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Our researchers have studied wild monkeys problem-solving for food to better understand how social dynamics can influence behaviour and learning. The research team, led by our Department of Anthropology, and in collaboration with University of São Paulo, studied two groups of wild bearded capuchin monkeys in Brazil's Serra da Capivara National Park.

Two fifths of 32-year-olds in England want children - or more children, if they are already parents - but only one in four of them are actively trying to conceive. A new report, published today by the UCL Centre for Longitudinal Studies, shows that more than half of this generation have already become parents, and half of those without children would like to start a family.

Economists from the University of Bath believe that end-of week-absenteeism could be linked to beating bank holiday traffic. Economists from the University of Bath have found a significantly lower school attendance rates on Fridays across England, with a 20% higher absence rate compared to other weekdays.

On average, social segregation of students has increased in neighbourhoods where mainstream primary free schools opened, and neighbouring schools have lost students, finds a report by UCL researchers. The association between primary free schools and social segregation was relating to ethnicity, in that pupils in some areas were less likely to meet peers from other ethnic backgrounds at school than before the primary free school opened.

The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) has updated its popular "A School's Guide to Implementation" with new research from Cardiff University in collaboration with the University of Exeter and the University of Plymouth. The study provides recommendations to help ensure new approaches or practices introduced by schools have the biggest possible impact on children and young people's educational achievements.

Introducing more movement into lessons led to an 8% reduction in children's waist-to-height ratio, according to new research from UCL and the Institute of Sport, Exercise and Health (ISEH). The study, published in Obesity Facts , is the first scientific assessment of the impact that reducing sedentary behaviour in the classroom has on obesity in primary school children.

Researchers find that babies don't begin to process phonetic information reliably until seven months old which they say is too late to form the foundation of language. We believe that speech rhythm information is the hidden glue underpinning the development of a well-functioning language system. Professor Usha Goswami Parents should speak to their babies using sing-song speech, like nursery rhymes, as soon as possible, say researchers.

Nearly half (48%) of Welsh children aged seven to 11 are regularly using social media, according to a survey led by academics at Cardiff University. The School Health Research Network's (SHRN) Primary School Student Health and Wellbeing Survey is delivered in partnership with Public Health Wales and funded by the Welsh Government.

Study using data from 10,000 people in the UK found that those who had a closer bond with their parents at age three tended to display more socially-desirable behaviours like kindness, empathy and generosity, by adolescence. As children, we internalise those aspects of our relationships with our parents that are characterised by emotion, care and warmth Ioannis Katsantonis A loving bond between parents and their children early in life significantly increases the child's tendency to be 'prosocial', and act with kindness and empathy towards others, research indicates.

Children's mental health worsened across the board in the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the steepest decline was experienced by those from wealthier families - with employed parents or from higher income households Children's mental health worsened across the board in the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the steepest decline was experienced by those from wealthier families - with employed parents or from higher income households.

Fathers can give their children an educational advantage at primary school by reading, drawing and playing with them, according to a new report published today. Research including Professors Mark Elliot and Colette Fagan from The University of Manchester found that children do better at primary school if their fathers regularly spend time with them on interactive engagement activities like reading, playing, telling stories, drawing and singing.

Education about domestic abuse equips and empowers friends, colleagues, and neighbours to respond in positive and helpful ways when someone discloses experiences of abuse, finds a new study by researchers from UCL and SafeLives. The study, published in the journal Trauma, Violence & Abuse , synthesised the findings of 11 existing studies from around the world that examined the effects of domestic abuse training for colleagues, neighbours, or faith leaders.

Disadvantaged teenagers are at greater risk of email scams and need better protection, according to an international study by a UCL researcher. The findings, published in the British Journal of Educational Studies , were based on more than 170,000 students aged 15 and show that one in five from low-income families or deprived areas could fall victim to phishing.

Researchers at the Milner Centre for Evolution evaluated the effectiveness of conservation educational activities in the Cape Verde Island of Maio. Increasing understanding of conservation issues in schools doesn't necessarily translate into attitude change, says new research from the Milner Centre for Evolution at the University of Bath.

The first evidence-based guide to creating a sensory room to support the well-being and learning of autistic people has been launched. The Wales Autism Research Centre at Cardiff University collaborated with teachers and psychologists who work with autistic children, autistic people and parents to develop the new sensory room guide.

Children who are exclusively breastfed or fed a mix of formula and breastmilk for the first six to eight weeks of life are at lower risk of having special educational need and learning disabilities, according to a new study. The research, led by the University of Glasgow and published in PLOS Medicine, studied data from more than 190,000 children to understand the impact of early life feeding on later development.

New AI uses associative learning techniques rather than AI's traditional neural networks to challenge the conventional wisdom that artificial neurons and synapses are the sole building blocks of AI. Researchers at Oxford University's Department of Materials, working in collaboration with colleagues from Exeter and Munster have developed an on-chip optical processor capable of detecting similarities in datasets up to 1,000 times faster than conventional machine learning algorithms running on electronic processors.

Children who learn to play well with others at pre-school age tend to enjoy better mental health as they get older, new research shows. The findings provide the first clear evidence that -peer play ability-, the capacity to play successfully with other children, has a protective effect on mental health.

Schools with consistently less than "good" Ofsted grades will find it difficult to improve without further support, according to new research led by IOE, UCL's Faculty of Education and Society. Published today, the report "'Stuck' schools: Can below good Ofsted inspections prevent sustainable improvement?" explores the underperformance of 580 schools in England that consistently received less than "good" Ofsted inspection grades between 2005 to 2018.

A proof-of-concept study of an intervention which sends support and information to parents at bedtime by text message has been shown to improve the quality of their children's sleep. Devised by researchers at The Universities of Manchester, the system - costing under £2 per family for a weekwas also shown to improve the overall quality of bedtime routines as well as parental mood.