Effect Of Group Size Research Articles

On how risk and group size interact to influence vigilance.

Vigilance allows animals to monitor their surroundings for signs of danger associated with predators or rivals. As vigilance is costly, models predict that it should increase when the risk posed by predators or rivals increases. In addition, vigilance is expected to decrease in larger groups that provide more safety against predators. Risk and group size are thus two key determinants of vigilance. Together, they could have additive or interactive effects. If risk and group size interacted, the magnitude of the group-size effect on vigilance would vary depending on the level of risk experienced, implying that the benefits of sociality in terms of vigilance vary with risk. Depending on the model, vigilance is predicted to decrease more rapidly with group size at low risk or at high risk. Little work has focused directly on the interaction between risk and group size, making it difficult to understand under which conditions particular interactive effects arise and whether interactive effects are common in natural systems. I review the vast literature on vigilance in birds and mammals to assess whether interactive effects between risk and group size are common, and if present, which pattern occurs more frequently. In studies involving predation risk, the greatest proportion reported no statistically significant interactive effects. In other cases, vigilance decreased with group size more rapidly at low or high risk in a similar proportion of studies. In studies involving risk posed by rivals (social risk), most documented a more rapid decrease in vigilance with group size at low than at high risk, as predicted if the need to monitor rivals increases in larger groups. Low statistical power to detect interactive effects might have been an issue in several studies. The absence of interactive effects, on the other hand, might suggest constraints or limits on the ability of animals to adjust vigilance to current risk or group sizes. Interactive effects on vigilance have implications for the evolution of sociality and for our understanding of the phenotypic plasticity of predator- and competitor-induced defences and deserve more attention in future studies.

Communication and Group Cognitive Complexity

This study explores the effects of group size, group composition, and group argument frequency on group cognitive complexity (GCC). We evaluated a sample of 509 students organized into 106 groups who participated in a group cognitive mapping activity. As hypothesized, we found that group argumentation has an inverted U-shaped association with GCC. Group member familiarity did not moderate this relationship. We also found that task-related arguments mediate the relationships between group size and gender diversity on one hand, and GCC, on the other. Moreover, we found that optimal group-level cognitive benefits were observed in group discussions in which the ratio between task-related and nontask-related group arguments was 3 to 1. The discussion focuses on the practical and theoretical implications of these findings.

Experimental Evidence on Cooperation, Political Affiliation, and Group Size

The main objective of this paper is to strengthen the knowledge about the relationship between cooperation and political affiliation. For this purpose, I carry out an incentivized N-person prisoner’s dilemma experiment. I find that left-wing voters cooperate more than right-wing voters in 3-person prisoner’s dilemmas. However, this difference in cooperation tapers off with group size due to a heterogeneous response to larger decision groups. While leftists cooperate less as the group size increases, I find no significant group size effect for rightists. These findings can partly be explained by differences in beliefs about the cooperativeness of others, but a substantial part remains unexplained.

Silent minority? Willingness to express opinions of motivated public depending on the perceived group size in the context of GM food controversy

Using 2010 dataset from Investigation of Consumers’ Risk Perception on Novel Foods on the issue of genetically modified (GM) foods in South Korea, the study explores the roles of situational motivation and perceived opinion climate on willingness to express an opinion in the context of the spiral of silence and group size effect hypothesis. The study analyzed the data using PROCESS moderation model. Findings provided that individuals are more willing to express their opinion when they have stronger situational motivation. However, this effect was moderated by perceived opinion climate such that those who perceive a less favorable opinion climate to their position are more willing to express their opinion than those who perceive a more favorable opinion climate as they have stronger situational motivation. Implications of the findings are discussed in detail.

Two to Tango or the More the Merrier? A Randomized Controlled Trial of the Effects of Group Size in Aphasia Conversation Treatment on Standardized Tests.

Purpose Group conversation treatment has the potential to improve communication and reduce social isolation for people with aphasia. This project examined how 2 conflicting hypotheses-treatment dosage and group dynamics-affect treatment outcomes. Method Forty-eight participants with chronic aphasia were randomly assigned to either a dyad, a large group, or a delayed control group. Conversation group treatment was provided for an hour, twice per week, for 10 weeks. Individual goals were developed by each participant and addressed in the context of thematically oriented conversation treatment. Standardized testing across language domains was completed pretreatment (Time 1), posttreatment (Time 2), at a 6-week maintenance point (Time 3), and at 11-month follow-up for the experimental groups. Results Treatment groups showed greater changes on standardized measures than the control group posttreatment. Dyads showed the most changes on measures of language impairment, whereas changes on the self-reported functional communication measure (Aphasia Communication Outcome Measure) and connected speech task only showed significant changes in the large group. Conclusions This randomized controlled trial on conversation treatment indicated that both treatment groups-but not the delayed control group-showed significant changes on standardized tests. Hence, conversation treatment is associated with changes in measures of language impairment and quality of life. Dyads showed the most changes on measures of language impairment, whereas changes on the functional communication measure (Aphasia Communication Outcome Measure) and discourse production only showed significant changes in the large group. Thus, group size may be associated with effects on different types of outcome measures.

Dynamics of social groups’ decision-making in evacuations

The possible presence of social groups amongst occupants in indoor evacuation scenarios and the potential discrepancies between their behaviour and that of single individuals have been acknowledged in the evacuation dynamics literature. Yet, empirical studies on the behavioural characteristics of social-group evacuees, particularly those related to their decision-making mechanism, are relatively underrepresented. This study reports on a lab-in-the-field experiment of evacuations that investigates the effect of group size and stress level on multiple aspects of groups’ behaviour. These aspects include pre-movement time, decision time (i.e. time taken to reach a directional exit decision), exit-choice behaviour, exit-choice changing and intra-group decision dynamics. Our main findings showed that:(I)Group size had a significant effect on pre-movement times and decision times (and to lesser extent, on evacuation times). People took longer to initiate their movement or to make a directional exit decision when in groups compared to when acting alone. The influence of group size on pre-movement and decision times, however, was not monotonic. For smaller group sizes (sizes 2 and 3), pre-movement and decision times increased with the group size. But for the larger group size (size 4), the effect was reversed.(II)The exit-choice mechanism of groups, overall, showed a great degree of similarity to that of single individuals. This suggests that, from a modelling perspective, the directional exit choices of groups could be approximated with the models obtained from datasets of individually-made choices.(III)Groups were more likely to revisit and change their initial exit decisions under the higher level of stress. In addition, social influence was a major factor in triggering changes in the exit choices of groups. Nearly 50% of the changes in group decisions occurred shortly after another neighbour group changed its exit decision. In other words, instances of group decision-changing was often followed by another group taking a similar action.(IV)As to the within-group dynamics of decision-making, our analyses suggested that, regardless of the group size, leadership was the dominant group decision-making mechanism (compared to the consensus or the conform-to-majority mechanisms). In nearly 50% of the cases, group decisions were made by one individual taking the lead and hinting the direction of the movement to other members of the group.

Yes, I’ll do it: A large-scale experiment on the volunteer’s dilemma

This research investigates the effects of the group size and the magnitude of the volunteering cost in a controlled large-scale laboratory experiment, where subjects play the volunteer’s dilemma only once. The experiment varies group sizes ranging from groups of 3 to about 100, and 2 different cost/benefit ratios. Results show that high cost reduces volunteering probability only in the smallest groups, but not for other group sizes. Furthermore, I find non-monotonic group size effect on the individual volunteering decisions. These findings are compared to the predictions produced by symmetric mixed-strategy Nash equilibrium, procedural rationality and quantal response equilibrium.

Tail-flashing as an anti-predator signal in small wintering birds

Prey species use pursuit-deterrent signals to discourage an attack, by informing a predator either that the latter has been detected, or that the prey is capable of escaping if attacked. These signals tend to be conspicuous behaviors, such as bobbing, stotting, and predator inspection. Dark-eyed juncos (Junco hyemalis) show prominent tail-flashing in social displays during the breeding season, but they continue to tail-flash in winter. We examined whether such tail-flashing functions as a pursuit-deterrent signal by measuring tail-flashing rates in the presence and absence of a taxidermically mounted hawk predator. Our results showed that juncos tail-flash more in the presence of the predator and at higher rates when in direct view of the predator. This suggests that tail-flashing is directed to the predator as a pursuit-deterrent signal. Additionally, juncos reduced tail-flashing when feeding far from cover (low escape probability), suggesting that tail-flashing likely has an attraction cost. We also found a marked group size effect with solitary juncos tail-flashing more than those in large groups, indicating an additional cost to tail-flashing that need not be paid in larger groups. This additional cost is not related to food intake, since we found no negative association between food intake and tail-flashing. We observed tail-flashing in other sparrow species co-occurring with juncos at the study site, suggesting that tail-flashing as a pursuit-deterrent behavior may be widespread in this taxonomic group of birds. Many animals, and especially birds, use tail movements as a signal in various contexts. Dark-eyed juncos make extensive use of tail-flashing as a breeding signal, but they continue to tail-flash during the winter. Our experiment provides evidence that such tail-flashing serves as a pursuit-deterrent signal, a function previously not examined in these birds. Juncos tail-flashed more in the presence of a visible predator, suggesting that the signal is directed towards the predator. Tail-flashing was maximal when close to cover, indicating that tail-flashing incurs a cost of attracting predator attention. A negative relationship between flock size and tail-flashing suggests an additional cost to this behavior, which we demonstrate is not related to food intake rate. We suspect that tail-flashing functions more widely as a pursuit-deterrent signal in the broad phylogenetic group of emberizid sparrows.

Contagious fear: Escape behavior increases with flock size in European gregarious birds.

Flight initiation distance (FID), the distance at which individuals take flight when approached by a potential (human) predator, is a tool for understanding predator–prey interactions. Among the factors affecting FID, tests of effects of group size (i.e., number of potential prey) on FID have yielded contrasting results. Group size or flock size could either affect FID negatively (i.e., the dilution effect caused by the presence of many individuals) or positively (i.e., increased vigilance due to more eyes scanning for predators). These effects may be associated with gregarious species, because such species should be better adapted to exploiting information from other individuals in the group than nongregarious species. Sociality may explain why earlier findings on group size versus FID have yielded different conclusions. Here, we analyzed how flock size affected bird FID in eight European countries. A phylogenetic generalized least square regression model was used to investigate changes in escape behavior of bird species in relation to number of individuals in the flock, starting distance, diet, latitude, and type of habitat. Flock size of different bird species influenced how species responded to perceived threats. We found that gregarious birds reacted to a potential predator earlier (longer FID) when aggregated in large flocks. These results support a higher vigilance arising from many eyes scanning in birds, suggesting that sociality may be a key factor in the evolution of antipredator behavior both in urban and rural areas. Finally, future studies comparing FID must pay explicit attention to the number of individuals in flocks of gregarious species.

Effects of group size and group density on trade‐offs in resource selection by a group‐territorial central‐place foraging woodpecker

Trade‐offs in resource selection by central‐place foragers are driven by the need to balance the benefits of selecting resources against the costs of travel from the central place. For group‐territorial central‐place foraging birds, trade‐offs in resource selection are likely to be complicated by a competitive advantage for larger groups at high group density that may limit accessibility of high‐quality distant resources to small groups. We used the group‐territorial, central‐place foraging Red‐cockaded Woodpecker Leuconotopicus borealis (RCW) as a case study to test predictions that increases in group density lead to differences in foraging distances and resource selection for groups of different sizes. We used GPS tracking and LiDAR‐derived habitat data to model effects of group size on foraging distances and selection for high‐quality pines (≥ 35.6 cm diameter at breast height (dbh)) and lower quality pines (25.4–35.6 cm dbh) by RCW groups across low (n = 14), moderate (n = 10) and high group density (n = 10) conditions. At low and moderate group density, all RCW groups selected distant high‐quality pines in addition to those near the central place because competition for resources was low. In contrast, at high group density, larger groups travelled further to select high‐quality pines, whereas smaller groups selected high‐quality pines only when they were close to the central place and, conversely, were more likely to select lower quality pines at greater distances from the central place. Selection for high‐quality pines only when close to the cavity tree cluster at high group density is important to long‐term fitness of small RCW groups because it allows them to maximize benefits from both territorial defence and selecting high‐quality resources while minimizing costs of competition. These relationships suggest that intraspecific competition at high group density entails substantive costs to smaller groups of territorial central‐place foragers by limiting accessibility of distant high‐quality foraging resources.

Group size effects and critical mass in public goods games

Understanding whether the size of the interacting group has an effect on cooperative behavior has been a major topic of debate since the seminal works on cooperation in the 1960s. Half a century later, scholars have yet to reach a consensus, with some arguing that cooperation is harder in larger groups, while others that cooperation is easier in larger groups, and yet others that cooperation attains its maximum in intermediate size groups. Here we add to this field of work by reporting a two-treatment empirical study where subjects play a Public Goods Game with a Critical Mass, such that the return for full cooperation increases linearly for early contributions and then stabilizes after a critical mass is reached (the two treatments differ only on the critical mass). We choose this game for two reasons: it has been argued that it approximates real-life social dilemmas; previous work suggests that, in this case, group size might have an inverted-U effect on cooperation, where the pick of cooperation is reached around the critical mass. Our main innovation with respect to previous experiments is that we implement a within-subject design, such that the same subject plays in groups of different size (from 5 to 40 subjects). Groups are formed at random at every round and there is no feedback. This allows us to explore if and how subjects change their choice as a function of the size of the group. We report three main results, which partially contrast what has been suggested by previous work: in our setting (i) the critical mass has no effect on cooperation; (ii) group size has a positive effect on cooperation; (iii) the most chosen option (played by about 50% of the subjects) is All Defection, followed by All Cooperation (about 10% of the subjects), whereas the rest have a slight trend to switch preferentially from defection to cooperation as the group size increases.

Number of neighbors instead of group size significantly affects individual vigilance levels in large animal aggregations

The group size effect states that animals living in groups gain anti‐predator benefits through reducing vigilance levels as group size increases. A basic assumption of group size effect is that all individuals are equally important for a focal individual, who may adjust its vigilance levels according to social information acquired from them. However, some studies have indicated that neighbors pose greater influences on an individual's vigilance decisions than other group members, especially in large aggregations. Vigilance has also been found to be directed to both predators (anti‐predation vigilance) and conspecifics (social vigilance). Central individuals might rely more on social vigilance than peripheral individuals. To test these hypotheses, we examined the effects of flock size, number of neighbors and position within a flock on vigilance and competition of greater white‐fronted goose Anser albifrons that form large foraging flocks in winter, controlling the effects of other variables (group identity, winter period and site). We found that individual vigilance levels were significantly affected by number of neighbors and position within a flock, whereas flock size showed no effect. Individuals devoted a large component of vigilance to nearby flock mates. Central individuals directed a relatively larger proportion of vigilance to monitor neighbors than peripheral ones, indicating that central individuals more relied on social information acquired from neighbors, possibly caused by the more blocked visual field of central individuals. Moreover, some social vigilance may function as conducting or preventing agonistic interactions since competition intensity was positively correlated with number of neighbors. Our study therefore demonstrate that the number of neighbors is more important than group size in determining individual vigilance in large animal groups. Further studies are still needed to unravel which neighbors pose greater influence on individual vigilance, and the factors that influence individuals to acquire information from their neighbors to adjust vigilance behaviors.

Does donor group size matter? The response of guppies (Poecilia reticulata) and convict cichlids (Amatitlania nigrofasciata) to disturbance cues from conspecific and heterospecific donors

Prey are under immense pressure to make context-specific, behavioural decisions. Prey use public information to reduce the costs associated with making inappropriate decisions. Chemical cues are commonly used by aquatic vertebrates to assess local threats and facilitate behavioural decision making. Previous studies on chemosensory assessment of risk have largely focused on damage-released alarm cues, with the cues released by disturbed or stressed prey (i.e., disturbance cues) receiving less attention. Disturbance cues are “early-warning signals” common among aquatic vertebrates that may warn conspecific and heterospecific prey guild members of potential risk. Initially, we conducted a series of laboratory studies to determine (i) if guppies (Poecilia reticulata Peters, 1859) produce and respond to disturbance cues and (ii) if relative concentration (donor group size) determines response intensity. Secondly, we examined if guppies and convict cichlids (Amatitlania nigrofasciata (Günther, 1867)) show similar response patterns to their own vs. heterospecific disturbance cues. Our results suggest that guppies exhibit increased predator avoidance behaviour to conspecific disturbance cues (relative to water from undisturbed conspecifics) and increased donor group size lead to stronger antipredator responses. However, although guppies and cichlids respond to each other’s disturbance cues, we found no effect of donor group size towards heterospecific disturbance cues. Our results suggest that disturbance cues are not generalized cues and present a degree of species-specificity.

The effects of weather, group size and type of nest on the timing of egg-laying in the Southern Ground-hornbill Bucorvus leadbeateri

The timing of breeding in birds has important consequences if food availability varies seasonally. Optimal timing of the most energetically demanding stages of breeding to coincide with peaks in food availability can increase breeding success. Early breeding may be challenging for females producing eggs, but generally birds initiating egg-laying early in the breeding season are more likely to succeed. Initiating egg-laying later may be less costly to females, but raising offspring after the peak in food availability becomes challenging. Balancing these costs and benefits is important for the cooperative breeding Southern Ground-hornbill Bucorvus leadbeateri (hereafter ‘Ground-hornbill’), which typically produces only a single clutch of two eggs and fledges a single chick per breeding season. A previous study found that Ground-hornbill groups that lay early in the breeding season are more likely to fledge a chick than later-breeding groups. We investigated factors associated with the timing of breeding such as group size, the type of nest used, rainfall and temperature in a study site supplemented with nest boxes. Ground-hornbills laid eggs from 9 September to 14 November and the average number of days between the first and the last laying date in a season was 48 ± 32 days (range 10–101 days). Larger groups, particularly those using natural nests compared to those using nest boxes, laid later than smaller groups. Egg-laying was delayed under hot, dry spring conditions and laying dates were earlier following above-average spring rainfall.

The Interplay Between Economic Status and Attractiveness, and the Importance of Attire in Mate Choice Judgments.

Desirable characteristics of “opposite sex others,” such as physical attractiveness and economic status, can influence how individuals are judged, and this is different for men and women. However, under various social contexts where cues of higher or lower economic status is suggested, sex differences in judgments related to mate choice have not been fully explored. In two studies, ratings of economic status and attractiveness were quantified for male and female targets that were presented under various social contexts. Study 1 assessed judgments (n = 1,359) of images of nine male and nine female targets in different sized groups containing only opposite-sex others (i.e., group size). While we found no significant effects of group size on male and female attractiveness, target female economic status increased when surrounded by two or more men. An ad hoc analysis controlling for the attire of the targets (business or casual) found that the association between target female economic status and group size occurred when females were in business attire. Study 2 investigates this effect further by presenting images of 12 males and 12 females, in higher and lower status attire (i.e., business and casual clothing) and measured judgments of attractiveness and economic status among women and men (n = 1,038). Consistent with the results of Study 1, female economic status was only affected when women were in business attire. However, female economic status decreased when in the presence of other men in business attire. There were no sex differences in judgments of economic status when judging stimuli in casual attire. Additionally, negative associations between attractiveness and economic status were found for males presented in casual attire. We discuss these results in the light of evolutionary sexual conflict theory by demonstrating how the asymmetrical importance of status between men and women can influence mate choice judgments.

The influence of socio-demographic similarity and difference on adequate attendance of group psychoeducational cognitive behavioural therapy

Aim: The study aimed to investigate the impact of socio-demographic similarity on the probability of attending an adequate dose of a psychoeducational group intervention (≥4 of 6 sessions). Method: The sample comprised 2071 patients (63% female, 93% White, 15% unemployed, mean age 43) who received the Stress Control intervention in the UK’s national Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme. Similarity indices were constructed to measure each patient’s similarity to the rest of their group on four characteristics: age, gender, ethnicity, and neighbourhood deprivation (Index of Multiple Deprivation; IMD). Results: Multilevel analysis found that patients with greater IMD similarity to their group had significantly higher probabilities of attending an adequate dose of intervention (p = .026, controlling for absolute IMD). A cumulative effect of age similarity, ethnic similarity, and group size was also found, such that patients who were similar in age and ethnicity to their group had higher probabilities of adequate attendance in larger groups (p = .006). Conclusions: These results suggest that socio-demographic comparison (a.k.a. relational demography) may consciously or unconsciously impact on patients’ attendance at group psychoeducational interventions, particularly regarding indicators of socio-economic similarity. Clinical implications include structuring group composition and/or intervention content to maximise attendance and therefore clinical effectiveness.

حجم المجموعات فی جولات النقاش الإلکترونیة متعددة المستویات وأثره فی تنمیة مستویات الفهم العمیق والحضور المعرفی لدى طلاب الدراسات العلیا THE SIZE OF GROUPS IN MULTI-LEVELS E- DISCUSSION ROUNDS (EXPANDING GROUP SIZE / REDUCING GROUP SIZE ) AND ITS EFFECT ON DEVELOPING DEEP UNDERSTANDING AND COGNITIVE PRESENCE OF GRADUATE STUDENTS

استهدف البحث الحالي تحديد تأثير حجم المجموعات ( توسيع حجم المجموعة/ تقليص حجم المجموعة) في جولات النقاش الإلکترونية في تنمية الفهم العميق والحضور المعرفي لدي طلاب الدراسات العليا. تم استخدام المنهج شبه التجريبي للمقارنة بين المجموعتين التجريبيتين، ووفقا للتصميم التجريبي للبحث تعرضت المجموعة التجريبية الأولى لبيئة المناقشة الإلکترونية بنمط توسيع حجم المجموعة مع کل دورة نقاش، بينما تعرضت المجموعة التجريبية الثانية لبيئة المناقشة الإلکترونية بنمط تقليص حجم المجموعة مع کل دورة نقاش. تکونت عينة البحث من (16) طالبا من طلاب الماجستير في تقنيات التعليم بکلية الدراسات العليا التربوية بجامعة الملک عبد العزيز، تم توزيعها عشوائيا على مجموعتي البحث. کما تم تطوير أداتين تمثلتا في اختبار للفهم العميق، ومقياس للحضور المعرفي. وأظهرت النتائج وجود فروق دالة إحصائيا لصالح المجموعة التجريبية الأولى التي تعرضت لبيئة المناقشة الإلکترونية بنمط توسيع حجم المجموعة في کل من الفهم العميق والحضور المعرفي. وأوصى البحث بأهمية التنوع في تصميم بيئات النقاش النوعية والانطلاق خارج دوائر تثبيت حجم مجموعات المناقشة فيما يتعلق بتوزيع الأفراد في بيئات النقاش الإلکترونية مع وضع معايير وآليات لهذه التصميمات کي تسهم في تحسين مخرجات جولات النقاش. This study aimed to identify the effect of group size (expanding group size / reducing group size) in Multi-Levels E- discussion rounds and its effect on developing deep understanding and cognitive presence of graduate students. A quasi-experimental approach was used to compare the two experimental groups, and according to the study experimental design, the first experimental group was exposed to the E- discussion environment with the group size expansion pattern with each discussion round, while the experimental group was exposed to the E- discussion environment with the pattern of reducing the group size with each discussion round. The research sample consisted of (16) Graduate student in educational techniques at the Faculty of Educational graduate Studies at King Abdulaziz University, randomly distributed to the two research groups. Two tools were developed: a deep understanding test and a measure of cognitive presence. The results showed that there were statistically significant differences in favor of the first experimental group that was exposed to the E discussion environment with the pattern of expanding group size in both deep understanding and cognitive presence. The research recommended the importance of diversity in designing discussion environments, going outside the circles of fixing group size, and devising qualitative methods regarding the distribution of individuals in electronic discussion environments, while setting standards and mechanisms for these designs in order to contribute to improving the outcomes of the discussion rounds

Collaborative learning in economics: Do group characteristics matter?

While the positive impacts of collaborative learning are well recognized, relatively little is known about how group characteristics (e.g., group size and composition) affect learning outcomes. Consequently, this article explores how group characteristics affect learning. We leverage a random assignment of students into groups of predetermined sizes to explore the effect of group size on learning outcomes in an undergraduate economics class. Though confirming the benefits of collaborative learning, our results indicate smaller group sizes (i.e., groups of about 5 or 6 members) are preferred to enhance learning, in our study context. We also find group learning effects tend to be limited for students with cultural and/or language barriers that limit participation. This is an important consideration for many US institutions with increasing enrollments of international students, particularly from Asian countries.

Competition for Status Creates Superstars: an Experiment on Public Good Provision and Network Formation

AbstractWe investigate a mechanism that facilitates the provision of public goods in a network formation game. We show how competition for status encourages a core player to realize efficiency gains for the entire group. In a laboratory experiment we systematically examine the effects of group size and exogenously monetarized status rents. The experimental results provide very clear support for the concept of challenge-freeness, a refinement that predicts when a repeated game equilibrium will be played, and if so which one. Two control treatments allow us to reject the possibility that these observations are driven by social preferences, independently of the competition for status.

Behaviour of domesticrabbits during 2weeks after weaning.

Thirty three rabbits from five litters that were weaned at the age of 5 weeks were observed. The animals were kept in pens that were enriched with an elevation made of bricks. In total, 150 h of observations made at feeding time (07:30–10:00 and 18:00–20:30 LT, local time) were analysed. A number of affiliative, exploratory, comfort, eating, resting and locomotor behaviours were observed. Agonistic behaviour was not observed. Rabbits showed companion and location preferences: 56 % of animals had a preferred companion, and 84 % preferred a particular place in the pen. Significant effects of group size and time of day on the frequency of some forms of behaviour were found, e.g. rabbits performed comfort behaviours more often in the morning. Sex did not influence the rabbits' behaviour. Correlations were also found between different forms of behaviour, e.g. animals that performed more exploratory behaviours also showed more locomotor behaviours and affiliative interactions.