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Delval I, Fernández-Bolaños M, Izar P. Towards an Integrated Concept of Personality in Human and Nonhuman Animals. Integr Psychol Behav Sci 2024; 58:271-302. [PMID: 37059965 PMCID: PMC10104772 DOI: 10.1007/s12124-023-09759-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/21/2023] [Indexed: 04/16/2023]
Abstract
Every individual has an idiosyncratic way of feeling, thinking and behaving, which is relatively stable across time and situations. Usually known as Personality, today this phenomenon is recognized in many species, including arthropods, fish, avian or mammals. From an evolutionary perspective, research has shown that personality differences are manifest in distinctive forms of dealing with selective pressures, with consequences for fitness. Despite these facts, the study of personality in animals other than humans is relatively new. Only two decades ago, consistent behavioral individual differences were considered 'noise' around an optimal strategy for behavioral ecologists. Also, psychologists were not interested in animal personality as a consequence of the fear of anthropomorphization and the erroneous belief that humans are unique in nature. Fortunately, this misconception seems already overcome but there are still conceptual issues preventing a unified concept of personality. Throughout this review, we first explore the etymological origins of personality and other terminological issues. We further revise the historical course of the study of personality in humans and other animals, from the perspectives of Psychology and Behavioral Ecology, on the basis of the most used approach, the trait theory. We present the study of nonhuman primates as a paradigmatic example in between both frameworks. Finally, we discuss about the necessity of a unified science of personality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irene Delval
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Institute of Psychology, University of São Paulo (IP-USP). Av. Prof. Mello Moraes 1721, São Paulo, SP, CEP 05508-030, Brazil.
| | - Marcelo Fernández-Bolaños
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Institute of Psychology, University of São Paulo (IP-USP). Av. Prof. Mello Moraes 1721, São Paulo, SP, CEP 05508-030, Brazil
| | - Patrícia Izar
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Institute of Psychology, University of São Paulo (IP-USP). Av. Prof. Mello Moraes 1721, São Paulo, SP, CEP 05508-030, Brazil
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2
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Luchiari AC, Maximino C. Fish personality: meta-theoretical issues, personality dimensions, and applications to neuroscience and psychopathology. PERSONALITY NEUROSCIENCE 2023; 6:e9. [PMID: 38107778 PMCID: PMC10725779 DOI: 10.1017/pen.2023.3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2022] [Revised: 04/30/2023] [Accepted: 05/09/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
While the field of personality neuroscience has extensively focused on humans and, in a few cases, primates and rodents, a wide range of research on fish personality has emerged in the last decades. This research is focused mainly on the ecological and evolutionary causes of individual differences and also aimed less extensively at proximal mechanisms (e.g., neurochemistry or genetics). We argue that, if consistent and intentional work is made to solve some of the meta-theoretical issues of personality research both on fish and mammals, fish personality research can lead to important advances in personality neuroscience as a whole. The five dimensions of personality in fish (shyness-boldness, exploration-avoidance, activity, aggressiveness, and sociability) need to be translated into models that explicitly recognize the impacts of personality in psychopathology, synergizing research on fish as model organisms in experimental psychopathology, personality neuroscience, and ecological-ethological approaches to the evolutionary underpinnings of personality to produce a powerful framework to understand individual differences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Carolina Luchiari
- Department of Physiology & Behavior, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
| | - Caio Maximino
- Laboratório de Neurociências e Comportamento, Instituto de Estudos em Saúde e Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Sul e Sudeste do Pará, Marabá, Brazil
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3
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Bohn M, Eckert J, Hanus D, Lugauer B, Holtmann J, Haun DBM. Great ape cognition is structured by stable cognitive abilities and predicted by developmental conditions. Nat Ecol Evol 2023; 7:927-938. [PMID: 37106158 PMCID: PMC10250201 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-023-02050-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2022] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023]
Abstract
Great ape cognition is used as a reference point to specify the evolutionary origins of complex cognitive abilities, including in humans. This research often assumes that great ape cognition consists of cognitive abilities (traits) that account for stable differences between individuals, which change and develop in response to experience. Here, we test the validity of these assumptions by assessing repeatability of cognitive performance among captive great apes (Gorilla gorilla, Pongo abelii, Pan paniscus, Pan troglodytes) in five tasks covering a range of cognitive domains. We examine whether individual characteristics (age, group, test experience) or transient situational factors (life events, testing arrangements or sociality) influence cognitive performance. Our results show that task-level performance is generally stable over time; four of the five tasks were reliable measurement tools. Performance in the tasks was best explained by stable differences in cognitive abilities (traits) between individuals. Cognitive abilities were further correlated, suggesting shared cognitive processes. Finally, when predicting cognitive performance, we found stable individual characteristics to be more important than variables capturing transient experience. Taken together, this study shows that great ape cognition is structured by stable cognitive abilities that respond to different developmental conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuel Bohn
- Department of Comparative Cultural Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Johanna Eckert
- Department of Comparative Cultural Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Daniel Hanus
- Department of Comparative Cultural Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Benedikt Lugauer
- Wilhelm Wundt Institute of Psychology, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Jana Holtmann
- Wilhelm Wundt Institute of Psychology, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Daniel B M Haun
- Department of Comparative Cultural Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Leipzig Research Centre for Early Child Development, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
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4
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Uher J. What's wrong with rating scales? Psychology's replication and confidence crisis cannot be solved without transparency in data generation. SOCIAL AND PERSONALITY PSYCHOLOGY COMPASS 2023. [DOI: 10.1111/spc3.12740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/12/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Jana Uher
- School of Human Sciences University of Greenwich London UK
- London School of Economics and Political Science London UK
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5
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Uher J. Rating scales institutionalise a network of logical errors and conceptual problems in research practices: A rigorous analysis showing ways to tackle psychology's crises. Front Psychol 2022; 13:1009893. [PMID: 36643697 PMCID: PMC9833395 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1009893] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2022] [Accepted: 10/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
This article explores in-depth the metatheoretical and methodological foundations on which rating scales-by their very conception, design and application-are built and traces their historical origins. It brings together independent lines of critique from different scholars and disciplines to map out the problem landscape, which centres on the failed distinction between psychology's study phenomena (e.g., experiences, everyday constructs) and the means of their exploration (e.g., terms, data, scientific constructs)-psychologists' cardinal error. Rigorous analyses reveal a dense network of 12 complexes of problematic concepts, misconceived assumptions and fallacies that support each other, making it difficult to be identified and recognised by those (unwittingly) relying on them (e.g., various forms of reductionism, logical errors of operationalism, constructification, naïve use of language, quantificationism, statisticism, result-based data generation, misconceived nomotheticism). Through the popularity of rating scales for efficient quantitative data generation, uncritically interpreted as psychological measurement, these problems have become institutionalised in a wide range of research practices and perpetuate psychology's crises (e.g., replication, confidence, validation, generalizability). The article provides an in-depth understanding that is needed to get to the root of these problems, which preclude not just measurement but also the scientific exploration of psychology's study phenomena and thus its development as a science. From each of the 12 problem complexes; specific theoretical concepts, methodologies and methods are derived as well as key directions of development. The analyses-based on three central axioms for transdisciplinary research on individuals, (1) complexity, (2) complementarity and (3) anthropogenicity-highlight that psychologists must (further) develop an explicit metatheory and unambiguous terminology as well as concepts and theories that conceive individuals as living beings, open self-organising systems with complementary phenomena and dynamic interrelations across their multi-layered systemic contexts-thus, theories not simply of elemental properties and structures but of processes, relations, dynamicity, subjectivity, emergence, catalysis and transformation. Philosophical and theoretical foundations of approaches suited for exploring these phenomena must be developed together with methods of data generation and methods of data analysis that are appropriately adapted to the peculiarities of psychologists' study phenomena (e.g., intra-individual variation, momentariness, contextuality). Psychology can profit greatly from its unique position at the intersection of many other disciplines and can learn from their advancements to develop research practices that are suited to tackle its crises holistically.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jana Uher
- School of Human Sciences, University of Greenwich, London, United Kingdom
- London School of Economics, London, United Kingdom
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6
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Kluen E, Rönkä K, Thorogood R. Prior experience of captivity affects behavioural responses to 'novel' environments. PeerJ 2022; 10:e13905. [PMID: 36061744 PMCID: PMC9438767 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.13905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2022] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Information ecology theory predicts that prior experience influences current behaviour, even if the information is acquired under a different context. However, when individuals are tested to quantify personality, cognition, or stress, we usually assume that the novelty of the test is consistent among individuals. Surprisingly, this 'gambit of prior experience' has rarely been explored. Therefore, here we make use of a wild population of great tits (Parus major) to test if prior experience of handling and captivity influences common measures of exploration (open field tests in two novel contexts: room and cage arenas), social response (simulated using a mirror), and behavioural stress (breathing rate). We found that birds with prior experience of captivity (caught previously for unrelated learning and foraging experiments) were more exploratory, but this depended on age: exploration and captivity experience (in terms of both absolute binary experience and the length of time spent in captivity) were associated more strongly in young (first-winter) birds than in adults. However, there was no association of prior experience of captivity with social response and breathing rate, and nor did the measures of exploration correlate. Together our results suggest that re-testing of individuals requires careful consideration, particularly for younger birds, and previous experiences can carry over and affect behaviours differently.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward Kluen
- HiLIFE Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland,Research Programme in Organismal and Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Katja Rönkä
- HiLIFE Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland,Research Programme in Organismal and Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Rose Thorogood
- HiLIFE Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland,Research Programme in Organismal and Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
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7
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Pritchard AJ, Palombit RA. Survey-rated personality traits and experimentally measured coping style and stress reactivity, in wild baboons. Am J Primatol 2022; 84:e23429. [PMID: 35996313 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2022] [Revised: 06/26/2022] [Accepted: 07/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The coping style and stress reactivity framework for individual differences in the stress response has been of increasing utility within primatological research. Such differences are often quantified using an experimental approach, but many primatological studies have historically been reliant on a personality-like framework. The personality-like research is derived from human personality literature using survey ratings, while approaches focused on coping styles are often used to interpret differences in small rodents and birds. Experimental approaches benefit from a constrained situation that facilitates control, but sacrifice utility via the generalizability afforded via ratings. Resolving how these two theoretical and methodological approaches intersect is paramount to establishing a biological synthesis between two robust fields of research on individual differences. We applied these frameworks to adult wild olive baboons (Papio anubis) at a field site in Laikipia, Kenya. We quantified coping style and stress reactivity using individually targeted field experiments. We quantified personality trait differences using observer ratings of the monkeys. We isolated three personality trait factors: Neuroticism, Assertiveness, and Friendliness. Personality trait differences showed little association with coping style, but Neuroticism was predicted by stress reactivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander J Pritchard
- Department of Anthropology, Program in Human Evolutionary Sciences, Rutgers-The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA.,Center for Human Evolutionary Sciences, Rutgers-The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA.,National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Ryne A Palombit
- Department of Anthropology, Program in Human Evolutionary Sciences, Rutgers-The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA.,Center for Human Evolutionary Sciences, Rutgers-The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
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8
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Sonnenberg BR, Branch CL, Pitera AM, Benedict LM, Heinen VK, Pravosudov VV. Food-hoarding and nest-building propensities are associated in a cavity-nesting bird. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-021-03114-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
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9
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Yokoyama C, Autio JA, Ikeda T, Sallet J, Mars RB, Van Essen DC, Glasser MF, Sadato N, Hayashi T. Comparative connectomics of the primate social brain. Neuroimage 2021; 245:118693. [PMID: 34732327 PMCID: PMC9159291 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118693] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2021] [Revised: 09/27/2021] [Accepted: 10/29/2021] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Social interaction is thought to provide a selection pressure for human intelligence, yet little is known about its neurobiological basis and evolution throughout the primate lineage. Recent advances in neuroimaging have enabled whole brain investigation of brain structure, function, and connectivity in humans and non-human primates (NHPs), leading to a nascent field of comparative connectomics. However, linking social behavior to brain organization across the primates remains challenging. Here, we review the current understanding of the macroscale neural mechanisms of social behaviors from the viewpoint of system neuroscience. We first demonstrate an association between the number of cortical neurons and the size of social groups across primates, suggesting a link between neural information-processing capacity and social capabilities. Moreover, by capitalizing on recent advances in species-harmonized functional MRI, we demonstrate that portions of the mirror neuron system and default-mode networks, which are thought to be important for representation of the other's actions and sense of self, respectively, exhibit similarities in functional organization in macaque monkeys and humans, suggesting possible homologies. With respect to these two networks, we describe recent developments in the neurobiology of social perception, joint attention, personality and social complexity. Together, the Human Connectome Project (HCP)-style comparative neuroimaging, hyperscanning, behavioral, and other multi-modal investigations are expected to yield important insights into the evolutionary foundations of human social behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chihiro Yokoyama
- Laboratory for Brain Connectomics Imaging, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, 6-7-3 Minatojima-minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650-0047, Japan.
| | - Joonas A Autio
- Laboratory for Brain Connectomics Imaging, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, 6-7-3 Minatojima-minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650-0047, Japan
| | - Takuro Ikeda
- Laboratory for Brain Connectomics Imaging, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, 6-7-3 Minatojima-minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650-0047, Japan
| | - Jérôme Sallet
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Department of Experimental Psychology, Oxford University, Oxford, United Kingdom; University of Lyon, Université Lyon 1, Inserm, Stem Cell and Brain Research Institute U1208, Bron, France
| | - Rogier B Mars
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Centre for Functional MRI of the Brain (FMRIB), Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom; Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - David C Van Essen
- Departments of Neuroscience, Washington University Medical School, St Louis, MO, United States of America
| | - Matthew F Glasser
- Departments of Neuroscience, Washington University Medical School, St Louis, MO, United States of America; Department of Radiology, Washington University Medical School, St Louis, MO, United States of America
| | - Norihiro Sadato
- National Institute for Physiological Sciences, Okazaki, Japan; The Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI), Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Takuya Hayashi
- Laboratory for Brain Connectomics Imaging, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, 6-7-3 Minatojima-minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650-0047, Japan; School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.
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10
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Measuring behavioral coping style and stress reactivity experimentally in wild olive baboons. Behav Processes 2021; 195:104564. [PMID: 34915059 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2021.104564] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2021] [Revised: 11/18/2021] [Accepted: 12/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Many nonhuman animals have been used as subjects to elucidate intra-individual variation in the stress response - understood via coping styles and stress reactivity. Given the evidence and theory supporting evolutionary trade-offs associated with such differences, it is surprising, then, how few studies have used wild nonhuman primates to develop this theoretical framework. In the current study, we evaluated this framework using a combination of behaviours from focal follows and an experimental method, novel to the field - collected during a 17 month project on olive baboons (Papio anubis) in Laikipia, Kenya. Our experimental design simultaneously introduces a risk with an incentive: a model snake with a real chicken egg, respectively. Such an approach facilitates multiple solutions to a stressor, a key element of coping style theory. General behavioral tendencies did not associate with the experimental measures of coping style and stress reactivity. These results, however, demonstrated the utility and validity of this experimental approach for measuring coping style and stress reactivity in wild nonhumans. Fear grimaces represented stress reactivity. A factor solution represented coping style - summarizing decision making under stress. The treatment experiment, with a snake and egg, elicited a behavioral stress response, relative to control trials with just an egg.
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11
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Çakmakçı C. Sheep's coping style can be identified by unsupervised machine learning from unlabeled data. Behav Processes 2021; 194:104559. [PMID: 34838901 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2021.104559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2021] [Revised: 11/12/2021] [Accepted: 11/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The objective of this study was to define coping style of sheep by using unsupervised machine learning approaches. A total of 105 Norduz sheep (age 3-5 years) were subjected to a 5-minute arena test. Agglomerative Hierarchical Clustering (HCA) was performed on scores of selected principal components retained from Principal Components Analysis (PCA) on arena behaviors to identify sheep coping style. Initially, the variables retained for the PCA were determined with Bartlett's test for sphericity and Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) measure of sample adequacy. Seven behavioral variables with KMO values greater than 0.5 were used for final PCA: the average distance to group sheep (DTG), the average distance to stimulus (DTS), the duration of locomotion (LOC), the total number of zone boundaries crossed during the test (CRS), the total number of times that tested sheep sniffed stimulus (NSS), latency to the first sniff the stimulus (LSS), and subjective scores (SCR) scored by an observer on a scale from 1 to 5 (1: extremely calm, 5: extremely restless). The first two components, which were the only ones with an eigenvalue greater than one, accounted for 70.32% of the total variation and were used for clustering analysis. Clustering tendency showed that the scores for the first two components were suitable for clustering (Hopkins' H = 0.852). Several cluster validity indexes were used to obtain aggregated results to determine the most appropriate clustering method and number of clusters. Five different clustering methods: k-means and hierarchical clustering with Ward, average, single and complete linkage were compared. Bootstrap resampling was used to evaluate the stability of a given cluster using the Jaccard coefficient. The clustering method and number of clusters corresponding to the highest rank aggregation score from the bootstrap resampling indicate that the hierarchical clustering method with average linkage and 5 clusters is the most suggested clustering method. However, Ward's algorithm identified the strongest clustering structure for hierarchical clustering, as it had the highest agglomerative coefficient value (0.98). When both Jaccard and aggregation scores are considered together, Ward's method with 3 clusters was selected as the most appropriate method. Sheep were classified into three coping styles (CS) based on HCA results as reactive (Cluster 1, n = 71), intermediate (Cluster 2, n = 22) or proactive (Cluster 3, n = 12). Coping style had significant effect on behavioral variables, DTG, DTS, LOC, CRS and NSS (P < 0.05). The individuals that have proactive coping style had the highest mean values for the variables DTG, DTS and LOC and SCR (P < 0.0001). This indicates that proactive sheep are more active then reactive sheep. The CRS, LOC and NSS mean values were higher for intermediate sheep compared to reactive sheep (P < 0.05). The NSS values were higher for intermediate sheep compare to proactive sheep (P < 0.0001). The findings of the current study show that distinct coping styles in sheep may be identified based on behaviors recorded in an arena test. The findings also revealed that sheep's coping style can be objectively identified by unsupervised machine learning from unlabeled behavioral data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cihan Çakmakçı
- Van Yüzüncü Yıl University, Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Animal Biotechnology Unit, 65080 Van, Turkey.
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12
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Esattore B, Šlipogor V, Saggiomo L, Seltmann MW. "How not to judge a deer by its cover": A personality assessment study on captive adult red deer males (Cervus elaphus). Behav Processes 2021; 186:104361. [PMID: 33639253 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2021.104361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2020] [Revised: 02/19/2021] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Personality is not a uniquely human characteristic and it has been documented in a wide range of organisms, from mammals to birds, reptiles, fish, and invertebrates. However, personality is still poorly understood in Cervids. Therefore, our study aimed to fill this gap by i) investigating personality and ii) exploring its links to dominance hierarchy, assessed by behavioral observations in 11 captive and tame male red deer (Cervus elaphus). Using questionnaires to assess personality, three trained volunteers rated these animals in 15 behaviorally composed adjectives with detailed descriptions, based on their overall impression at the end of the observation period. Behavioral data from animals were collected across three different situations, namely "feeding" (i.e., high competition for a scarce resource), "normal" (i.e., no external stimuli) in a group setting, and "handling" (i.e., stressful situation due to human manipulation) in an individual setting. We estimated dominance hierarchies between the individuals based on situations of average and high competition (i.e., "normal" and "feeding") via the Clutton-Brock Index (CBI). Using Fleiss' Kappa for inter-rater reliability, only five of our 15 behavioral adjectives showed acceptable reliability. Using principal component analysis, four of these adjectives formed one personality component labelled "Confidence/Aggressiveness". We found that although "Confidence/Aggressiveness" did not correlate with CBI, ratings of two adjectives loading onto this component, namely "Confident" and "Submissive", significantly correlated with the CBI, indicating that the questionnaire ratings reflect real behavioral variation in red deer males. Our study provides the first assessment of personality in male red deer and adds to the growing literature on Cervid personality, offering the basis for future personality research in ungulates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruno Esattore
- Department of Ethology, Institute of Animal Science, Přátelství 815, 104 00, Praha 10-Uhříněves, Czech Republic; Department of Ethology and Companion Animal Science, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, 165 00, Praha - Suchdol, Czech Republic.
| | - Vedrana Šlipogor
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, UZA I, 1090, Vienna, Austria; Department of Zoology, University of South Bohemia, Branišovská 1760, 370 05, Budweiss, Czech Republic
| | - Laura Saggiomo
- Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Kamýcká 129, Praha 6 - Suchdol, 165 00, Czech Republic
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Hubená P, Horký P, Slavík O. Test-dependent expression of behavioral syndromes: A study of aggressiveness, activity, and stress of chub. Aggress Behav 2020; 46:412-424. [PMID: 32542801 DOI: 10.1002/ab.21909] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2019] [Revised: 05/19/2020] [Accepted: 06/04/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Aggressiveness has been one of the behavioral traits most examined with various standard testing methods. We used two distinct methods (the mirror and the real opponent tests) to evaluate individual aggression and relate it to the activity and individual stress of chub (Squalius cephalus L.). Three hypotheses were formulated and tested: (a) there is a significant positive relationship between the aggressiveness of individuals measured with the mirror and the real opponent tests, indicating their convergent validity; (b) the irregularities in response to the aggressiveness and activity tests lead to the context-specific expression of the behavioral syndromes; and (c) there is a significant positive relationship between the stress induced in individuals by both tests of aggressiveness, demonstrating individually consistent stress-coping strategies. The first and the second hypothesis were confirmed, while the third hypothesis was rejected. Our results suggest that particular tests of aggressiveness could act as a situation with high strength, leaving little variation between individual responses. Thus, we propose that for the proper interpretation of various studies using different tests to study identical behavioral traits, it is important to consider the convergent validity of not only the tested behavioral traits but also the individual stress responses. The chub also showed stress relieve through aggressiveness, suggesting the species as a prospective animal model to the study interaction between the stress and the aggressiveness. A detailed aggression ethogram of chub was provided to facilitate the use of this specie in future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pavla Hubená
- Department of Zoology and FisheriesCzech University of Life Sciences Prague Prague Suchdol Czech Republic
| | - Pavel Horký
- Department of Zoology and FisheriesCzech University of Life Sciences Prague Prague Suchdol Czech Republic
| | - Ondřej Slavík
- Department of Zoology and FisheriesCzech University of Life Sciences Prague Prague Suchdol Czech Republic
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14
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Are cats less stressed in homes than in shelters? A study of personality and faecal cortisol metabolites. Appl Anim Behav Sci 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2019.104919] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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15
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Tomassetti D, Caracciolo S, Manciocco A, Chiarotti F, Vitale A, De Filippis B. Personality and lateralization in common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus). Behav Processes 2019; 167:103899. [DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2019.103899] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2018] [Revised: 06/28/2019] [Accepted: 07/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
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16
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Lensen RCMM, Moons CPH, Diederich C. Physiological stress reactivity and recovery related to behavioral traits in dogs (Canis familiaris). PLoS One 2019; 14:e0222581. [PMID: 31527914 PMCID: PMC6748563 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0222581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2018] [Accepted: 09/03/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
This study investigated whether stress responsiveness (in one context) can be used to predict dog behavior in daily life. On two occasions (NT1 = 32 puppies; NT2 = 16 young adults), dogs’ physiological stress response after a behavioral test at home was measured in terms of reactivity (10 min post-test) and recovery (40 min post-test) for three salivary markers: cortisol, chromogranin A (CgA) and secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA). For each marker, it was determined whether dogs with a strong physiological response displayed different behavior in daily life compared to dogs with a weaker physiological response. The results revealed three main findings: first, for CgA and cortisol, different patterns were identified according to sample time. High reactivity related to desirable traits, whereas slow recovery after the behavioral test related to undesirable traits. The findings suggest that increased levels of CgA and cortisol 10 minutes after the behavioral test reflected an adaptive stress response, whereas elevated levels 40 minutes after the test reflected unsuccessful coping. Second, patterns for sIgA differed from CgA and cortisol: significant associations were only found with behavioral traits at T2, mostly considered desirable and related to Trainability. Possibly, the delayed reaction pattern of sIgA caused this difference between markers, as sIgA reflects the (secondary) immune response to stress, due to immunosuppressive effects of cortisol. Third, predictive capacity of puppies’ physiological stress response (T1) was inconclusive, and contrary relations were found with behavioral traits at T2, suggesting that developmental factors play an important role. This study provides new insights about the relation between stress physiology and behavioral traits, and methodological advice is given to study these patterns further. In conclusion, physiological markers could provide additional insights in dogs’ tendencies to display certain behaviors, especially at the young adult stage. Further studies are needed to confirm these patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Christel P. H. Moons
- Department of Nutrition, Genetics and Ethology, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - Claire Diederich
- Department of Veterinary Medicine (IVRU), University of Namur, Namur, Belgium
- * E-mail:
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Saltz JB. Gene–Environment Correlation in Humans: Lessons from Psychology for Quantitative Genetics. J Hered 2019; 110:455-466. [DOI: 10.1093/jhered/esz027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2018] [Accepted: 04/17/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Evolutionary biologists have long been aware that the effects of genes can reach beyond the boundary of the individual, that is, the phenotypic effects of genes can alter the environment. Yet, we rarely apply a quantitative genetics approach to understand the causes and consequences of genetic variation in the ways that individuals choose and manipulate their environments, particularly in wild populations. Here, I aim to stimulate research in this area by reviewing empirical examples of such processes from the psychology literature. Indeed, psychology researchers have been actively investigating genetic variation in the environments that individuals experience—a phenomenon termed “gene–environment correlation” (rGE)—since the 1970s. rGE emerges from genetic variation in individuals’ behavior and personality traits, which in turn affects the environments that they experience. I highlight concepts and examples from this literature, emphasizing the relevance to quantitative geneticists working on wild, nonhuman organisms. I point out fruitful areas of crossover between these disciplines, including how quantitative geneticists can test ideas about rGE in wild populations.
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Uher J. Taxonomic models of individual differences: a guide to transdisciplinary approaches. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2019; 373:rstb.2017.0171. [PMID: 29483354 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2017.0171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/08/2017] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Models and constructs of individual differences are numerous and diverse. But detecting commonalities, differences and interrelations is hindered by the common abstract terms (e.g. 'personality', 'temperament', 'traits') that do not reveal the particular phenomena denoted. This article applies a transdisciplinary paradigm for research on individuals that builds on complexity theory and epistemological complementarity. Its philosophical, metatheoretical and methodological frameworks provide concepts to differentiate various kinds of phenomena (e.g. physiology, behaviour, psyche, language). They are used to scrutinize the field's basic concepts and to elaborate methodological foundations for taxonomizing individual variations in humans and other species. This guide to developing comprehensive and representative models explores the decisions taxonomists must make about which individual variations to include, which to retain and how to model them. Selection and reduction approaches from various disciplines are classified by their underlying rationales, pinpointing possibilities and limitations. Analyses highlight that individuals' complexity cannot be captured by one universal model. Instead, multiple models phenotypically taxonomizing different kinds of variability in different kinds of phenomena are needed to explore their causal and functional interrelations and ontogenetic development that are then modelled in integrative and explanatory taxonomies. This research agenda requires the expertise of many disciplines and is inherently transdisciplinary.This article is part of the theme issue 'Diverse perspectives on diversity: multi-disciplinary approaches to taxonomies of individual differences'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jana Uher
- University of Greenwich, Old Royal Naval College, Park Row, London SE10 9LS, UK .,London School of Economics, Houghton Street, WC2A 2AE London, UK
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19
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Uher J. Quantitative Data From Rating Scales: An Epistemological and Methodological Enquiry. Front Psychol 2018; 9:2599. [PMID: 30622493 PMCID: PMC6308206 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02599] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2018] [Accepted: 12/03/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Rating scales are popular methods for generating quantitative data directly by persons rather than automated technologies. But scholars increasingly challenge their foundations. This article contributes epistemological and methodological analyses of the processes involved in person-generated quantification. They are crucial for measurement because data analyses can reveal information about study phenomena only if relevant properties were encoded systematically in the data. The Transdisciplinary Philosophy-of-Science Paradigm for Research on Individuals (TPS-Paradigm) is applied to explore psychological and social-science concepts of measurement and quantification, including representational measurement theory, psychometric theories and their precursors in psychophysics. These are compared to theories from metrology specifying object-dependence of measurement processes and subject-independence of outcomes as key criteria, which allow tracing data to the instances measured and the ways they were quantified. Separate histories notwithstanding, the article's basic premise is that general principles of scientific measurement and quantification should apply to all sciences. It elaborates principles by which these metrological criteria can be implemented also in psychology and social sciences, while considering their research objects' peculiarities. Application of these principles is illustrated by quantifications of individual-specific behaviors ('personality'). The demands rating methods impose on data-generating persons are deconstructed and compared with the demands involved in other quantitative methods (e.g., ethological observations). These analyses highlight problematic requirements for raters. Rating methods sufficiently specify neither the empirical study phenomena nor the symbolic systems used as data nor rules of assignment between them. Instead, pronounced individual differences in raters' interpretation and use of items and scales indicate considerable subjectivity in data generation. Together with recoding scale categories into numbers, this introduces a twofold break in the traceability of rating data, compromising interpretability of findings. These insights question common reliability and validity concepts for ratings and provide novel explanations for replicability problems. Specifically, rating methods standardize only data formats but not the actual data generation. Measurement requires data generation processes to be adapted to the study phenomena's properties and the measurement-executing persons' abilities and interpretations, rather than to numerical outcome formats facilitating statistical analyses. Researchers must finally investigate how people actually generate ratings to specify the representational systems underlying rating data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jana Uher
- London School of Economics and Political Science, London, United Kingdom
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20
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Finkemeier MA, Langbein J, Puppe B. Personality Research in Mammalian Farm Animals: Concepts, Measures, and Relationship to Welfare. Front Vet Sci 2018; 5:131. [PMID: 30003083 PMCID: PMC6031753 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2018.00131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2018] [Accepted: 05/29/2018] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Measuring and understanding personality in animals is a rising scientific field. Much research has been conducted to assess distinctive individual differences in behavior in a large number of species in the past few decades, and increasing numbers of studies include farm animals. Nevertheless, the terminology and definitions used in this broad scientific field are often confusing because different concepts and methods are used to explain often synonymously applied terms, such as personality, temperament and coping style. In the present review we give a comprehensive overview of the concepts and terms currently used in animal personality research and critically reveal how they are defined and what they measure. First, we shortly introduce concepts describing human personality and how these concepts are used to explain animal personality. Second, we present which concepts, methods and measures are applied in farm animal personality research and show that the terminology used seems to be somehow species-related. Finally, we discuss some findings on the possible impact of personality on the welfare of farm animals. The assessment of personality in farm animals is of growing scientific and practical interest. Differences in theoretical frameworks and methodological approaches may also entail the diverse use of the different concepts between basic and applied research approaches. We conclude that more consistency is needed in using different theoretical concepts, terms and measures, especially in farm animal personality research. The terms coping style and temperament, which are used in different ways, should not be examined as independent concepts, but rather should be considered as different aspects of the whole personality concept. Farm animal personality should be increasingly considered for the improvement of animal housing, management, breeding and welfare.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie-Antonine Finkemeier
- Institute of Behavioural Physiology, Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), Dummerstorf, Germany.,Behavioural Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany
| | - Jan Langbein
- Institute of Behavioural Physiology, Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), Dummerstorf, Germany
| | - Birger Puppe
- Institute of Behavioural Physiology, Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), Dummerstorf, Germany.,Behavioural Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany
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Royauté R, Berdal MA, Garrison CR, Dochtermann NA. Paceless life? A meta-analysis of the pace-of-life syndrome hypothesis. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-018-2472-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 120] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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22
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The number of neurons in specific amygdala regions is associated with boldness in mink: a study in animal personality. Brain Struct Funct 2018; 223:1989-1998. [PMID: 29318377 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-018-1606-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2017] [Accepted: 01/02/2018] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Conspecifics vary consistently in their behavioural responses towards environment stimuli such as exposure to novel objects; ethologists often refer to this variability as animal personality. The neurological mechanisms underlying animal personality traits remain largely unknown, but linking the individual variation in emotional expression to brain structural and neurochemical factors is attracting renewed interest. While considerable research has focused on hormonal and neurotransmitter effects on behavioural responses, less is known about how individual variation in the number of specific neuron populations contributes to individual variation in behaviour. The basolateral amygdala (BLA) and the central nuclei of the amygdala (CeA) mediate emotional processing by regulating behavioural responses of animals in a potentially threatening situation. As such, these structures are good candidates for evaluating the relationship between neuronal populations and behavioural traits. We now show that individual American mink (Neovison vison) reacting more boldly towards novelty have more neurons in the BLA than do their more timid conspecifics, suggesting that a developmental pattern of the number of amygdala neurons can influence behavioural traits of an adult animal. Furthermore, post hoc correlations revealed that individuals performing with higher arousal, as reflected by their frequency of startle behaviour, have more CeA neurons. Our results support a direct link between the number of neurons in amygdala regions and aspects of animal personality.
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Martin JS, Suarez SA. Personality assessment and model comparison with behavioral data: A statistical framework and empirical demonstration with bonobos (Pan paniscus
). Am J Primatol 2017; 79. [DOI: 10.1002/ajp.22670] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2016] [Revised: 02/08/2017] [Accepted: 03/24/2017] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jordan S. Martin
- Department of Anthropology; Emory University; Atlanta Georgia
- Department of Anthropology; Miami University; Oxford Ohio
- Department of Cognitive Biology; University of Vienna; Vienna Austria
| | - Scott A. Suarez
- Department of Anthropology; Miami University; Oxford Ohio
- Department of Behavioral Sciences; San Diego Mesa College; San Diego California
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25
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26
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Rodrigues AS, Botina L, Nascimento CP, Gontijo LM, Torres JB, Guedes RNC. Ontogenic behavioral consistency, individual variation and fitness consequences among lady beetles. Behav Processes 2016; 131:32-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2016.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2016] [Revised: 06/19/2016] [Accepted: 08/11/2016] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Uher J. Interpreting "Personality" Taxonomies: Why Previous Models Cannot Capture Individual-Specific Experiencing, Behaviour, Functioning and Development. Major Taxonomic Tasks Still Lay Ahead. Integr Psychol Behav Sci 2016; 49:600-55. [PMID: 25311311 DOI: 10.1007/s12124-014-9281-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
As science seeks to make generalisations, a science of individual peculiarities encounters intricate challenges. This article explores these challenges by applying the Transdisciplinary Philosophy-of-Science Paradigm for Research on Individuals (TPS-Paradigm) and by exploring taxonomic "personality" research as an example. Analyses of researchers' interpretations of the taxonomic "personality" models, constructs and data that have been generated in the field reveal widespread erroneous assumptions about the abilities of previous methodologies to appropriately represent individual-specificity in the targeted phenomena. These assumptions, rooted in everyday thinking, fail to consider that individual-specificity and others' minds cannot be directly perceived, that abstract descriptions cannot serve as causal explanations, that between-individual structures cannot be isomorphic to within-individual structures, and that knowledge of compositional structures cannot explain the process structures of their functioning and development. These erroneous assumptions and serious methodological deficiencies in widely used standardised questionnaires have effectively prevented psychologists from establishing taxonomies that can comprehensively model individual-specificity in most of the kinds of phenomena explored as "personality", especially in experiencing and behaviour and in individuals' functioning and development. Contrary to previous assumptions, it is not universal models but rather different kinds of taxonomic models that are required for each of the different kinds of phenomena, variations and structures that are commonly conceived of as "personality". Consequently, to comprehensively explore individual-specificity, researchers have to apply a portfolio of complementary methodologies and develop different kinds of taxonomies, most of which have yet to be developed. Closing, the article derives some meta-desiderata for future research on individuals' "personality".
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Affiliation(s)
- Jana Uher
- Department of Psychology, London School of Economics and Political Science, Houghton Street, London WC2A 2AE, United Kingdom. .,Comparative Differential and Personality Psychology, Free University Berlin, Habelschwerdter Allee 45, 14195, Berlin, Germany.
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28
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Uher J. Developing "Personality" Taxonomies: Metatheoretical and Methodological Rationales Underlying Selection Approaches, Methods of Data Generation and Reduction Principles. Integr Psychol Behav Sci 2016; 49:531-89. [PMID: 25249469 DOI: 10.1007/s12124-014-9280-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Taxonomic "personality" models are widely used in research and applied fields. This article applies the Transdisciplinary Philosophy-of-Science Paradigm for Research on Individuals (TPS-Paradigm) to scrutinise the three methodological steps that are required for developing comprehensive "personality" taxonomies: 1) the approaches used to select the phenomena and events to be studied, 2) the methods used to generate data about the selected phenomena and events and 3) the reduction principles used to extract the "most important" individual-specific variations for constructing "personality" taxonomies. Analyses of some currently popular taxonomies reveal frequent mismatches between the researchers' explicit and implicit metatheories about "personality" and the abilities of previous methodologies to capture the particular kinds of phenomena toward which they are targeted. Serious deficiencies that preclude scientific quantifications are identified in standardised questionnaires, psychology's established standard method of investigation. These mismatches and deficiencies derive from the lack of an explicit formulation and critical reflection on the philosophical and metatheoretical assumptions being made by scientists and from the established practice of radically matching the methodological tools to researchers' preconceived ideas and to pre-existing statistical theories rather than to the particular phenomena and individuals under study. These findings raise serious doubts about the ability of previous taxonomies to appropriately and comprehensively reflect the phenomena towards which they are targeted and the structures of individual-specificity occurring in them. The article elaborates and illustrates with empirical examples methodological principles that allow researchers to appropriately meet the metatheoretical requirements and that are suitable for comprehensively exploring individuals' "personality".
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Affiliation(s)
- Jana Uher
- Department of Psychology, London School of Economics and Political Science, Houghton Street, London WC2A 2AE, UK. .,Comparative Differential and Personality Psychology, Free University Berlin, Habelschwerdter Allee 45, 14195, Berlin, Germany.
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29
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Šlipogor V, Gunhold‐de Oliveira T, Tadić Z, Massen JJ, Bugnyar T. Consistent inter-individual differences in common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) in Boldness-Shyness, Stress-Activity, and Exploration-Avoidance. Am J Primatol 2016; 78:961-73. [PMID: 27286098 PMCID: PMC4996331 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.22566] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2015] [Revised: 05/19/2016] [Accepted: 05/19/2016] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The study of animal personality, defined as consistent inter-individual differences in correlated behavioral traits stable throughout time and/or contexts, has recently become one of the fastest growing areas in animal biology, with study species ranging from insects to non-human primates. The latter have, however, only occasionally been tested with standardized experiments. Instead their personality has usually been assessed using questionnaires. Therefore, this study aimed to test 21 common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) living in three family groups, in five different experiments, and their corresponding controls. We found that behavioral differences between our animals were not only consistent over time, but also across different contexts. Moreover, the consistent behaviors formed a construct of four major non-social personality components: Boldness-Shyness in Foraging, Boldness-Shyness in Predation, Stress-Activity, and Exploration-Avoidance. We found no sex or age differences in these components, but our results did reveal differences in Exploration-Avoidance between the three family groups. As social environment can have a large influence on behavior of individuals, our results may suggest group-level similarity in personality (i.e., "group personality") in common marmosets, a species living in highly cohesive social groups. Am. J. Primatol. 78:961-973, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vedrana Šlipogor
- Department of Cognitive BiologyUniversity of ViennaViennaAustria
- Division of BiologyUniversity of ZagrebZagrebCroatia
| | | | - Zoran Tadić
- Division of BiologyUniversity of ZagrebZagrebCroatia
| | - Jorg J.M. Massen
- Department of Cognitive BiologyUniversity of ViennaViennaAustria
| | - Thomas Bugnyar
- Department of Cognitive BiologyUniversity of ViennaViennaAustria
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30
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Rayment DJ, Peters RA, Marston LC, Groef BD. Investigating canine personality structure using owner questionnaires measuring pet dog behaviour and personality. Appl Anim Behav Sci 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2016.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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Uher J. Conceiving "personality": Psychologist's challenges and basic fundamentals of the Transdisciplinary Philosophy-of-Science Paradigm for Research on Individuals. Integr Psychol Behav Sci 2016; 49:398-458. [PMID: 25281293 DOI: 10.1007/s12124-014-9283-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Scientists exploring individuals, as such scientists are individuals themselves and thus not independent from their objects of research, encounter profound challenges; in particular, high risks for anthropo-, ethno- and ego-centric biases and various fallacies in reasoning. The Transdisciplinary Philosophy-of-Science Paradigm for Research on Individuals (TPS-Paradigm) aims to tackle these challenges by exploring and making explicit the philosophical presuppositions that are being made and the metatheories and methodologies that are used in the field. This article introduces basic fundamentals of the TPS-Paradigm including the epistemological principle of complementarity and metatheoretical concepts for exploring individuals as living organisms. Centrally, the TPS-Paradigm considers three metatheoretical properties (spatial location in relation to individuals' bodies, temporal extension, and physicality versus "non-physicality") that can be conceived in different forms for various kinds of phenomena explored in individuals (morphology, physiology, behaviour, the psyche, semiotic representations, artificially modified outer appearances and contexts). These properties, as they determine the phenomena's accessibility in everyday life and research, are used to elaborate philosophy-of-science foundations and to derive general methodological implications for the elementary problem of phenomenon-methodology matching and for scientific quantification of the various kinds of phenomena studied. On the basis of these foundations, the article explores the metatheories and methodologies that are used or needed to empirically study each given kind of phenomenon in individuals in general. Building on these general implications, the article derives special implications for exploring individuals' "personality", which the TPS-Paradigm conceives of as individual-specificity in all of the various kinds of phenomena studied in individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jana Uher
- Department of Psychology, London School of Economics and Political Science, Houghton Street, London, WC2A 2AE, UK,
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Observations versus assessments of personality: A five-method multi-species study reveals numerous biases in ratings and methodological limitations of standardised assessments. JOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN PERSONALITY 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jrp.2016.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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Uher J. What is Behaviour? And (when) is Language Behaviour? A Metatheoretical Definition. JOURNAL FOR THE THEORY OF SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/jtsb.12104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jana Uher
- The London School of Economics and Political Science; Department of Social Psychology; Houghton Street WC2A 2AE London United Kingdom
- Free University Berlin; Comparative Differential and Personality Psychology; Germany
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Mella VSA, Krucler J, Sunderasan L, Hawkins J, Herath APHM, Johnstone KC, Troxell-Smith SM, Banks PB, McArthur C. Effective field-based methods to quantify personality in brushtail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula). WILDLIFE RESEARCH 2016. [DOI: 10.1071/wr15216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Context
There is growing recognition of the importance of animal personality in wildlife ecology and management. Individuals that differ consistently in their behaviours from others of the same population are considered to exhibit different personalities. Personality can be easily quantified with repeat tests on animals held in captivity. However, captive-based tests may not always be possible for logistical reasons and tests conducted in captivity can alter naturally occurring behaviours. Development of methods to assess personality in the field over short-term capture is an important alternative to long-term captive tests.
Aims
To develop and refine field-based tests that can be used to easily define personality traits of wild common brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula), eliminating the need to bring individuals into captivity for an extended period of time.
Methods
We developed a series of short-term capture protocols to quantify personality traits of the common brushtail possum in the field, using handling-bag tests, modified open-field tests, trap-behaviour tests and release tests.
Key results
Personality traits of brushtail possums could be measured in several different ways, but refining methods was crucial to reveal traits efficiently. Behaviours related to several personality traits (boldness, docility and activity/exploration) could be measured rapidly in the field with our methods, and were repeatable over time.
Conclusions
Rapid, reliable and easy-to-perform quantification of personality of brushtail possums in the field is possible. This may sometimes be the only available option, and has advantages over long captive trials in terms of animal welfare and cost.
Implications
The present study provides a baseline for future research on the personality of common brushtail possums and its application to management and control strategies for the species.
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MacKay JRD, Haskell MJ. Consistent Individual Behavioral Variation: The Difference between Temperament, Personality and Behavioral Syndromes. Animals (Basel) 2015; 5:455-78. [PMID: 26479368 PMCID: PMC4598688 DOI: 10.3390/ani5030366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2015] [Revised: 06/04/2015] [Accepted: 06/17/2015] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary The interchangeable usage of the words “personality”, “temperament” and “behavioral syndromes” in animal behavior research has often led to confusion. In this paper, we devise a framework for describing the behavioral phenomenon, betweenindividual/between-population variation, and between/across context variation. This framework can be used to give unique definitions of the three terms, supported by previous literature, giving clarity moving forward in the field of animal behavior. Abstract Ethologists use a variety of terminology such as “personality”, “temperament” and “behavioral syndromes” almost interchangeably to discuss the phenomenon of individuals within a population of animals consistently varying from one another in their behavioral responses to stimuli. This interchangeable usage of terminology has contributed to confusion within the field of animal behavior and limits the study of the phenomenon. Here we use a rapid, non-exhaustive and repeatable search strategy literature review to investigate where there were unique distinctions between these three terms and where there was an overlap in their usage. We identified three main areas of confusion in terminology: historical usage which is not updated; a lack of precision between different fields of study; and a lack of precision between different levels of variation. We propose a framework with which to understand and define the terms based on the levels of variation ethologists are interested in. Consistent individual animal behavioral variation relates to the different structures of variation of between-individual/between-population and between and across contexts. By formalizing this framework we provide clarity between the three terms which can be easily defined and understood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jill R D MacKay
- Scotland's Rural College, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JGF, UK.
| | - Marie J Haskell
- Scotland's Rural College, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JGF, UK.
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Baker KR, Lea SEG, Melfi VA. Comparative Personality Assessment of Three Captive Primate Species: Macaca nigra, Macaca sylvanus, and Saimiri sciureus. INT J PRIMATOL 2015. [DOI: 10.1007/s10764-015-9843-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
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Fisher DN, James A, Rodríguez-Muñoz R, Tregenza T. Behaviour in captivity predicts some aspects of natural behaviour, but not others, in a wild cricket population. Proc Biol Sci 2015; 282:20150708. [PMID: 26019161 PMCID: PMC4590455 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2015.0708] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2015] [Accepted: 04/27/2015] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Examining the relevance of 'animal personality' involves linking consistent among- and within-individual behavioural variation to fitness in the wild. Studies aiming to do this typically assay personality in captivity and rely on the assumption that measures of traits in the laboratory reflect their expression in nature. We examined this rarely tested assumption by comparing laboratory and field measurements of the behaviour of wild field crickets (Gryllus campestris) by continuously monitoring individual behaviour in nature, and repeatedly capturing the same individuals and measuring their behaviour in captivity. We focused on three traits that are frequently examined in personality studies: shyness, activity and exploration. All of them showed repeatability in the laboratory. Laboratory activity and exploration predicted the expression of their equivalent behaviours in the wild, but shyness did not. Traits in the wild were predictably influenced by environmental factors such as temperature and sunlight, but only activity showed appreciable within-individual repeatability. This suggests that some behaviours typically studied as personality traits can be accurately assayed in captivity, but the expression of others may be highly context-specific. Our results highlight the importance of validating the relevance of laboratory behavioural assays to analogous traits measured in the wild.
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Affiliation(s)
- David N Fisher
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn TR10 9FE, UK
| | - Adèle James
- UFR Sciences et Techniques, Université François Rabelais, Parc Grandmont, Tours 37200, France
| | - Rolando Rodríguez-Muñoz
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn TR10 9FE, UK
| | - Tom Tregenza
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn TR10 9FE, UK
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Context Matters: Multiple Novelty Tests Reveal Different Aspects of Shyness-Boldness in Farmed American Mink (Neovison vison). PLoS One 2015; 10:e0130474. [PMID: 26087277 PMCID: PMC4472346 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0130474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2015] [Accepted: 05/20/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Animal personality research is receiving increasing interest from related fields, such as evolutionary personality psychology. By merging the conceptual understanding of personality, the contributions to both fields of research may be enhanced. In this study, we investigate animal personality based on the definition of personality traits as underlying dispositional factors, which are not directly measurable, but which predispose individuals to react through different behavioural patterns. We investigated the shyness-boldness continuum reflected in the consistency of inter-individual variation in behavioural responses towards novelty in 47 farmed American mink (Neovison vison), which were raised in identical housing conditions. Different stages of approach behaviour towards novelty, and how these related within and across contexts, were explored. Our experimental design contained four tests: two novel object tests (non-social contexts) and two novel animated stimuli tests (social contexts). Our results showed consistency in shyness measures across multiple tests, indicating the existence of personality in farmed American mink. It was found that consistency in shyness measures differs across non-social and social contexts, as well as across the various stages in the approach towards novel objects, revealing that different aspects of shyness exist in the farmed American mink. To our knowledge this is the first study to reveal aspects of the shyness-boldness continuum in the American mink. Since the mink were raised in identical housing conditions, inherited factors may have been important in shaping the consistent inter-individual variation. Body weight and sex had no effect on the personality of the mink. Altogether, our results suggest that the shyness-boldness continuum cannot be explained by a simple underlying dispositional factor, but instead encompasses a broader term of hesitating behaviour that might comprise several different personality traits.
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Yokoyama C, Onoe H. Positron emission tomography imaging of the social brain of common marmosets. Neurosci Res 2015; 93:82-90. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neures.2014.12.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2014] [Revised: 12/08/2014] [Accepted: 12/11/2014] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
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Rayment DJ, De Groef B, Peters RA, Marston LC. Applied personality assessment in domestic dogs: Limitations and caveats. Appl Anim Behav Sci 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2014.11.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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Hudson R, Rangassamy M, Saldaña A, Bánszegi O, Rödel HG. Stable individual differences in separation calls during early development in cats and mice. Front Zool 2015; 12 Suppl 1:S12. [PMID: 26816512 PMCID: PMC4722366 DOI: 10.1186/1742-9994-12-s1-s12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The development of ethologically meaningful test paradigms in young animals is an essential step in the study of the ontogeny of animal personality. Here we explore the possibility to integrate offspring separation (distress) calls into the study of consistent individual differences in behaviour in two species of mammals, the domestic cat (Felis silvestris catus) and the mound-building mouse (Mus spicilegus). Such vocal responses in young mammals are a potentially useful test option as they represent an important element of mother-offspring communication with strong implications for offspring survival. In addition, the neural control of vocalisation is closely associated with emotional state. Results We found marked similarities in the pattern of individual responses of the young of both species to separation from their mother and littermates. In the domestic cat as well as in the mound-building mouse, individual differences in the frequency of calls and to a lesser extent in locomotor activity were repeatable across age, indicating the existence of personality types. Such consistencies across age were also apparent when only considering relative individual differences among litter siblings. In both species, however, individual patterns of vocalisation and locomotor activity were unrelated. This suggests that these two forms of behavioural responses to isolation represent different domains of personality, presumably based on different underlying neurophysiological mechanisms. Conclusions Brief separation experiments in young mammals, and particularly the measurement of separation calls, provide a promising approach to study the ontogeny of personality traits. Future long-term studies are needed to investigate the association of these traits with biologically meaningful and potentially repeatable elements of behaviour during later life.
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Fundamental challenges of contemporary “personality” research: comment on “personality from a cognitive-biological perspective” by Y.Neuman. Phys Life Rev 2014; 11:695-6. [PMID: 25454031 DOI: 10.1016/j.plrev.2014.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2014] [Accepted: 10/15/2014] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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Neuman Y. Personality from a cognitive-biological perspective. Phys Life Rev 2014; 11:650-86. [DOI: 10.1016/j.plrev.2014.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2014] [Accepted: 09/19/2014] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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Dochtermann NA, Nelson AB. Multiple Facets of Exploratory Behavior in House Crickets (Acheta domesticus): Split Personalities or Simply Different Behaviors? Ethology 2014. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Ned A. Dochtermann
- Department of Biological Sciences; North Dakota State University; Fargo ND USA
| | - Andrew B. Nelson
- Department of Biological Sciences; North Dakota State University; Fargo ND USA
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Andersson A, Laikre L, Bergvall UA. Two shades of boldness: novel object and anti-predator behavior reflect different personality dimensions in domestic rabbits. J ETHOL 2014. [DOI: 10.1007/s10164-014-0401-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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Fear responses to novelty in testing environments are related to day-to-day activity in the home environment in dairy cattle. Appl Anim Behav Sci 2014. [DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2013.12.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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Uher J, Werner CS, Gosselt K. From observations of individual behaviour to social representations of personality: Developmental pathways, attribution biases, and limitations of questionnaire methods. JOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN PERSONALITY 2013. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jrp.2013.03.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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