Rational time investment during collective decision making in Temnothorax ants.

ABSTRACT: The study of rational choice in humans and other animals typically focuses on decision outcomes, but rationality also applies to decision latencies, especially when time is scarce and valuable. For example, the smaller the difference in quality between two options, the faster a rational actor should decide between them. This is because the consequences of choosing the inferior option are less severe if the options are similar. Experiments have shown, however, that humans irrationally spend more time choosing between similar options. In this study, we assessed the rationality of time investment during nest-site choice by the rock ant, Temnothorax albipennis. Previous studies have shown that collective decision-making allows ant colonies to avoid certain irrational errors. Here we sho

SUBMITTER: Sasaki T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6832197 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature