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Data from: Aggressive jumping spiders make quicker decisions for preferred prey but not at the cost of accuracy

Cite this dataset

Chang, Chia-chen; Ng, Pangilinan; Li, Daiqin (2016). Data from: Aggressive jumping spiders make quicker decisions for preferred prey but not at the cost of accuracy [Dataset]. Dryad. https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.f4580

Abstract

There has been an increasing interest in consistent interindividual differences in behavior (i.e., personality) in recent years. However, consistent interindividual differences in cognitive styles remain largely unexplored. Individual differences in cognitive styles are hypothesized to be functionally related to differences in personality types. It is assumed that proactive individuals make faster decisions at the expense of accuracy (i.e., the speed–accuracy trade-offs hypothesis). Here, we investigated the relationship between personality and speed–accuracy trade-off using Portia labiata, a specialized spider-eating jumping spider that exhibits excellent cognitive ability. We first established consistent individual differences in aggressiveness and decision-making in P. labiata. We then tested whether individual differences in aggressiveness could predict how fast and accurately P. labiata makes a prey-choice decision (a large vs. a small orb-web spider). We demonstrated that P. labiata exhibited individual differences not only in aggressiveness, but also in the speed of prey-choice decisions but not in the choices. Importantly, we found that aggressiveness was not related to the choice of the prey, but it predicted the speed of prey-choice decision: aggressive individuals were faster to make choices than docile ones but both chose large spiders as preferred prey. This suggests a lack of an association between a speed–accuracy trade-off and variation in personality types of P. labiata.

Usage notes

Location

South-east Asia