Alle Publikationen
2017
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(2017) : Cultural and genetic influences on emotion: The role of motivational processes in gene-culture interactions. In: Church, A. T.: Culture and characteristic adaptations: Santa Barbara, California, USA: Praeger/ABC-CLIO, S. 35-59
Abstract: Imagine you have just arrived in a country you have never visited before. The language spoken is different from yours, and yet you find that you are able to communicate at least some of your sentiments with the local people. You can express your feelings of excitement, perhaps from being in an exotic environment, as well as your frustrations from getting a little lost. Through your facial expressions, gestures, and physiological responses—sweating palms, a racing heart, and rapid breathing—some of your basic emotions come across to the people you meet. Although the general meaning of certain emotions may be shared, are emotions experienced and expressed in the same way across cultures? How do biological factors, such as genetic and physiological processes, interact with social and cultural factors to influence emotions? In this chapter, we first review research on culture and emotional experience and expression. Next, we review the theoretical background for gene-cult ure inte raction research, and we put forward a novel hypothesis that considers the role of motivational processes in these interaction effects: the motivational setting hypothesis. We then discuss gene culture interaction research with cultural psychological findings in the area of emotion. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)
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(2017): Applying “theory of mind”: Theory and experiments. In: Games and Economic Behavior 106, S. 209-226. DOI: 10.1016/j.geb.2017.10.008
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geb.2017.10.008 Abstract: We investigate our capacity to attribute preferences to others. This ability is intrinsic to game theory, and is a central component of “Theory of Mind”, perhaps the capstone of social cognition. This component of theory of mind allows individuals to learn more rapidly in strategic environments with an element of novelty. We show that the capacity to attribute preferences yields an advantage over less sophisticated approaches to strategic interaction (e.g. reinforcement learning) because it allows agents to extrapolate to novel circumstances information about counterparts' preferences that was learned previously. We report experiments investigating this capacity in extensive form games. We find significant learning of others' preferences, providing evidence for the presence and effectiveness of this aspect of theory of mind. Moreover, scores on survey measures of autism-spectrum tendencies are significant determinants of individual learning, so our notion of theory of mind is related to the notion as understood in psychology.
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(2017): Learning a commonsense moral theory. In: Cognition 167, S. 107-123. DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2017.03.005
DOI: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28351662 Abstract: We introduce a computational framework for understanding the structure and dynamics of moral learning, with a focus on how people learn to trade off the interests and welfare of different individuals in their social groups and the larger society. We posit a minimal set of cognitive capacities that together can solve this learning problem: (1) an abstract and recursive utility calculus to quantitatively represent welfare trade-offs; (2) hierarchical Bayesian inference to understand the actions and judgments of others; and (3) meta-values for learning by value alignment both externally to the values of others and internally to make moral theories consistent with one's own attachments and feelings. Our model explains how children can build from sparse noisy observations of how a small set of individuals make moral decisions to a broad moral competence, able to support an infinite range of judgments and decisions that generalizes even to people they have never met and situations they have not been in or observed. It also provides insight into the causes and dynamics of moral change across time, including cases when moral change can be rapidly progressive, changing values significantly in just a few generations, and cases when it is likely to move more slowly. zitiert von: 7
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(2017): Expectations and provocations. In: Qualitative Research Journal 17 (4), S. 265-282. DOI: 10.1108/QRJ-08-2016-0054
Abstract: Purpose-The purpose of this paper is to address participants' humorous provocations as a part of informal interactions between participants and researcher that can be treated just like the research data. By means of autoethnographic analysis, the author explores the expectations of the researcher and participants that humour research entails and discusses how different expectations are revealed in participants' provocations. Design/methodology/approach-This paper uses an autoethnographic approach to discuss the informal interactions between participants and the researcher gathered during research into staffroom humour. The informal interactions in general and humour specifically were recorded, analysed, coded, interpreted and theorised just like the data on humour between participants. The theoretical framework used in the study combines Goffman's (1959) version of symbolic interactionism and Solomon et al. (2006) idea of hybrid spaces. Findings-The study shows the need for reconsideration of expectations entangled in humour research and proposes to be prepared for unexpected. Expecting unexpected can help stay open minded in the field and in interactions with participants and apply healthy distance towards own research and own expectations. The study shows that whenever certain behaviour was expected and different behaviour was delivered, there was a chance for certain behaviour being interpreted as provocations. Participants' provocations can result from their own expectations about the research or what they think is expected from them by the researcher and thus they remain subject to different interpretations. Research limitations/implications-Further research could investigate and discuss the role of humour in participant-researcher interactions in different research contexts and across different methodologies. Combining and analysing experiences of use of humour from both participants and researchers could allow for creating the guidelines in the use of humour in different research situations. Ethical challenges posed by informal interactions between researcher and participants could be explored further and suggestions as to how to protect the researcher, research and participants in such interactions could be developed. Originality/value-This paper aims to be a starting point for a discussion about the understudied relationship between expectations humour research is entangled with and participants' provocations. The study shows innovative approach to informal interactions between participants' and researcher which are treated as research data and are theorised using original combination of symbolic interactionism and hybrid spaces. The study contributes to the qualitative research methodology by discussing the ethics of both using humour with participants and recording and analysing informal humorous interactions between participants and the researcher.
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(2017): Mobile communication as invader in face-to-face interactions. An analysis of predictors for parallel communication habits. In: Computers in Human Behavior 73, S. 328-335. DOI: 10.1016/j.chb.2017.03.055
Abstract: Mobile phone use has increased dramatically, and many users carry their phones 24 h a day. Consequently, mobile communication increasingly invades face-to-face interactions. In this paper, the researcher analyzes individual, social, and situational factors that predict such parallel communication habits. To this end, 339 smartphone users in Germany were asked about their smartphone usage habits, their availability management, and their parallel communication experiences. Subsequently, a multiple logistic regression was calculated to test which of the identified factors form predictors of a disposition to parallel communication. The findings confirm the assumption of significant influence from age, social usage motivation, usage habits of the peer group, individual evaluation of parallel communication, and expectations about the availability of others.
Keywords: POWER -
(2017) : Handshakiness: Benchmarking for human-robot hand interactions: IROS Vancouver 2017: IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems : Vancouver, BC, Canada, September 24 - 28, 2017: 2017 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS): Vancouver, BC: 9/24/2017 - 9/28/2017: [Piscataway, New Jersey]: IEEE, S. 4982-4989
Abstract: Handshakes are common greetings, and humans therefore have strong priors of what a handshake should feel like. This makes it challenging to create compelling and realistic human-robot handshakes, necessitating the consideration of human haptic perception in the design of robot hands. At its most basic level, haptic perception is encoded by contact points and contact pressure distributions on the skin. This motivates our work on measuring the contact area and contact pressure in human handshaking interactions. We present two benchmarking experiments in this regard, measuring the contact locations in human-human/human-robot handshaking and the contact pressure distribution for handshakes with a sensorized palm. We present results from human studies with the benchmarking experiments, providing a baseline for comparison with robot hands as well as presenting new insights into human handshaking. We also show initial work in using these results for the evaluation of robot hands, and progressing towards iterative design of robot hands optimized for social hand interactions.
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(2017): Social Ontology and Varieties of Interpretation. A Hermeneutic Critique of Searle. In: Philosophy of the Social Sciences 48 (2), S. 192-217. DOI: 10.1177/0048393117742336
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Köhle, Karl; Herzog, Wolfgang; Joraschky, Peter; Kruse, Johannes (Hg.) (2017): Psychosomatische Medizin. Theoretische Modelle und klinische Praxis. 8. Auflage. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier
Keywords: klinische Psychologie -
(2017): Dissipative structures, machines, and organisms: A perspective. In: Chaos (Woodbury, N.Y.) 27 (10). DOI: 10.1063/1.5001195
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5001195 Abstract: Self-organization in nonequilibrium systems resulting in the formation of dissipative structures has been studied in a variety of systems, most prominently in chemical systems. We present a study of a voltage-driven dissipative structure consisting of conducting beads immersed in a viscous medium of oil. In this simple system, we observed remarkably complex organism-like behavior. The dissipative structure consists of a tree structure that spontaneously forms and moves like a worm and exhibits many features characteristic of living organisms. The complex motion of the beads driven by the applied field, the dipole-dipole interaction between the beads, and the hydrodynamic flow of the viscous medium result in a time evolution of the tree structure towards states of lower resistance or higher dissipation and thus higher rates of entropy production. The resulting end-directed evolution manifests as the tree moving to locations seeking higher current, the current that sustains its structure and dynamics. The study of end-directed evolution in the dissipative structure gives us a means to distinguish the fundamental difference between machines and organisms and opens a path for the formulation of physics of organisms.
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(2017): Effects of movement speed and predictability in human-robot collaboration. In: Human Factors and Ergonomics in Manufacturing & Service Industries 27 (4), S. 197-209. DOI: 10.1002/hfm.20703
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Korabik, Karen (2017): The Work-Family Interface in Global Context. Milton: Taylor and Francis. Online verfügbar unter https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/gbv/detail.action?docID=4838146
Abstract: Cover -- Title -- Copyright -- Dedication -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Abbreviations -- Contributors -- Part I Examining the Impact of Culture on the Work-Family Interface -- 1 Introducing Project 3535: Lessons Learned from a Multicultural Collaborative Research Project on the Work-Family Interface -- 2 Methodology, Measurement, and Country Classification -- 3 The Impact of National Context and Organizational Policies: A Cross-Cultural Analysis -- Part II The Work-Family Interface in Different Countries in the World -- 4 The Work-Family Interface in the United States -- 5 The Work-Family Interface in Canada -- 6 The Work-Family Interface in Australia -- 7 The Work-Family Interface in Israel -- 8 The Work-Family Interface in Turkey -- 9 The Work-Family Interface in India -- 10 The Work-Family Interface in Indonesia -- 11 The Work-Family Interface in the People's Republic of China -- 12 The Work-Family Interface in Taiwan -- Part III Work-Family Issues in Global Context -- 13 An Integrative Model of Work-Family Conflict: Pan-Cultural Effects and Cross-Cultural Differences -- 14 Positive Spillover of the Work and Life Domains -- 15 Understanding the Role of Personal Coping Strategy in Decreasing Work and Family Conflict: A Cross-Cultural Perspective -- 16 Social Support and the Work-Family Interface From a Cross-Cultural Perspective -- 17 The Role of Work-Family Guilt in the Work-Family Interface: A Cross-Cultural Analysis -- 18 Work-Family Conflict and Positive Spillover: Examining the Interaction of Gender, Gender-Role Ideology, and National Gender Equity Culture -- 19 Exploring the Interaction of Culture and Contextual Factors on the Work-Family Interface -- 20 Conclusion: Contributions of Project 3535 to Theory, Research, and Practice -- Index
Keywords: Gender -
(2017): Monologic versus Dialogic Distinctions of Selves. In: CONSTRUCTIVIST FOUNDATIONS (13/1), S. 18-21
Abstract: This commentary contrasts the monologic accounts of self-reference pursued in Kauffman's target article with natural language notions of referring to one's self, drawing distinctions, and constructing identities collaboratively. It suggests that mathematical calculi, which assume the perspective of observers, are fundamentally incapable of accounting for how the selves of interactively involved participants in social systems come to be. It questions the claim that a mathematical notion of "self" can shed light on the being of humans and argues for dialogical distinctions of identities. Finally, it suggests that publishing and enacting monological conceptions of selves can have undesirable social consequences.
Keywords: Beobachter, Beobachterperspektive, Disziplin, Identität, Identitätsstiftung, Incalculability of the self, Kauffmann, Konstruktion des Selbst, Mensch-Technik-Relationen (MTR), Monolog, natürliche Sprache, Philosophie, Selbst, Selbstreferenz, Self Concept, Dialog, social systems, Soziale Angemessenheit, soziale Konsequenzen, Soziale Systeme, Systemtheorie -
(2017): How can the study of action kinematics inform our understanding of human social interaction?. In: Neuropsychologia 105, S. 101-110. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2017.01.018
DOI: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28119002 Abstract: The kinematics of human actions are influenced by the social context in which they are performed. Motion-capture technology has allowed researchers to build up a detailed and complex picture of how action kinematics vary across different social contexts. Here we review three task domains-point-to-point imitation tasks, motor interference tasks and reach-to-grasp tasks-to critically evaluate how these tasks can inform our understanding of social interactions. First, we consider how actions within these task domains are performed in a non-social context, before highlighting how a plethora of social cues can perturb the baseline kinematics. We show that there is considerable overlap in the findings from these different tasks domains but also highlight the inconsistencies in the literature and the possible reasons for this. Specifically, we draw attention to the pitfalls of dealing with rich, kinematic data. As a way to avoid these pitfalls, we call for greater standardisation and clarity in the reporting of kinematic measures and suggest the field would benefit from a move towards more naturalistic tasks.
Keywords: Favoriten, Imitation, Interaktion, interference of social interaction, Kinematics, kinematics and social interaction, Kinematik, kinematische Dimension, Kontext, Körperbewegungen / Kinematik, Modelle/Theorien, Motor, Observablen/Kriterien für sozial angemessenes Verhalten und dessen Bewertung, social, social interaction, Soziale Angemessenheit -
(2017): Punches or punchlines?. Honor, face, and dignity cultures encourage different reactions to provocation. In: Humor 30 (3). DOI: 10.1515/humor-2016-0087
Abstract: Research on culture-related violence has typically focused on honor cultures and their justification of certain forms of aggression as reactions to provocation. In contrast, amusement and humor as the preferred reactions to provocation remain understudied phenomena, especially in a cross-cultural context. In an attempt to remedy this, participants from an honor culture (Poland), dignity culture (Canada), and face culture (China) were asked how they would react and how they would like to react to a series of provocative scenarios. Results confirmed that aggression may be the preferred reaction to provocation in honor cultures, while the preferred reaction to provocation in dignity cultures may be based on humor and amusement. The third kind of provocation reaction, withdrawal, turned out to be more complex but was most popular in dignity and face cultures. Furthermore, results confirmed that the way individuals think they would behave is more culturally diversified than the way individuals would like to behave. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved) zitiert von 1
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(2017): Conventionalized Politeness Structures. Empirical Evidence from Hindi/Urdu. In: Journal of Politeness Research 13 (2), S. 243-279. DOI: 10.1515/pr-2015-0001
Abstract: This paper discusses the results of a survey undertaken to investigate conventionalized politeness structures in Hindi\Urdu, with specific focus on the ability of native speakers to view politeness as a scalar phenomenon across different utterances vis-a-vis each other. The speakers were provided with utterances that encoded systematic differences in lexical choice (High Perso Arabic\High Sanskritic\neutral native) and construction choice (suggestion\request\ subjunctives, etc.), but nevertheless performed the same act so as to be possible to rank on a politeness scale as realizations of the same speech act. The paper focusses on the correlation between High\formal registers and politeness as well as the correlation between different grammatical structures and politeness to argue that linguistic structures are conventionalized for possible politeness effects.
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(2017): Moral vindications. In: Cognition 167, S. 124-134. DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2017.05.005
DOI: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28545629 Abstract: Psychologists and neuroscientists have recently been unearthing the unconscious processes that give rise to moral intuitions and emotions. According to skeptics like Joshua Greene, what has been found casts doubt on many of our moral beliefs. However, a new approach in moral psychology develops a learning-theoretic framework that has been successfully applied in a number of other domains. This framework suggests that model-based learning shapes intuitions and emotions. Model-based learning explains how moral thought and feeling are attuned to local material and social conditions. Philosophers can draw on these explanations, in some cases, in order to vindicate episodes of moral change. Explanations can support justifications by showing that they are not mere rationalizations. In addition, philosophical justifications are a fertile source for empirical hypotheses about the rational learning mechanisms that shape moral intuitions and emotions.
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(2017): Bowling alone or bowling at all?. The effect of unemployment on social participation. In: Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization 133, S. 213-235. DOI: 10.1016/j.jebo.2016.11.012
Abstract: This article examines the impact of unemployment on social participation using German panel data. We find negative and lasting effects for public social activities but also a retreat of individuals into private life. Issues of selection and endogeneity are addressed by using plant closures as exogenous entries into unemployment. Social norms and labour market prospects are shown to be relevant for explaining these findings. Our results advance the understanding of the consequences of unemployment for human well-being, highlight an hitherto unexplored channel through which unemployment influences economic outcomes (via changes in social capital) and point to an alternative explanation of unemployment hysteresis based on access to information.
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(2017): Communicating Moral Motives. The social signaling function of disgust.. In: Social Psychological and Personality Science 8 (6), S. 632-640. DOI: 10.1177/1948550616679236
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1948550616679236 Abstract: Disgust motivates pathogen avoidance, but it is unclear why it is also reported toward moral violations. Previous explanations have focused on identifying the type of violation specific to disgust. Here, we propose that people express disgust toward any type of moral violation in order to communicate particular motives. Unlike anger, which can be seen as self-interested, disgust communicates a more principled, moral motivation. Two experiments show that observers infer more moral motivation from an expression of disgust and more self-interested motivation from anger. Two further experiments testing participants’ own expression decisions demonstrate that disgust is chosen more to show moral concern and anger is chosen to protest harm to one’s self-interest. By shifting focus to the interpersonal effects of emotion expressions, these findings offer a new perspective for understanding the role of disgust in morality. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights res erved) zitiert von: 7
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Kwon, Sunkyo (2017): Gerontechnology: Research, practice, and principles in the field of technology and aging. New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company
Keywords: Bedienung & Handhabung -
Lammel, Ute Antonia; Pauls, Helmut (Hg.) (2017): Sozialtherapie. Sozialtherapeutische Interventionen als dritte Säule der Gesundheitsversorgung. Dortmund: verlag modernes lernen
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(2017): Power increases anchoring effects on judgment. In: Social Cognition 35 (1), S. 40-53
Abstract: Four experiments test the impact of power (vs powerlessness) on anchoring effects. Anchoring refers to the tendency to assimilate one's judgment to a previously considered numeric standard. Based on the notion that power facilitates the activation of and reliance on accessible information, it is hypothesized that power increases numeric anchoring effects on judgment, compared to powerlessness. Across studies, consistent support for this idea was found: when testing estimations of factual values (Experiments 1 and 2), subjective evaluations (Experiment 3), and negotiation behavior (Experiment 4). The findings of Studies 2 to 4 qualify the dominant idea in power literature that power reduces conformity to others' opinion. Power increases conformity to others' opinion, if such opinion is presented as an anchor and therefore processed more automatically. These findings also have important methodological implications for power research. They show that differences in stimulus presentation can steer observed effects of power in opposite directions.
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(2017): Stressing the Advantages of Female Leadership Can Place Women at a Disadvantage. In: Social Psychology 48 (1), S. 28-39. DOI: 10.1027/1864-9335/a000292
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1027/1864-9335/a000292 Abstract: Women are still underrepresented in management and men hold the majority of higher positions. Nonetheless, one often-heard claim in popular media is that female people-centered leadership skills (empathy, communication, etc.) are a better match for the business world - especially in the future. Furthermore, a related idea is that women may use this advantage to take over men's dominant position in leadership. Four studies show that such claims paradoxically maintain gender inequality, by undermining support for affirmative action to reduce female underrepresentation in leadership. Where earlier research shows that positive stereotypes can hurt women by suggesting that they are unqualified for leadership, the current findings show that even positive stereotypes that claim that women are particularly well qualified for leadership can hurt women in their chances for gaining leadership positions. Although it is good to highlight the advantages of female leadership, exaggerated and sensationalist claims contribute to a perpetuation of gender inequality.
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(2017): Third-party anger and being moved. kumulative Dissertation. Humboldt-Universität Berlin, Lebenswissenschaftliche Fakultät. Online verfügbar unter http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:11-100248957.
DOI: http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:11-100248957 Abstract: Moralisches und unmoralisches Verhalten kann mit starken Emotionen verbunden sein. Beispielsweise kann das Beobachten einer Ungerechtigkeit echte Empörung auslösen (d. h. third-party anger). Außergewöhnliche Hilfsbereitschaft dagegen kann zu Gefühlen des Bewegtseins und der Überwältigung führen (d. h. being moved). Am Beispiel dieser Emotionen beleuchtet die vorliegende Dissertation wie Moral und Emotionen zusammenhängen. Dafür wurde die Rolle von Konsequenzen und Normen für emotionale Reaktionen und damit verbundene Verhaltensweisen anhand von sechs empirischen Studien untersucht. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass Gefühle des Bewegtseins das positive Pendent zu Ärger darstellen. Während Ärger durch Normverletzungen ausgelöst wird (z. B. Ungerechtigkeit oder Respektlosigkeit), werden Gefühle des Bewegtseins durch das Beobachten positiver Normabweichungen ausgelöst (z. B. ungewöhnliche Hilfsbereitschaft oder außergewöhnliche Leistung). Diese emotionalen Episoden scheinen wesentlich für ein soziales Zusammenleben zu sein, da sie mit Bestrafungsentscheidungen, politischen Wahlentscheidungen und ehrenamtlicher Arbeit verbunden waren. Wie diese Emotionen ausgelöst werden konnte wesentlich besser erklärt werden, wenn bestehende Methoden zur Erfassung von Appraisals (d. h. subjektiven Bewertungen) erweitert wurden. Zusammengenommen zeigen diese Befunde auf, wie Appraisaltheorien auf moralische Emotionen angewendet werden können und tragen dazu bei, Verbindungen zwischen moralischen Grundsätzen und Emotionen zu identifizieren. Sie weisen außerdem auf praktische Implikationen hin, wie der Auslösung von Ärger durch Medien und der Rolle von Gefühlen des Bewegtseins in Überzeugungsprozessen. Moral and immoral behavior can elicit strong emotions. For instance, people can get outraged when they witness unfair behavior (i.e., they experience third-party anger) and they can be intensely moved and overwhelmed by exceptional helpfulness (i.e., they experience feelings of being moved). Using these feelings of third-party anger and being moved as examples, this dissertation set out to clarify how morality and emotions are related. Specifically, the role of outcomes and norms for emotional reactions and behavioral consequences were investigated within six empirical studies. Results indicate that third-party anger and feelings of being moved are counterparts: whereas witnessing behavior that violates norms (e.g., unfairness or disrespect) elicits anger, witnessing behavior that surpasses norms (e.g., exceptional helpfulness or outstanding achievement) elicits feelings of being moved. These emotional episodes seem to be highly relevant for social life as they were associated with punishment decisions, voting intentions and voluntary work. Explaining the elicitation of these emotions was improved when expanding established appraisal assessment methods. Taken together, these findings provide a framework for applying appraisal research to moral emotions and contribute to identifying links between moral principles and emotions. In addition, they point to practical implications concerning anger-induction through the media and the role of being moved in persuasion processes.
Keywords: Anger, Appraisals, Ärger, Being Moved, Bewegtsein, CP 3200, CQ 5100, emotion, Emotionsforschung, Moral, Morality -
(2017): Artificial agents among us. Should we recognize them as agents proper?. In: Ethics and Information Technology 19 (1), S. 1-17. DOI: 10.1007/s10676-016-9411-3
Abstract: Abstract In this paper, I discuss whether in a society where the use of artificial agents is pervasive, these agents should be recognized as having rights like those we accord to group agents. This kind of recognition I understand to be at once social and legal, and I argue that in order for an artificial agent to be so recognized, it will need to meet the same basic conditions in light of which group agents are granted such recognition. I then explore the implications of granting recognition in this manner. The thesis I will be defending is that artificial agents that do meet the conditions of agency in light of which we ascribe rights to group agents should thereby be recognized as having similar rights. The reason for bringing group agents into the picture is that, like artificial agents, they are not self-evidently agents of the sort to which we would naturally ascribe rights, or at least that is what the historical record suggests if we look, for example, at what it took for corporations to gain legal status in the law as group agents entitled to rights and, consequently, as entities subject to responsibilities. This is an example of agency ascribed to a nonhuman agent, and just as a group agent can be described as nonhuman, so can an artificial agent. Therefore, if these two kinds of nonhuman agents can be shown to be sufficiently similar in relevant ways, the agency ascribed to one can also be ascribed to the other-this despite the fact that neither is human, a major impediment when it comes to recognizing an entity as an agent proper, and hence as a bearer of rights.
Keywords: agency, Anerkennung, Anerkennung technischer Systeme, Anerkennung und technische Systeme, Artificial agent, artificial agents, doppelter Treffer, Favoriten, Group agent, Mensch-Technik-Relationen (MTR), Modelle/Theorien, Personhood, RATIONALITY, Realtechnik, recognition and self, responsibility, Rights, Serviceroboter, Soziale Angemessenheit, Soziale Robotik, Technik -
(2017): Social odours covary with bacterial community in the anal secretions of wild meerkats. In: Scientific reports 7 (1). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-03356-x
DOI: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28607369 Abstract: The fermentation hypothesis for animal signalling posits that bacteria dwelling in an animal's scent glands metabolize the glands' primary products into odorous compounds used by the host to communicate with conspecifics. There is, however, little evidence of the predicted covariation between an animal's olfactory cues and its glandular bacterial communities. Using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, we first identified the volatile compounds present in 'pure' versus 'mixed' anal-gland secretions ('paste') of adult meerkats (Suricata suricatta) living in the wild. Low-molecular-weight chemicals that likely derive from bacterial metabolism were more prominent in mixed than pure secretions. Focusing thereafter on mixed secretions, we showed that chemical composition varied by sex and was more similar between members of the same group than between members of different groups. Subsequently, using next-generation sequencing, we identified the bacterial assemblages present in meerkat paste and documented relationships between these assemblages and the host's sex, social status and group membership. Lastly, we found significant covariation between the volatile compounds and bacterial assemblages in meerkat paste, particularly in males. Together, these results are consistent with a role for bacteria in the production of sex- and group-specific scents, and with the evolution of mutualism between meerkats and their glandular microbiota.