Social complexity

With increases in group size and social complexity, and the consequent expansion of diversity in communication, there is presumably selection pressure for unambiguous signals. Over time, evolutionary change may reduce unwanted complexity and act to refine specificity. Whether this results in reliance on the properties of a single component rather than those of the pattern provided by a complex mixture is conjectural. A reasonable expectation is that emitted semiochemical(s) can be reliably produced, and that their contents are acted upon by selection. The improvements in control which can thus be attained are seen in the operation of stereospecificity (Miiller-Schwarze et al, 1976). 

The challenge of wicked problems is exacerbated by social complexity - the number and diversity of stakeholders in the problem-solving process. Social complexity means that the environment of a project team is populated by individuals, other project teams, and other organizations that have the power to undermine the project if their stake is not considered - or if they are not at least included in the thinking and decision-making process [19]. 

As our understanding of primate societies has deepened, the expression social complexity occurs more and more frequently. However, it has not been subjected to systematic analysis. Tom Sambrook and I have begun an assault on this task, attempting as far as possible to identify components of social complexity that in principle could be independently measured, even where this is currently difficult in practice (e.g. A. Whiten T. Sambrook, unpublished paper, Am Soc Primatol, July 1994, Sambrook 1995). 

Table 1 lists a number of proposed dimensions of social complexity in primates. Our approach to complexity has been that at the most abstract level, one system is more complex than another if it contains more elements and, even more importantly, more combinations or links between the elements. This conception underlies our approach to both social complexity and cognitive complexity. The social complexity we want to define is that which is predicted to require a more intelligent brain to engage with it, if biological fitness is to be maintained or enhanced (Sambrook Whiten 1997). One society might thus count as more complex than another if to succeed in it, a member had, for example, to process... 

TABLE 1 Some dimensions of social complexity in primates... 

The above factors make prediction of the social behaviour of others complex to predict. One measure of this might be the number of factors needed to predict to a certain level of probability. For example, where such factors as rank and availability of allies needs to be considered in addition to rank of protagonist, there is greater social complexity. 

The idea of social or Machiavellian intelligence is still quite new, and although already influential, the essential complexity of its subject matter means that we are probably just scratching the surface in our attempts to understand it. However, the first proper tests of the MI hypothesis have supported it, giving encouragement to deeper attempts to dissect both the cognitive capacities involved and the dimensions of social complexity to which they are adapted. It... 

Sambrook TD 1995 Social complexity in a large and small group of olive baboons. PhD thesis, University of St Andrews, Scotland... 

Suddendorf You would have to come up with some causal chain just having said that social complexity might be related to social intelligence doesn t explain anything, because the causality can go both ways. In order to explain why we have stayed in this mental arms race in social intelligence, you would have to either resort to a runaway selection mechanism, or argue for some spin-off benefit outside the social domain which allows you to support the investment in a larger brain. 

Humphrey Incidentally, the arms race needn t relate to social complexity as such what s more important is psychological complexity—and this doesn t necessarily imply a large and complex social group. You only need one other person to... 

Before presenting possible evolutionary scenarios however, let me explore further the idea of social complexity and its relation to the habit routine model of cognitive operation I have proposed earlier. I stated that the power of the habit routine cognitive system would have increased with the increasing complexity of animal species, and would have reached its summit in proto-man. The... 

Machiavellian intelligence hypothesis and its proposed increasing social complexity fits perfectly with my surmise. Increased social complexity and the evolution of a large, expensive to support nervous system go hand in hand with extreme reliance on habit routine generation as the primary cognitive mechanism. One major consideration is that a large brain requires an excellent and copious diet, a requirement that would be fulfilled best in... 

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