New research examines “remorse bias” in legal decision-making

Rutgers University Newark School of Criminal Justice

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Two newly published studies by Colleen M. Berryessa, associate professor at the Rutgers University School of Criminal Justice, examine how expressions of remorse are interpreted in the legal system and how those interpretations can contribute to unequal outcomes.

In a recent article published in the Annual Review of Law and Social Science, Berryessa explores the concept of “remorse bias,” showing how judges and other legal decision-makers may misread or misinterpret expressions of remorse due to implicit assumptions, social cognition, and broader societal stereotypes. The review highlights how factors such as criminal history, offense type, mental health, or substance use issues, and racial or cultural background can shape how remorse is perceived and evaluated.

“Assessing remorse is a deeply subjective process shaped by human cognition,” Berryessa explains. “When remorse is misunderstood or discounted, it can produce serious inequities in legal outcomes.”

A second article published in the Journal of Criminal Justice extends this work through an empirical study of judges’ decision-making. Drawing on more than 60 in-depth interviews with state-level trial court judges, Berryessa and coauthor Emily Greberman, a doctoral student at the School of Criminal Justice, develop a model of how remorse bias can emerge during sentencing. Their findings suggest that these cognitive processes may disproportionately influence the sentencing of defendants who are already subject to criminal stereotyping, potentially compounding existing disparities.

Together, the studies underscore the need for greater awareness, education, and training within the legal system to better understand how remorse is assessed and how bias can shape decision-making with far-reaching consequences.

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Journal

Annual Review of Law and Social Science

DOI

10.1146/annurev-lawsocsci-042324-100041 

Article Title

Remorse Bias in Legal Decision-Making

 

SLEEP 2026 marks 40 years of advancing the sleep field at annual meeting in Baltimore

American Academy of Sleep Medicine

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DARIEN, IL – May 12, 2026 – Leading sleep medicine professionals, sleep and circadian researchers, and health experts will unite in Baltimore for SLEEP 2026, the landmark 40th annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies from June 14-17. More than 6,000 attendees will gather at the Baltimore Convention Center to explore emerging sleep and circadian research, new technologies, and the future of the field. The event is held jointly by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society.

“Sleep and circadian science are advancing at a remarkable pace, opening new frontiers in how we diagnose, treat, and understand sleep disorders,” said APSS Program Committee Chair Dr. Romy Hoque, professor of neurology at Emory University School of Medicine. “In Baltimore, the field's top researchers, clinicians, and innovators will gather to celebrate 40 years of scientific progress and chart the course for the next era of sleep care.”

The SLEEP 2026 general session will kick off at 1 p.m. EDT on Sunday, June 14, at the Baltimore Convention Center at 1 West Pratt Street. Attendees will have the opportunity to attend a variety of sessions during the meeting, including rapid-fire symposia, engaging lectures, lunch debates, oral and poster research presentations, clinical workshops, discussion groups, postgraduate courses, and more. Programs will cover emerging topics across the field, exploring the relationship between sleep and neurodegeneration, technology and AI, women’s sleep health, circadian science, and advancements in personalized sleep apnea treatments.

The plenary session will begin with the presentation of awards by the AASM, SRS, and APSS on Monday, June 15, at 8 a.m. EDT. The keynote address will be presented by Dr. Carlos Schenck, professor of psychiatry at the University of Minnesota Medical School and senior clinician at the Minnesota Regional Sleep Disorders Center, examining “REM Sleep Behavior Disorder: A 40-Year Perspective.”

"This meeting reflects the remarkable depth and diversity of our field," said Hoque. "We are proud to bring together in Baltimore such an exceptional community of researchers, clinicians, and trainees for what promises to be an outstanding four days of science and collaboration.”

SLEEP 2026 also will showcase more than 1,400 research abstracts and case reports from U.S. and international institutions. Posters will be on display in the poster hall from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. EDT on Monday, June 15, and Tuesday, June 16, and 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 17. Authors will be available during assigned poster presentation sessions from 10 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. each day to discuss their latest findings and network with colleagues.

Attendees are invited to explore the SLEEP 2026 exhibit hall, where 150 pharmaceutical companies, equipment manufacturers, medical publishers, and software developers will display the latest products, technologies, and innovations in sleep medicine.

Additionally, several abstracts presented at the meeting will be highlighted in press releases available in the SLEEP 2026 press room, and interviews with the study authors and expert spokespeople can be scheduled by request. The SLEEP 2026 abstract supplement will be posted online in May.

To stay updated on new research and industry announcements, join the online conversation using the hashtag #SLEEP2026 and follow along with the AASM and the SRS on social media for live meeting updates. For the latest information on SLEEP 2026, visit sleepmeeting.org.  

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For more information or to register for SLEEP 2026 press credentials, please contact Hannah Miller at hmiller@lcwa.com.

About the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, LLC

The APSS is a joint venture of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society. The APSS organizes the SLEEP annual meeting each June (sleepmeeting.org).

About the American Academy of Sleep Medicine
Established in 1975, the AASM is a medical association that advances sleep care and enhances sleep health to improve lives. The AASM membership includes more than 9,500 physicians, scientists, and other health care professionals who help people who have sleep disorders. The AASM also accredits 2,300 sleep centers that are providing the highest quality of sleep care across the country (aasm.org).

About the Sleep Research Society 

The SRS is a professional membership society that advances sleep and circadian science. The SRS serves its members and the field of sleep and circadian research through training and education, and by providing forums for the collaboration and exchange of ideas. The SRS facilitates its goals through scientific meetings and trainee specific programming, and by advocating for federal sleep and circadian research funding. The SRS also publishes the peer-reviewed, scientific journals SLEEP and SLEEP Advances (sleepresearchsociety.org).

 

CDI convenes leaders in translational immunology

From T Cell exhaustion to vaccine interception, the Applied Immunological Research Symposium (AIRS) unites renowned scientists in advancing cancer immunotherapy.

Hackensack Meridian Health

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The speakers at the third annual Applied Immunological Research Symposium (AIRS) at the Hackensack Meridian CDI.

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Credit: Hackensack Meridian Health

NUTLEY, N.J. – The Hackensack Meridian Center for Discovery and Innovation (CDI) leveraged its continued platform as a nexus for research by hosting its third annual Applied Immunological Research Symposium (AIRS).

The symposium was held at the CDI’s state-of-the-art facility in a bid to bridge the gap between advanced immunological research and its practical application for patient care. The vehicle for this central message was the Center’s focus on innovation and translational science in cellular immunotherapy 

The event brought together a world-class assembly of scientists to share groundbreaking findings aimed at accelerating the next generation of cancer immunotherapies.

According to David Perlin, Ph.D., chief scientific officer and executive vice president of the CDI, “this symposium is a direct reflection of our mission to create a dynamic, collaborative environment translating promising research into clinical practice.”

Flipping the Switch

Keynote speaker and world-renowned immunologist Rafi Ahmed, Ph.D., of Emory University, provided the event’s centerpiece with his keynote address, "What is T Cell Exhaustion?"

In a two-part presentation, Dr. Ahmed first explained the science of T cell exhaustion, where immune cells are "switched off" by inhibitory receptor PD-1—an immune checkpoint protein found on T Cells that acts as that “switch” to turn off immune responses—during chronic disease. 

He then connected this science to patient care, presenting clinical data in oncology patients with the Human Papillomavirus (HPV-positive). His data showed how blocking this PD-1 switch reawakens a core population of "stem-like" T cells, unleashing them to fight disease as the body shifts its natural reaction to an acute infection becoming chronic. 

“Big decisions have to be made early,” marveled Dr. Ahmed during his presentation. He’d continue that our immune systems are “always prepared for chronic, but adjust to acute, infection.”

After an amusing anecdote about collaborating with CDI scientist and colleague Hai-Hui “Howard” Xue, M.D., Ph.D., who provided his own animal models to help with the research process after a quick airport phone call, Dr. Ahmed concluded that these studies have further treatment implications in cancer treatment, a myriad of chronic infections, and various autoimmune diseases.

“Dr. Ahmed’s work has fundamentally reshaped our ability to treat diseases that were once considered intractable,” said Binfeng Lu, Ph.D., director of the CDI’s Institute for Immunologic Intervention (3i) and one of the symposium organizers. “His pioneering work on T cell exhaustion established a foundational conceptual framework for modern immunology and oncoimmunology, and is already saving lives by guiding the development of transformative therapies.”

The Common Threads: Weaving the Science Together

Dr. Ahmed’s address set the stage for a day of robust scientific exchange, featuring presentations from leaders at top research institutions nationwide. 

Key studies and their talking points included:

• Yi Zhang, M.D., Ph.D., Center for Discovery and Innovation: Dr. Zhang—also one of the symposium organizers—presented novel strategies for the epigenetic reprogramming of T cells. He highlighted the importance of the EZH2 gene in CAR T cell therapy and in tumor control. His work offers a pathway to enhance cancer immunotherapy while simultaneously preventing graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) in transplant patients.

• Dean Lee, M.D., Ph.D., Nationwide Children's Hospital: Dr. Lee discussed the creation of a universal-donor manufacturing platform for NK and CAR-NK products, especially in pediatric cancers such as leukemia, where treatments such as bone marrow transplant is essential. This breakthrough is a crucial step toward making advanced, off-the-shelf cell therapies more accessible and affordable in multi-site clinical trials.

• Geoffrey R. Hill, M.D., Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center: Dr. Hill explored complex regulatory networks that govern patient responses to cancer immunotherapy, specializing in the EOMES gene (short for eomesodermin) in commanding T Cell and NK cell cancer response against acute graft-vs.-host disease. While imploring the need for more human studies, he provided key insights into overcoming therapeutic resistance, improving patient outcomes.

• Olivera J. Finn, Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine: Dr. Finn outlined her pioneering research in developing vaccines for human cancer interception, a triumph in the face of discouraging results over decades of vaccine studies for cancer-therapeutic use. Her work—in itself, an inspiring message of perseverance in the field—presented a shift from treatment to proactive prevention in the fight against cancer.

• Ming Li, Ph.D., Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center: Dr. Li detailed the fundamental immunological mechanisms of cancer defense. His laboratory’s findings are uncovering new molecular targets to bolster the body’s natural ability to fight tumors. His presentation ended with the suggestion that we “go beyond checkpoint inhibitors” to continue meeting unmet needs in immunotherapy.

The event concluded with one cohesive message: 

The future of cancer treatment lies in collaborative, translational research across public and private sectors.

“We’re passionate about providing a forum for the brightest minds in immunology,” said Dr. Perlin, also a professor of Medical Sciences at the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine. “By convening such a powerful collection of scientific leaders, the CDI affirms its central role in the global effort to bridge the academic and clinical gap in fighting the world’s most challenging diseases.”

 

The birds and the babies: Humans and zebra finches have a similar technique for learning to speak #ASA190

Humans and zebra finches both rely on caregiver reinforcement to learn complex vocalizations

Acoustical Society of America

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Since zebra finches are similar to humans in how they learn to communicate, researchers can use them as a model for infant language development.

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Credit: Michael H. Goldstein

PHILADELPHIA, May 11, 2026 — We are all born completely helpless, with little of the knowledge and skills we will need to survive as adults. Even our ability to communicate is almost entirely learned from our parents or caregivers.

Some animals are the same. Zebra finches, in particular, are so similar to humans in how they learn to communicate that researchers often study them to better understand how we develop language.

To help answer these questions, Steven Elmlinger, from Princeton University, will present his research on early vocalizations in both human infants and zebra finches Monday, May 11, at 1 p.m. ET as part of the 190th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America, running May 11-15.

Elmlinger studies vocal learning, piecing together how individuals develop and change their vocalizations to interact with others. He conducted three studies, two with human infants and one with finches, to understand how immature babbling transitions into adultlike speech.

In the first experiment, he observed infants interacting with their caregivers, noting that adults respond more to sequential vocalizations comprising multiple syllables than single syllable vocalizations. In the second study, he observed 30 infants across a period of several months to determine the role that these caregivers play in helping infants learn sequential vocalizations.

“We might assume that early learning of vocal sequences is primarily driven by motor practice,” said Elmlinger. “Prior research suggests social feedback guides infants’ vocal advances at the level of individual syllables. Here we wanted to know if social feedback also influences infants’ vocal sequence development.”

In this study, he and his colleagues found that caregiver responses to sequential vocalizations significantly increased the rate at which infants learned to produce those sequences. By encouraging complex vocalizations, caregivers could help their children learn faster.

In the third study, Elmlinger repeated this experiment with zebra finches, with the same finding. Like humans, zebra finches use social feedback to teach their young.

“Taken together, our results suggest that not only do both humans and zebra finches use social feedback to guide advances in the acoustics of their vocal repertoire, but their social environment also guides low-level temporal foundations of their vocal communication,” said Elmlinger.

When it comes to language learning, humans are not as unique as we once thought. At least one other species learns to vocalize in the same way we do, and there may be others awaiting discovery.

“I would love to collaborate with new-world monkey, cetacean, and bat scientists,” said Elmlinger. “There are good hints that at least some of these animals should show socially guided vocal learning as well — perhaps it is not rare, just understudied.”

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Main Meeting Website: https://acousticalsociety.org/philadelphia/

Technical Program: https://eppro01.ativ.me/web/planner.php?id=ASASPRING2026

ASA PRESS ROOM

In the coming weeks, ASA’s Press Room will be updated with newsworthy stories and the press conference schedule at https://acoustics.org/asa-press-room/.

LAY LANGUAGE PAPERS

ASA will also share dozens of lay language papers about topics covered at the conference. Lay language papers are summaries (300-500 words) of presentations written by scientists for a general audience. They will be accompanied by photos, audio, and video. Learn more at https://acoustics.org/lay-language-papers/.

PRESS REGISTRATION

ASA will grant free registration to the in-person conference at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown for credentialed and professional freelance journalists. If you are a reporter and would like to attend the meeting and/or press conferences, contact AIP Media Services at media@aip.org. For urgent requests, AIP staff can also help with setting up interviews and obtaining images, sound clips, or background information.

ABOUT THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA

The Acoustical Society of America is the premier international scientific society in acoustics devoted to the science and technology of sound. Its 7,000 members worldwide represent a broad spectrum of the study of acoustics. ASA publications include The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America (the world’s leading journal on acoustics), JASA Express Letters, Proceedings of Meetings on Acoustics, Acoustics Today magazine, books, and standards on acoustics. The society also holds two major scientific meetings each year. See https://acousticalsociety.org/.

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Oxytocin linked to group competition

University of Zurich

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Oxytocin also plays a significant role in team competitions. Oxytocin levels rose most sharply following matches against well-known rivals.

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Credit: University of Zurich

Oxytocin – often referred to as the “love hormone” – also plays a role in competitions between groups, a new study led by Charlotte Debras and Adrian Jaeggi from UZH’s Institute of Evolutionary Medicine shows. “Previous work showed that receiving oxytocin via a nasal spray can make people more ‘groupish’,” says Debras, who conducted the study as part of her doctoral research. “But it wasn’t known whether OT naturally increased during group competition.”

Oxytocin levels linked to social context

To systematically study competition, the researchers organized football tournaments together with the Indigenous Tsimane’ people in the Bolivian Amazon. “The Tsimane’ lifestyle has an effect on their hormone levels,” says Jaeggi, who has been conducting research on site since 2011. For example, levels of reproductive hormones like testosterone or progesterone are lower when calories are harder to come by. Meanwhile, the kinds of social factors linked to OT are likely especially important in these highly interdependent societies. To test their hypothesis, the researchers measured oxytocin levels in the urine of football players before and after the matches.

Oxytocin levels increased most strongly after matches against familiar rivals but less so among teams from different communities. When Tsimane’ played against non-Tsimane’ people, however, the increase was again higher. “This suggests that oxytocin is sensitive to the salience of the opposition – showing heightened reactivity both toward familiar competitors and toward a clearly defined out-group,” says Jaeggi.

Higher oxytocin levels in men

One particularly striking finding of the study was that women’s OT levels did not differ before or after games, unlike men’s. Debras mentions several possible explanations for this. “Firstly, women start from higher baseline levels, as many of them were breastfeeding, which could make it harder to detect a change.” It is also possible that football may not hold the same significance for women, as they play less often than men. Another explanation is provided by the “male warrior hypothesis,” which proposes that men have evolved to be generally more invested in group competition. “The most important forms of rivalry for Tsimane’ women may involve relational dynamics, such as managing reputations or jostling for social support, rather than physical competition,” says Debras.

Relevant for cooperation and group boundaries

The study does not make it possible to determine whether the increase in OT primarily promotes cohesion within the team or competition with the opposing group. In team sports, both aspects are closely intertwined. “Cooperation can be a successful way to compete in the game of life, and OT seems to be a key ingredient for this,” says Jaeggi. “OT has been linked to group conflict in many different species, from fish to chimpanzees. Our findings suggest that similar mechanisms are at play in humans.” 

Literature
Charlotte C. Debras et al. Us against Them: Oxytocin Response to Competition in a Small-Scale Human Society. Proceedings of the Royal Society B. 6 May, 2026. DOI: https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/UK8PA

Contact 

Prof. Adrian V. Jaeggi
Institute of Evolutionary Medicine
University of Zurich
Tel. +41 44 635 05 40
E-mail: adrian.jaeggi@iem.uzh.ch

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Journal

Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences

DOI

10.17605/OSF.IO/UK8PA 

Method of Research

Observational study

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Us against Them: Oxytocin Response to Competition in a Small-Scale Human Society

Article Publication Date

6-May-2026

 

Probing links between decision-making and mental resilience

Some people display differences in brain responses to rewards and costs from choices they make that are associated with higher psychological resilience.

Society for Neuroscience

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Whether people are mulling over the pros and cons of a purchase or assessing their interactions with new people, they may show a bias in placing more value on perceived positive or negative information. In a new JNeurosci paper, Ulrike Basten and colleagues, from RPTU University Kaiserslautern-Landau and the University of Amsterdam, explored whether individual differences in processing benefits and costs are linked to psychological resilience. 

The researchers presented 82 participants with images of different colored shapes. Colors and shapes were associated with gains or losses that culminated in real earned money or costs at the end of the experiment. Given the same presentation of different colored shapes, some participants generally put less value on minor losses, which led them to accept more of the offers. Emphasizing this point further, says Basten, “These individuals don’t put more value on rewards, they put less value on negative consequences and have a higher tendency to accept offers with mixed consequences. How they process negative information is different.” Why might this be the case? The researchers found that participants who put less value on minor losses had stronger increases in prefrontal brain activity to the losses and more reduced activity when they received gains. These brain response differences mediated the link between the acceptance bias in decision-making and higher self-reported psychological resilience. 

According to the researchers, their work suggests that stronger prefrontal brain responses to negative information may enable people to control their thoughts and feelings about losses. This control may be what makes these people more psychologically resilient. Says Basten, “We can’t claim causality from our findings, so one next step could be to manipulate the bias by rewarding certain answers—essentially training people to show more positive bias in decision-making—and see if that leads to better resilience.” 

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Please contact media@sfn.org for full-text PDF. 

About JNeurosci 

JNeurosci was launched in 1981 as a means to communicate the findings of the highest quality neuroscience research to the growing field. Today, the journal remains committed to publishing cutting-edge neuroscience that will have an immediate and lasting scientific impact, while responding to authors' changing publishing needs, representing breadth of the field and diversity in authorship. 

About The Society for Neuroscience 

The Society for Neuroscience is the world's largest organization of scientists and physicians devoted to understanding the brain and nervous system. The nonprofit organization, founded in 1969, now has nearly 35,000 members in more than 95 countries. 

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Journal

JNeurosci

DOI

10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1734-25.2026 

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Positive Bias in Value-Based Decision-Making: Neurocognitive Associations with Resilience

Article Publication Date

11-May-2026