Area A focuses on the individual within the collective. Here, we examine how an individual (a) acquires information, taking into account neural and behavioural mechanisms of sensing, and (b) transmits social signals and cues. Together, this allows us to understand how information is utilised to make decisions. This necessitates taking into account how individual differences (e.g., based on sex/gender, age, experience, motivation, physiological state) impact the processing and transmission of social information. We also study (c) recurrent (also termed reciprocal, or recursive) interactions among pairs, or in small groups, which can be vital for behavioural and physiological synchronisation and decision-making. Since collective behaviour unfolds over different timescales, our research typically spans a wide range of temporal scales, and in some cases, it extends across lifetimes or even generations.
