The social evolution of individual differences: Future directions for a comparative science of personality in social behavior

Martin, Jordan S.; Jaeggi, Adrian V.; Koski, Sonja E.

doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104980

Cited by 13 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 358 publications

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“…The social niche specialization hypothesis suggests that personality traits should be more prominent in more social species because the diversity of consistent behavioural types reduces social competition within groups and, thus, should be favoured [ 42 ]. However, this theoretical prediction, so far, has been tested in only a few comparative studies of closely related but socially different species [ 44 ]. The only two available studies for mammals produced equivocal results.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…“The social niche specialization” hypothesis [ 42 ] predicts that the consistency of personality traits should vary with the species’ sociality, with more social species exhibiting greater between-individual differences. Nevertheless, thus far, only a few studies have compared personality consistency between closely related but socially different species [ 27 , 43 , 44 ]. Thus, species specificity should be considered when interpreting the results of personality tests [ 8 ], and the interspecies comparisons under standardized test procedures are in high demand as they can provide new insights into ecological and evolutionary drivers of variation in behavioural traits within and between species [ 12 , 27 , 40 , 43 , 45 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Multi-assay approach shows species-associated personality patterns in two socially distinct gerbil species

Tchabovsky,

Surkova,

Savinetskaya

2024

PLoS ONE

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We aimed to investigate whether two closely related but socially distinct species of gerbils differ in personality patterns. Using a suit of multivariate repeated assays (docility test, dark-light emergence test, startle test, novel object test, elevated platform test, and stranger test), we assessed contextual and temporal consistency of docility, boldness, exploration, anxiety, and sociability in the solitary midday gerbil, Meriones meridianus, and social Mongolian gerbil, M. unguiculatus. We revealed contextually consistent and highly repeatable sex-independent but species-specific personality traits. Species differed in temporal repeatability of different behaviours, and contextual consistency was more pronounced in solitary M. meridianus than in social M. unguiculatus. This finding contradicts the social niche specialization hypothesis, which suggests that personality traits should be more consistent in more social species. Instead, we hypothesize that social complexity should favour more flexible and less consistent behavioural traits. The habituation effect indicative of learning abilities was weak in both species yet stronger in social M. unguiculatus, supporting the relationship between the sociality level and cognitive skills. In both species, only a few different behavioural traits covaried, and the sets of correlated behaviours were species-specific such that the two species did not share any pair of correlated traits. Between-species differences in personality traits, habituation, and behavioural syndromes may be linked to differences in sociality. The lack of prominent behavioural syndromes is consistent with the idea that context-specific individual behavioural traits might be favoured to allow more flexible and adequate responses to changing environments than syndromes of correlated functionally different behaviours.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multi-assay approach shows species-associated personality patterns in two socially distinct gerbil species

Tchabovsky,

Surkova,

Savinetskaya

2024

PLoS ONE

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show abstract

“…"The social niche specialization" hypothesis [42] predicts that the consistency of personality traits should vary with the species' sociality, with more social species exhibiting greater betweenindividual differences. Nevertheless, thus far, only a few studies have compared personality consistency between closely related but socially different species [27,43,44]. Thus, species specificity should be considered when interpreting the results of personality tests [8], and the interspecies comparisons under standardized test procedures are in high demand as they can provide new insights into ecological and evolutionary drivers of variation in behavioural traits within and between species [12,27,40,43,45].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multi-assay approach shows species-associated personality patterns in two socially distinct gerbil species

Tchabovsky,

Surkova,

Savinetskaya

2023

Preprint

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We aimed to investigate whether two closely related but socially distinct species of gerbils differ in personality patterns. Using a suit of multivariate repeated assays (docility test, dark-light emergence test, startle test, novel object test, elevated platform test, and stranger test), we assessed contextual and temporal consistency of docility, boldness, exploration, anxiety, and sociability in the solitary midday gerbil,Meriones meridianus, and social Mongolian gerbil,M. unguiculatus. We revealed contextually consistent and highly repeatable sex-independent but species-specific personality traits. Species differed in temporal repeatability of different behaviours, and contextual consistency was more pronounced in solitaryM. meridianusthan in socialM. unguiculatus. This finding contradicts the social niche specialization hypothesis, which suggests that personality traits should be more consistent in more social species. Instead, we hypothesize that social complexity should favour more flexible and less consistent behavioural traits. The habituation effect indicative of learning abilities was weak in both species yet stronger in socialM. unguiculatus, supporting the relationship between the sociality level and cognitive skills. In both species, only a few different behavioural traits covaried, and the sets of correlated behaviours were species-specific such that the two species did not share any pair of correlated traits. Between-species differences in personality traits, habituation, and behavioural syndromes may be linked to differences in sociality. The lack of prominent behavioural syndromes is consistent with the idea that context-specific individual behavioural traits might be favoured to allow more flexible and adequate responses to changing environments than syndromes of correlated functionally different behaviours.

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“…According to Martin et al (2022), there may be mechanisms of adaptive social plasticity in personality that reflect the changing costs and benefits of social behavior in different contexts. Because social niche specializations involve various social roles and tactics that individuals use to deal with social challenges, the evolution of these roles is likely driven by processes at both the individual and group levels that optimize social interactions with partners.…”

Section: Variation and Selection Of Personality Traitsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It can also enhance synergies and marginal benefits between group members who specialize, which promotes emergence and maintenance of individual differences in behavior. This creates a feedback loop that establishes frequency-dependent selection as a form of interaction between social and non-social selection in dyads like mated pairs or larger groups, such as neighborhoods, coalitions, and herds (Martin et al, 2022).…”

Section: Variation and Selection Of Personality Traitsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Personality traits, sex, and sexual orientation predict academic choices

Ollhoff C. K.; Ollhoff

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The social evolution of individual differences: Future directions for a comparative science of personality in social behavior

Cited by 13 publications

References 358 publications

Multi-assay approach shows species-associated personality patterns in two socially distinct gerbil species

Multi-assay approach shows species-associated personality patterns in two socially distinct gerbil species

Multi-assay approach shows species-associated personality patterns in two socially distinct gerbil species

Personality traits, sex, and sexual orientation predict academic choices

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