Nature Human Behaviour最新文献

{"title":"Feature-based reward learning shapes human social learning strategies","authors":"David Schultner, Lucas Molleman, Björn Lindström","doi":"10.1038/s41562-025-02269-4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-025-02269-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Human adaptation depends on individuals strategically choosing whom to learn from. A mosaic of social learning strategies—such as copying majorities or successful others—has been identified. Influential theories conceive of these strategies as fixed heuristics, independent of experience. However, such accounts cannot explain the flexibility and individual variability prevalent in social learning. Here we advance a domain-general reward learning framework that provides a unifying mechanistic account of pivotal social learning strategies. We first formalize how individuals learn to associate social features (for example, others’ behaviour or success) with reward. Across six experiments (<i>n</i> = 1,941), we show that people flexibly adjust their social learning in response to experienced rewards. Agent-based simulations further demonstrate how this learning process gives rise to key social learning strategies across a range of environments. Our findings suggest that people learn how to learn from others, enabling adaptive knowledge to spread dynamically throughout societies.</p>","PeriodicalId":19074,"journal":{"name":"Nature Human Behaviour","volume":"46 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":29.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144684801","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"How the four-day working week could affect health","authors":"Sotiris Vandoros, Pedro P Barros, Jolene Skordis, Brendan Burchell, Rita Fontinha, Pedro Gomes","doi":"10.1038/s41562-025-02262-x","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-025-02262-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Evidence suggests that a four-day working week may have positive economic effects. Now it is time to examine the likely effects on public health.</p><p>There is ongoing discussion about the economic merits and risks of moving from a five-day to a four-day working week¹. Proponents argue that employers can maintain or even improve service delivery by changing work processes, empowering workers to be more efficient and manage their time better, improving teamwork and workflows, and assisting the adoption of new technologies. When successfully implemented, employees are better off (with the same salary and more leisure time) and there is no reduction in employers’ output¹. However, a progressive implementation and constant monitoring are crucial for such success. Additionally, there are risks of lower output if such economic benefits are not generalizable to all sectors of the economy¹.</p>","PeriodicalId":19074,"journal":{"name":"Nature Human Behaviour","volume":"10 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":29.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144677594","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Predicting human decisions with behavioural theories and machine learning","authors":"Ori Plonsky, Reut Apel, Eyal Ert, Moshe Tennenholtz, David Bourgin, Joshua C. Peterson, Daniel Reichman, Thomas L. Griffiths, Stuart J. Russell, Even C. Carter, James F. Cavanagh, Ido Erev","doi":"10.1038/s41562-025-02267-6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-025-02267-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Predicting human decisions under risk and uncertainty remains a fundamental challenge across disciplines. Existing models often struggle even in highly stylized tasks like choice between lotteries. Here we introduce BEAST gradient boosting (BEAST-GB), a hybrid model integrating behavioural theory (BEAST) with machine learning. We first present CPC18, a competition for predicting risky choice, in which BEAST-GB won. Then, using two large datasets, we demonstrate that BEAST-GB predicts more accurately than neural networks trained on extensive data and dozens of existing behavioural models. BEAST-GB also generalizes robustly across unseen experimental contexts, surpassing direct empirical generalization, and helps to refine and improve the behavioural theory itself. Our analyses highlight the potential of anchoring predictions on behavioural theory even in data-rich settings and even when the theory alone falters. Our results underscore how integrating machine learning with theoretical frameworks, especially those—like BEAST—designed for prediction, can improve our ability to predict and understand human behaviour.</p>","PeriodicalId":19074,"journal":{"name":"Nature Human Behaviour","volume":"9 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":29.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144669957","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Unpacking gender and race segregation along occupational skills and socio-economic status in Brazil","authors":"Ben-Hur Francisco Cardoso, Laís Souza, Flávio L. Pinheiro, Liana Bohn, Dominik Hartmann","doi":"10.1038/s41562-025-02272-9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-025-02272-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The occupational specialization of social groups is closely tied to gender, racial and class identities, segmenting the labour market into perceived White/Black and male/female roles and skill sets. Using data from 100 million formal workers in Brazil (2003–2019), we examine patterns of occupational segmentation across 426 occupations, identifying distinct skill demands and socio-economic statuses linked to race/skin colour and gender. Classifications of ‘male’ or ‘female’ occupations are shaped by required skills, whereas distinctions between ‘White’ and ‘Black’ occupations reflect socio-economic status and historical inequalities. Women and men are segmented by gender-associated skill sets, such as engineering versus caregiving skills. Within these skill sets, strong hierarchical segregation persists, with Black individuals disproportionately concentrated in positions of lower socio-economic status. Despite recent socio-economic changes, occupational specialization patterns have remained stable. Our findings highlight that the strong association between race and lower-status occupations must be addressed for a more inclusive society.</p>","PeriodicalId":19074,"journal":{"name":"Nature Human Behaviour","volume":"25 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":29.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144669958","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Work time reduction via a 4-day workweek finds improvements in workers’ well-being","authors":"Wen Fan, Juliet B. Schor, Orla Kelly, Guolin Gu","doi":"10.1038/s41562-025-02259-6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-025-02259-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Time spent on the job is a fundamental aspect of working conditions that influences many facets of individuals’ lives. Here we study how an organization-wide 4-day workweek intervention—with no reduction in pay—affects workers’ well-being. Organizations undergo pre-trial work reorganization to improve efficiency and collaboration, followed by a 6-month trial. Analysis of pre- and post-trial data from 2,896 employees across 141 organizations in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the UK and the USA shows improvements in burnout, job satisfaction, mental health and physical health—a pattern not observed in 12 control companies. Both company-level and individual-level reductions in hours are correlated with well-being gains, with larger individual-level (but not company-level) reductions associated with greater improvements in well-being. Three key factors mediate the relationship: improved self-reported work ability, reduced sleep problems and decreased fatigue. The results indicate that income-preserving 4-day workweeks are an effective organizational intervention for enhancing workers’ well-being.</p>","PeriodicalId":19074,"journal":{"name":"Nature Human Behaviour","volume":"13 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":29.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144677643","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The development of aperiodic neural activity in the human brain","authors":"Zachariah R. Cross, Samantha M. Gray, Adam J. O. Dede, Yessenia M. Rivera, Qin Yin, Parisa Vahidi, Elias M. B. Rau, Christopher Cyr, Ania M. Holubecki, Eishi Asano, Jack J. Lin, Olivia Kim McManus, Shifteh Sattar, Ignacio Saez, Fady Girgis, David King-Stephens, Peter B. Weber, Kenneth D. Laxer, Stephan U. Schuele, Joshua M. Rosenow, Joyce Y. Wu, Sandi K. Lam, Jeffrey S. Raskin, Edward F. Chang, Ammar Shaikhouni, Peter Brunner, Jarod L. Roland, Rodrigo M. Braga, Robert T. Knight, Noa Ofen, Elizabeth L. Johnson","doi":"10.1038/s41562-025-02270-x","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-025-02270-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The neurophysiological mechanisms supporting brain maturation are fundamental to attention and memory capacity across the lifespan. Human brain regions develop at different rates, with many regions developing into the third and fourth decades of life. Here, in this preregistered study (https://osf.io/gsru7), we analysed intracranial electroencephalography recordings from widespread brain regions in a large developmental cohort. Using task-based (that is, attention to to-be-remembered visual stimuli) and task-free (resting-state) data from 101 children and adults (5.93–54.00 years, 63 males; <i>n</i> electrodes = 5,691), we mapped aperiodic (1/ƒ-like) activity, a proxy of neural noise, where steeper slopes indicate less noise and flatter slopes indicate more noise. We reveal that aperiodic slopes flatten with age into young adulthood in both association and sensorimotor cortices, challenging models of early sensorimotor development based on brain structure. In the prefrontal cortex (PFC), attentional state modulated age effects, revealing steeper task-based than task-free slopes in adults and the opposite in children, consistent with the development of cognitive control. Age-related differences in task-based slopes also explained age-related gains in memory performance, linking the development of PFC cognitive control to the development of memory. Last, with additional structural imaging measures, we reveal that age-related differences in grey matter volume are similarly associated with aperiodic slopes in association and sensorimotor cortices. Our findings establish developmental trajectories of aperiodic activity in localized brain regions and illuminate the development of PFC control during adolescence in the development of attention and memory.</p>","PeriodicalId":19074,"journal":{"name":"Nature Human Behaviour","volume":"6 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":29.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144639718","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Speech sequencing in the human precentral gyrus","authors":"Jessie R. Liu, Lingyun Zhao, Patrick W. Hullett, Edward F. Chang","doi":"10.1038/s41562-025-02250-1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-025-02250-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Fluent speech production is mediated by serially ordering and preparing motor plans corresponding to target speech sounds, a process known as speech-motor sequencing. Here we used high-density direct cortical recordings while 14 participants spoke utterances with varying phonemic and syllabic sequence complexity after reading a target sequence and a delay period. Phasic activations corresponding to speech production and auditory feedback were observed, but also sustained neural activity that persisted throughout all task phases including the target presentation, the delay period and production of the sequence. Furthermore, sustained activity in a specific area, the middle precentral gyrus (mPrCG), was both modulated by sequence complexity and predicted reaction time, suggesting a role in speech-motor sequencing. Electrocortical stimulation of the mPrCG caused speech disfluencies resembling those seen in apraxia of speech. These results suggest that speech-motor sequencing is mediated by a distributed cortical network in which the mPrCG plays a central role.</p>","PeriodicalId":19074,"journal":{"name":"Nature Human Behaviour","volume":"9 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":29.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144639720","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Governments should prioritize well-being over economic growth","authors":"Francesco Sarracino, Kelsey J. O’Connor","doi":"10.1038/s41562-025-02277-4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-025-02277-4","url":null,"abstract":"Despite its prominence in public discourse, economic growth does not translate into lasting improvements in well-being. To improve people’s lives, policymakers should shift their focus from economic growth to well-being. We provide example policies that could foster thriving, sustainable and inclusive societies.","PeriodicalId":19074,"journal":{"name":"Nature Human Behaviour","volume":"669 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":29.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144639719","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Advancing the psychology of social class with large-scale replications in four countries","authors":"Anatolia Batruch, Nicolas Sommet, Frédérique Autin","doi":"10.1038/s41562-025-02234-1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-025-02234-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Theoretical models have been developed to understand how social class influences individual thoughts, feelings and behaviours. However, the validity of these models is threatened by the prevailing use of small, non-diverse samples and flexible measurement practices. We preregistered replications of 35 key hypotheses from 17 correlational and 5 experimental studies, and collected large, quota-based or probability samples from the USA, France, Switzerland and India (<i>N</i>_total = 33,536). Our analysis yielded three central findings: (1) ~50% of the effects were successfully replicated; (2) conclusions were consistent across different operationalizations of social class, although objective indicators yielded smaller estimates (for example, income and education); and (3) half of the effects were moderated—mostly strengthened—by social class identification, system-justification beliefs or local income inequality. Overall, hypotheses based on differences between social class contexts in terms of constraints, uncertainty and status were well supported. However, hypotheses based on models positing social class differences in psychological orientations towards ‘the self’ versus ‘others and the environment’ received less support. We conclude that these models need to be reassessed as individuals from higher social classes seem more oriented towards both themselves and others. The Stage 1 protocol for this Registered Report was accepted in principle on 29 October 2021. The protocol, as accepted by the journal, can be found at https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/B6Y8R.</p>","PeriodicalId":19074,"journal":{"name":"Nature Human Behaviour","volume":"32 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":29.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144629705","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Unattended working memory items are coded by persistent activity in human medial temporal lobe neurons","authors":"K. Paluch, M. Magnuski, W. Średniawa, D. Ivanovski, A. Rysz, M. Służewska-Niedźwiedź, T. Pasterski, W. Fortuna, K. Smarzewska, P. C. Reinacher, Sz. Kaczor, P. Tabakow, H. Babu, J. Kamiński","doi":"10.1038/s41562-025-02235-0","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-025-02235-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The role of persistent neural activity in working memory storage is well documented, particularly in tasks where memorized items are of equal importance. However, the encoding mechanism for unattended items, often considered as ‘activity silent’, remains poorly understood. Here we recorded the activity of image-selective neurons in the medial temporal lobe while subjects (<i>n</i> = 12) shifted attention between concurrently stored memory items. Our results demonstrate that both attended and unattended memory items are encoded through persistent activity. Additionally, we observed a dynamic transformation in the neuronal subspace following cue presentation, reflecting a shift in how information was maintained. While information about the unattended item was decodable at the single-trial level from preselected image-selective cells, it was not decodable from the entire population of medial temporal lobe cells. These findings support models of persistent activity and challenge the notion that unattended items are stored via ‘activity-silent’ mechanisms.</p>","PeriodicalId":19074,"journal":{"name":"Nature Human Behaviour","volume":"5 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":29.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144586555","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}