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Context dependence of personalities: risk-taking behavior in a social and a nonsocial situation

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  • Kees van Oers
  • Margreet Klunder
  • Piet J. Drent

Abstract

Individuals of many species differ consistently in their behavioral reaction to mild novel challenges. Suites of these behaviors are referred to as behavioral syndromes or personalities. Personality traits are often phenotypically and genetically correlated. Therefore, animal personalities are generally considered as broad characteristics, with one underlying genetical and physiological mechanism that is expressed across situations and contexts. Because there are carryover effects between situations, animals are not entirely flexible in their behavior in each situation. This may cause behaviors to seem nonadaptive in isolated situations. To test whether individuals with different personalities could react differently to changes in their environment, we studied context dependence of personalities in the great tit (Parus major). We tested birds categorized as either fast or slow explorers for their latency to come back to a feeding table after a mild startle (risk-taking behavior) in a nonsocial followed by a social context. We found that the relation between exploratory behavior and risk-taking behavior depended on the social context. Females in general returned later in the social test, while male reaction to the presence of a conspecific was dependent on their behavioral type. Slow males thereby reacted to the behavior of the companion and fast males did not. These results show that although personalities have a rigid structure the relation between personality traits is context dependent. These results are discussed in the perspective of the adaptive significance and maintenance of personalities. Copyright 2005.

Suggested Citation

  • Kees van Oers & Margreet Klunder & Piet J. Drent, 2005. "Context dependence of personalities: risk-taking behavior in a social and a nonsocial situation," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 16(4), pages 716-723, July.
  • Handle: RePEc:oup:beheco:v:16:y:2005:i:4:p:716-723
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/beheco/ari045
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Gabrielle Dubuc-Messier & Denis Réale & Philippe Perret & Anne Charmantier, 2017. "Environmental heterogeneity and population differences in blue tits personality traits," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 28(2), pages 448-459.
    2. repec:cup:judgdm:v:2:y:2007:i::p:326-332 is not listed on IDEAS
    3. Catherine Brandner, 2007. "Strategy selection during exploratory behavior: sex differences," Judgment and Decision Making, Society for Judgment and Decision Making, vol. 2, pages 326-332, October.
    4. Snir, Avichai & Levy, Dudi & Wang, Dian & Chen, Haipeng (Allan) & Levy, Daniel, 2024. "Large Effects of Small Cues: Priming Selfish Economic Decisions," EconStor Preprints 294172, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics.
    5. Ralf H. J. M. Kurvers & Bart A. Nolet & Herbert H. T. Prins & Ronald C. Ydenberg & Kees van Oers, 2012. "Boldness affects foraging decisions in barnacle geese: an experimental approach," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 23(6), pages 1155-1161.
    6. Christina Lehmkuhl Noer & Esther Kjær Needham & Ann-Sophie Wiese & Thorsten Johannes Skovbjerg Balsby & Torben Dabelsteen, 2015. "Context Matters: Multiple Novelty Tests Reveal Different Aspects of Shyness-Boldness in Farmed American Mink (Neovison vison)," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(6), pages 1-14, June.
    7. Christina Rockwell & Pia O. Gabriel & Jeffrey M. Black, 2012. "Bolder, older, and selective: factors of individual-specific foraging behaviors in Steller’s jays," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 23(3), pages 676-683.
    8. Chen, Junlin & Zhao, Yingshuai, 2020. "High price or low price? An experimental study on a markdown pricing policy," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 284(1), pages 240-254.

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