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 Concept Videos

Social Proof00:52

Social Proof

31.5K
Social proof is a form of persuasion based on comparison and conformity. People compare their behavior and actions to what others are doing and will change to conform to do what their peers do.
31.5K
Social Scripts02:10

Social Scripts

10.2K
People tend to know what behavior is expected of them in specific, familiar settings. A script is a person’s knowledge about the sequence of events expected in a specific setting (Schank & Abelson, 1977). Essentially, scripts are a particular kind of schema, one containing default values for the features within an event. In the restaurant example, the script's features include the props (e.g., tables, menu, food, and money), the roles to be played (e.g., customer and waiter),...
10.2K
Social Traps01:41

Social Traps

26.3K
Social traps are negative situations where people get caught in a direction or relationship that later proves to be unpleasant, with no easy way to back out of or avoid. The concept was orignally introduced by John Platt who applied psychology to Garrett Hardin's "Tragedy of the Commons", where in New England herd owners could let their cattle graze in the common ground. This situation seems like a good idea, but an individual could have an advantage. If they owned...
26.3K
Social Facilitation01:04

Social Facilitation

36.0K
Not all intergroup interactions lead to negative outcomes. Sometimes, being in a group situation can improve performance. Social facilitation occurs when an individual performs better when an audience is watching than when the individual performs the behavior alone. This typically occurs when people are performing a task for which they are skilled.
36.0K
Social Exchange Theory02:06

Social Exchange Theory

39.5K
We have discussed why we form relationships, what attracts us to others, and different types of love. But what determines whether we are satisfied with and stay in a relationship? One theory that provides an explanation is social exchange theory. According to social exchange theory, we act as naïve economists in keeping a tally of the ratio of costs and benefits of forming and maintaining a relationship with others (Rusbult & Van Lange, 2003).
39.5K
Social Loafing01:37

Social Loafing

39.0K
Another way in which a group presence can affect performance is social loafing—the exertion of less effort by a person working together with a group. Social loafing occurs when our individual performance cannot be evaluated separately from the group. Thus, group performance declines on easy tasks (Karau & Williams, 1993). Essentially individual group members loaf and let other group members pick up the slack. Because each individual’s efforts cannot be evaluated,...
39.0K

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Closely related, yet phenotypically different - Genome assemblies of two sister species of widow spiders: <i>Latrodectus hasselti</i> and <i>L. katipo</i>, Theridiidae.

GigaByte (Hong Kong, China)·2026
Same author

Stability of short-term boldness personality under nutritional and disturbance stress in a social spider.

Frontiers in zoology·2026
Same author

Choosing courtship over caution: male jumping spiders delay anti-predator responses.

Frontiers in zoology·2026
Same author

Intraspecific body size variation and allometry of genitalia in the orb-web spider-<i>Argiope lobata</i>.

PeerJ·2023
Same author

Male cooperation improves their own and kin-group productivity in a group-foraging spider.

Scientific reports·2023
Same author

Sex roles and sex ratios in animals.

Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society·2022

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 24, 2026

Assessment of Social Transmission of Food Preferences Behaviors
04:56

Assessment of Social Transmission of Food Preferences Behaviors

Published on: January 25, 2018

8.4K

Socially cued developmental plasticity in web-building spiders.

Rainer Neumann1, Jutta M Schneider2

  • 1Zoologisches Institut, Universität Hamburg, Martin-Luther-King-Platz 3, 20146, Hamburg, Germany. epeira@web.de.

BMC Evolutionary Biology
|August 27, 2016
PubMed
Summary

Socially cued anticipatory plasticity (SCAP) did not accelerate maturation in one spider species, contrary to predictions. However, the other species showed earlier maturation in response to female cues, highlighting varied adaptive strategies.

Keywords:
Adaptive plasticityDensity cuesEnvironmental uncertaintyInformation useMale-male competitionNephilidaeSSD

More Related Videos

The Social Dimension of Stress: Experimental Manipulations of Social Support and Social Identity in the Trier Social Stress Test
11:13

The Social Dimension of Stress: Experimental Manipulations of Social Support and Social Identity in the Trier Social Stress Test

Published on: November 19, 2015

14.5K
Microdissection of Black Widow Spider Silk-producing Glands
09:47

Microdissection of Black Widow Spider Silk-producing Glands

Published on: January 11, 2011

16.3K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jan 24, 2026

Assessment of Social Transmission of Food Preferences Behaviors
04:56

Assessment of Social Transmission of Food Preferences Behaviors

Published on: January 25, 2018

8.4K
The Social Dimension of Stress: Experimental Manipulations of Social Support and Social Identity in the Trier Social Stress Test
11:13

The Social Dimension of Stress: Experimental Manipulations of Social Support and Social Identity in the Trier Social Stress Test

Published on: November 19, 2015

14.5K
Microdissection of Black Widow Spider Silk-producing Glands
09:47

Microdissection of Black Widow Spider Silk-producing Glands

Published on: January 11, 2011

16.3K

Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Behavioral Ecology
  • Animal Behavior

Background:

  • Socially cued anticipatory plasticity (SCAP) is a proposed mechanism for life-history shifts in semelparous species with significant male mating investment.
  • In spiders, male reproductive success often hinges on timely maturation and locating receptive females, especially virgin ones.
  • Two closely related Nephila spider species, differing in male dependence on virgin females, were studied to investigate SCAP.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To experimentally investigate socially cued anticipatory plasticity (SCAP) in two sympatric Nephila spider species.
  • To determine if the degree of male dependence on mating with virgin females influences the strength of SCAP.
  • To test predictions regarding SCAP in N. fenestrata (specialized terminal investment) versus N. senegalensis (reduced monopolization ability).

Main Methods:

  • Juvenile spiders of two Nephila species were reared under two conditions: presence of virgin female silk cues and absence of these cues (isolation).
  • Maturation time and male size were measured for individuals in both experimental groups for each species.
  • The study compared the plastic responses between the two species based on their known mating system characteristics.

Main Results:

  • Contrary to predictions, N. fenestrata males exposed to female cues did not mature earlier than isolated controls.
  • N. senegalensis males showed a significant plastic response, maturing several days earlier when exposed to female silk cues.
  • The plastic adjustment in maturation timing did not significantly affect the final size of the males in either species.

Conclusions:

  • A strong benefit of mating with virgin females (e.g., due to sperm priority) does not automatically lead to enhanced socially cued anticipatory plasticity.
  • Developmental responses to social cues can be bidirectional, with potential benefits beyond accelerated maturation, such as avoiding costs of premature development.
  • The findings suggest that the evolution of SCAP is influenced by specific ecological and social contexts, not solely by the potential benefits of mating with virgin females.