Conformity and differentiation are two sides of the same coin

Christos C Ioannou; Kate L Laskowski

doi:10.1016/j.tree.2023.01.014

Conformity and differentiation are two sides of the same coin

Christos C Ioannou^*
, Kate L Laskowski^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article (Academic Journal) › peer-review

14 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Variation between individuals is a key component of selection and hence evolutionary change. Social interactions are important drivers of variation, potentially making behaviour more similar (i.e., conform) or divergent (i.e., differentiate) between individuals. While documented across a wide range of animals, behaviours and contexts, conformity and differentiation are typically considered separately. Here, we argue that rather than independent concepts, they can be integrated onto a single scale that considers how social interactions drive changes in interindividual variance within groups: conformity reduces variance within groups while differentiation increases it. We discuss the advantages of placing conformity and differentiation at different ends of a single scale, allowing for a deeper understanding of the relationship between social interactions and interindividual variation.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	545-553
Number of pages	9
Journal	Trends in Ecology and Evolution
Volume	38
Issue number	6
Early online date	15 Feb 2023
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2023.01.014
Publication status	Published - 1 Jun 2023

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This work was supported by Natural Environment Research Council grant NE/P012639/1 awarded to C.C.I. and the National Science Foundation ( IOS-2100625 to K.L.L.). We thank Daniel W.E. Sankey and an anonymous reviewer for comments on the manuscript.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Authors

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title = "Conformity and differentiation are two sides of the same coin",

abstract = "Variation between individuals is a key component of selection and hence evolutionary change. Social interactions are important drivers of variation, potentially making behaviour more similar (i.e., conform) or divergent (i.e., differentiate) between individuals. While documented across a wide range of animals, behaviours and contexts, conformity and differentiation are typically considered separately. Here, we argue that rather than independent concepts, they can be integrated onto a single scale that considers how social interactions drive changes in interindividual variance within groups: conformity reduces variance within groups while differentiation increases it. We discuss the advantages of placing conformity and differentiation at different ends of a single scale, allowing for a deeper understanding of the relationship between social interactions and interindividual variation.",

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N2 - Variation between individuals is a key component of selection and hence evolutionary change. Social interactions are important drivers of variation, potentially making behaviour more similar (i.e., conform) or divergent (i.e., differentiate) between individuals. While documented across a wide range of animals, behaviours and contexts, conformity and differentiation are typically considered separately. Here, we argue that rather than independent concepts, they can be integrated onto a single scale that considers how social interactions drive changes in interindividual variance within groups: conformity reduces variance within groups while differentiation increases it. We discuss the advantages of placing conformity and differentiation at different ends of a single scale, allowing for a deeper understanding of the relationship between social interactions and interindividual variation.

AB - Variation between individuals is a key component of selection and hence evolutionary change. Social interactions are important drivers of variation, potentially making behaviour more similar (i.e., conform) or divergent (i.e., differentiate) between individuals. While documented across a wide range of animals, behaviours and contexts, conformity and differentiation are typically considered separately. Here, we argue that rather than independent concepts, they can be integrated onto a single scale that considers how social interactions drive changes in interindividual variance within groups: conformity reduces variance within groups while differentiation increases it. We discuss the advantages of placing conformity and differentiation at different ends of a single scale, allowing for a deeper understanding of the relationship between social interactions and interindividual variation.

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DO - 10.1016/j.tree.2023.01.014

M3 - Review article (Academic Journal)

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JO - Trends in Ecology and Evolution

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ER -

Conformity and differentiation are two sides of the same coin

Abstract

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