Social niche construction in captive Gouldian Finch (Erythrura gouldiae) Flocks

The organization of animal groups is both a cause of, and consequence of, patterns of interactions among individuals. The stability of animal social organization reflects how individuals construct and maintain resilient patterns of interactions across changes in group size and membership. In this study we describe patterns of social interactions in captive flocks of Gouldian Finches (Erythrura gouldiae) that were exposed to changing social conditions. A flock of adult Gouldian Finches was exposed to two changing conditions, an introduction condition where juveniles were introduced to the flock, and a fission-fusion condition where the flock was split into two smaller flocks and a new group of juveniles introduced to each. We show that the social organization of captive Gouldian finch flocks is characterized by stable homophilic communities of adult females and juveniles. Females showed higher rates of approaches to other adult females, while juveniles maintined higher rates of approaches towards other juveniles. These findings highlight how the stable interactive decisions made by individuals contribute to higher-order patterns of organization in bird flocks. Furthermore, this study is one of the few to demonstrate self-assortment of juveniles in passerine flocks and suggests that peer and sibling interactions are an unexplored area in avian social development.

Prosocial behaviors of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) during interactions with their typically developing siblings

This observational study focuses on prosocial behaviors of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) during an interaction with their older, typically developing sibling (TD-Sibs). Twenty-eight sibling dyads, in which the younger sibling was diagnosed with ASD (ASD-Sibs), were video-recorded at home playing a game of their choice. Video recordings were microanalyzed, measuring frame-by-frame observational indices of prosocial behaviors. Siblings’ interactions were mostly collaborative. During the interaction, the older TD-Sibs initiated more actions and the younger ASD-Sibs imitated more. The frequency of the prosocial behaviors of the ASD-Sib was associated with the frequency of the TD-Sib’s prosocial behaviors. The findings emphasize the importance of sibling interactions as an opportunity for children with ASD to practice prosocial behaviors.