Non-linear inhibitory responses enhance performance in collective decision-making

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that non-linear inhibitory responses, inspired by honeybee behavior, improve collective decision-making efficiency by increasing consensus speed and reducing deliberation time, despite a slight decrease in accuracy.

Contribution

It introduces a novel non-linear inhibitory response model for collective decision-making, showing it outperforms linear models in consensus speed and efficiency.

Findings

Non-linear responses increase consensus speed.

They reduce deliberation time.

They slightly decrease decision accuracy.

Abstract

The precise modulation of activity through inhibitory signals ensures that both insect colonies and neural circuits operate efficiently and adaptively, highlighting the fundamental importance of inhibition in biological systems. Modulatory signals are produced in various contexts and are known for subtly shifting the probability of receiver behaviors based on response thresholds. Here we propose a non-linear function to introduce inhibitory responsiveness in collective decision-making inspired by honeybee house-hunting. We show that, compared with usual linear functions, non-linear responses enhance final consensus and reduce deliberation time. This improvement comes at the cost of reduced accuracy in identifying the best option. Nonetheless, for value-based tasks, the benefits of faster consensus and enhanced decision-making might outweigh this drawback.