Analysis of Digital Self-Presentation Practices and Profiles of Spanish Adolescents on Instagram and TikTok

This study analyses self-presentation practices and profiles among Spanish teenagers on Instagram and TikTok. Both of these online spaces prioritise and promote visual publications, are structured to allow feedback on self-presentation, and offer the user filters both to control self-image and to target specific audiences. Three research questions guided the methodological process for the twofold analysis of self-presentation practices on social networks: an exploratory factor analysis to identify latent factors among these practices; and a descriptive analysis of the profiles identified by gender and age. Results indicate that adolescents’ self-presentation practices were related to three different factors: social validation; authenticity; and image control. One of the most outstanding results is that self-presentation practices could be less guided by social feedback, since the number of followers or likes was irrelevant for most adolescents, and that adolescents increasingly tend to be guided by innovative predispositions of truthfulness. In turn, conclusions suggest that teens need to be equipped with suitable self-representation practices for safe and sustainable identity narratives on social networks, since the global COVID-19 pandemic has exponentially increased both the usage and the time spent on social networking sites, enlarging the availability of spaces for adolescents to express themselves and build their identities through different self-representation practices.

Understanding the social impacts of enforcement activities on illegal wildlife trade in China

Illegal wildlife trade enforcement is a cornerstone conservation strategy worldwide, yet we have a limited understanding on its social impacts. Using Chinese online wildlife seizure news (2003–2018), we evaluated the interactions among enforcement operations, news frequency, and social engagement (i.e., whistle-blowing) frequency. Our results showed that intensive enforcement operations, which commenced after 2012, have social impacts by increasing the frequency of all seizure news significantly by 28% [95% Confidence Interval (CI): 5%, 51%] and those via whistle-blowing by 24% [95% CI: 2%, 45%], when compared to counterfactual models where possible confounding factors were accounted for. Furthermore, we revealed the potential interaction between enforcement seizure news with and without social engagement, and the consequential social feedback process. Of the species identified from ‘whistle-blowing’ news, up to 28% are considered as high conservation priorities. Overall, we expanded our understanding of the enforcement impacts to social dimensions, which could contribute to improving the cost-effectiveness of such conservation efforts.

Willingness To COVID-19 Vaccination: Empirical Evidence From EU

The unforgettable COVID-19 shock can only be reversed by a viable vaccination strategy. In this paper, we investigate willingness to be vaccinated (WTV) against the COVID-19. We provide first of its kind empirical evidence on the citizens (N=11,932) of the EU-27 by employing the recent data from the European Commission. Controlling for the correlations in the error terms, we utilize a simulated multivariate probit regression model. Our results show that amongst all the statistically significant drivers of the WTV, the positive perception (vaccination works and has no side effects); R&D information (clarity on how vaccination is developed, tested, authorized) has the largest impact on the WTV. We find that the group of variables on social feedback, and on trustworthy sources of information are to be considered for WTV policy. The counteracting policy gaps are also identified. Our work is novel and has implications for COVID-19 vaccination policies across the EU.

Adolescents’ Personality Development – A Question of Psychosocial Stress

Following the relational-developmental systems approach, this three-wave study examines whether acute stress (T2) mediates the relationship between the development of personality traits from the beginning of 8th grade (T1, Mage = 15.63, SD = 0.59; 22 girls) to the end of 9th grade (T3). Using the Montréal Imaging Stress Task, which is a task that provokes acute social stress by negative social feedback, this study combined the functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), heart rate, and longitudinal survey data of 41 adolescents. Mediation analysis revealed that stress-induced left insula activation partially mediates the longitudinal stability of conscientiousness. These results highlight the impact of negative social feedback during stress on students’ personality development.

Arousal elevation drives the development of oscillatory vocal output

Adult behaviors, such as vocal production, often exhibit temporal regularity. In contrast, their immature forms are more irregular. We ask whether the coupling of motor behaviors with arousal changes give rise to temporal regularity and drive the transition from variable to regular motor output over the course of development. We used marmoset monkey vocal production to explore this putative influence of arousal on the nonlinear changes in their developing vocal output patterns. Based on a detailed analysis of vocal and arousal dynamics in marmosets, we put forth a general model incorporating arousal and auditory-feedback loops for spontaneous vocal production. Using this model, we show that a stable oscillation can emerge as the baseline arousal increases, predicting the transition from stochastic to periodic oscillations occurring in marmoset vocal development. We further provide a solution for how this model can explain vocal development as the joint consequence of energetic growth and social feedback. Together, our model offers a plausible mechanism for the development of arousal-mediated adaptive behavior.

Facial Beauty and the Medial Orbitofrontal Cortex

Faces are a highly privileged class of stimuli in humans, and facial attractiveness is a particularly salient attribute of faces that can exert considerable influence on the behavior of others. In the 2003 paper discussed in this chapter, the authors aimed to investigate the neural correlates of facial attractiveness in the brain, hypothesizing that attractive faces would recruit basic reward circuits, especially the orbitofrontal cortex. Consistent with their hypothesis, they found robust engagement of the orbitofrontal cortex to attractive faces and, moreover, that this response was enhanced if a face exhibited a smiling expression. Taken together, these results suggest that facial attractiveness and cues signaling positive social feedback can robustly recruit the brain’s reward circuitry, positioning attractive faces alongside other basic rewards while also aligning attractive faces with other aesthetically pleasing stimuli that engage similar circuits such as works of art.

Timing of social feedback shapes observational learning in strategic interaction

Many types of social interaction require the ability to anticipate others' behavior, which is commonly referred to as strategic sophistication. In this context, observational learning can represent a decisive tool for behavioral adaptation. However, little is known on whether and when individuals learn from observation in interactive settings. In the current study, 321 participants played one-shot interactive games and, at a given time along the experiment, they could observe the choices of an overtly efficient player. This social feedback could be provided before or after the participant’s choice in each game. Results reveal that players with a sufficient level of strategic skills increased their level of sophistication only when the social feedback was provided after their choices, whereas they relied on blind imitation when they received feedback before their decision. Conversely, less sophisticated players did not increase their level of sophistication, regardless of the type of social feedback. Our findings disclose the interplay between endogenous and exogenous factors modulating observational learning in strategic interaction.

The emergence of a collective sensory response threshold in ant colonies

The sensory response threshold is a fundamental biophysical property of biological systems that underlies many physiological and computational functions, and its systematic study has played a pivotal role in uncovering the principles of neural computation. Here, we show that ant colonies, which perform computational tasks at the group level, have emergent collective sensory response thresholds. Colonies respond collectively to step changes in temperature and evacuate the nest during severe perturbations. This response is characterized by a group-size dependent threshold, and the underlying dynamics are dominated by social feedback between the ants. Using a binary network model, we demonstrate that a balance between short-range excitatory and long-range inhibitory interactions can explain the emergence of the collective response threshold and its size dependency. Our findings illustrate how simple social dynamics allow insect colonies to integrate information about the external environment and their internal state to produce adaptive collective responses.

The Effect of Streaming Chat on Perceptions of Political Debates

Broadcast media consumption is becoming more social. Many online video “livestreams” come with embedded livestreaming chatboxes, uniting the on-screen and social components. We investigate how streaming chat shapes perceptions of political events. We conducted a field experiment during the September 2019 Democratic Primary Debate where subjects were assigned to view the debate with or without streaming chat. We use text analyses to characterize the frequency, toxicity, and tone of comments in the chat. Our experimental findings indicate that Democratic subjects assigned to the Facebook (social) chat condition reported lower affect toward Democrats and a worse viewing experience, aligned with the toxic and overwhelming nature of the chat. The polarity of candidate-directed comments also influenced candidate evaluations and perceived performance in the polls. This suggests that consumers of mass media will be both more immediately affected by social feedback and likely to make inferences about the experiences of their fellow consumers.