What makes behaviours spread? Social and behavioural modulators of nonconscious mimicry and contagion

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dc.contributor.advisorRuckstuhl, Kathreen
dc.contributor.authorMcDougall, Petra Lynne
dc.contributor.committeememberMassolo, Alessandro
dc.contributor.committeememberMelin, Amanda
dc.contributor.committeememberCartar, Ralph
dc.contributor.committeememberLingle, Susan
dc.contributor.committeememberPalagi, Elizabetta
dc.date2022-02
dc.date.accessioned2021-12-02T16:58:29Z
dc.date.available2021-12-02T16:58:29Z
dc.date.issued2021-11
dc.description.abstractSocial species stay in groups by constantly adjusting their behaviours to match those of neighbouring individuals. This nonconscious transmission of behaviour keeps specific individuals together and relays information between them. Despite the central importance of behavioural mimicry and contagion, we cannot yet predict when it will occur. What makes behaviours spread in some situations but not in others? My thesis compares rates of mimicry across different social variables (e.g., age, proximity, rank) and characteristics of the behaviour (e.g., duration, intensity) to determine which factors contribute to behavioural transmission. Using a habituated population of bighorn sheep, I compare mimicry of vigilance (head raising during grazing) across several social and behavioural conditions. Results support the idea that vigilance transmission is modulated more by social factors than by characteristics of the behaviour itself. Specifically, mimicry is more common when neighbours are closer physically, more familiar with one another, and posturally aligned. Interestingly, behavioural characteristics of vigilance itself do not appear to influence transmission; however, a related behaviour (chewing/not chewing whilst vigilant) is a strong predictor of vigilance contagion that may contribute to information transfer. Integrating these findings with other studies is challenging due to the multidisciplinary nature of this field and the use of different terms (e.g., mimicry vs. contagion) to describe this phenomenon. My thesis further addresses this issue in a terminology review. From a review of the literature, I propose that behavioural mimicry and behavioural contagion appear to investigate the same phenomenon from different perspectives. That is, behavioural contagion examines attributes of the behaviour that contribute to its spread, whereas behavioural mimicry focuses on the observer of the behaviour and that individual’s relationship with the actor or the group. Both perspectives likely influence behavioural transmission simultaneously. Fitting these collective findings into the existing literature, I propose a theoretical framework to predict when behavioural mimicry/contagion should occur. The framework identifies five conditions that must be met for behaviour to spread: perception, attention, ability, affiliation, and net benefit, and provides an overview of representative research topics within each condition. This framework will aid the design of further research and create a unified multidisciplinary theory of behavioural mimicry/contagion.en_US
dc.identifier.citationMcDougall, P. L. (2021). What makes behaviours spread? Social and behavioural modulators of nonconscious mimicry and contagion (Doctoral thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.en_US
dc.identifier.doihttp://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/39408
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1880/114152
dc.language.isoengen_US
dc.publisher.facultyScienceen_US
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Calgaryen
dc.relation.hasparthttps://doi.org/10.5683/SP/EYD1M9
dc.relation.hasparthttps://doi.org/10.5683/SP2/FWQ9N4
dc.rightsUniversity of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.en_US
dc.subjectbehavioural contagionen_US
dc.subjectbehavioural mimicryen_US
dc.subjectvigilanceen_US
dc.subjectgroup livingen_US
dc.subjectbighorn sheepen_US
dc.subjectbehavioural synchronyen_US
dc.subjectbehaving similarlyen_US
dc.subjectallelomimicryen_US
dc.subjectsocial influenceen_US
dc.subjectframeworken_US
dc.subject.classificationEducation--Sciencesen_US
dc.subject.classificationEcologyen_US
dc.subject.classificationPsychology--Behavioralen_US
dc.subject.classificationPsychology--Cognitiveen_US
dc.subject.classificationPsychology--Socialen_US
dc.titleWhat makes behaviours spread? Social and behavioural modulators of nonconscious mimicry and contagionen_US
dc.typedoctoral thesisen_US
thesis.degree.disciplineBiological Sciencesen_US
thesis.degree.grantorUniversity of Calgaryen_US
thesis.degree.nameDoctor of Philosophy (PhD)en_US
ucalgary.item.requestcopytrueen_US
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