INTERACTION OF STIMULUS PATTERNS CONTROLLING AGGRESSIVENESS IN CICHLID FISH HAPLOCHROMIS-BURTONI

Readiness to attack is controlled by various stimulus patterns displayed in the context of social behavior. The effect of such stimulus patterns and their combinations can be measured in terms of behavioral quantities. In search of algorithms, f(a, b), describing the combined effect of 2 stimulus patterns, a and b, those solutions are of particular interest which represent f as the combination of 2 terms, f1(a) and f2(b), which each depend on one stimulus pattern only. The existence of such solutions supports the aummption of independent processes controlled by a and b, respectively. Social communication is viewed as a process in which a slender manipulates and controls states of behavioral readiness in receiver. Threat displays may tip the balance between aggressive and submissive tendencies in either direction, with the probability of the outcome largely depending upon the initial disposition of the receiver.