Social Processes Research Articles

Youths' sensitivity to social media feedback: A computational account.

While it is often argued that continuous exposure to social feedback is specifically challenging for the hypersensitive developing brain, empirical evidence is lacking. Across three studies, we reveal the developmental differences and computational mechanisms that underlie the social media engagement and feedback processing of adolescents and adults. First, using a reinforcement learning model on a large Instagram trace dataset (N = 16,613, 1.6+ million posts), we show that adolescents are more sensitive to social feedback than adults. Second, in an experimental study (N = 194), we show that adolescents' mood is affected more strongly by a reduction in likes than adults. Last, in a neuroimaging study (N = 96), we show that social media feedback sensitivity is related to individual differences in subcortical-limbic brain volumes of emerging adults. Together, these findings highlight the need for digital competence programs to help youth manage the constant feedback they encounter on social media platforms.

The presence of experienced individuals enhance the behavior and survival of reintroduced woolly monkeys in Colombia.

Primate populations are under threat due to human activities, like illegal trafficking, requiring conservation efforts such as reintroduction programs. However, these initiatives often encounter challenges, such as aspects of individual behavior related to movement and foraging. The presence of experienced conspecifics has been suggested to improve the success of these programs. This study focuses on woolly monkeys and examines how the presence of experienced conspecifics influences the performance of reintroduced individuals. Focal animal sampling was used to collect data on proximity, diet composition, home range, and use of vertical strata of three groups of reintroduced woolly monkeys. Data was analyzed for the first 2 and 6months after release of individuals. The results reveal that the involvement of experienced conspecifics speeds up the process of adaptation, particularly in terms of diet diversity and spatial utilization; however, differences in individual responses were also prevalent. Our findings highlight the importance of incorporating individuals with prior wild experience into reintroduction groups for improving the likelihood of success. Additionally, the study underscores the role of social learning in captive management practices, aiding in post-release behavioral adaptation and survival. This research offers valuable insights for primate conservation, emphasizing the significance of considering the presence of experienced individuals and possible social learning processes in the planning and execution of effective reintroduction efforts.

Broken Time: On the Fragmentation of the Experience of Art School and the Impact on Identity Formation and Ttransformation

AbstractThis paper explores how increases in modularisation, elements of professional practice and even our relationship to screens and social media are amongst the factors that have changed the way time is experienced in higher fine art education. I draw upon my experience as a student, educator and pedagogical researcher to propose that identity formation and/or transformation are amongst the key functions of higher education in fine art in the West; that becoming an artist involves complex process of socialisation and individuation; and that these processes take time. I speculate that time is something which was once experienced comparatively smoothly but has been striated and fragmented by various factors including an increased focus on employability, the presence of social media, and not least various post Bologna interpretations at national or local level of the introduction of units and modules to comply with standardised credit systems. I propose that the combined effect of these factors amongst others distracts students from the middle by focusing them on micro destinations that deflect from developing a practice and impacts on these potentials.

Gender precedes sex: Epistemological considerations for occupational science from a materialist feminist perspective

ABSTRACT The cognitive tools humans use to perceive and name reality are social constructs that necessitate critical examination. ‘Gender’ and ‘sex’ are socially constructed categories used in daily life and in relation to occupations, that warrant scrutiny, as traditional explanations for gender differences based on biology fail to account for the social processes that construct gendered groups. Questioning the naturalness of these categories is essential for understanding how they shape individual capabilities and social norms around occupations. This discussion paper adopts a materialist feminist standpoint to problematize the concepts of gender and sex. Rejecting biological essentialism, we argue that social organization precedes and constructs the significance of sex categories. By reconceptualizing both gender and sex as socially constructed, our analysis challenges notions of gender as culture applied to a pre-existing biological sex. Occupational literature makes use of these categories to explore gender-related issues. It mainly focuses on gender identity through an interactional orientation that, nevertheless, preserves an individual conception. Social categories are also used to illustrate inequalities and contextual factors related to gender; an essential usage that remains at risk of reifying such categories as pre-existing groups. The use of gender as a social system of hierarchical bi-categorization, as we propose, is not present in occupational literature. This materialist feminist analysis underscores the importance of questioning entrenched biological determinism of sex, on which rests gender as identity. In highlighting the social construction of categories, occupational science can contribute to a deeper understanding of occupation within, and in the challenge of, oppressive systems.

Ellen Churchill Semple: Navigating a Patriarchal Discipline

Ellen Churchill Semple is a notorious figure in the geographical realm whose complicated legacy renders her place within a historiography of geography uncertain. While Semple is hailed as the first female geographer, it is also widely acknowledged that her work is tainted with racism. Contemporary scholars wish to erase her contributions, declaring that they would “prefer to forget” her infamous text Influences of Geographic Environment in which she claimed that physical geography determined human behaviour. Mona Domosh complicates this desire to erase Semple from memory by advocating for a feminist historiography of geography. Through foregrounding the contributions that women have made to the development of geographic knowledge, Domosh challenges the exclusion of women from accounts of the discipline’s past. This paper therefore addresses the question: Should Semple be included in a feminist historiography of geography? Furthermore, was Semple a feminist? To interrogate this, I reimagine Pearson’s take on violent women. Just as Atwood describes a woman’s disbelief at her ability to cause harm in the opening quote, Pearson centres the misperception that women are simply compassionate caregivers and victims of their circumstances – the ‘myth of female innocence’. This is useful for exploring Semple’s role in epistemological violence where her data interpretations brought negative consequences for certain groups. An intersectional lens is crucial for examining the connections between race, class, and gender which shaped the experiences of Semple and those she deemed ‘inferior’. The structure-agency debate emerges, asking whether individuals are entirely socialised by structures or can act autonomously. I take a relational approach to acknowledge the interrelatedness of social processes and argue that Semple both actively challenged and perpetuated patriarchy. Firstly, this paper outlines Semple’s theoretical contributions and other key insights provided by contemporary female geographers which are useful for assessing Semple’s impact today. Secondly, Semple’s infiltration of male-dominated space is examined to demonstrate her resistance to traditional gender expectations. Thirdly, her imperial entanglements are traced to illustrate her perpetuation of the patriarchal state. Finally, a contemporary manifestation of the Semple dilemma is considered. I conclude that by today’s standards of intersectional feminism Semple is not a feminist role model, however she can be considered an early feminist for her active reconfiguration of an all-male discipline. Ultimately, I advocate for the critical inclusion of Semple’s work in a feminist historiography of geography. This project of decoding knowledge to understand the influence of cultural forces offers a step towards decolonising the academy.

Social processes as the missing link: cross-sectionally testing a conceptual model on social mediators of early psychopathological development.

Research suggests that most mental health conditions have their onset in the critically social period of adolescence. Yet, we lack understanding of the potential social processes underlying early psychopathological development. We propose a conceptual model where daily-life social interactions and social skills form an intermediate link between known risk and protective factors (adverse childhood experiences, bullying, social support, maladaptive parenting) and psychopathology in adolescents - that is explored using cross-sectional data. N = 1913 Flemish adolescent participants (Mean age = 13.8; 63% girls) were assessed as part of the SIGMA study, a large-scale, accelerated longitudinal study of adolescent mental health and development. Self-report questionnaires (on risk/protective factors, social skills, and psychopathology) were completed during class time; daily-life social interactions were measured during a subsequent six-day experience-sampling period. Registered uncorrected multilevel linear regression results revealed significant associations between all risk/protective factors and psychopathology, between all risk/protective factors and social processes, and between all social processes and psychopathology. Social processes (social skills, quantity/quality of daily social interactions) were uniquely predicted by each risk/protective factor and were uniquely associated with both general and specific types of psychopathology. For older participants, some relationships between social processes and psychopathology were stronger. Unique associations between risk/protective factors and psychopathology signify the distinct relevance of these factors for youth mental health, whereas the broad associations with social processes support these processes as broad correlates. Results align with the idea of a social pathway toward early psychopathology, although follow-up longitudinal research is required to verify any mediation effect.

Analisis Pengaruh Implementasi Teori Vygotsky Terhadap Pembelajaran Di Kelas

Vygostky's learning theory discussed in this article was pioneered by a figure named Lev Vygotsky who argued that learning is a social process. According to him, children have expertise in developing knowledge starting from social interactions with their social environment. One of the applications is cooperative learning conducted in a group, which contains a group of children who have different abilities to work together and help each other. Vygotsky's theory has the advantage that students are able to think together in solving problems so that the problem can be solved, but it also has the disadvantage that the time needed is longer because of the different abilities of students. The writing of this article aims to find out the history of the Vygotsky theorist, the concept of Vygotsky theory, the implementation of Vygotsky theory in education and its influence in learning. The author uses literature review and questionnaire methods in writing this article. The results obtained from this study were that some of the respondents felt helped by the implementation of Vygotsky's theory in learning, while others did not feel helped or neutral.

Could an evaluative conditioning intervention ameliorate paranoid beliefs? Self-reported and neurophysiological evidence from a brief intervention focused on improving self-esteem

IntroductionMuch research on the treatment of paranoia has involved cognitive-behavioural interventions that address explicit social cognition processes. However, much of human cognition is preverbal or implicit, raising the possibility that such social judgements are implicated in paranoia. One type of implicit social cognition that has been investigated concerning paranoia is implicit self-esteem with some evidence that it may be possible to change implicit self-esteem using techniques based on conditioning theory. Therefore, the primary purpose of this research is to further evaluate the potential of this approach. At the same time, as a secondary purpose, we introduce a novel way of measuring social cognition that, we argue, has utility for investigating the psychological processes involved in paranoia.MethodWe conducted two proof-of-concept studies of a novel brief intervention based on evaluative conditioning, targeting implicit cognition. The first study was conducted with a large non-clinical sample, while the second study included a small series of psychotic patients. As part of our proof-of-concept evaluation of the potential of evaluative conditioning, we attempted to probe for neurophysiological changes following the intervention using magnetoencephalography in an exploratory way in the clinical sample.ResultsOur results revealed that both non-clinical and clinical participants in the experimental group showed a significant change in how they evaluated themselves in the social cognition task, which could be related to the perception of social information in a less threatening way. In addition, clinical participants in the experimental group showed changes in brain activity during the social cognition task, particularly in regions involved in emotional reactivity and mentalization processes.DiscussionOur results are encouraging, suggesting that implicit cognition is manipulable, that such manipulation affects underlying neurophysiological mechanisms, and that there may be an impact on paranoid symptoms. However, much more work is required to determine whether this approach can produce meaningful clinical change and be delivered in routine clinical settings. Finally, it is important to note that we are not claiming the clinical effectiveness of our intervention, which is in a very early stage of development. Our goal here is to demonstrate clinical possibilities that warrant further investigation

Availability and Actualisation – Social and Emotional Learning Processes in Transitions to ‘Behind and Around the Scenes’ Performing Arts Education

Availability and Actualisation – Social and Emotional Learning Processes in Transitions to ‘Behind and Around the Scenes’ Performing Arts Education

Проблемы социализации и инкультурации в современных условиях

Russian society today is influenced by the process of globalization, which is manifested in objective phenomena such as technical and technological development, as well as subjective manifestations-changes in the value-normative system. The consequence of these processes is an anthropological crisis, the replacement of traditional agents of socialization with new ones – information and telecommunication resources, the Internet. The young generation of Russians, who most actively use new technologies in their everyday and professional lives, is at risk. Using methods of document analysis, synthesis, and analogy, the author identifies permanent features of the processes of socialization and enculturation such as the interplay of conscious and unconscious mechanisms and the law of imitation/copying of the most significant models and values. The article points out that in the modern conditions of the information society, such a sought-after goal of socialization and enculturation as the formation of an integral personality capable of reproducing and transmitting basic values and norms to subsequent generations turns out to be difficult to achieve. The fact of modernity is also becoming the allocation of the Internet as an influential agent of socialization. Employing descriptive, comparative methods, and formal legal source analysis, the author concludes that, alongside the formal-legal influence of the state on the functioning of information and communication resources, there is a necessity for systemic influence from civil society institutions and the education sector as a whole, which can establish appropriate axiological foundations in society and the state.

Hotbeds of climate vulnerability: marginalization, informality, and invisibilization of Roma slums in Romania

ABSTRACT The term hotbed of vulnerability (or HoV) has recently been used to describe growing inequalities and the increased exposure of marginalized spaces to climate change impacts. What has been less addressed so far is how HoVs are the result of intersecting social processes (marginalization, informality and invisibilization) that expel racialized populations from the space of safe habitation and subject them, via territorial stigmatization and relegation, to the foreseeable impacts of climate change. HoVs emerge as the extreme outcome of the processes mentioned above, through which the concentration of multiple sources of vulnerability coalesces in one location and shapes the exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity of marginalized families. This paper uses quantitative and qualitative data to flesh out the characteristics of HoVs, first by means of a survey in 96 segregated Roma communities in Romania and, second, using an extended case study of Dăroaia, a Roma community in the Apuseni Mountains affected by floods in July 2021. Our results indicate that there are indeed synergistic effects that occur in HoVs and that these cannot be addressed only by technical means but require instead a comprehensive consideration of their social roots. Continued marginalization, informality, and invisibilization all interact to reproduce HoVs, thereby deepening their vulnerability.

Культура чая в России и Вьетнаме: сравнительный анализ

Tea tradition is an integral part of the gastronomic culture of many countries worldwide, where the brewing and drinking tea has historically been regarded as an elegant habit, a means of leisure, or a way to address significant matters. It serves as a time for cultivating the spirit, achieving tranquility, and relaxing the soul. From the East to the West, each region boasts its own tea culture, encapsulating numerous unique features. Both Russia and Vietnam undoubtedly possess their own deeply rooted traditions concerning tea drinking. This article delves into a comparative analysis of tea culture in Russia and Vietnam by examining various elements, including the origins and historical development of tea culture, methods of brewing and drinking tea, rituals, and the sociocultural significance of this beverage in both countries. The authors will endeavor to uncover the commonalities shared by these peoples in their love for tea, while simultaneously highlighting the distinctive features that render each culture unique. Furthermore, the authors of the article shall explore how this beverage influences social processes and enriches the cultural heritage of both nations.

Space in project organising: Insights from planning within and between construction projects

Projects are discussed as social processes that are bounded in both time and space. Elaborating on space is still scarce in studies on project organising. The aim in this paper is to explore space influence on project planning, to extend our understanding of the relationship between space and project organising. Through two illustrative examples, construction project planning practices were followed within and between projects as the actors sought to handle space. Contribution develops current understanding of how projects are embedded in space and its influence on project planning practices, by shedding light on the recursive relationship between space and project organising. Furthermore, to trace planning practice both within a project and between parallel projects visualise how a broader perspective of the embeddedness is necessary. The findings nuance the current understanding of project's embeddedness, by visualising how planning practices can be directed to both changing space or to maintain space by changing practices.

Developing a compassionate university: Insights from a longitudinal process evaluation

Compassionate communities are gaining momentum as a new public health approach emphasizing community support during times of serious illness, death, and bereavement. However, evidence on their development, particularly in higher education, is limited. This study investigates the development of a Compassionate University, examining the underlying processes and contextual factors shaping its development. A longitudinal process evaluation was conducted, using field notes right-now surveys, individual interviews, focus groups, and strategic learning debriefs. Factors that facilitated the development process included leadership support, the establishment of the Compassionate Schools Learning Network, and alignment with existing university programs. Barriers were the lack of guiding examples, the fragmented university environment, resource constraints, and limited prioritization. Cognitive and social processes that supported the work involved recognizing the value of Compassionate University and adapting implementation strategies based on empirical feedback. However, challenges such as building coherence, engaging stakeholders, and assessing the work hampered the development process.

Differential temporal decline of cerebral oxytocin and μ-opioid receptor density during the aging process in mice.

Aging is often associated with changes in social, sexual, emotional and pain functioning, as well as with the increased prevalence of certain psychopathologies. However, the neurodevelopmental basis underpinning these age-related changes remains to be determined. Considering the key roles of oxytocin (OTR) and μ-opioid (MOPr) receptor systems in regulating social, sexual, pain, reward and emotional processing, it seems plausible that they are also implicated in age-related behavioural alterations. Although the ontogeny of both receptors has been well characterized in rodent brains from early development till adulthood, little is known concerning the neuroadaptations occurring from middle age to old age. Therefore, we mapped the neuroadaptations in OTR and MOPr in the brains of mice at those developmental endpoints. Quantitative OTR and MOPr autoradiographic binding was carried out in the brains of male mice at 2, 6, 9, 12 and 18 months of age. A significant whole brain decline in OTR density was detected between 2 and 6months of age, with no additional decline thereafter. Interestingly, for MOPrs, the decline in density was not detected until 9months of age. Region-specific age-related decline in OTR density was concentrated in the lateral anterior olfactory nuclei (AOL) and, for MOPr, in the AOL and the nucleus accumbens for MOPr. Identifying the tipping point of these age-related variations in both receptors may assist with our understanding of the neurobiology underlining age-related changes in social, pain and emotional functioning/processing. It may also help us target interventions to specific developmental windows to abrogate certain age-related psychopathologies.

Computational elucidation of non-verbal behavior and body language in music therapy

Abstract Music therapy has shown efficacy in serious and chronic conditions, mental disorders, and disabilities. However, there is still much to explore regarding the mechanisms through which music interventions exert their effects. A typical session involves interactions between the therapist, the client and the musical work itself, and to help address the challenges of capturing and comprehending its dynamics, we extend our general computational paradigm (CP) for analyzing the expressive and social behavioral processes in arts therapies. The extension includes bodily and non-verbal aspects of the behavior, offering additional insights into the client’s emotional states and engagement. We have used this version of the CP, which employs AI pose estimation technology, image processing and audio analysis, to capture therapy-related psychometrics and their intra- and inter-session analysis. The CP is applied in a real world proof-of-concept study, and the results enable us to pinpoint meaningful events and emergent properties not captured by the human eye, complementing the therapist’s interpretations. The resulting data may also be useful in other scientific and clinical areas.

How developments in natural language processing help us in understanding human behaviour.

The ways people use language can reveal clues to their emotions, social behaviours, thinking styles, cultures and the worlds around them. In the past two decades, research at the intersection of social psychology and computer science has been developing tools to analyse natural language from written or spoken text to better understand social processes and behaviour. The goal of this Review is to provide a brief overview of the methods and data currently being used and to discuss the underlying meaning of what language analyses can reveal in comparison with more traditional methodologies such as surveys or hand-scored language samples.

Interlopers by choice, or interlopers by circumstance? Alexey Navalny and alternative journalistic projects in contemporary autocratic Russia

In February 2024, Russian opposition activist Alexey Navalny died in a Western Siberian prison aged just 47. Known as a vocal opposition leader in Russia in the 2010s, he was regularly trying to be elected but also organised the largest mass anti-establishment and anti-corruption protests in Russia before his untimely death. Deprived of access and coverage in the Russian mainstream media, Navalny and his associates established their own media channels, including personal YouTube channels and online media outlets such as Navalny LIVE to avoid censorship and expose the corruption and abuses of power of high-ranking officials in Russia. However, at the same time, Navalny and his colleagues cannot be labelled as ‘journalists’ in a normative sense. They were not professional journalists and had not gone through the processes of journalistic socialisation, but rather ‘tried on’ journalistic roles and investigative journalism practices to expose corrupt elites. In this sense, Navalny and his team can be called (explicit) interlopers who adopt journalistic identities and force a reconsideration of what journalists are and journalism is. In this study, we look at the case of Navalny and his team and their investigative documentaries on YouTube. We relate his practice to the journalistic concept of (explicit) interlopers, analyse how their unique and alternative journalistic project has diversified a largely monopolised and authoritarian Russian public sphere, and propose extending the notion of interlopers by differentiating between interlopers by choice, and interlopers by circumstance.

Post-Soviet Destabilization as a Struggle between Autocratic and Democratic Trends

The research paper explores the struggle between democratic and autocratic diffusions in post-Soviet space, reveals their peculiarities and emphasizes the upcoming trends, especially by taking into consideration the situations emerged after successful democratic improvements and progress in some former soviet republics. The comparative analysis of social and political processes in post-Soviet space showcases that some authoritarian states such as Russia and Azerbaijan, consistently play a destabilizing role and engender new challenges not only for democratization but also for stability and peace-building in conflicting zones. The research is focused on the study of Ukrainian, Georgian, and Armenian post-Soviet experiences as states with democratic vision challenged by their autocratic neighbors that persistently threaten democratic ones by violating their territorial integrity and sovereignty. To overcome these challenges, post-Soviet democratization needs to be protected from both inside and outside. Only in this case the foreign policies’ diversification in post-Soviet democratic states will succeed and the dependence of democratic rulers on autocratic ones will considerably decrease. In this regard, mainly Russia is very sensitive to this circumstance because such developments will lead to the fall of its geopolitical hegemony in post-Soviet space. If Russia succeeds in destroying democratic trends in post-Soviet space, it will not only keep its influence over other countries but also push them back to the authoritarian rule.

Social and emotional learning in the cerebellum.

The posterior cerebellum has a critical role in human social and emotional learning. Three systems and related neural networks support this cerebellar function: a biological action observation system as part of an extended sensorimotor integration network, a mentalizing system for understanding a person's mental and emotional state subserved by a mentalizing network, and a limbic network supporting core emotional (dis)pleasure and arousal processes. In this Review, I describe how these systems and networks support social and emotional learning via functional reciprocal connections initiating and terminating in the posterior cerebellum and cerebral neocortex. It is hypothesized that a major function of the posterior cerebellum is to identify and encode temporal sequences of events, which might help to fine-tune and automatize social and emotional learning. I discuss research using neuroimaging and non-invasive stimulation that provides converging evidence for this hypothesized function of cerebellar sequencing, but also other potential functional accounts of the posterior cerebellum's role in these social and emotional processes.