Influence Of Group Size Research Articles

Diurnal activity and resting time allocation of the West African giraffe in an agropastoral human-dominated landscape

Resting is an integral component of animal behavior, contributing to one’s fitness through careful optimization strategies. In large herbivores, resting periods are driven by availability of food, presence of predators, and thermoregulation. A combination of these drivers leads to high variability in resting behaviors and their time allocation throughout the day. However, these drivers are rarely evaluated in the wild. Megaherbivores, including giraffe (Giraffa spp.), adopt social resting strategies, which enable them to optimize the cost–benefit ratio, with rest and vigilance varying with group size and composition. We investigated resting behavior of the West African giraffe (G. camelopardalis peralta) living in a human-populated landscape dominated by agropastoralism activities in Niger. Through direct observation, we evaluated the influence of group size and composition, and presence of livestock and humans on giraffe resting behavior. We concluded that giraffe increased their resting time with shorter distance to other giraffe and livestock. Livestock did not negatively impact giraffe behavior; rather, they provided a kind of “safe environment”. Human presence resulted in only minor changes in vigilance of giraffe and did not significantly affect their resting time. Our findings highlight a positive instance of human–giraffe coexistence in a human-dominated landscape, attributed to the long-term benefits of conservation efforts.

Effects of computer-mediated collaborative writing tasks on Chinese EFL learners’ writing development: a focus on group size

ABSTRACT Despite support in previous studies for computer-mediated collaborative writing (CMCW) in L2 writing instruction, only a few studies have examined whether CMCW tasks can lead to individual writing development. Even less is known about the potential influence of group size on individual writing gains following CMCW. This study aims to investigate the effects of group size in the design of computer-mediated collaborative writing (CMCW) tasks on English as a foreign language learners’ overall writing performance, as well as on measures of writing complexity, accuracy, and fluency (CAF). A pre-test - post-test quasi-experimental research design was used with 56 second-year English major students from a Chinese university. Over eight weeks, the participants completed three out-of-class CMCW tasks either in pairs (n = 28) or in groups of four (n = 28). The effects of the CMCW tasks and group size were examined using gain scores on overall writing performance and CAF from timed argumentative pre- and post-test writing tasks. The results revealed the beneficial effects of CMCW tasks on improving students’ overall writing performance, accuracy, and fluency. It also indicated that students working in groups of four significantly outperformed those working in pairs on writing accuracy. Implications for CMCW tasks in the EFL context are discussed.

The effect of group size and task involvement on temporal binding window in clap perception.

We collect various types of information from our environment and organise it to create a coherent representation. Several researchers have suggested that multiple signals within the temporal binding window (TBW) can be integrated into a single coherent experience, such as flashes, beeps, and the McGurk effect. However, there is no evidence that TBW distortion also occurs in group interactions. This study investigates the influence of group size (i.e. the group size effect) and the degree of task involvement in temporal perception using computer-generated clap sound experiments. Participants listened to the randomly generated clap sounds and evaluated whether they were synchronised. We established three conditions based on different levels of task involvement: low (L), middle (M), and high (H) conditions. The varying task involvements reflect how participants interact with the clap sounds, ranging from passive listening in the L condition to actively generating sounds by pressing a key in the M condition, or attempting to synchronise key pressing sounds with the sounds in the H condition. Our experiments show a robust group size effect on TBW, regardless of the different conditions. In other words, as the group size increases, participants perceive the group clap as a single event. Furthermore, we found that the uncertain cause-effect relationship condition (H condition) shows the highest TBW. Interestingly, the TBW in the rigid cause-effect relationship (M condition) is the same as that in the no involvement condition (L condition). Our results suggest that a widened TBW in collective behaviour may facilitate cohesive action, enabling individuals to adapt to the group in relatively uncertain contexts.

How teachers emphasize their speech: gestures and self-repetitions during group interaction with toddlers

When interacting with young children, adults often self-repeat their own utterances that vary in sequences of adjacent utterances called variation sets (VS) (Küntay and Slobin 1996). These repetitions benefit children’s linguistic development because they emphasize form and meaning. This paper analyzes the use of VS during group interaction and from a multimodal point of view. Sixteen teachers were video-recorded during interaction with two-year-old children in Spanish nursery schools. Results show that the use of VS is particularly frequent in these settings and that they are typically combined with gestures. Teachers directed their VS more often to a group of children than to a single child, and those VS directed to the group were more often accompanied by gestures than the VS directed to individuals. The results also show the influence of group size on children’s responses. The study thus sheds new light on our understanding of child-directed speech (CDS), as well as the need to adapt the speech to single children during interaction in large groups.

182 Influence of Group Size on Performance and Tail Damage Caused by Tail Biting in Undocked Growing-Finishing Pigs

Abstract Tail biting is both an economic and welfare problem of grower-finishing pigs. This destructive chewing behavior of tails of pen-mates causes challenges for farmers who raise pigs with intact tails, resulting in the need to find management solutions. Our objective was to determine if group size influences growth performance and tail damage caused by biting behavior of undocked growing-finishing pigs. Pigs (n = 432; initial BW = 22 ± 3.8 kg) with intact tails were allocated to small pens or large pens on totally slatted floors, with equal ratio of barrows to gilts in each pen and balanced for average initial BW across pens. Small pens (SM; n = 24) housed 9 pigs/pen and large pens (LG; n = 12) held 18 pigs/pen. Floor space allowance (0.76 m2/pig) and feeder-space allowance (4 feeder spaces/9 pigs) were consistent across group sizes. Pigs were weighed individually and feed intake was recorded on a pen basis every 4 weeks for 16 weeks until market weight (120 kg ± 3.8 kg), from which ADG, ADFI, and Gain:Feed were calculated. Number of pigs that were dead (mortality) and removed (morbidity) from the study due to tail biting, lameness, and other health issues were recorded throughout the study period. Tail damage was evaluated using a 0 to 4 scale scoring system: 0 = no evidence of tail biting; 1 = evidence of chewing without visible blood; 2 = evidence of tail bitten with visible blood and no signs of infection; 3 = open wounds or abscesses with signs of infection; 4 = partial or total loss of the tail. Tail damage was assessed once weekly during the study period, and the maximum tail score (MTS) that each pig received over the entire 16 weeks was recorded. Data were analyzed using SAS software, with a mixed procedure for performance variables and a frequency procedure with chi-square test for mortality, morbidity, and MTS. Group size did not affect growth performance (all P > 0.70; Table 1), mortality, or morbidity (Chi-square = 2.33, df = 2; P = 0.31). However, group size affected MTS (chi-square = 10.78, df = 4; P = 0.03). Pigs in SM experienced a marginally lower prevalence of tail biting compared with LG (16% vs. 9% of pigs receiving an MTS of 0); but greater severity with 13.0% of pigs in SM vs. 7.4% of pigs in LG receiving an MTS of 4. These results suggest group size did not influence growth performance, mortality, or morbidity; but affect severity of tail damage caused by tail biting. Compared with LG, SM had more pigs that lost their tails due to tail biting, which seriously compromised pig welfare.

The Effect of Group Size on Cognitive and Behavioural Students' Engagement

The size of the group is an important subject to discuss, especially in light of the challenges that appear with the trend toward large institutions with large student bodies in higher education, including the quality of student integration and the quality requirements that higher education must meet in light of the high qualifications demanded by the world of employment. In this study, we examine the effect of learning-group size on students’ cognitive and behavioral engagement. In a quantitative approach, a questionnaire survey is used to collect data from 234 students at the Hassan II University in Casablanca. The purpose of this research is to demonstrate the influence of group size on students’ cognitive and behavioral engagement. The participants were separated into 140 students in large groups and 94 small groups. A questionnaire measured the impact of group size on participants’ cognitive and behavioral engagement and had a Cronbach’s alpha value of 0.9. According to the study’s findings, group size should be taken into account because it affects most factors related to cognitive and behavioral engagement. To increase student involvement and boost their academic achievement, it is advised that more empirical research should be done in order to develop pedagogical strategies to control this difference much better.

How does damselfish risk assessment vary with increased predator and shoal size?

Predation is an important factor that influences the behavior of prey species. When approached by a predator, individuals must make escape decisions that may be sensitive to the level of perceived risk. Both predator size and prey group size influence vulnerability and may influence this assessment. If fish perceive larger predators as a greater threat, differences in predator size should reflect differences in their antipredator response. Group size may also influence antipredator response in congregated fish. We investigated the flight initiation distance (FID) of differently sized groups of dusky damselfish (Stegastes nigricans) to measure their antipredator response to varying sizes of artificial stimuli. We found no effect of shoal size on FID, indicating that damselfish risk assessment is not influenced by group size. However, we did find that stimulus size interacted with starting distance (SD) to affect FID, with damselfish distinguishing between stimulus sizes at shorter SD but not at longer SD. Adjustment of FID in response to varying stimuli indicates that damselfish risk assessment is plastic, and consequently, antipredator responses may be adaptable in changing ocean ecosystems. Because damselfish are herbivores that feed on algae in coral reefs, understanding factors affecting their assessment of risk is important to understanding the overall ecosystem structure. These behavioral responses could be significant in the context of anthropogenic activities, mainly overfishing, which shifts community composition by disproportionately removing larger top predators.

Supplemental Material for Influence of Group Size on Shelter Choice in Blaptica dubia Cockroaches

Supplemental Material for Influence of Group Size on Shelter Choice in Blaptica dubia Cockroaches

Consensus, Polarization and Hysteresis in the Three-State Noisy q-Voter Model with Bounded Confidence.

In this work, we address the question of the role of the influence of group size on the emergence of various collective social phenomena, such as consensus, polarization and social hysteresis. To answer this question, we study the three-state noisy q-voter model with bounded confidence, in which agents can be in one of three states: two extremes (leftist and rightist) and centrist. We study the model on a complete graph within the mean-field approach and show that, depending on the size q of the influence group, saddle-node bifurcation cascades of different length appear and different collective phenomena are possible. In particular, for all values of , social hysteresis is observed. Furthermore, for small values of , disagreement, polarization and domination of centrists (a consensus understood as the general agreement, not unanimity) can be achieved but not the domination of extremists. The latter is possible only for larger groups of influence. Finally, by comparing our model to others, we discuss how a small change in the rules at the microscopic level can dramatically change the macroscopic behavior of the model.

Fenomena konformitas kelompok biseksual pada mahasiswa

Every social group has norms to influence its fellow members. One of the influences that occur in a social group is conformity. However, conformity can have a negative impact on a group, especially the intervention of sexual orientation deviation. This study uses a case study approach to determine the conformity process that occurs in a bisexual group. The respondents of this study were eight active student respondents at universities in Makassar City, including four students with bisexual status and each significant other. Respondents were collected by using snowball sampling method. Data analysis was carried out by coding data in the form of thematic analysis in describing the data obtained. Verification of this research data using data triangulation techniques. The results showed that the conformity process that occurs in organizations and communities can be influenced by the influence of group size and attraction that changes beliefs by dominant bisexual groups to non-bisexual groups. The implication of this research refers to students being more selective and applying awareness when joining social groups so as not to fall into the LGBT network, especially bisexuals. Keywords bisexual, conformity, students.

Social Group Size and Shelter Availability Influence Individual Metabolic Traits in a Social Fish.

SynopsisGroup living is widespread among animal species and yields both costs and benefits. Presence of conspecifics can restrict or enhance the expression of individual behavior, and the recent social environment is thought to affect behavioral responses in later contexts, even when individuals are alone. However, little is known about how social group size influences the expression of individual physiological traits, including metabolic rates. There is some evidence that shoaling can reduce fish metabolic rates but this variable may be affected by habitat conditions such as shelter availability via density-dependent processes. We investigated how social group size and shelter availability influence Eurasian minnow (Phoxinus phoxinus) metabolic rates estimated by respirometry. Respirometry trials were conducted on fish in isolation before and after they were housed for 3 weeks in a social treatment consisting in a specific group size (n = 4 or 8) and shelter availability (presence or absence of plant shelter in the experimental tank). Plant shelter was placed over respirometers for half of the duration of the respirometry trials, allowing estimation of minimum daytime and nighttime metabolic rates in both conditions (in the presence or absence of plant shelter). Standard metabolic rate (SMR), maximum metabolic rate (MMR), and aerobic scope were also estimated over the entire trial. Minimum daytime and nighttime metabolic rates estimated while in presence of plant shelter were lower than when estimated in absence of plant shelter, both before and after individuals were housed in their social treatment. After the social treatment, SMRs were higher for fish that were held in groups of 4 as compared with those of fish held in groups of 8, while MMR showed no difference. Plant shelter availability during the social treatments did not influence SMR or MMR. Our results suggest that social group size may directly influence energy demands of individuals, highlighting the importance of understanding the role of group size on variations in physiological traits associated with energy expenditure.

Group Size and Peer Learning: Peer Discussions in Different Group Size Influence Learning in a Biology Exercise Performed on a Tablet With Stylus

Determining the optimal discussion group size to improve performance and learning has created an intense debate in psychology and provided mixed findings in laboratory and field settings. In a quasi-experimental study in the education field, we examined the effect of discussion group size on individual learning in a biology exercise performed on a tablet with stylus. The sample involved 102 secondary school students divided into four classes, each corresponding to one of the four experimental conditions (alone without peer discussion vs discussion in dyads vs triads vs four-member groups). They were asked to draw individually a functional schema of the human respiratory system, once before and once after discussing with peers (or reflecting alone). Both drawings were evaluated by four independent coders, and the learning gain for each student was computed from these evaluations. Results revealed that learning gain was greater for students discussing in four-member groups than for those in the other conditions. Additional analyses suggested that this effect was moderated by the students’ gender, with the learning gain being greater after discussion in four-member groups among females only. These findings suggest that group size of four individuals might be the optimal configuration to improve peer learning.

Dissecting the two mechanisms of scramble competition among the Virunga mountain gorillas

Two mechanisms have been proposed to explain why scramble competition can increase the travel requirements of individuals within larger groups. Firstly, individuals in larger groups may be more likely to encounter food sites where other group members have already eaten, leading to greater asynchronous “individual” travel to find fresh sites. Secondly, when food sites are aggregated into patches, larger groups may need to visit more patches to obtain the same amount of food per capita, leading to greater synchronous “group” travel between patches. If the first mechanism can be mitigated by increasing group spread, then we expect the second mechanism to be more sensitive to group size. Here, we examine the individual travel and group travel of the Virunga mountain gorillas, along with potential implications for the two mechanisms of scramble competition. Asynchronous individual travel accounted for 67% of the total travel time, and the remainder arose from group travel. Group spread increased significantly for larger groups, but not enough to prevent an increase in individual travel. Contrary to expectations, group travel decreased with size among most groups, and we found only limited evidence of patch depletion that would cause the second mechanism of scramble competition. Collectively, our results illustrate how the influence of group size can differ for individual travel versus group travel, just as it differs among species for overall travel. Studies that distinguish between the two mechanisms of scramble competition may enhance our understanding of ecological constraints upon group size, including potential differences between frugivores and folivores.Significance statementFeeding competition provides insight into how group size can influence the foraging patterns of social animals, but two key mechanisms are not typically compared. Firstly, larger groups may visit more patches to access the same amount of food per capita (group travel). Secondly, their individuals may also need to move past more spots where another member has already eaten (individual travel). Contrary to expectations, we found that group travel decreased with size for most groups of mountain gorillas, which may reflect extra travel by smaller groups to avoid larger groups. Individual travel increased with size in most groups, even though gorillas in larger groups compensated by spreading out over a broader area. The two mechanisms revealed patterns that were not apparent in our previous study of overall travel. Our approach may help to explain potential differences between folivores and frugivores.

The influence of group size of hens on their viability and reproductive function

The influence of group size of hens on their viability and reproductive function

Group swimming behaviour and energetics in bluegill Lepomis macrochirus and rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss.

Group swimming size influences metabolic energy consumption and swimming behaviour in fishes. Hydrodynamic flows and vortices of other fish are thought to be beneficial in terms of the energetic costs of swimming. Similarly, abiotic obstructions have been shown to have similar benefits with respect to metabolic consumption in swimming fish such as rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss. The current study works to examine metabolic rates and swimming behaviours as a function of group swimming with bluegill sunfish Lepomis macrochirus and O. mykiss. Fishes were subjected to individual and group swimming in a respiratory swim tunnel to determine oxygen consumption as a proxy for the metabolic rate of swimming fish. In addition, fish movements within the swim tunnel test chamber were tracked to examine group swimming behaviour. We hypothesized that fish would benefit metabolically from group swimming. In the case of O. mykiss, we also hypothesized that groups would benefit from the presence of an abiotic structure, as has been previously observed in fish swimming individually. Our results suggest that the influence of group size on swimming metabolism is species specific. While L. macrochirus show decreased metabolic rate when swimming in a group compared to individually, O. mykiss did not show such a metabolic benefit from group swimming.

The influence of hunting pressure and ecological factors on fecal glucocorticoid metabolites in wild elk

Climate change and human population growth have increased anthropogenic threats to biodiversity and habitat fragmentation. Ecologists and conservationists need tools to assess the effect of these ecological and environmental perturbations on organismal fitness. One possibility is glucocorticoids (e.g. cortisol and corticosterone) which integrate various factors such as anthropogenic disturbances, predation, food or environmental stressors. Here we tested the hypothesis that fecal glucocorticoid metabolite concentrations (GCMs) in wild female elk Cervus canadensis increased as the hunting season progressed. We also examined the influence of year, food availability and elk group size on fecal GCMs. We found that as the hunting season progressed, fecal GCMs tended to decrease. We also found that as the number of cows in a group increased, GCMs decreased and found a strong effect of year on fecal GCMs, with samples collected in 2016 having lower fecal GCMs than those collected in 2015, 2017 and 2018. However, yearly variation was not driven by availability of hard mast forage. The association between hunting pressure and fecal GCMs and identifying what is driving yearly variation in fecal GCMs warrants further study. We highlight the negative influence of group size, possibly due to vigilance, on fecal GCMs and the importance of examining ecologically relevant covariates to accurately identify main treatment effects.

Three-dimensional analysis of pile groups subject to torsion

A series of three-dimensional finite-element models was developed to investigate the non-linear behaviour of pile groups connected to rigid caps and subjected to torsion. Pile groups of sizes 1 × 2, 2 × 2 and 3 × 3 installed in sand were analysed to investigate group resistance as well as the variation of pile flexural and torsion deformation. Furthermore, the relative contributions of the pile cap, pile torsion resistance and pile lateral resistance to group torsion resistance were quantitatively evaluated. The influence of group size, pile spacing, pile length, cap condition and soil stiffness was thoroughly explored. Piles were assumed to behave in a linear elastic fashion, while soil was modelled by way of the non-linear hardening-soil model. The numerical results showed that the contribution of the torsion strength of individual piles to the group overall strength decreases with the increase in group size and pile spacing but increases with the increase in pile length and soil stiffness. Among these parameters, the torsion resisted by individual piles ranged from 20 to 45% of the external applied torque. Moreover, it is found that the pile cap contributes about 7% of group resistance for surface pile caps, while this contribution increases up to 53% for embedded pile caps.

Impact of environmental enrichment and social group size in the aggressiveness and foraging activity of Serrapinnus notomelas

Fish are widely used in scientific research, and many species are bred for ornamental purposes and human consumption. Despite the large number of fish kept in captivity, research on the welfare of these animals has only recently intensified. One commonly used method for improving fish welfare is environmental enrichment, and the issue of animal density is central to this debate. Both enrichment and variation in fish density may have different impacts on the welfare of fish, which will depend on the biology of each species. In this study, we verified if environmental enrichment reduced aggressiveness and increased foraging activity in Serrapinnus notomelas in captivity. S. notomelas is a Neotropical characin commonly used in the aquarium trade. It has also been reared in captivity for scientific research purposes. However, studies on the welfare of S. notomelas in captivity are still lacking. We measured the aggressiveness and foraging activity of fishes in aquariums with different levels of enrichment (enriched and highly enriched), in comparison to an enrichment-free aquarium. The same behavioral aspects were quantified in groups of six and 12 individuals since it is known that group size influences these characteristics in shoal fishes. We found no influence of environmental enrichment on the species’ aggressiveness. However, fish housed in highly enriched aquariums increased their foraging activity to levels similar to fish housed in enrichment-free aquariums. We also found no influence of group size on the aggressiveness of individuals. However, increased group size had a positive effect on foraging activity, therefore we suggest housing S. notomelas with a minimum of 12 individuals. Results reinforce the need for species-specific investigation regarding both enrichment and shoal size to improve the welfare of captive fishes. We also encourage future studies on the effects of different enrichment levels, because we found that the level of enrichment affected the welfare of S. notomelas.

Beyond the group: how food, mates, and group size influence intergroup encounters in wild bonobos

AbstractIn social-living animals, interactions between groups are frequently agonistic, but they can also be tolerant and even cooperative. Intergroup tolerance and cooperation are regarded as a crucial step in the formation of highly structured multilevel societies. Behavioral ecological theory suggests that intergroup tolerance and cooperation can emerge either when the costs of hostility outweigh the benefits of exclusive resource access or when both groups gain fitness benefits through their interactions. However, the factors promoting intergroup tolerance are still unclear due to the paucity of data on intergroup interactions in tolerant species. Here, we examine how social and ecological factors affect the onset and termination of intercommunity encounters in two neighboring communities of wild bonobos, a species exhibiting flexible patterns of intergroup interactions, at Kokolopori Bonobo Reserve, Democratic Republic of the Congo. We recorded the timing and location of intercommunity encounters and measured fruit abundance and distribution, groups’ social characteristics, and space-use dynamics over a 19-month period. We found that intercommunity tolerance was facilitated by a decrease in feeding competition, with high fruit abundance increasing the likelihood of communities to encounter, and high clumpiness of fruit patches increasing the probability to terminate encounters likely due to increased contest. In addition, the possibility for extra-community mating, as well as the potential benefits of more efficient foraging in less familiar areas, reduced the probability that the communities terminated encounters. By investigating the factors involved in shaping relationships across groups, this study contributes to our understanding of how animal sociality can extend beyond the group level.

Influence of group size and each personality to a participant’s intention to propose an opinion in an university students’group work

Influence of group size and each personality to a participant’s intention to propose an opinion in an university students’group work