Albert B Kao, Shoubhik Chandan Banerjee, Fritz A Francisco, Andrew M Berdahl
{"title":"Timing decisions as the next frontier for collective intelligence.","authors":"Albert B Kao, Shoubhik Chandan Banerjee, Fritz A Francisco, Andrew M Berdahl","doi":"10.1016/j.tree.2024.06.003","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The past decade has witnessed a growing interest in collective decision making, particularly the idea that groups can make more accurate decisions compared with individuals. However, nearly all research to date has focused on spatial decisions (e.g., food patches). Here, we highlight the equally important, but severely understudied, realm of temporal collective decision making (i.e., decisions about when to perform an action). We illustrate differences between temporal and spatial decisions, including the irreversibility of time, cost asymmetries, the speed-accuracy tradeoff, and game theoretic dynamics. Given these fundamental differences, temporal collective decision making likely requires different mechanisms to generate collective intelligence. Research focused on temporal decisions should lead to an expanded understanding of the adaptiveness and constraints of living in groups.</p>","PeriodicalId":23274,"journal":{"name":"Trends in ecology & evolution","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":16.7000,"publicationDate":"2024-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Trends in ecology & evolution","FirstCategoryId":"99","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2024.06.003","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2024/7/3 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"ECOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
The past decade has witnessed a growing interest in collective decision making, particularly the idea that groups can make more accurate decisions compared with individuals. However, nearly all research to date has focused on spatial decisions (e.g., food patches). Here, we highlight the equally important, but severely understudied, realm of temporal collective decision making (i.e., decisions about when to perform an action). We illustrate differences between temporal and spatial decisions, including the irreversibility of time, cost asymmetries, the speed-accuracy tradeoff, and game theoretic dynamics. Given these fundamental differences, temporal collective decision making likely requires different mechanisms to generate collective intelligence. Research focused on temporal decisions should lead to an expanded understanding of the adaptiveness and constraints of living in groups.
期刊介绍:
Trends in Ecology & Evolution (TREE) is a comprehensive journal featuring polished, concise, and readable reviews, opinions, and letters in all areas of ecology and evolutionary science. Catering to researchers, lecturers, teachers, field workers, and students, it serves as a valuable source of information. The journal keeps scientists informed about new developments and ideas across the spectrum of ecology and evolutionary biology, spanning from pure to applied and molecular to global perspectives. In the face of global environmental change, Trends in Ecology & Evolution plays a crucial role in covering all significant issues concerning organisms and their environments, making it a major forum for life scientists.