Control of critical behavior in a small-scale social system
Bryan C. Daniels, David C. Krakauer, and Jessica C. Flack

TL;DR
This study investigates how a small animal social system can be controlled near a critical point, revealing mechanisms like third-party policing that modulate system sensitivity and balance robustness with adaptability.
Contribution
It demonstrates that criticality in a finite, social animal system can be quantified and controlled through biologically plausible mechanisms, advancing understanding of criticality management.
Findings
System sits near a critical point similar to spatial systems
Individual contributions to criticality can be quantified and vary
Control mechanisms like policing can modulate the system's distance from criticality
Abstract
Over the last decade new technologies for making large numbers of fine-grained measurements have led to the surprising discovery that many biological systems sit near a critical point. These systems are potentially more adaptive in that small changes to component behavior can induce large-scale changes in aggregate structure and function. Accounting for criticality remains a challenge as sensitivity to perturbation suggests a lack of robustness. Furthermore, change induced by perturbation may not be adaptive. Complicating matters further critical phenomena can result from history-dependent stochastic processes. A question central to distinguishing among these conflicting views of criticality is to what degree criticality can be controlled by the components of the system. We address the control of criticality using data on conflict dynamics and fight sizes from an animal society model…
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