Tactical deception in sociosexual behaviour of stump-tailed macaques (Macaca arctoides): an exploratory study

Behaviour ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-25
Author(s):  
Itzel De Aquino ◽  
Diana Platas-Neri ◽  
José Carlos Sánchez-Ferrer ◽  
Said Jiménez ◽  
Jairo Muñoz-Delgado
Keyword(s):  
Operant Conditioning ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Cognitive Mechanisms ◽  
Alpha Male ◽  
Macaca Arctoides ◽  
Social Strategy ◽  
Tactical Deception ◽  
Different Levels ◽  
Behavioural Strategies

Abstract Tactical deception (TD) is a social strategy in which a subject performs an action to its own benefit causing disadvantage for a competitor. In primates, the cognitive mechanisms involved in TD have been described at different levels. Sneaky mating is a common context within which to study TD because in many primate groups, dominant males monopolize access to females and subordinate males must find a way to copulate with females avoiding the alpha’s presence. The objective of this study was to explore which of the TD behavioural strategies are involved in the male sociosexual behaviour of a group of stump-tailed macaques (Macaca arctoides). We found that the subordinate males participated in more interactions when they were in a section of the enclosure where the alpha male was not present. The alpha male had more copulation interactions, but the beta male’s interactions lasted longer on average. Our data offer evidence in support of the hypothesis that stump-tailed macaques may use TD strategies that are related to operant conditioning.

scholarly journals Reciprocity: Different behavioural strategies, cognitive mechanisms and psychological processes

2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (4) ◽  
pp. 284-301 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manon K. Schweinfurth ◽  
Josep Call
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Load ◽  
Cognitive Complexity ◽  
Network Size ◽  
Psychological Processes ◽  
Cognitive Mechanisms ◽  
Norway Rat ◽  
Widespread Phenomenon ◽  
Human Trait ◽  
Vampire Bat ◽  
Behavioural Strategies

Abstract Reciprocity is probably one of the most debated theories in evolutionary research. After more than 40 years of research, some scientists conclude that reciprocity is an almost uniquely human trait mainly because it is cognitively demanding. Others, however, conclude that reciprocity is widespread and of great importance to many species. Yet, it is unclear how these species reciprocate, given its apparent cognitive complexity. Therefore, our aim was to unravel the psychological processes underlying reciprocity. By bringing together findings from studies investigating different aspects of reciprocity, we show that reciprocity is a rich concept with different behavioural strategies and cognitive mechanisms that require very different psychological processes. We reviewed evidence from three textbook examples, i.e. the Norway rat, common vampire bat and brown capuchin monkey, and show that the species use different strategies and mechanisms to reciprocate. We continue by examining the psychological processes of reciprocity. We show that the cognitive load varies between different forms of reciprocity. Several factors can lower the memory demands of reciprocity such as distinctiveness of encounters, memory of details and network size. Furthermore, there are different information operation systems in place, which also vary in their cognitive load due to assessing the number of encounters and the quality and quantity of help. We conclude that many species possess the psychological processes to show some form of reciprocity. Hence, reciprocity might be a widespread phenomenon that varies in terms of strategies and mechanisms.

scholarly journals Exposing Pinocchio customers: investigating exaggerated service stories

2016 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lloyd C. Harris ◽  
Raymond P Fisk ◽  
Hana Sysalova
Keyword(s):  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Word Of Mouth ◽  
Service Failure ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Organizational Outcomes ◽  
Negative Word ◽  
Cognitive Mechanisms ◽  
Consumption Experience ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose While the links between customer word-of-mouth and desirable organizational outcomes have been widely studied, the possibility that customers might routinely exaggerate their consumption experience stories has been neglected. Design/methodology/approach The first exploratory study examined exaggerated and unexaggerated word-of-mouth and the targets of such activities. The second exploratory study focused on customer-exaggerated negative word-of-mouth and its drivers. The two experimental studies generated deeper insights into attributions of service failure and exaggerated negative word-of-mouth. Findings This research explicitly addresses customer exaggeration regarding service consumption and the reasons customers engaged in such behaviors. Study 1 focused on the scope and targets of exaggerated word-of-mouth, and Study 2 concentrated on identifying the drivers of exaggerated negative word-of-mouth. Studies 3 and 4 experimentally elucidated the cognitive mechanisms leading to exaggeration. Research limitations/implications Contributions include deeper understanding of the phenomenon of exaggerated negative word of mouth and developing and testing a model of the factors associated with consumers’ exaggerated negative word-of-mouth. Practical implications Implications include possible organizational and public policy actions to prevent Pinocchio customers from exaggerated negative word-of-mouth. Originality/value This paper explores the nature and scope of exaggerated customer word-of-mouth and contributes insights in four ways. First, this research explores the scope of consumer exaggeration during word-of-mouth storytelling and the intended targets of such communications. Second, this research focuses on exaggerated negative word-of-mouth and develops a conceptual model of the drivers of such activity. Third, the theory is tested and contributes empirical insights into exaggerated negative word-of-mouth. Fourth, through experiments, insights are gained into the cognitive mechanisms leading to exaggeration and the effects of attribution differences in personal versus service provider blame.

scholarly journals What value do users derive from social networking applications?

First Monday ◽  
2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Larry Neale ◽  
Rebekah Russell-Bennett
Keyword(s):  
Social Networking ◽  
Social Networking Sites ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Functional Value ◽  
Emotional Value ◽  
Different Levels

Why do users of social networking sites recommend some applications to their friends while rejecting others? What value do they obtain from applications? This exploratory study investigates the value users derive from ‘cool’ Facebook applications, and explores the features that either encourage or discourage users to recommend applications to their friends. Our qualitative data reveal consumers derive a combination of functional value along with either social or emotional value from the applications. Female Facebook users indicate self-expression as important motivators, while males tend to use Facebook applications to socially compete. Three broad categories emerged for application features; symmetrical features can both encourage or discourage recommendation, polar features where different levels of the same feature encourage or discourage, and uni-directional features only encourage or discourage but not both. Recommending or not recommending an application tends to be the result of a combination of features and context, rather than one feature in isolation.

scholarly journals The Communication of Metacognition for Social Strategy in Psychosis: An Exploratory Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Uri Hertz ◽  
Vaughan Bell ◽  
Joseph M Barnby ◽  
Andrew McQuillin ◽  
Bahador Bahrami
Keyword(s):  
Bipolar Disorder ◽  
Social Influence ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Perceptual Judgment ◽  
Social Strategy ◽  
Advice Giving ◽  
The Social ◽  
Future Events ◽  
The One ◽  
Population Controls

Abstract Sharing privately held information, for example, one’s confidence in the likelihood of future events, can greatly help others make better decisions as well as promoting one’s reputation and social influence. Differences in metacognition on the one hand, and difficulties in social functioning and social cognition on the other, have been reported in people diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. However, despite clear relevance few studies have investigated the link between these abilities and psychosis. In this exploratory study, we compared individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and a group of unselected general population controls, in an online competitive advice-giving task. Participants gave advice to a client by making a probabilistic perceptual judgment. They could strategically adapt the advice confidence to gain influence over the client. Crucially, participants competed with a rival adviser to attract the client’s endorsement. We observe that participants diagnosed with schizophrenia displayed an overall overconfidence in their advice compared with other, bipolar, and unselected control groups, but did not differ in metacognitive efficiency from controls. Symptom-based analysis revealed that the social-influence effect was associated with the presence of delusions but not hallucinations or mood symptoms. These results suggest that the social communication of uncertainty should be further investigated in psychosis.

scholarly journals Factors associated with staff-to-resident abuse in Norwegian nursing homes: a cross-sectional exploratory study

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anja Botngård ◽  
Arne Henning Eide ◽  
Laura Mosqueda ◽  
Lene Blekken ◽  
Wenche Malmedal
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Nursing Homes ◽  
Nursing Staff ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Ecological Model ◽  
Elder Abuse ◽  
Psychological Abuse ◽  
Ageing Population ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Different Levels

Abstract Background Elder abuse is a public health problem that is gaining attention due to its serious impacts on people’s health and well-being, and it is predicted to increase along with the world’s rapidly ageing population. Staff-to-resident abuse in nursing homes is a complex and multifaceted phenomenon associated with multiple factors on different levels of the ecological model. This study aimed to explore individual, relational, and institutional characteristics associated with perpetrated staff-to-resident abuse in nursing homes, using a multilevel hierarchical approach. Methods This was a cross-sectional exploratory study of 3693 nursing staff (response rate 60.1%) in 100 randomly selected nursing homes in Norway. We explored the characteristics of nursing staff, their relationship with residents, and institutional features associated with three types of abuse: psychological abuse, physical abuse, and neglect. These were modelled using multilevel mixed-effects logistic regression analyses. Results Individual staff factors found to be associated with all three types of abuse were 1) being a registered nurse/social educator (OR 1.77–2.49) or licensed practical nurse (OR 1.64–1.92), 2) reporting symptoms of psychological distress (OR 1.44–1.46), 3) intention to leave the job (OR 1.35–1.40), and 4) reporting poor attitudes towards people with dementia (OR 1.02–1.15). Also, staff who reported poorer quality of childhood were more likely to perpetrate neglect (OR 1.14). Relational factors such as care-related conflicts (OR 1.97–2.33) and resident aggression (OR 1.36–2.09) were associated with all three types of abuse. Of institutional factors, lack of support from a manager was associated with perpetrating psychological abuse (OR 1.56). Conclusions We found several predictors of staff-to-resident abuse on different levels of the ecological model, which underlines the importance of using a multifaceted approach to identify risk factors of elder abuse in nursing homes. However, future studies should explore the underlying mechanism and causes with a prospective or qualitative design and target the multifaceted nature of risk factors when designing preventive interventions.

The use of discourse markers in L2 Italian

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna De Marco
Keyword(s):  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Discourse Markers ◽  
Functional Approach ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Acoustic Features ◽  
Structural Context ◽  
Acoustic Profile ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Different Levels

This exploratory study intends to investigate the use of discourse markers (DM) in Italian L2 by learners with different L1s and different levels of competence (three at A2/B1 level and two at B2/C1 level). The analysis aims to describe the functions, the distribution, and some acoustic features of three DMs (però ‘but’, allora ‘then’, quindi ‘therefore’) in semi-spontaneous conversations between the learners and two native speakers. The purpose is to determine the possible uses and the relationship between the forms and functions of the DMs in native and non-native speakers distinguishing three main macro-functions (interactional, cognitive and metadiscursive) activated by speakers on the basis of the characteristics of the cotext (acoustic profiles), the context and the communicative situation. Such an analysis suggests a possible sequence in the emergence of DMs in the speech of L2 learners with different levels of competence in the target language. This exploratory study adopts a functional approach (Bazzanella 1995a, b; 2006; Fisher 2006). The outcomes of the analysis show that learners use a variety of DM forms and functions, and that some functions only emerge in more proficient speakers. The structural context and, to a lesser degree, the acoustic profile prove to be reliable indicators of the spectrum of functions performed by DMs in verbal interaction.

Online Shopping for Positive and Negative Reinforcement Products

2004 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Patricia Sorce ◽  
Victor Perotti ◽  
Stanley Widrick
Keyword(s):  
Operant Conditioning ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Positive Reinforcement ◽  
Negative Reinforcement ◽  
Shopping Behavior ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Product Categories ◽  
Conditioning Theory ◽  
Online Shoppers ◽  
Operant Conditioning Theory

The present research applies operant conditioning theory to the question of what products and services consumers will shop for and buy online. Operant conditioning theory explains differences between products that are used to alleviate uncomfortable experiences (negative reinforcement) and those providing enjoyable experiences (positive reinforcement). The preliminary results described in this study confirmed the importance of operant conditioning as a factor in the behavior of online shoppers. For example, when asked to provide an open-ended list of products that they had shopped for, our respondents mentioned products that produce positive reinforcement 476 times versus only four mentions for those that create negative reinforcement. Furthermore, for a list of seventeen common product categories, the results showed that respondents were not only less likely to shop for negative reinforcement products but also even less likely to purchase negative products online than positive products. The results of this exploratory study lay the groundwork for future research by introducing negative and positive reinforcement as a predictor of Internet shopping behavior.

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