Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 7, 2026

Decoding Natural Behavior from Neuroethological Embedding
Published on: October 3, 2025
Proximity coefficients as a measure of interrelationships in sequences of behavior
1School of Psychology, Eleanor Rathbone Building, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 8PZ, England. pjtaylor@liverpool.ac.uk
Abstract:
Although a range of methods allow investigators to measure the local dependencies among behaviors in a sequence, only indirect methods are available for measuring the interrelationships among behaviors across an entire sequence. This article introduces a new "proximity" coefficient that measures interrelationships among behaviors as a direct function of their intrinsic organization within a sequence. The coefficient does not depend on a user-defined "window" of analysis and provides an efficient use of data that facilitates comparisons across actors, over time periods, and between single cases. An analysis of artificial data shows further properties of the coefficient, including a diagonal value that reflects the degree to which a behavior is reciprocated, and an asymmetry in values that depicts the relative precedence among behaviors. Extensions of the coefficient to the multivariate case, and its relation to existing methods of analyzing sequences, are discussed.
Related Concept Videos
Factors Influencing Attraction I: Proximity
Protein Networks
These interactions can be represented through maps depicting protein-protein interaction networks, represented as nodes and edges. Nodes are circles that are representative of a protein,...
Factors Influencing Attraction III: Similarity
¹H NMR: Long-Range Coupling
In alkenes, spin information is communicated via σ–π overlap, as seen in allylic (four-bond) and homoallylic (five-bond) couplings. These coupling interactions are stronger when the σ bond is parallel to the alkene π orbitals.
Factors Influencing Attraction IV: Reciprocity
Quantitative Aspects of Drug-Receptor Interaction

