But, if you think twice, the result makes sense. It also provides a guideline to the discussion on whether it is worth to pursue climatetargets (like the 1.5°C target) that are unlikely to actually be met: the answer is yes.”

    ”More generally, the paper is a methodological contribution towards understanding which decisions under uncertainty matter most. Realizing that certain decisions are less important than others (or less important than expected) can be very helpful, for example in climate negotiations” explains Nicola Botta.

     

    The TiPES project is an EU Horizon 2020 interdisciplinary climate science project on tipping points in the Earth system. 18 partner institutions work together in more than 10 countries. TiPES is coordinated and led by The Niels Bohr Institute at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Germany. The TiPES project has received funding from the European Horizon 2020 research and innovation program, grant agreement number 820970.

    University of Copenhagen, Faculty of Science

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  • “Time is not what it used to be”: Children and adults experience time differently

    “Time is not what it used to be”: Children and adults experience time differently

    Newswise — Researchers at Eötvös Loránd University have investigated whether the perception of time changes with age, and if so, how, and why we perceive the passage of time differently. Their study was published in Scientific Reports.

    Time can do tricks. Many of us experienced the illusion that those long summers during childhood felt so much longer than the same 3 months feel like now as an adult. While we can argue why one summer may appear longer than the other and how the percept of time can compress and dilate durations depending on various factors, we can easily set up an experiment to gain more insights.

    The researchers just did that. They asked how eventfulness affects our duration estimates when probing at different milestones during our cognitive development. They set aside three age groups, 4-5, 9-10, and 18 years and older, and made them watch two videos, 1 minute each. The two videos were extracted from a popular animated series, balanced in visual and acoustic features, except for one feature: eventfulness. One video consisted of a rapid succession of events (a policeman rescuing animals and arresting a thief), and the other was a monotonous and repetitive sequence (six shady prisoners escaping on a rowing boat). The researchers played the two clips in a balanced order of 50%, watching the eventful first. After watching both videos, they asked only two questions: “Which one was longer?” and “Can you show the durations with your arms?” Easy to understand questions even for a 4-year-old.

    The results showed a strong bias in each age group but for pre-kindergarteners, surprisingly, in the opposite direction.

    While more than 2/3rd of pre-kindergarteners perceived the eventful video as longer, 3/4th of the adult group felt the same about the uneventful video. The middle group expressed a similar but more moderate bias than the adult. By the inclusion of the middle group (9-10-year-olds), the inflection point could be estimated around the age of 7. Regarding the arm-spread orientation, and distance, there was an increasing trend of using horizontal arm spreading with age. While pre-kindergarten-age kids used 50-50% vertical and horizontal gestures, by school age, that ratio changed to 80-90% in favor of horizontal arm expressions. 

    The result is unexpected because none of the biological models of time perception could have predicted it. How can we interpret this result? Biological models of time perception fall under two categories: pacemaker-like neurons in the brain and neurons that display a declining firing rate with time. Still, “who” would interpret those signals in the brain remains elusive. Both model classes assume a continuous age-dependent improvement with age. However, this is not what the researchers found. Instead, what they found was a switch of perceived duration ratios between the youngest and the two older groups, with a turning point at 7. How can we explain such a bias reversal? 

    The authors called upon the concept of heuristics, introduced in cognitive science by Amos Tversky and Daniel Kahneman. They define heuristics as mental shortcuts or proxies that enable one to make quick decisions. To understand why we need heuristics for comparing durations, let us look at what else we can rely on. Since the brain has neither a reliable central clock nor a direct sensory mapping of durations, unlike distances or pitch, we must use a proxy. A proxy to “duration” is something concrete yet related to the time content, like “Which one can I talk more about?”. If the first video was packed with actions, they could tell a lot about it, thinks the 5-year-old. While the other movie could be summarized with a single verb, such as “rowing”. The eventful video consisted of three episodes, a perfect example of a story. The uneventful video, in contrast, had no episodes and no storyline. In terms of heuristics, the difference can be captured by representativeness heuristics. The eventful video had more representative story examples than the uneventful one. Therefore, relying on a representativeness heuristic, the kindergarteners would feel the eventful video was longer (see the left side of the figure).

    If this notion of duration provides a good proxy for “time”, why do we switch to another system at 7? The researchers argue that the answer is switching to another class of heuristics, namely, sampling heuristics. At around the age of 6 to 10, kids learn the concept of “absolute time”. We all rely on the concept of absolute and universal time when we make appointments, organize our tasks, and follow timelines. All these actions reinforce the concept of universal time that is independent of the observer and entirely consistent with Newton’s classical mechanics. We start thinking about time as a physical entity, independent of the events that it connects, and we become aware that our subjective experience of time as observers may change or be a subject of illusions. The best we can do to eliminate subjectivity is to check the flow of time.

    We can check the flow of time by frequently sampling it. Looking at the clocks or just staring out the window and watching the traffic flow. The more often we check, the more reliable the estimate we get. However, our brain is not always available for tracking time. When our attention is occupied with another task, then this sampling of the absolute time may skip cycles. In contrast, when waiting for somebody who is late for an appointment, time slows down as the brain counts the seconds while impatience and irritation increase. 

    In light of these heuristics, representativeness, and sampling, let us see how we sample the absolute time when we are asked to guess the duration of an exciting and captivating video versus a boring one. When watching a captivating movie, the mind is completely immersed in the story because the sequence of actions unfolds so fast that one does not have time to think about anything else, such as life, work, or a to-do list. Instead, the mind is hijacked by the alternative reality of the movie plot. In contrast, when watching a boring movie, one is going to check the watch or think about where else one could be at that time, and all these distractions enable us to sample the flow of absolute time (right side of the figure). Hence, the two types of heuristics explain the bizarre switch at about age 7 and the persistent bias that the boring meetings appear longer than they are, which stays with us for the rest of our life.  

    While the enigma of time has been and will continue to intrigue the human mind, it is essential to realize that these fundamental concepts, like time and space, are more complex than we can pin down by certain types of neurons in the brain. To wrangle such abstract concepts, one needs to connect all biological and cognitive pieces. Will we ever complete that jigsaw puzzle? Only time will tell.

    Eotvos Lorand University (ELTE)

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  • Kisspeptin hormone injection could treat low sex drive in women and men

    Kisspeptin hormone injection could treat low sex drive in women and men

    Newswise — The hormone kisspeptin could be used to treat women and men distressed by their low sexual desire, according to two new studies.

    The studies, both published in JAMA Network Open, found that giving kisspeptin can boost sexual responses in women and men who have hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) – a condition characterised by low sexual desire that is distressing to the individual. HSDD affects up 10 percent of women and 8 percent of men worldwide and can have devastating psychological and social impacts.

    The studies were led by clinicians and scientists at Imperial College London and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust. They were funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Imperial Biomedical Research Centre (NIHR-Imperial BRC) and the Medical Research Council, part of UK Research and Innovation.

    Kisspeptin is a naturally-occurring hormone that stimulates the release of other reproductive hormones inside the body. The team have previously shown in men with intact sexual desire that kisspeptin can enhance responses to sexual stimuli, and boost attraction brain pathways, independent of other reproductive hormones like testosterone. Now, they investigated the effects in women and men with low sexual desire for the first time.

    These two clinical trials involved 32 pre-menopausal women and 32 men with HSDD. In both studies, patients underwent scanning of the brain using MRI, as well as blood and behavioural tests. Kisspeptin administration improved sexual brain processing in both women and men, resulting in positive effects on sexual behaviour compared to placebo. These are the first clinical studies to explore the ability of kisspeptin to boost sexual pathways in women and men distressed by their low sexual desire.

    The researchers believe that the results lay the foundations for kisspeptin-based treatments for women and men with HSDD.

    Dr Alexander Comninos, from the Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction at Imperial College London, Consultant Endocrinologist at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and co-senior author of the study, said:

    “Low sexual desire can be distressing and so result in HSDD. This can have a major detrimental impact on relationships, mental health, and fertility. Even though it is relatively common, treatment options in women are limited, carry significant side-effects and in some cases can be harmful to even try. And unfortunately, these treatments have limited effectiveness. In men there are currently no licensed treatments and none on the horizon. Therefore, there is a real unmet need to find new, safer and more effective therapies for this distressing condition for both women and men seeking treatment. 

    “Our two studies provide proof-of-concept for the development of kisspeptin treatments, as we provide the first evidence that kisspeptin is a potentially safe and effective therapy for both women and men with distressing low sexual desire. Additionally in men, we demonstrate that kisspeptin can have positive effects not only in the brain but also in the penis by increasing rigidity. Furthermore, kisspeptin was well-tolerated by both women and men with no side-effects reported, which is crucial from a drug development point of view. We now plan to take things forward to hopefully realise the potential of kisspeptin therapeutics in psychosexual disorders – sexual problems which are psychological in origin, such as unexplained low libido.”

    Professor Waljit Dhillo, an NIHR Senior Investigator, also from the Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction at Imperial College London, Consultant Endocrinologist at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and co-senior author of the study, added:

    “Our studies build on our previous work to assess the effectiveness of kisspeptin and its boosting effects in terms of arousal and attraction. It is highly encouraging to see the same boosting effect in both women and men, although the precise brain pathways were slightly different as might be expected. 

    “Collectively, the results suggest that kisspeptin may offer a safe and much-needed treatment for HSDD that affects millions of people around the world and we look forward to taking this forward in future larger studies and in other patient groups.”

    The study in women involved a randomised, double-blind, two-way crossover, placebo-controlled trial at Invicro and Hammersmith Hospital (part of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust), between October 2020 and April 2021. Data analysis was carried out by Imperial College London researchers.

    32 pre-menopausal heterosexual women with HSDD (aged 19-48 years) completed two study visits, one for administration of kisspeptin and another visit for placebo. Participants completed psychometric questionnaires before and towards the end of kisspeptin or placebo administration to assess their mood and behaviour. During kisspeptin or placebo administration, participants underwent functional MRI while watching erotic videos and viewing male faces to see how brain activity was affected. Non-erotic exercise videos were used as a control.

    The team found that kisspeptin improved sexual and attraction brain activity in key brain areas in women. They also found that women who were more distressed by their sexual function showed greater kisspeptin-enhanced brain activity in the hippocampus (a key structure implicated in female sexual desire). Furthermore, the more kisspeptin activated the posterior cingulate cortex – a key behavioural brain area – in response to attractive male faces, the less sexual aversion was reported by participants. Crucially, the psychometric analyses revealed that the women reported feeling ‘more sexy’ during kisspeptin, compared to placebo.

    In the second study, which was also a randomised, double-blind, two-way crossover trial, 32 heterosexual men with HSDD (aged 21-52 years) underwent a similar study with the addition of the measurement of penile rigidity, between January and September 2021.

    The study demonstrated that kisspeptin significantly boosted brain activity in key structures of the sexual brain network while also increasing penile rigidity by up to 56 per cent compared to placebo, while viewing an erotic video. Similarly to the study in women, kisspeptin also had greater effects in key brain regions in men more distressed with their low sexual desire. Furthermore, psychometric analyses revealed that kisspeptin improved ‘happiness about sex’ reported by the men.

    Dr Comninos and Professor Dhillo now plan to take this forward with larger scale studies, studies in different populations and collaborations to develop kisspeptin as a realistic treatment for both women and men with distressing psychosexual disorders.

    ENDS

    Kisspeptin to Women with HSDD paper: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2797718

    Kisspeptin to Men with HSDD paper: https://imperialcollegelondon.app.box.com/s/91u2erklf0m6nqkrnah3xm03r5ftoisi/file/1126695946014

    *Peter* (age 44)

    *Name changed*

    “I got involved in the trial because I had previous problems with my sexual appetite and performance.

    “The issue had always been detrimental to sustaining relationships. I would often make excuses as to why my sexual appetite was low. For example, I would blame stress at work or tiredness as a reason instead of being honest. I had tried other performance supporting medication like Viagra. However, this proved ineffective as the issue was simply one of low desire. It was highly embarrassing and not something I felt able to talk to my previous partners about. I feared they would confuse it with lack of attraction to them.

    “I was keen to learn whether there was a solution to my problem and learn more about my condition. 

    “I received the kisspeptin infusion in June 2021 and I noticed a difference in terms of my sexual desire. The week I had the kisspeptin infusion we conceived our son, who was born in March 2022. I had the best possible outcome as a result of the trial. 

    “I also learnt a lot more about myself and my condition. I am really pleased to have contributed to this trial, which has been life-changing for me. I’m glad that others in a similar position could benefit from the treatment.”

    *Eve* (43)

    *Name changed*

    “I took part in the trial as I was experiencing low sexual libido. Initially, I put it down to having small children and being exhausted as a result. However, this continued and started to impact my wellbeing. I wanted to see whether there was another reason for why I was feeling this way. 

    “I had two study visits in 2020 where I received the placebo and the kisspeptin infusions without knowing which one I was getting at the time. I did notice a bit of a difference once I received the kisspeptin infusion and it was fascinating to be part of the process.

    “I am glad that I took part in the study as many women wouldn’t like to admit they are experiencing this and may not seek help. I’m glad to know that kisspeptin could be a treatment option for other women.”

    Imperial College London

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  • Life in a violent country can be years shorter and much less predictable – even for those not involved in conflict

    Life in a violent country can be years shorter and much less predictable – even for those not involved in conflict

    Newswise — How long people live is less predictable and life expectancy for young people can be as much as 14 years shorter in violent countries compared to peaceful countries, according to a new study today [3/2] from an international team, led by Oxford’s Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science. It reveals a direct link between the uncertainty of living in a violent setting, even for those not directly involved in the violence, and a ‘double burden’ of shorter and less predictable lives.

    According to the research, violent deaths are responsible for a high proportion of the differences in lifetime uncertainty between violent and peaceful countries. But, the study says, ‘The impact of violence on mortality goes beyond cutting lives short. When lives are routinely lost to violence, those left behind face uncertainty as to who will be next.’

    Lead author Dr José Manuel Aburto from Oxford’s Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, adds, ‘What we found most striking is that lifetime uncertainty has a greater association with violence than life expectancy. Lifetime uncertainty, therefore, should not be overlooked when analysing changes in mortality patterns.’

    Using mortality data from 162 countries, and the Internal Peace Index between 2008-2017, the study shows the most violent countries are also those with the highest lifetime uncertainty. In the Middle East, conflict-related deaths at young ages are the biggest contributor to this, while in Latin America, a similar pattern results from homicides and interpersonal violence.

    But lifetime uncertainty was ‘remarkably low’ between 2008-2017, in most Northern and Southern European countries. Although Europe has been the most peaceful region over the period, the Russian invasion of Ukraine will impact this.

    In high-income countries, reduced cancer mortality has recently helped to reduce lifetime uncertainty. But, in the most violent societies, lifetime uncertainty is even experienced by those not directly involved in violence. The report states, ‘Poverty-insecurity-violence cycles magnify pre-existing structural patterns of disadvantage for women and fundamental imbalances in gender relations at young ages. In some Latin American countries, female homicides have increased over the last decades and exposure to violent environments brings health and social burdens, particularly for children and women.’

    Study co-author Professor Ridhi Kashyap, from the Leverhulme Centre, says, ‘Whilst men are the major direct victims of violence, women are more likely to experience non-fatal consequences in violent contexts. These indirect effects of violence should not be ignored as they fuel gender inequalities, and can trigger other forms of vulnerability and causes of death.’

    According to the report, lower life expectancy is usually associated with greater lifetime uncertainty. In addition, living in a violent society creates vulnerability and uncertainty – and that, in turn, can lead to more violent behaviour. 

    Countries with high levels of violence experience lower levels of life expectancy than more peaceful ones, ‘We estimate a gap of around 14 years in remaining life expectancy at age 10 between the least and most violent countries…In El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala and Colombia the gap in life expectancy with high income countries is predominantly explained by excess mortality due to homicides.’

    Study co-author Vanessa di Lego, from the Wittgenstein Centre for Demography and Global Human Capital, adds, ‘It is striking how violence alone is a major driver of disparities in lifetime uncertainty. One thing is for certain, global violence is a public health crisis, with tremendous implications for population health, and should not be taken lightly.’

     

    About the Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science

    This major new interdisciplinary research centre, funded by the Leverhulme Trust and directed by Professor Melinda Mills, is tackling the most challenging demographic problems of our time. Based at the University of Oxford, the Centre is at the forefront of demographic research that impacts academia, society and policy. Together with academic and industry partners, our researchers use new types of data, methods and unconventional approaches to disrupt conventional thinking across important issues such as COVID-19, climate change, and life expectancy. More information on the Centre can be found here.

    About the University of Oxford

    Oxford University has been placed number one in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings for the seventh year running, and ​number two in the QS World Rankings 2022. At the heart of this success are the twin-pillars of our ground-breaking research and innovation and our distinctive educational offer.

    Oxford is world-famous for research and teaching excellence and home to some of the most talented people from across the globe. Our work helps the lives of millions, solving real-world problems through a huge network of partnerships and collaborations. The breadth and interdisciplinary nature of our research alongside our personalised approach to teaching sparks imaginative and inventive insights and solutions.

    University of Oxford

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  • Commonly used police diversity training unlikely to change officers’ behavior, study finds

    Commonly used police diversity training unlikely to change officers’ behavior, study finds

    Newswise — Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man who died after a confrontation with police during a traffic stop earlier this month in Memphis, has become the latest face in a racial justice and police reform movement fueled by a string of similar cases in which Black men have died from injuries sustained while being taken into custody.

    While these cases have spurred calls for greater law enforcement investment in diversity training, new research from Washington University in St. Louis suggests that the day-long implicit bias-oriented training programs now common in most U.S. police departments are unlikely to reduce racial inequity in policing.

    “Our findings suggest that diversity training as it is currently practiced is unlikely to change police behavior,” said study lead author Calvin Lai, assistant professor of psychological and brain sciences in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis.

    “Officers who took the training were more knowledgeable about bias and more motivated to address bias at work,” Lai said.” However, these effects were fleeting and appear to have little influence on actual policing behaviors just one month after the training session.”

    Published Feb. 3 in the journal Psychological Science, the study evaluates the experiences of 3,764 police officers from departments across the nation who participated in one-day bias training sessions provided by the non-profit Anti-Defamation League.

    The interactive workshops, which emphasize discussion and active learning over lecturing, were designed to help officers understand how their worldview is shaped by their identity and culture and to appreciate how these biases may affect their behavior.

    Lai’s evaluation of the program, which covered 251 training sessions held between July 2019 and January 2022, is based on police officers’ self-reported responses to surveys conducted before training, immediately after training and one month later.

    When officers were asked to describe their thoughts about the training, many reported that it was surprising and insightful. For instance, one officer wrote “it has opened my eyes to the bias we all have as human beings” and another said, “I really liked the course because it opened my eyes to implicit biases I never knew I had.”

    Officers participating in the study had an average of 15 years of service and most had been with their departments for more than five years. Most were below the rank of sergeant, 77% were male and 79% held a bachelor’s degree or higher. Among those who reported their race, 47% were white, 20% were Black, 27% were Hispanic/Latino and 2% were Asian.

    The final section of the training program focused on building skills to manage bias in policing. These strategies included mindfulness, such as intentionally bringing bias awareness to the present moment, and other interventions designed to help officers avoid perceptions based on negative stereotypes and see people as unique individuals with their own points of view.

    While the training produced an immediate and long-lasting understanding of bias, it delivered only a temporary bump in concerns about bias and in the motivation to use strategies to limit bias in law enforcement interactions.

    “Educating about implicit bias was effective for durably raising awareness about the existence of subtle or implicit biases, but little else,” Lai said. “Our study indicates that the current generation of diversity training programs are effective at changing minds but less consistent at changing behavior.”

    Lai, who is currently working with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services to develop a new managing bias training course for law enforcement agencies, says it’s important to manage expectations about what can be accomplished in a single, standalone training session.

    His study documents shortcomings in the Anti-Defamation League’s Managing Bias program, which he considers to be one of the nation’s best available diversity training programs. The program is research-based, comes with an 80-page instruction manual and is delivered by two-person teams of highly trained facilitators.

    “The day-long training is more intensive than other diversity trainings, which are often only one to three hours,” Lai said. “And yet, we found little evidence for long-term efficacy.”

    Lai’s research suggests that police departments can boost the effectiveness of diversity training by showing a genuine, long-term commitment to program goals and ensuring that classroom bias training lessons are embedded with other organizational initiatives, reinforced by police managers and evaluated as a part of job performance.

    “Changing minds is hard, creating social change is difficult, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth doing,” Lai said. “We have to eliminate this all-or-none thinking about the effectiveness of implicit bias training and focus on specific changes that police departments can implement to make a real difference in outcomes.”

    This study was supported by grants from the Anti-Defamation League and the Russell Sage Foundation. Co-authors include Jacklyn Lisnek, a former lab manager in Lai’s lab now pursuing a doctoral degree in social psychology at the University of Virginia.

    Washington University in St. Louis

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  • How age and sex influence our body clocks

    How age and sex influence our body clocks

    Newswise — The human body runs on a finely tuned clock synchronized to the 24-hour cycle of Earth’s rotation, known as the circadian clock, which controls various physiological processes such as the sleep-wake cycle, hormone production, and metabolism.

    In a new study, researchers led by Felix Naef at EPFL were able to uncover the organization of tissue-specific gene expression rhythms in humans, and shed light on how our body clocks depend on sex and age.

    In model organisms, analyzing molecular rhythms is usually done using time-stamped measurements – but such data are not readily available in humans. To work around this, the researchers used existing measurements from a large cohort of post-mortem donors, combined with a novel computer algorithm that was designed to assign internal clock times to nearly one thousand donors.      

    “Interestingly, the data-science algorithm we developed turned out to resemble models from magnetic systems, which are well studied in statistical physics,” says Felix Naef. Using this innovative approach, the researchers obtained the first comprehensive and accurate whole-organism view of 24-hour gene expression rhythms in 46 human tissues.

    The study found that the core clock machinery properties are conserved across the body and do not change significantly with sex and age. On the other hand, the analysis revealed extensive programs of gene expression rhythms across major compartments of metabolism, stress response pathways and immune function, and these programs peaked twice a day.

    In fact, the emerging whole-body organization of circadian timing shows that rhythmic gene expression occurs as morning and evening waves, with the timing in the adrenal gland peaking first, while brain regions displayed much lower rhythmicity compared to metabolic tissues.

    Dividing the donors by sex and age revealed a previously unknown richness of sex- and age- specific gene expression rhythms spread across biological functions. Strikingly, gene expression rhythms were sex-dimorphic (different in males and females) and more sustained in females, while rhythmic programs were generally reduced with age across the body.

    Sex-dimorphic rhythms – referring to the differences between males and females – were particularly noticeable in the liver’s “xenobiotic detoxification”, the process by which liver breaks down harmful substances. Additionally, the study found that as people grow older, the rhythm of gene expression decreases in the heart’s arteries, which may explain why older people are more susceptible to heart disease. This information could be useful in the field of “chronopharmacology,” which is the study of how a person’s internal clock affects the effectiveness and side effects of medication.

    This study provides new insights into the complex interplay between our body clock, sex, and age. By understanding these rhythms, we might find new ways of diagnosing and treating pathologies such as sleep disorders and metabolic diseases.

    Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL)

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  • Researchers identify the neurons that synchronise female preferences with male courtship songs in fruit flies

    Researchers identify the neurons that synchronise female preferences with male courtship songs in fruit flies

    Newswise — When it comes to courtship, it is important to ensure that one is interacting with a member of the same species. Animals use multiple sensory systems to confirm that potential mates are indeed suitable, with acoustic communication playing an important role in their decision making.   

    Although these differences have previously been reported at the behavioral level, it is not known how the neuronal circuitry underlying this decision-making has diverged between species. Now, in a new publication in Scientific Reports, a research group at Nagoya University in Japan has investigated how the auditory processing pathway has evolved and diverged between fruit fly species.  

    Males of several species of Drosophila (fruit flies), which are regularly used in neuroscience research, vibrate their wings rhythmically during courtship, producing a courtship song. The temporal components of these songs differ between species, allowing female flies to distinguish between potential mates. 

    “Identifying complex features, such as rhythm, requires information processing that involves not only the auditory organs but also neural circuits,” explains Yuki Ishikawa, the lecturer leading the project. “However, interspecies comparisons of the mechanism of rhythm discrimination have not been studied before because they require a more precise approach than just studying peripheral auditory organs.” 

    To find out what happens in the neural circuits during courtship, Professor Azusa Kamikouchi, Lecturer Yuki Ishikawa, and Graduate Student Takuro Ohashi of the Graduate School of Science first played songs with different rhythms to females of two closely related species of fruit flies (Drosophilia melanogaster and Drosophilia simulans), which have different courtship songs, to see which tones the females found acceptable. Confirming previous reports, the researchers found that Drosophilia simulans females preferred songs with distinct temporal components to those of Drosophilia melanogaster. 

    Building on these behavioral data, the researchers next used calcium imaging to determine how a specific subset of auditory neurons, called AMMC-B1, responded to different courtship songs between the species. They found that the responses of these neurons did indeed differ between species, and that these differences were consistent with previously observed behavioral responses.  

    “This is the first study to clarify how the evolution of the mechanism for distinguishing between rhythms of the same sound occurs,” explains Dr. Ishikawa. “Rhythmic information processing in neural circuits differs between fruit fly species. Using mathematical modeling, we have shown that this species difference may be due to a change in the balance between facilitation and inhibition in neural circuits.” 

    Despite the differences at the behavioral level, the group found that the overall characteristics of AMMC-B1 neurons are similar between the two species. This suggests that the properties of the neural circuit, at least in its early stages, are evolutionarily conserved. Thus, even in different species, they appear to be encoded by similar genes. These findings support the theory that the species-specificity of such neuronal cell groups emerged at a later stage of the auditory information- processing neural circuits. 

    “Drosophila melanogaster has neural mechanisms that are widely shared among animals,” Ishikawa said. “It is one of the most advanced animals for brain research because of the wealth of existing genetic tools. By introducing these tools into Drosophila simulans, this study was the first to make detailed interspecies comparisons of auditory neural circuits. By transferring these methods and results to closely related species, we can begin to study how information processing has evolved in the animal brain. We hope that the method established in this study will contribute to understanding the full picture of how mechanisms in the auditory brain have evolved.” 

    Nagoya University

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  • Pro-cannabis social media linked to youths’ intentions to use

    Pro-cannabis social media linked to youths’ intentions to use

    Newswise — PULLMAN, Wash. – Despite laws against advertising cannabis to teens, young people reported in surveys that they still see a lot of positive cannabis messages through social media posts.

    Washington State University researchers found these messages were also connected to the teens’ intentions to use cannabis, and for college students, with their actual use. Anti-cannabis messages also had an effect in lessening use-intentions, but young people saw less of those types of messages.

    “Youth, in particular, have really grown up bombarded with cannabis information compared to previous generations,” said Jessica Willoughby, first author on the study published in the journal Health Communication and an associate professor in WSU’s Murrow College of Communication. “We found that they were seeing more positive messages about using cannabis and a lot less about the risks.”

    For this study, the researchers surveyed 350 teens and 966 college students from across Washington state, where recreational marijuana has been legal since 2012.

    The state does have regulations aimed at preventing advertising cannabis to minors, such as prohibiting the use of cartoons or youth-oriented celebrities. This does not prevent individuals from posting about cannabis on social media, however.

    Of the study participants, the vast majority, over 80%, reported seeing pro-cannabis messages on social media, such as posts about being high or claims that marijuana is harmless. The pro-cannabis messages most often encountered were those from celebrities or lyrics in songs.

    “Parents might not understand that if their kid is using a social media site—whether it’s Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook or Snapchat —they are going to see cannabis messages. That’s just the reality,” said co-author Stacey Hust, a professor at WSU’s Murrow College of Communication. “This means we need to be getting training into schools at much younger ages. At the very least middle school and high school health classes need to talk about cannabis and how it can be harmful to the developing brain.”

    The study participants also reported seeing some anti-cannabis messages, such as that cannabis can cause harm or that smoking it is gross or for losers, but they saw these types of messages less often than pro-cannabis ones.

    The youth, both teens and college students, who reported seeing higher levels of positive messages were more likely to indicate an intention to use cannabis. The college students were also asked about actual use and there was a positive connection between exposure to pro-cannabis posts and use for that group.

    The good news is that seeing the anti-cannabis messages had some effect, although indirectly. Among the youth who already held beliefs that cannabis use could cause negative outcomes, such as damaging their brain or doing worse in school, seeing anti-cannabis messages appeared to lower their intentions to use.

    The researchers said this finding indicates a good area for parents and counselors to target.

    “Prevention efforts can have an impact,” said Willoughby. “Since youth are seeing more of that positive cannabis content, it’s worthwhile to put out more content highlighting the risks, especially to the young people like them.”

    This study received partial funding through Washington state’s initiative measure 502 which taxes production processing and wholesale retail sales of marijuana.

    Washington State University

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  • IQ changes over time may help track development, guide intervention in autistic youth

    IQ changes over time may help track development, guide intervention in autistic youth

    Newswise — A long-term study by UC Davis MIND Institute researchers confirms that changes in the IQ level of autistic children may help predict their path of communication and behavioral development as adolescents.

    The new work builds on a previous MIND Institute study of IQ trajectories in autistic children ages 2-8. It expands the findings to older youth.

    The study, published in JCPP Advances, has identified three distinct paths of intellectual development in autistic children: persistent intellectual disability, an increase in IQ, or an IQ that remained average or above.

    “Once more, we have shown that we can use IQ to identify a subtype of autism,” said lead author Marjorie Solomon. She is the MIND Institute’s associate director and a professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. “Given that IQ is perhaps the strongest predicter of later outcomes in autistic children, we believe that studying IQ trajectories in childhood is very important. It provides clues about their potential different future paths and how we can help individuals to flourish.”

    Study methods

    The study’s participants were from the MIND Institute’s Autism Phenome Project, one of the world’s most comprehensive longitudinal studies of its kind. Researchers have been following a group of autistic children from about age 3 through adolescence

    The study included 373 (115 females, 258 males) autistic participants ranging from age 2 to age 12. Importantly, individuals with all levels of intellectual ability were part of the sample.

    Assessments of behavior and autistic characteristics were collected across childhood. IQ was evaluated at three timepoints: T1 (mean age of 3 years), T2 (mean age of 5.6 years) and T3 (mean age of 11.5 years).

    Licensed clinical psychologists specializing in autism evaluated the participants using autism assessment tools. These included the ADOS (Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule), ADOS-2, ADI-R (Autism Diagnostic Interview – Revised), and the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales (VABS).

    Based on these assessments, the participants were divided into three subgroups:

    • “Changers” described those who began with low IQs in early childhood, followed by a substantial increase that slowed as they entered middle childhood. “Changers” made up 39% of the participants.
    • “Persistent Intellectual Disability” described the individuals who began with a below average IQ that persisted across childhood. Around 45% of the participants were in this group.
    • “Persistently High IQ” described the individuals who began with an average or above average IQ and remained relatively stable throughout childhood. Sixteen percent belonged to this group.

    Results

    The researchers analyzed changes in autism traits and communication adaptive functioning. This is the ability to understand language, engage in meaningful verbal expression, and read and write, over time.

    They also looked at internalizing behaviors, such as anxiety or depression, and externalizing behaviors, such as impulsivity or aggressiveness.

    Of the 191 participants with assessments at two timepoints or more, 10 lost their autism diagnosis. This included about 5% of the “Changers,” 10% of the “Persistently High IQ” group and none of those in the “Persistent Intellectual Disability” group. Identifying what makes the “Changers” group different from those in the groups with more stable IQs is a major goal of the research.

    Individuals with stronger early communication adaptive function and lower autism ‘severity’ scores were more likely to be in the “Persistently High IQ” group versus the “Persistent Intellectual Disability” group by adolescence.

    Both the “Changers” and “Persistent Intellectual Disability” groups had lower IQ scores in early childhood. However, those that showed improved communication adaptive function and decreased externalizing behaviors into adolescence were more likely to be in the “Changers” group compared to the “Persistent Intellectual Disability” group.

    “It is striking that we found so much overlap in individuals following different trajectories of intellectual development when assessed at the early childhood and adolescent time points,” Solomon said. “Of course, many other factors are involved in determining outcomes, but intellectual ability level is a core feature and an important starting point.”

    Brain differences among the three autistic groups

    Last year, a closely related MIND Institute study compared MRI scans of the three IQ subgroups at age 3. The researchers evaluated two brain networks associated with intellectual functioning: the frontoparietal network and the default mode network.

    The frontoparietal network is involved in sustained attention, problem-solving and working memory. The default mode network contributes to remembering, thinking about the future and mind wandering.

    The 2022 study was led by Joshua Lee, an assistant professional researcher in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. The team found that the “Changers” and “Intellectual Disability” groups, which both had low IQs at age 3, differed from the group with average IQs in several regions of the frontoparietal network.

    In contrast, the default mode network differed between the “Changers” group and the other two groups. This difference suggested that this network may be involved in mechanisms related to improving intellectual function.

    “The findings of both studies provide clues about how brain differences between autistic individuals with and without intellectual disability during early childhood might predict future outcomes,” said Christine Wu Nordahl, director of the Autism Phenome Project, a professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and a coauthor on both studies. “Future studies will evaluate brain structure and function development across childhood and how they differ across various subgroups of intellectual development in autism.”

    Additional coauthors on the new study included Billy Cho, Ana-Maria Iosif, Brianna Heath, Apurv Srivastav, Emilio Ferrer and David G. Amaral, all of UC Davis.

    This study received funding from the National Institute of Mental Health (R01MH106518, R01MH103284, R01MH103371 and R01MH104438); National Institutes of Health (R01MH104438); the T32 Ruth L. Kirchstein Institutional National Research Service Award (T32 MH073124); The MIND Institute Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center (P50 HD103526); and an Autism Center of Excellence grant from the National Institute of Child Health and Development (P50 HD093079).

    Read the full study.

    UC Davis MIND Institute

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