When responding to a conspecific call, especially when mobbing a predator, receivers rely on acoustic cues produced by callers. Variation in calls, either gradual or discrete, can inform potential ...mobbers about the situation. Great tits use a combinatorial call made of frequency-modulated elements (FMEs) and D notes. The gradual properties of the D notes change when facing different situations (e.g., different predators). We tested the relative effect of the number of D notes per call or the number of calls per minute on the behaviour of great tits with a playback experiment on free-ranging tits. Great tits did not change their approach behaviour depending on the treatments broadcast. However, they increased their vigilance level with an increased number of D notes in the total sequence. We propose that great tits can consider the overall amount of D notes as a form of information about the predator being mobbed. In addition, an increased number of D notes did not modify the approach behaviour but modified the vigilance behaviour, possibly indicating that great tits process the complete FME-D call as a whole mobbing unit rather than the simple sum of a vigilance call (FME) and a recruitment call (D notes). Our study sheds new light on the coding system of great tits when mobbing a predator and, more generally, how animals can combine simple syntactic rules and gradual variations when communicating.
Significance statement
Information transfer when communicating about a predator is well described, particularly when mobbing a predator. However, it is unclear which specific variable(s) receivers rely on when adapting their response. Here, we test whether great tits adapt their response when the number of calls per minute and/or the number of notes per call is increased. Our results indicate that great tits rely on the overall number of notes in a calling sequence as a proxy for urgency. We also propose that the combinatorial call they use when mobbing is considered a whole rather than the simple sum of its constituents. Understanding how information transfer occurs in birds using combinatorial calls instead of simple note repetition adds to the current insights about compositional syntax in animals.
Numerical competence—the ability to estimate and process the number of objects and events—is important during antipredator strategies because it influences individual's survival chances. Animals can ...benefit from numerical competence during mobbing—when a prey moves toward and vocalizes at or harasses a predator. Mobbing responses of some species are related to the number of conspecific callers, and responses are stronger during playbacks simulating multiple callers. Here, we tested heterospecific individual vocal recognition (IVR) in combination with numerical competence in great tits (Parus major). Since previous work showed that great tits respond to mobbing calls of chaffinches (Fringilla coelebs), we predict that great tits showed a stronger response when two or four different individual chaffinches were played back versus only one individual by keeping the duty cycle (number of total calls/min) identical. Individuals were exposed to playbacks simulating calling by one, two or four heterospecific callers, or singing by one caller (control song). Great tits approached the speaker closer and produced more calls during the mobbing calls treatments than during the control treatment (song). However, in contrast to our prediction, great tits responded similarly to mobbing calls from several heterospecific callers as they did toward mobbing calls from one heterospecific caller. Maybe the great tits still are capable of determining the identity of the callers, but what might matter most for them in this very specific situation might be the mobbing intensity. We assume that the duty cycle itself has the stronger impact on the response.
Great tits approached the speaker closer and produced more calls during the mobbing calls treatments than during the song treatment. However, great tits responded similarly to mobbing calls from two and four heterospecific callers as they did toward mobbing calls from one heterospecific caller. These results suggest that the duty cycle (number of total calls/min) itself has the stronger impact on the response.
Drawing on the social-ecological perspective, this longitudinal study investigated the potential moderating effect of gender in the relationships among Machiavellianism, popularity goals, and ...cyberbullying involvement (i.e. victimization, perpetration) among adolescents from China, Cyprus, India, and the United States. There were 2,452 adolescents (M
age
= 14.85; SD = .53; 13-16 years old; 49.1% girls) from China, Cyprus, India, and the United States included in this study. They completed surveys on Machiavellianism, popularity goals, and cyberbullying victimization and perpetration during the fall of 2014 (Time 1). One year later, during the fall of 2015, adolescents completed surveys on cyberbullying victimization and perpetration. Findings revealed that Machiavellianism and popularity goals were both associated positively with Time 2 cyberbullying victimization and perpetration for all adolescents. The associations between Machiavellianism and Time 2 cyberbullying perpetration and between popularity goals and Time 2 cyberbullying perpetration were stronger for Chinese and Indian boys than girls. Opposite patterns were found for popularity goals and Time 2 cyberbullying perpetration for adolescents from the United States. Gender did not moderate any of the associations for Cypriot adolescents or for Time 2 cyberbullying victimization. The social-ecological perspective provides a useful understanding of how various contexts influence bullying.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
BFBNIB, DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Numerical competence—the ability to represent, discriminate, and process numerical quantity information—is a widespread cognitive ability in animals that influences survival and reproductive success. ...Little is known about the role of numerical competence during predator mobbing—when a prey moves toward and harasses a predator. Since being in a larger group dilutes the risk of injury or death during a mobbing event and large groups are more efficient than small groups at repelling predators, the capacity to evaluate the number of mobbers before joining the mobbing flock may be highly beneficial for individuals. We tested whether the strength of the mobbing response of great tits (
Parus major
), a songbird that frequently mobs predators, is related to the number of callers. The minimum distance to the loudspeaker tended to be lower, and the number of calls produced by great tits was higher during playbacks simulating several callers than during the playbacks of one caller. These results suggest that numerical competence plays a central role during mobbing and that great tits reduce uncertainty of information by collating information from several individuals. We suggest further studies testing whether birds use individual vocal discrimination to assess the number of heterospecifics during mobbing.
Significance statement
Can animals count? Although historically the ability to count has distinguished humans apart from the rest of the animal kingdom, studies in the last decades have shown that numerical competence, the ability to represent, discriminate, and process numerical quantity information, is a widespread cognitive ability in animals. While this competence influences an individual’s survival success, little is known about the role of numerical competence during predator mobbing. Using a field-based playback experiment on a population of wild great tits (
Parus major
), we demonstrate that great tit responses to mobbing calls were affected by the number of individuals calling. The minimum distance to the loudspeaker tended to be lower and the number of calls produced by great tits tended to be higher during playbacks simulating multiple callers than during the playbacks of one caller. Thus, numerical assessments are used to decide whether or not to participate in mobbing responses.
The rash of bullying incidents within schools, universities, and workplaces has prompted a public outcry and a call to action. To address the growing problem of interpersonal violence, schools have ...engaged in anti -bullying rallies, businesses have enacted civility policies, states have passed legislation, and efforts have been made to educate individuals on what constitutes good behavior. Increasingly, institutions are realizing from a cost/benefit perspective that a hurtful environment can negatively impact their bottom line. Correspondingly, the rising number of climate surveys to address bullying at work is a testament to the importance of this topic and its potential negative impact.Colleges and universities confirm the need to create a more welcoming culture, as reflected in the current dialogue to promote civility. Publisher offerings in business ethics are inadequate to address this issue, as they focus on the importance of social responsibility and the fallout from moral turpitude. There is a pressing need for materials that will educate students on "civil" concepts and provide them with applied learning. Institutions of higher education would like to inform students about bullying, its ramifications, and how it can be avoided, but a compendium of related exercises is in most cases non-existent.To solidify student learning about positive citizenship, an established author (and anti-bullying activist) has proposed How to Transform Workplace Bullies into Allies. This unique groundbreaking text will provide hands-on, experiential exercises that will engage students with the material, and create a multi-dimensional focus to enable concept retention. Considered a hallmark of applied education, "learning by doing" will be this book's primary emphasis. Exercises are designed to sharpen critical thinking, immerse students in real world dilemmas, and provide them with tools for conflict resolution. The emotional intelligence promoted by working through in-text scenarios is a soughtafter employee trait-one that is desired by classmates and career centers alike. Unfortunately, people skills at work have long been ignored in traditional college curricula. As a result, schools are creating graduates who possess technical know-how but not the skill set to effectively navigate personal encounters. The "soft skills" of people savvy, which have been deemed crucial to employee success, are in large part absent from college offerings.By navigating carefully constructed scenarios, web quests, learning modules, and "teachable moments," readers will develop a keen awareness of what it takes to be a respectful person. Moreover, they will gain expertise in what The Society for Human Resource Management has deemed a critical skill set. Exercises to strengthen incivility awareness are designed not only to prevent potential conflict, but to create change agents within the business arena. Completion of this workbook will provide people with a competitive advantage-and their institution and workplace with a more courteous populace.
Harassment at work has been the subject of immense research in recent years, not only because it is a topic of relevant importance in the life of a worker, but also because of its great impact on the ...personal, professional and social life of the Human Person. Harassment in the work context is a form of violence perpetrated using repeated and prolonged conduct and persecutions, through which the aggressor tries to inferiors and belittle the person of the victim. The issue of harassment at work is closely related to mobbing and sexual harassment, but also gender discrimination - namely based on gender asymmetries.
The aim of this study was to examine whether (a) cyberbullying has unique associations with mental health problems, risk-taking, and self-harm behavior in victims and perpetrators when compared to ...school bullying and (b) if cyberbullying is associated with an additional burden for students already involved in school bullying.
Data were collected from 6,561 students across 23 schools in Germany (grades 5-13). The sample was divided into the following four groups: cyber-only involvement (victims = 1.9%, perpetrators = 0.6%), school-only involvement (victims = 17.2%, perpetrators = 11.9%), dual involvement (victims = 5.7%, perpetrators = 2.9%), and noninvolvement (victims = 75.3%, perpetrators = 84.6%). Multilevel mixed-effects regression analysis was conducted to examine group differences in mental health (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, KIDSCREEN-10), risk-taking, and self-harm behavior (e.g., substance use, suicide attempts).
Cyber-only bullying had unique associations with mental health problems and risk-taking behavior in victims (lower levels of peer relationship problems: p < 0.001, greater substance use: p < 0.05) and perpetrators (higher levels of peer relationship problems: p < 0.05) when compared to school-only bullying. Dual victims and perpetrators reported significantly more mental health problems (victims: χ2(5) = 221.58, p < 0.001; perpetrators: χ2(5) = 116.40, p < 0.001) and were more likely to report risk-taking and self-harm behavior (victims: χ2(7) = 115.15, p < 0.001; perpetrators: χ2(7) = 38.79, p < 0.001) than students involved in school-only bullying.
Cyber-only bullying appears to be related to specific mental health issues beyond those associated with school-only bullying. Cyberbullying and school bullying go along with additive mental health problems, risk-taking, and self-harm behavior in both victims and perpetrators. Thus, bullying prevention and intervention programs should also target cyberbullying.
Online hate speech has become a widespread problem in the daily life of adolescents. Despite growing societal and academic interest in this online risk, not much is known about the relationship ...between online hate speech victimization (OHSV) and adolescents' mental well-being. In addition, potential factors influencing the magnitude of this relationship remain unclear. To address these gaps in the literature, this study investigated the relationship between OHSV and depressive symptoms and the buffering effects of resilience in this relationship. The sample consists of 1,632 adolescents (49.1% girls) between 12 and 18 years old (
= 13.83,
= 1.23), recruited from nine schools across Spain. Self-report questionnaires were administered to assess OHSV, depressive symptoms, and resilience. Regression analyses revealed that OHSV was positively linked to depressive symptoms. In addition, victims of online hate speech were less likely to report depressive symptoms when they reported average or high levels of resilience (i.e., social competence, personal competence, structured style, social resources, and family cohesion) compared with those with low levels of resilience. Our findings highlight the need for the development of intervention programs and the relevance of focusing on internal and external developmental assets to mitigate negative outcomes for victims of online hate speech.
As the phenomenon of abuse in the workplace came to a closer public eye of a broader audience through media coverage, there is not a more fertile ground for a fully detailed problem explanation and ...search for its short or long-term solution. The dose of seriousness concerning the issue of mobbing isn’t only given for its negative effect on a business organization, but also for the mutation of a society’s culture, as well. The research paper outlines the mobbing phenomenon by presenting the theoretical and practical (statistical) diagnosis through which, for a better understanding of the situation, there are added testimonies of mobbing victims, as well as legal and extra-judicial solutions for the issue. The observation of the phenomena is focused on the research and data presentation, using examples from Serbia and Europe. Putting aside the obvious differences in approach, a great space for implementation of European developed countries’ principles can be seen. The same principles could be introduced on the domestic scene, with the introduction of mandatory work conditions that are considered decent.
PDF