The evolution of social timing

Verga, Laura; Kotz, Sonja A.; Ravignani, Andrea

doi:10.1016/j.plrev.2023.06.006

Cited by 14 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 199 publications

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“…For example, a joint task where a humanoid robot adapted its rhythms and interaction dynamics to the human partner revealed coordination patterns that resembled human-human coordination, e.g., while unidirectional synchronization did emerge, bidirectional synchronization was more stable, and intentional synchronization was more stable compared to spontaneous [48]. Overall, although precise temporal dynamics have not thoroughly been investigated in human-robot interactions, the human-like motor repertoire and embodiment seem to be crucial for facilitation of human-robot interactions; and as Verga, Kotz, and Ravignani outline, manipulating such temporal dynamics in ethorobots can be used to confirm biological models of social timing [1].…”

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confidence: 94%

The fine-grained temporal dynamics of social timing: a window into sociality of embodied social agents. Comment on “The evolution of social timing” by L. Verga, S. A. Kotz, & A. Ravignani

Konvalinka,

Kompatsiari,

2023

Preprint

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Verga, Kotz, and Ravignani’s paper on “The evolution of social timing” [1] provides an elegant proposal into how sociality and timing are interconnected and ubiquitous in human and nonhuman animal interactions, and proposes a framework to investigate the evolution of social timing and why it is so fundamental to social animals. The authors outline some of the key mechanisms that support social timing, such as interpersonal synchronization and mutual adaptation, but do not go into depth with respect to the fine-grained temporal properties and mechanisms underlying individual and interpersonal signals, which may lead to different social outcomes. Here we propose that these fine-grained temporal mechanisms are key to understanding the social timing and consequently sociality of embodied social living species. We first summarize the fine-grained temporal mechanisms in human interactions that we argue are at the very core of social interactions, and show how these can predict important social consequences. Next, we examine whether such mechanisms can lead to varying perceptions of sociality, attribution of agency, and interaction parameters when embedded in artificial embodied agents (e.g., social robots). Finally, we argue that the fine-grained individual and interpersonal temporal dynamics are the key social mechanisms lacking in disembodied artificial intelligence (AI), such as ChatGPT, which ultimately reveals its lack of sociality.

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confidence: 94%

The fine-grained temporal dynamics of social timing: a window into sociality of embodied social agents. Comment on “The evolution of social timing” by L. Verga, S. A. Kotz, & A. Ravignani

Konvalinka,

Kompatsiari,

2023

Preprint

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“…The other avenue that has been taken is relying on more naturalistic observation where rhythmic abilities from a species-specific behavioral repertoire are used (e.g., chimpanzee walking: [ 42 ]). Critically, this approach can be further enhanced when combined with mathematical modeling [ 2 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Marmosets mutually compensate for differences in rhythms when coordinating vigilance

Phaniraj,

Brügger,

Burkart

2024

PLoS Comput Biol

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Synchronization is widespread in animals, and studies have often emphasized how this seemingly complex phenomenon can emerge from very simple rules. However, the amount of flexibility and control that animals might have over synchronization properties, such as the strength of coupling, remains underexplored. Here, we studied how pairs of marmoset monkeys coordinated vigilance while feeding. By modeling them as coupled oscillators, we noted that (1) individual marmosets do not show perfect periodicity in vigilance behaviors, (2) nevertheless, marmoset pairs started to take turns being vigilant over time, a case of anti-phase synchrony, (3) marmosets could couple flexibly; the coupling strength varied with every new joint feeding bout, and (4) marmosets could control the coupling strength; dyads showed increased coupling if they began in a more desynchronized state. Such flexibility and control over synchronization require more than simple interaction rules. Minimally, animals must estimate the current degree of asynchrony and adjust their behavior accordingly. Moreover, the fact that each marmoset is inherently non-periodic adds to the cognitive demand. Overall, our study provides a mathematical framework to investigate the cognitive demands involved in coordinating behaviors in animals, regardless of whether individual behaviors are rhythmic or not.

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“…The other avenue that has been taken is relying on more naturalistic observation where rhythmic abilities from a species-specific behavioural repertoire are used (e.g., chimpanzee walking: [42]). Critically, this approach can be further enhanced when combined with mathematical modelling [2].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Rhythmic phenomena involving multiple animals are widespread in nature [1][2][3]. From synchronised flashings of fireflies [4,5], call synchronisation in frogs [6,7] to coupled neuronal activity in bats [8] or synchronised heart rates in humans [9] -synchronicity can be found in a huge variety of organisms in different behavioural contexts, at varying levels and serving multiple functions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Marmosets mutually compensate for differences in rhythms when coordinating vigilance

Phaniraj,

Brügger,

Burkart

2023

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Synchronisation is widespread in animals, and studies have often emphasised how this seemingly complex phenomenon can emerge from very simple rules. However, the amount of flexibility and control that animals might have over synchronisation properties, such as the strength of coupling, remains underexplored. Here, we studied how pairs of marmoset monkeys coordinated vigilance while feeding. By modelling them as coupled oscillators, we noted that (1) individual marmosets do not show perfect periodicity in vigilance behaviours, (2) even then, pairs of marmosets developed a tendency to take turns being vigilant, a case of anti-phase synchrony, (3) marmosets could couple flexibly; the coupling strength varied with every new joint feeding bout, and (4) marmosets could control the coupling strength; dyads showed increased coupling if they began in a more desynchronised state. Such flexibility and control over synchronisation require more than simple interaction rules. Minimally, animals must estimate the current degree of asynchrony and adjust their behaviour accordingly. Moreover, the fact that each marmoset is inherently non-periodic adds to the cognitive demand. Overall, our study taps into the cognitive aspects of synchronisation and provides a mathematical framework to investigate the phenomenon more widely, where individuals may not display perfectly rhythmic behaviours.

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The evolution of social timing

Cited by 14 publications

References 199 publications

The fine-grained temporal dynamics of social timing: a window into sociality of embodied social agents. Comment on “The evolution of social timing” by L. Verga, S. A. Kotz, & A. Ravignani

The fine-grained temporal dynamics of social timing: a window into sociality of embodied social agents. Comment on “The evolution of social timing” by L. Verga, S. A. Kotz, & A. Ravignani

Marmosets mutually compensate for differences in rhythms when coordinating vigilance

Marmosets mutually compensate for differences in rhythms when coordinating vigilance

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The evolution of social timing

Cited by 14 publications

References 199 publications

The fine-grained temporal dynamics of social timing: a window into sociality of embodied social agents. Comment on “The evolution of social timing” by L. Verga, S. A. Kotz, &amp; A. Ravignani

The fine-grained temporal dynamics of social timing: a window into sociality of embodied social agents. Comment on “The evolution of social timing” by L. Verga, S. A. Kotz, &amp; A. Ravignani

Marmosets mutually compensate for differences in rhythms when coordinating vigilance

Marmosets mutually compensate for differences in rhythms when coordinating vigilance

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Product

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The fine-grained temporal dynamics of social timing: a window into sociality of embodied social agents. Comment on “The evolution of social timing” by L. Verga, S. A. Kotz, & A. Ravignani

The fine-grained temporal dynamics of social timing: a window into sociality of embodied social agents. Comment on “The evolution of social timing” by L. Verga, S. A. Kotz, & A. Ravignani