In addition, once an animal has obtained social information, some aspect of their lives, such as their sex or social rank, could prevent them from using it. Animals, like humans, have different social networks that they could acquire this kind of ‘social information’ from, yet we know little about which networks they actually use.

Our study highlights the sequential nature of information use and the fundamental importance of phenotypic constraints on this sequence.Īnimals need information to make decisions, and a quick way to get this information is to watch what others are doing. As a result of these constraints, the average individual only acquired and exploited social information on <25% and <5% of occasions. Social bonds and personality also played a limiting role along the sequence. We identified phenotypic constraints at each step of the information use sequence: peripheral individuals in the proximity network were less likely to acquire and apply social information, while subordinate females were less likely to exploit it successfully. We tested this novel framework by quantifying the sequential process of social information use with experimental food patches in wild baboons ( Papio ursinus). However, an individual’s ability to use information is likely to be dependent on phenotypic constraints operating at three successive steps: acquisition, application, and exploitation. Social information allows the rapid dissemination of novel information among individuals.

Wild child 1991 torrent