Quantifying individual variation in behaviour: mixed-effect modelling approaches
TLDR
An overview of how mixed-effect models can be used to partition variation in, and correlations among, phenotypic attributes into between- and within-individual variance components is provided.Abstract:
Growing interest in proximate and ultimate causes and consequences of between- and within-individual variation in labile components of the phenotype - such as behaviour or physiology - characterizes current research in evolutionary ecology. The study of individual variation requires tools for quantification and decomposition of phenotypic variation into between- and within-individual components. This is essential as variance components differ in their ecological and evolutionary implications. We provide an overview of how mixed-effect models can be used to partition variation in, and correlations among, phenotypic attributes into between- and within-individual variance components. Optimal sampling schemes to accurately estimate (with sufficient power) a wide range of repeatabilities and key (co)variance components, such as between- and within-individual correlations, are detailed. Mixed-effect models enable the usage of unambiguous terminology for patterns of biological variation that currently lack a formal statistical definition (e.g. 'animal personality' or 'behavioural syndromes'), and facilitate cross-fertilisation between disciplines such as behavioural ecology, ecological physiology and quantitative genetics.read more
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How general is cognitive ability in non-human animals? A meta-analytical and multi-level reanalysis approach
Marc-Antoine Poirier,Dovid Y. Kozlovsky,Dovid Y. Kozlovsky,Julie Morand-Ferron,Vincent Careau +4 more
TL;DR: It is argued that dimensionality reduction, when incorrectly applied, can lead to spurious results and limit the understanding of ecological and evolutionary causes of variation in animal cognition, and stimulates the use of alternative tools in the study of cognition and its evolution in animals.
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Long-term consistency in chimpanzee consolation behaviour reflects empathetic personalities.
Christine E. Webb,Christine E. Webb,Teresa Rabazas Romero,Teresa Rabazas Romero,Teresa Rabazas Romero,Becca Franks,Frans B. M. de Waal,Frans B. M. de Waal +7 more
TL;DR: Using longitudinal data comprising nearly a decade of observations on over 3000 conflict interactions in 44 chimpanzees, evidence for relatively stable individual differences in consolation behaviour is provided and evidence of consistent ‘empathetic personalities’ is shown.
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Repeatability analysis improves the reliability of behavioral data.
Juliane Rudeck,Silvia Vogl,Stefanie Banneke,Gilbert Schönfelder,Gilbert Schönfelder,Lars Lewejohann,Lars Lewejohann +6 more
TL;DR: The data analysis revealed that monitoring animal behavior during habituation is important to determine when individual differences of the measurements are stable, and repeatability values from distance travelled and average activity increased over the habituation period, revealing that around 60% of the variance of the data can be explained by individual differences between mice.
References
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