Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 5, 2026

The HoneyComb Paradigm for Research on Collective Human Behavior
Published on: January 19, 2019
Co-evolution of pre-play signaling and cooperation
Francisco C Santos1, Jorge M Pacheco, Brian Skyrms
1CENTRIA & Departamento de Informática, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Quinta da Torre 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal. fcsantos@fct.unl.pt
Abstract:
A finite-population dynamic evolutionary model is presented, which shows that increasing the individual capacity of sending pre-play signals (without any pre-defined meaning), opens a route for cooperation. The population dynamics leads individuals to discriminate between different signals and react accordingly to the signals received. The proportion of time that the population spends in different states can be calculated analytically. We show that increasing the number of different signals benefits cooperative strategies, illustrating how cooperators may take profit from a diverse signaling portfolio to forecast future behaviors and avoid being cheated by defectors.
Related Concept Videos
Microbial Interactions: Cooperation
Interactions Between Signaling Pathways
Convergence and divergence, and cross-talk between signaling pathways
Two distinct signaling pathways can converge on a single functional unit, which may either be a single protein or a complex of proteins. The response is either functionally distinct or synergistic between the two pathways but different from the response...
Contact-dependent Signaling
Gap Junctions
In animal cells, gap junctions are formed...
Types of Signaling Molecules
Types of Signaling Molecules
Cooperative Allosteric Transitions

