Human Behavior Research Articles

Personalized Model-Driven Interventions for Decisions From Experience.

Cognitive models that represent individuals provide many benefits for understanding the full range of human behavior. One way in which individual differences emerge is through differences in knowledge. In dynamic situations, where decisions are made from experience, models built upon a theory of experiential choice (instance-based learning theory; IBLT) can provide accurate predictions of individual human learning and adaptivity to changing environments. Here, we demonstrate how an instance-based learning (IBL) cognitive model, implemented in a cognitive architecture (Adaptive Control of Thought-Rational), can be used to model an individual's decisions in a cybersecurity defense task, accounting for both population average and individual variances. The same IBL model structure with identical architectural parameters generates the full range of human behavior through stochastic memory retrieval processes operating over and contributing to unique experiences. Recurrence quantification analyses allow us to look beyond average behavior between and within individuals to sequential patterns of trial-to-trial behavior. We show how model-tracing and knowledge-tracing techniques can be used to align the model to an individual in real time to drive adaptive and personalized signaling algorithms for a cybersecurity defense system. We also present a method for introspecting into the cognitive model to gain further insight into the cognitive salience of features factored into individual decisions. The combination of techniques provides a blueprint for personalized modeling of individuals. We discuss the results and implications of this adaptive and personalized method for cybersecurity defense and more generally for intelligent artifacts tailored to individual differences in domains such as human-machine teaming.

From Indigenous Resistance to the Contemporary Argentine Contempt for Authority

The political stability of a modern democracy, excluding environmental or external causes, is determined by multiple factors, all influenced by human behaviour. One indicator of political stability that takes the human factor into account is the time in office of a ruler. The stability of a ruler can be directly affected, for example, if they are killed, or indirectly, if the laws issued by the ruler are not followed. Non-compliance is dependent on the level of contempt for authority among citizens. A post-hoc hypothesis from a previous publication suggests that indigenous contempt for the authority of the white conqueror and coloniser is seen as a primary causal factor of political instability in Argentina. In this work, indigenous contempt has been shown to have originated from the mistreatment of indigenous peoples by the conqueror and coloniser, and it is expressed in practice by laws and norms being violated as a covert form of resistance. This behaviour has been spread throughout Argentine society due to extensive genetic mixing between Amerindian and Eurasian peoples, initially encouraged by the Spanish Crown. It is observed that these behaviours persist in the 21st century, partly because mistreatment and discrimination against indigenous peoples continue, and partly because pigmentocracy exists, a social system where wealth and status depend on skin colour. It is therefore crucial to understand that a large part of the causes of Argentina's political instability can be traced to the non-compliance with laws and regulations, which originated as forms of indigenous resistance to the Spanish conqueror and coloniser. Public policies aimed at improving compliance should be designed to integrate indigenous cultures into Argentine identity, ensuring that all citizens wish to comply with the laws because they now see them as their own.

Professional codes of morality and the professional codes of conduct of military personnel in different countries

This article presents a study on moral codes and professional codes of conduct. Various professional codes of conduct were considered, including the Samurai Code of Conduct, Code of Chivalry, Pirate Code, Hippocratic Oath and Medical Oath, Red Cross Code of Conduct, Galilean Oath, Code of Apparel Industry Partnership, Ethics in Computer Programming and Software Development, Moral hacking. Special emphasis is placed on Military Ethics and the morale of the serviceman. The article recognizes the golden rule of global ethics as the most important and simple truth for distinguishing right from wrong in human behavior.

Motivational differences for physical activity and gaming: Do the perceived motives of parents differ from those of their children?

The time children spend playing digital games has seen a notable increase. The suggested motives for children to engage in gaming are predominantly competition, social interaction, and achievement (Martucci et al., 2023). Concurrently, there has been a concerning decline in physical activity (PA) among children. This shift suggests a potential conflict in leisure-time activities for children (Salmensalo et al., 2024). The motivations driving children towards PA include well-being, enjoyment, social interaction, and seeking social support (Pedersen et al., 2021). Interestingly, studies have identified a positive relationship between parent and child PA levels. Similarly, parental involvement in gaming seems to have a beneficial impact on children’s gaming habits. However, to date, no study has directly compared the actual motives for gaming and PA of children. Moreover, the perceived motives of their parents are under-researched. The aim of the study was to compare the motives for gaming and PA of children. Additionally, the parents’ perceptions of what motivates their children to engage in both activities were considered. Children (N = 73; 15.5 ± 5.9 y; 26% female) and parents (N = 50; 45.1 ± 7.1 y; 56% female) were asked to answer a questionnaire during the Frühjahrsmesse in Innsbruck. Questions were based on the “Videogaming Motives Questionnaire” (López-Fernández et al., 2020) and were adapted in terms of PA and the perceived motives of the parents. Motives recreation, social interaction, coping, competition and skill were considered. Order of the questions as well as of the sub-items was randomized. Item reliability was tested using Cronbach’s alpha and scales were calculated using the mean of the sub-items based on a 5-point Likert Scale. Since the data were not normally distributed, the Kruskal-Wallis H test was used to compare the motives of the children with the perceived motives of the parents. Differences within the groups between gaming and PA were tested using Friedman. Motive comparison between groups showed significant differences regarding recreation in Gaming H = 6,443, p = 0.011, r = 0.61, with children (4.28 ± 0.69) identifying this motive more strongly than parents (4.03 ± 0.67). Skill H = 4.704, p = 0.030, r = 0.44, presented significant differences, showing children (3.51 ± 0.99) to find this motive more relevant than parents (3.17 ± 0.78). A trend was observed in social interaction in PA H = 3.673, p = 0.055, r = 0.34. Parents (3.72 ± 0.92) perceived this motive to be more relevant than children (3.39 ± 0.97). When analysing differences between the motives within the groups, no significant results were observed. Children perceive gaming as more recreational and skill-educating than their parents, potentially due to changing everyday life. This shift towards educational gaming might have positive cognitive benefits. Additionally, gaming skills may better align with today’s digital requirements (Nordlund et al., 2019). However, no significant motive variances between gaming and PA exist. This disparity underscores potential conflicts in children’s leisure activities. References López-Fernández, F. J., Mezquita, L., Griffiths, M. D., Ortet, G., & Ibáñez, M. I. (2020). The development and validation of the Videogaming Motives Questionnaire (VMQ). PLoS ONE, 15(10), Article e0240726. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0240726 Martucci, A., Gursesli, M. C., Duradoni, M., & Guazzini, A. (2023). Overviewing gaming motivation and its associated psychological and sociodemographic variables: A PRISMA systematic review. Human Behavior and Emerging Technologies, 2023, Article 5640258. https://doi.org/10.1155/2023/5640258 Nordlund, A., Sekki, S., Korvela, P., & Silvonen, J. (2019). The changing everyday life of families and young people. In M. Toivonen & E. Saari (Eds.), Human-centered digitalization and services (pp. 79–100). Springer Nature. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-7725-9_5 Pedersen, M. R. L., Hansen, A. F., & Elmose-Østerlund, K. (2021). Motives and barriers related to physical activity and sport across social backgrounds: Implications for health promotion. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(11), Article 5810. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18115810 Salmensalo, M., Ruotsalainen, H., Hylkilä, K., Kääriäinen, M., Konttila, J., Männistö, M., & Männikkö, N. (2024). Associations between digital gaming behavior and physical activity among Finnish vocational students. Journal of Public Health, 32, 53–63. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10389-022-01788-y

Stroking and Leaning: The Give and Take of Social Touch Between Humans and Their Pets

ABSTRACT Affectionate interpersonal touch serves important social and affective functions. In this study, we asked whether the same holds for the physical contact between pet owners and their pets. An international sample of pet owners (n = 443) rated the typicality of different human and pet touch behaviors. They then provided body contact maps for typical behaviors and reported the duration of behaviors, probability across different situations, and associated affect. Human–pet touch was characterized by a range of tactile behaviors, especially stroking by owners and leaning by pets. Touching took substantial time (∼42 min/day) and occurred most often when owners were resting, after separation, and during joint activities with the pet. Some forms of touch entailed physically intimate contact and were followed by positive affect. Although the touch behaviors showed some differences, overall, owner touching and pet touching were similar and reciprocal. Together, our data identify parallels between interpersonal and human–pet touch and establish human–pet interactions as an important source of affectionate touch experiences.

Can environmental transformational leadership shape organizational citizenship behavior toward the environment in Indonesia?

This research examines the influence of environmental transformational leadership on organizational citizenship behavior toward the environment. In testing this relationship, other aspects were involved, including green human resources management, a moderating variable, and green employee empowerment, a mediating variable. To achieve their environmental goals, company employees must care about the environment, however motivating them is challenging. Research into environmental transformational leadership and green human resources management is needed in Indonesia. Research there focuses on the impact of companies’ environmentally friendly practices, seen from an external perspective. This study’s data came from an online survey of Indonesian company employees. This was processed using SmartPLS. The results show environmental transformational leadership positively influences organizational citizenship behavior toward the environment, and green employee empowerment. Green employee empowerment partially mediates the relationship between green human resources management and organizational citizenship behavior toward the environment. Green human resources management is a moderator variable in the relationship between environmental transformational leadership and green employee empowerment. Companies must have environmental transformational leadership, green employee empowerment, and green human resources management to achieve green goals. Companies must pay attention to those aspects, so their employees will show organizational citizenship behavior toward the environment to support the company’s success.

Energy Metabolism Behavior and Response to Microenvironmental Factors of the Experimental Cancer Cell Models Differ From That of Actual Human Tumors.

Analysis of the biochemical differences in the energy metabolism among bi-dimensional (2D) and tri-dimensional (3D) cultured cancer cell models and actual human tumors was undertaken. In 2D cancer cells, the oxidative phosphorylation (OxPhos) fluxes range is 2.5-19 nmol O2/min/mg cellular protein. Hypoxia drastically decreased OxPhos flux by 2-3 times in 2D models, similar to what occurs in mature multicellular tumor spheroids (MCTS), a representative 3D cancer cell model. However, mitochondrial protein contents and enzyme activities were significantly different between both models. Moreover, glycolytic fluxes were also significantly different between 2D and MCTS. The glycolytic flux range in 2D models is 1-34 nmol lactate/min/mg cellular protein, whereas in MCTS the range of glycolysis fluxes is 60-80 nmol lactate/min/mg cellular. In addition, sensitivity to anticancer canonical and metabolic drugs was greater in MCTS than in 2D. Actual solid human tumor samples show lower (1.6-4.5 times) OxPhos fluxes compared to normoxic 2D cancer cell cultures. These observations indicate that tridimensional organization provides a unique microenvironment affecting tumor physiology, which has not been so far faithfully reproduced by the 2D environment. Thus, the analysis of the resemblances and differences among cancer cell models undertaken in the present study raises caution on the interpretation of results derived from 2D cultured cancer cells when they are extended to clinical settings. It also raises awareness about detecting which biological and environmental factors are missing in 2D and 3D cancer cell models to be able to reproduce the actual human tumor behavior.

Role of Artificial Intelligence in Forensics

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a critical domain within software engineering, focusing on computer processes capable of emulating human behaviors and cognitive processes such as learning, reasoning, adaptation and self –correction. Concurrently forensic science applies scientific methodologies to criminal investigations, specifically concentrating on analyzing evidence within criminal cases. The conventional methods of conducting autopsies and forming opinions exhibit numerous limitations, many of which can be effectively addressed through AI integration. Digital forensics stands out as one of the most rapidly advancing technologies, profoundly influencing the techniques and tools employed for analyzing, monitoring and visualizing crime scenes to mitigate emerging threats and cyber-attacks. Moreover, the realm encompasses forensic medicine, which applies medical expertise to administer justice in Legal proceedings, thereby resolving associate legal complexities. Leveraging the capabilities of AI enables the swift and through sorting of files without manual intervention, significantly expediting investigative processes. Furthermore,AI plays a pivotal role in the identification of mutilated bodies, facilitating the development of tools to reconstruct full facial features. AI generated images can provide remarkable resemblances, aiding in accurately depicting facial features to aid identification efforts. Integrating AI into forensic practices enhances efficiency, accuracy and overall effectiveness in resolving criminal cases

Fast & furious: Rejecting the hypothesis that secondary psychopathy improves reaction time-based concealed information detection.

Deception, a complex aspect of human behavior, is inherently difficult to detect directly. A valid alternative involves memory detection, particularly through methods such as the Reaction-Time based Concealed Information Test (RT-CIT). The RT-CIT assesses whether an individual possesses specific knowledge by presenting various probe (familiar) items amidst irrelevant (unfamiliar) items. The task-required "unfamiliar" response to probes may induce a response conflict. Resolving this conflict, by inhibiting the automatic "familiar" response, takes time and slows probe RTs-a phenomenon known as the RT-CIT effect. Notably, secondary psychopathy is characterized by disinhibition and impulsivity, traits which may hinder the ability to effectively manage experienced conflict. Therefore, we hypothesized that secondary psychopathy would be associated with an elevated RT-CIT effect. To investigate this hypothesized relation, we conducted a pre-registered study (n = 86, student sample), employing a novel CIT paradigm that incorporates no-go trials to assess response inhibition capacity. Psychopathic traits were measured using the Levenson Self-Report Psychopathy (LSRP) scale, while the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11) assessed impulsivity. The novel CIT paradigm revealed impressive detection efficiency. However, contrary to our expectations, we observed no significant correlation between the RT-CIT effect and secondary psychopathic traits (BF01 = 6.98). This cautiously suggests that while secondary psychopathic tendencies do not improve RT-CIT validity, they also do not compromise it. Although future investigations should explore more diverse contexts and populations, this tentative finding is reassuring and underscores the robustness of the CIT paradigm.

Phishing and the Human Factor: Insights from a Bibliometric Analysis

Academic research on the human element in phishing attacks is essential for developing effective prevention and detection strategies and guiding policymakers to protect individuals and organizations from cyber threats. This bibliometric study offers a comprehensive overview of international research on phishing and human factors from 2006 to 2024. Analysing 308 articles from the Web of Science database, a significant increase in publications since 2015 was identified, highlighting the growing importance of this field. The study revealed influential authors such as Vishwanath and Rao, leading journals like Computers & Security, and key contributing institutions including Carnegie Mellon University. The analysis uncovered strong collaborations between institutions and countries, with the USA being the most prolific and collaborative. Emerging research themes focus on psychological factors influencing phishing susceptibility, user-centric security measures, and the integration of technological solutions with human behaviour insights. The findings highlight the need for increased collaboration between academia and non-academic organizations and the exploration of industry-specific challenges. These insights offer valuable guidance for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to advance their understanding of phishing attacks, human factors, and resource allocation in this critical aspect of digitalisation, which continues to have significant impacts across business and society at large.

THE ROLE OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF SLEEP OF PATIENTS WITH VARIOUS SLEEP DISORDERS

Sleep is an important human behavior and difficulties with sleep are closely related to health, potentially leading to the development of diseases and a reduced quality of life. Sleep disorders cover a wide range of problems associated with mental health disorders, such as anxiety and depression, and contribute to an increased tendency to become overweight or obese. In addition, sleep difficulties can lead to more serious sleep disorders, such as problems with sleep maintenance, poor sleep efficiency, and reduced daytime attention. The purpose of the study is to highlight the role of physical activity in improving the quality of sleep in patients with various sleep disorders. Materials and methods. To better understand the impact of physical activity on sleep quality and its positive effect on sleep onset and duration, a search of scientific literature was conducted between 2019 and 2024 in the PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases using the terms “exercise,” “sleep,” “quality of life,” “insomnia,” and “activity.” The search resulted in the selection of publications that examined the relationship between daily sleep and physical activity and will be discussed in this review. Results. The study identified potential biological pathways that explain the possible interactions between sleep and physical activity in the short and long term. Acute or repetitive physical activity increases total sleep time by reducing insulin resistance and the concentration of inflammatory markers, better regulation of circadian rhythm, and the release of brain-derived neurotrophic factor. In turn, sleep deprivation can alter physical performance or contribute to fatigue during physical activity by increasing cortisol concentrations, decreasing growth hormone and prolactin concentrations, and stimulating inflammatory markers. Scientific studies have established the beneficial effects of physical activity in alleviating sleep problems. Numerous studies show that moderate to vigorous physical activity has a positive effect on sleep quality. Physical activity has pluripotential beneficial effects on bodily functions. These benefits include a reduction in the incidence of cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and death. In addition to these effects, physical activity has a significant beneficial effect on the onset, duration, and quality of sleep, which complements its beneficial effects. In contrast, lack of sleep is associated with an increased incidence of cardiovascular complications and death. In this regard, physical activity serves as a non-pharmacological means of improving sleep, especially in older people who often have difficulty falling asleep. Regarding the time of exercise and its effect on sleep, there was no difference between morning and evening exercise in terms of sleep onset and quality. In addition, the multifaceted benefits of physical activity go beyond improving sleep to contribute to overall well-being and longevity, offering a comprehensive health solution that is comparatively better than alternative treatments. Conclusions. Based on the research presented here, it can be concluded that the scientific literature has identified an improvement in sleep quality after physical activity, and empirical evidence confirms its positive impact, regardless of type or intensity. Increased physical activity was found to be associated with improved total sleep duration, reduced sleep latency, and improved sleep efficiency. Exercise can improve sleep by reducing sleep latency and increasing slow wave sleep.

Mix and Match: Characterizing Heterogeneous Human Behavior in AI-assisted Decision Making

AI-assisted decision-making systems hold immense potential to enhance human judgment, but their effectiveness is often hindered by a lack of understanding of the diverse ways in which humans take AI recommendations. Current research frequently relies on simplified, ``one-size-fits-all'' models to characterize an average human decision-maker, thus failing to capture the heterogeneity of people's decision-making behavior when incorporating AI assistance. To address this, we propose Mix and Match (M&M), a novel computational framework that explicitly models the diversity of human decision-makers and their unique patterns of relying on AI assistance. M&M represents the population of decision-makers as a mixture of distinct decision-making processes, with each process corresponding to a specific type of decision-maker. This approach enables us to infer latent behavioral patterns from limited data of human decisions under AI assistance, offering valuable insights into the cognitive processes underlying human-AI collaboration. Using real-world behavioral data, our empirical evaluation demonstrates that M&M consistently outperforms baseline methods in predicting human decision behavior. Furthermore, through a detailed analysis of the decision-maker types identified in our framework, we provide quantitative insights into nuanced patterns of how different individuals adopt AI recommendations. These findings offer implications for designing personalized and effective AI systems based on the diverse landscape of human behavior patterns in AI-assisted decision-making across various domains.

The Magdalenian site Kleszczowa 9, Pilica commune, Silesian voivodship (Kraków-Częstochowa Upland, Poland). Multi-aspectual analysis of the flint inventory and the importance of the site

The site no. 9 in Kleszczowa is located within the region of the so-called Barańskie Mountains, within a distance of ca. 7 km from the locality named Pilica, Silesian voiv. In the course of the field survey and trial excavations conducted in the area of the site since 2012 relics of the Late Palaeolithic settlement were discovered. Based on technological and typological traits flint inventory obtained from the site was classified as typical of the Magdalenian cultural tradition. Distinctive groups of artefacts were single-platform cores for blades with changed orientation, at various stages of exploitation and blade blanks with diagnostic en éperon butts. Amongst tools there were recorded mainly burins, endscrapers, perforators and truncated blades. Raw materials used for production of artefacts were, in great majority, high quality Jurassic flints, the outcrops of which occurred within direct surroundings of the site. Flint assemblage from the site Kleszczowa 9 was subjected to multi-aspect technological and functional analysis. In this paper the authors would like to stress the results of use-wear analysis, in particular, which revealed that nearly half of the artefacts investigated in this respect bore traces of utilisation for processing of wood, meat and hide. On few of them there were detected traces indicating processing of silica plants and elaboration of soaked bone. Moreover, many forms bore traces of hafting and organic substance, being most likely relics of some sort of a binder. Apart from these traces the artefacts under scrutiny were characterised by an extremely high degree of post-depositional destruction, resulting from deep ploughing employed within the area of the site. The results of analysis performed for flint assemblage from the site Kleszczowa 9 correspond well with the current state-of-the-art referring to utilisation of tools by the Magdalenian societies, and they undoubtedly extend our knowledge upon behaviour of humans at the decline of the Pleistocene in the region of the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland.

Predicting and Understanding Human Action Decisions: Insights from Large Language Models and Cognitive Instance-Based Learning

Large Language Models (LLMs) excel in tasks from translation to complex reasoning. For AI systems to help effectively, understanding and predicting human behavior and biases is essential. However, it remains an open question whether LLMs can achieve this goal. This paper addresses this gap by leveraging the reasoning and generative capabilities of LLMs to predict human behavior in two sequential decision-making tasks. These tasks involve balancing between exploratory and exploitative actions and handling delayed feedback, which is essential for simulating real-life decision processes. We compare the performance of LLMs with a cognitive instance-based learning (IBL) model, which imitates human experiential decision-making. Our findings indicate that LLMs excel at rapidly incorporating feedback to enhance prediction accuracy. In contrast, the IBL model better accounts for human exploratory behaviors and effectively captures loss aversion bias — the tendency to choose a sub-optimal goal with fewer step-cost penalties rather than exploring to find the optimal choice, even with limited experience. The results highlight the benefits of integrating LLMs with cognitive architectures, suggesting that this synergy could enhance the modeling and understanding of complex human decision-making patterns.

Offerings a Reflection of God in the Tradition of the Bonokeling Community in Banyumas Regency, Indonesia

The purpose of this research are to find out the position of offerings in the Bonokeling community which they do regularly at a predetermined time. This research method uses qualitative descriptive with ethnographic type. Data were collected through observation and interview. Data analysis used interactive method. The result of the research found: 1) The offerings carried out by the Bonokeling community are a reflection of offerings to God and the spirits of their ancestors who are believed to realize safety, peace and prosperity; 2) The dish as an offering to God is an offering that has existed since the time of the prophet Adam, as well as the sacrifice performed by his two sons named Qabil and Habil; 3) God, who is embodied in the ritual of offerings, is included in the realm of the supernatural, the consequence is that human sacrifice and devotion are not offerings in material form, but respect through behavior and inner attitude reflected in the form of intention and sincerity as a taqwa (manifestation of obedience to God). Therefore, offerings buried for ancestral spirits are behaviors and attitudes that are not in accordance with the realm of the supernatural, because spirits in the supernatural realm do not require material offerings, except for human behavior and inner attitudes towards them, such as prayer.

EXPLORING THE IMPACT OF FOOD INSECURITY AMONG WOMEN AFFECTED BY HIV AND AIDS IN MUFAKOSE SUBURBS IN HARARE, ZIMBABWE

Food insecurity and HIV/AIDS are two intertwined pandemics ravaging Zimbabwe, disproportionately affecting women. The triple challenges such as unemployment, poverty and inequality steeped in unethical leadership and misgovernance exacerbate the preceding twin pandemic of HIV/AIDS and food insecurity in Zimbabwe. To mitigate the abovementioned challenge, the multilateral and the bilateral stakeholders in health and food security introduced the multisectoral governance systems in all the United Nations member countries. Notwithstanding the international, regional and local efforts to mitigate both the impact of HIV/AIDS and food insecurity among the women in Zimbabwe, the effects of these twin pandemics have continued to rise among the women and girls in the country. This study investigates the impact of food insecurity on women living with HIV/AIDS in Zimbabwe, shedding light on the complex relationships between poverty, nutrition and health. This qualitative study seeks to understand the complexities of human behaviour, experiences and social phenomena in the Mufakose Urban community of Zimbabwe. Women and girls who live with HIV/AIDS between the ages 15 and 49 residing in this community between 2015 and 2017 under antiretroviral therapy (ART) treatment were selected as information sources for this study. Twenty (20) informant interviews were conducted, with guided questions aimed at eliciting responses from participants, focusing on household food security. The study established that women living with HIV and AIDS face a plethora of challenges in terms of food insecurity and antiretroviral therapy. This has led to non-adherence for many of them. Most of the women fail to get adequate food and a consistent supply of ARV. Consequently, the study recommends taking a holistic approach to support women living with HIV and AIDS, both medically and nutritionally, without political or undue interference. The study further suggests exploring ways to enable policymakers and government officials to adopt a factual and non-stereotypical tone in supporting people living with HIV and AIDS in Zimbabwe.

How can ethology inform the neuroscience of fear, aggression and dominance?

The study of behaviour is dominated by two approaches. On the one hand, ethologists aim to understand how behaviour promotes adaptation to natural contexts. On the other, neuroscientists aim to understand the molecular, cellular, circuit and psychological origins of behaviour. These two complementary approaches must be combined to arrive at a full understanding of behaviour in its natural setting. However, methodological limitations have restricted most neuroscientific research to the study of how discrete sensory stimuli elicit simple behavioural responses under controlled laboratory conditions that are only distantly related to those encountered in real life. Fortunately, the recent advent of neural monitoring and manipulation tools adapted for use in freely behaving animals has enabled neuroscientists to incorporate naturalistic behaviours into their studies and to begin to consider ethological questions. Here, we examine the promises and pitfalls of this trend by describing how investigations of rodent fear, aggression and dominance behaviours are changing to take advantage of an ethological appreciation of behaviour. We lay out current impediments to this approach and propose a framework for the evolution of the field that will allow us to take maximal advantage of an ethological approach to neuroscience and to increase its relevance for understanding human behaviour.

Legitimate self-affirmation of a person in society

It was found that a number of objective and subjective factors influence the choice of value guidelines and the formation of individual legal value attitudes. The formation of a legal vector of human behavior in the modern legal space requires the development of personal qualities of a person through legal education, the development of value-based legal orientations, legal culture, and legal awareness. It is emphasized that a person’s legal awareness, as a set of ideas and perceptions of a person about positive law, must be formed on the principle of interconnection and complementarity of natural and positive law. In a legal state and a democratic society, a person should feel this interaction in the dominance of universal values and principles originating from the norms of natural law, as well as anthropocentrism in the norms of positive law. The formation of the legal culture of an individual through awareness of the purpose of law, its content, and basic ideas is a guarantee of respect for law and human rights and contributes to the formation of a valuable legal worldview and understanding of the principles of functioning of a civilized society. It is noted that today the state must take care that citizens have the proper level of legal culture and legal awareness, and also, it is important that this process is not ideological, but on the contrary, that a person feels that no one imposes any social models on him and ideals, except that legitimate self-assertion is encouraged. Attention is focused on the fact that the legitimate self-assertion of a person in society is the basis of his harmonious existence in the natural-legal field of the state within the natural­legal space and continues throughout life on the basis of learning the norms of social morality, universal ideals, awareness of the value and purpose of law and unconditionality in observance of basic human rights. The formation of a legitimate vector of individual development involves the interaction of the main social institutions for the development of legal culture, legal awareness and legitimate social attitudes, which will contribute to reducing the manifestations of illegal human behavior.

WRF-HEATS coupling: Incorporating human behaviors and city topography into urban heat stress evaluation

Urban human thermal stress can be inaccurately estimated along with less-understood heat heterogeneity due to the absence of high-resolution meteorological information and realistic human behavior representation. To this end, we coupled a regional climate model (weather research and forecasting model, WRF) and a human energy balance model (human-environment adaptive thermal stress model, HEATS) to predict pedestrian's dynamic thermal stress at a neighborhood scale. The WRF-human coupling system resolves human-environment heat exchanges based on meteorological and topographical information with the consideration of dynamic human activities. The coupling system has been tested and utilized to study dynamic heat stress in a typical hot, humid, and mountainous city, Hong Kong. Our results revealed widespread heat heterogeneity with up to 7 °C difference in Physiological Subjective Temperature (PST) in the core urban area, and extreme heat exposure (up to 45 °C PST) in calm-wind zones at noon. Heat stress can be further aggregated considering realistic human behaviors such as extra clothing (e.g., protective facemask during pandemics) and physical exercise (e.g., walking along inclined terrain). Optimal-thermal-comfort routes have been designed and suggested based on the simulated neighborhood-scale heat stress map.

Remembering as an operant: Effects of instructional control and reinforcement on remembering behavior.

With the general aim of providing more evidence for considering certain behaviors involved in the act of remembering as operant, two experiments were carried out to verify its sensitivity to differential reinforcement, and to some of the variables upon which it depends. In the first experiment, three children participated, and two variables were manipulated in a "free recall" task: the accuracy of the instructions and the magnitude of the reinforcer applied to the emission of the target words. In the second experiment, 60 was changed to one of comparison between groups. In this case, the response-reinforcer interval (immediate vs. delayed) was manipulated using a "recognition" task. In both experiments, a greater number of remembered items were found in the presence of reinforcement compared to its absence, as well as with a greater magnitude of the reinforcer and with a shorter delay. These results are discussed considering the peculiarities of verbal behavior in humans and provide evidence that operant processes have an important role in traditional human memory tasks.