Swarm cognition in honey bees |
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Authors: | Kevin M Passino Thomas D Seeley P Kirk Visscher |
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Institution: | (1) Dept. Electrical and Computer Engineering, Ohio State University, 2015 Neil Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210, USA;(2) Dept. Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA;(3) Dept. Entomology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA |
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Abstract: | We synthesize findings from neuroscience, psychology, and behavioral biology to show that some key features of cognition in
the neuron-based brains of vertebrates are also present in the insect-based swarm of honey bees. We present our ideas in the
context of the cognitive task of nest-site selection by honey bee swarms. After reviewing the mechanisms of distributed evidence
gathering and processing that are the basis of decision making in bee swarms, we point out numerous similarities in the functional
organization of vertebrate brains and honey bee swarms. These include the existence of interconnected subunits, parallel processing
of information, a spatially distributed memory, layered processing of information, lateral inhibition, and mechanisms of focusing
attention on critical stimuli. We also review the performance of simulated swarms in standard psychological tests of decision
making: tests of discrimination ability and assessments of distractor effects. |
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Keywords: | Collective intelligence Group decision making Honey bee Swarm cognition |
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