The repeatability of behaviour: a meta-analysis

Abstract

There is increasing interest in individual differences in animal behaviour. Recent research now suggests that an individual’s behaviour, once considered to be plastic, may be more predictable than previously thought. Here, we take advantage of the large number of studies that have estimated the repeatability of various behaviours to evaluate whether there is good evidence for consistent individual differences in behaviour and to answer some outstanding questions about possible factors that can influence repeatability. Specifically, we use meta-analysis to ask whether different types of behaviours were more repeatable than others, and if repeatability estimates depended on taxa, sex, age, field versus laboratory, the number of measures and the interval between measures. Some of the overall patterns that were revealed by this analysis were that repeatability estimates were higher in the field compared to the laboratory and repeatability was higher when the interval between observations was short. Mate preference behaviour was one of the best studied but least repeatable behaviours. Our findings prompt new insights into the relative flexibility of different types of behaviour and offer suggestions for the design and analysis of future research.

Social personality traits in chimpanzees: temporal stability and structure of behaviourally assessed personality traits in three captive populations

“…All but one of the 16 behaviours were repeatable in at least 2 out of 3 study populations, and most of them were repeatable in all 3 populations. Repeatability ranged between 0.21 and 0.93, which is within the values reported for most animal species (Bell et al 2009). Thus, chimpanzees exhibited personality variation in several social behaviours.…”

Associations between glucocorticoids and sociality across a continuum of vertebrate social behavior

“…The proximate mechanisms underlying animal personalities or individual‐variation in behavior have already been reviewed to some extent (Carere et al., 2010; Hau et al., 2016; Koolhaas et al., 1999, 2010; Packard, Egan, & Ulrich‐Lai, 2016; Sapolsky, 1990; Sih, 2011). However, the predominant focus of these previous studies has been on repeatable differences in personality traits such as aggression, activity, or docility (reviewed by Bell, Hankison, & Laskowski, 2009). Although less attention has been given to social behaviors, repeatable individual differences in social behavior have also been documented (Bergmüller, Schürch, & Hamilton, 2010).…”

Animal personality and state–behaviour feedbacks: a review and guide for empiricists

“…Empirical studies show that animal personalities and behavioural syndromes (correlations across contexts) vary as a function of ecology [4,5]; for example, aggressiveness and boldness are often positively correlated but the strength of this correlation varies depending on the predation regime [6,7]. Variation in syndrome structure also exists across different temporal scales; for instance, early experiences (e.g., exposure to stressors) can have large effects on the development of personality structure but such effects can either be temporary or permanent [8][9][10].…”