Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Distinguishing social and asocial learning using diffusion dynamics.

Simon M Reader1

  • 1McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. s.m.reader@bio.uu.nl

Learning & Behavior
|May 27, 2004
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Developmental Behavioural Plasticity and DNA Methylation Patterns in Response to Predation Stress in Trinidadian Guppies.

Molecular ecology·2025
Same author

Rapid Neural DNA Methylation Responses to Predation Stress in Trinidadian Guppies.

Molecular ecology·2025
Same author

Current predation risk has opposing effects on social learning of foraging locations across two guppy populations.

Animal cognition·2025
Same author

Insights into adaptive behavioural plasticity from the guppy model system.

Proceedings. Biological sciences·2024
Same author

Alarm cues and alarmed conspecifics: neural activity during social learning from different cues in Trinidadian guppies.

Proceedings. Biological sciences·2022
Same author

An investigation of population variation in maze exploration and its predictors in wild Trinidadian guppies (Poecilia reticulata).

Behavioural processes·2021
Same journal

Correction: Quantifying nonmnemonic strategies in two-alternative forced-choice delayed matching and nonmatching-to-position tasks in mice (Mus musculus) using automated video tracking technologies.

Learning & behavior·2026
Same journal

Unconditional stimulus deflation is stimulus specific.

Learning & behavior·2026
Same journal

What is possible and what is worth: Higher levers afford more work and enhance the value of leisure.

Learning & behavior·2026
Same journal

Behavioral impact of adolescent social isolation stress: A multidimensional assessment in male NMRI mice.

Learning & behavior·2026
Same journal

Behavioral characteristics of rapid visual categorization learning in domestic chicks.

Learning & behavior·2026
Same journal

Operant conditioning through positive reinforcement in the ghost crab (Ocypode quadrata).

Learning & behavior·2026
See all related articles

The shape of a behavior

Area of Science:

  • Behavioral Ecology
  • Social Learning
  • Animal Behavior

Background:

  • Theoretical models suggest social learning leads to accelerating diffusion curves, while asocial processes yield linear or decelerating curves.
  • The shape of diffusion curves could potentially distinguish between social and asocial learning mechanisms in observational studies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the utility of diffusion curve shape as a diagnostic tool for identifying social transmission of novel behaviors.
  • To assess the empirical support for using accelerating diffusion curves to infer social learning.

Main Methods:

  • Review of published data on the diffusion of novel behaviors.
  • Analysis of theoretical predictions for social and asocial learning processes.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • Published data provide limited support for the hypothesis that accelerating diffusion curves reliably indicate social learning.
  • Several challenges hinder the use of accelerating curves as a diagnostic tool.

Conclusions:

  • The diagnostic power of accelerating diffusion curves for social learning is currently limited.
  • Challenges include alternative theoretical models, lack of robust empirical data, and practical difficulties in constructing accurate diffusion curves.