Social networks predict selective observation and information spread in ravens

Area of Science:

• Animal behavior
• Social learning
• Cognitive ethology

Background:

• Animals often learn from observing others, but the specific social connections influencing this are poorly understood.
• Understanding selective observation is key to comprehending social information transmission in animal groups.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how different types of social connections (affiliative, aggressive, proximity) influence observation and learning in ravens (Corvus corax).
• To determine which social network structures best predict the patterns of information transmission within raven groups.

Main Methods:

• Quantified social networks based on affiliative, aggressive interactions, and proximity in two raven groups.
• Trained one raven on a novel task and observed the social learning process within the group.
• Constructed observation networks and analyzed correlations with social interaction networks.

Main Results:

• Observation networks strongly correlated with affiliative interaction and proximity networks.
• Ravens with high social centrality in affiliative networks were also central in observation networks.
• Affiliative interactions predicted task-solving order in subadults, while social rank and kinship predicted it in juveniles.

Conclusions:

• Social connections, particularly affiliative ones, significantly shape selective observation and information transmission in ravens.
• The effectiveness of different social connections in facilitating learning varies with age and social structure.
• These findings highlight the nuanced role of social relationships in animal learning and social cognition.