TY - JOUR
T1 - Groups have a larger cognitive capacity than individuals
AU - Sasaki, Takao
AU - Pratt, Stephen
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported by grants from the National Science Foundation (1012029) and the Arizona State University Graduate Research Support Program. We thank Douglas Kenrick and James Marshall for helpful comments on an earlier version of the manuscript.
PY - 2012/10/9
Y1 - 2012/10/9
N2 - Increasing the number of options can paradoxically lead to worse decisions, a phenomenon known as cognitive overload [1]. This happens when an individual decision-maker attempts to digest information exceeding its processing capacity. Highly integrated groups, such as social insect colonies, make consensus decisions that combine the efforts of many members, suggesting that these groups can overcome individual limitations [2-4]. Here we report that an ant colony choosing a new nest site is less vulnerable to cognitive overload than an isolated ant making this decision on her own. We traced this improvement to differences in individual behavior. In whole colonies, each ant assesses only a small subset of available sites, and the colony combines their efforts to thoroughly explore all options. An isolated ant, on the other hand, must personally assess a larger number of sites to approach the same level of option coverage. By sharing the burden of assessment, the colony avoids overtaxing the abilities of its members.
AB - Increasing the number of options can paradoxically lead to worse decisions, a phenomenon known as cognitive overload [1]. This happens when an individual decision-maker attempts to digest information exceeding its processing capacity. Highly integrated groups, such as social insect colonies, make consensus decisions that combine the efforts of many members, suggesting that these groups can overcome individual limitations [2-4]. Here we report that an ant colony choosing a new nest site is less vulnerable to cognitive overload than an isolated ant making this decision on her own. We traced this improvement to differences in individual behavior. In whole colonies, each ant assesses only a small subset of available sites, and the colony combines their efforts to thoroughly explore all options. An isolated ant, on the other hand, must personally assess a larger number of sites to approach the same level of option coverage. By sharing the burden of assessment, the colony avoids overtaxing the abilities of its members.
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U2 - 10.1016/j.cub.2012.07.058
DO - 10.1016/j.cub.2012.07.058
M3 - Letter
C2 - 23058797
AN - SCOPUS:84867370066
SN - 0960-9822
VL - 22
SP - R827-R829
JO - Current Biology
JF - Current Biology
IS - 19
ER -