Guppies Have Personalities Too
Overview | Article
Summary | For Instructors | For
Students
Budaev, S.V. (1997). "Personality" in the guppy (Poecilia reticulata):
A correlational study of exploratory behavior and social tendency. Journal
of Comparative Psychology, 111, 399-411.
Overview:
Comparative Perspectives of Personality
Personality is used to describe what makes a person a unique individual.
We use to concept of personality to indicate both how a person behaves
and that this behavior is consistent across different situations. A shy
person acts shy in a social setting and in the classroom. An aggressive
person is aggressive both in sports and in social situations.
Caspi,
Begg, Dickson, Harrington, Langley, Moffitt, and Silva (1997), summarized
in the January, 1998, Research and Teaching Showcase, examined the long
term stability of personality. In this Showcase article, Budaev (1997)
identifies personality dimensions from individual differences in behavior
and examines behavioral consistency across situations.
Budaev is a biologist who is interested in ethological and evolutionary
perspectives of behavior. He studies behavior in interesting organisms,
fish. In this study, he concentrates on the personality of guppies, a common
freshwater fish and household pet.
Overview | Article Summary | For
Instructors | For Students
Article Summary
Comparative psychologists who study animal "personality" are
not anthropomorphizing their subjects; rather they are interested in consistent
ways in which animals behave in different situations. Budaev was interested
in consistent individual differences in exploratory behavior and social
tendencies -- personality -- of guppies.
Guppies are an interesting species to study. They swim in social groups
and they face great danger from predators. What is the structure of these
social groups, or schools, and how do they protect the members from predators?
Guppies are also very interesting to study because researchers have found
that different populations of guppies act quite differently.
The goal of Budaev's research was to identify personality traits associated
with exploratory behavior and schooling, common guppy situations. He studied
guppies from a stream near a water purification plant in Moscow. Because
the water was quite cloud, he captured a number of male guppies to participate
in the study.
Budaev used four situations to study exploratory behavior and schooling
behavior. Each guppy participated individually in a number of sessions
in each situation. All situations occurred in a large tank that could be
divided into two or three sections. The four situations were:
- Open Field Test. Budaev observed the guppy swimming freely in
a large tank for 5 min.
- Predator Inspection Test. Budaev placed the guppy in the tank
at the opposite end from a divided off section behind which he placed a
cichlid, a common predator of guppies. He then observed the guppy's behavior
for 5 min.
- Schooling Tendency Test. Budaev placed the guppy in the tank
at the opposite end from a divided off section behind which he placed four
other male guppies. The lone guppy was observed for 10 min.
- Mirror Test. Budaev observed the guppy swimming in the large
tank with a mirror attached to one end of the tank.
Budaev recorded a number of behaviors, including behaviors of move,
freeze (remaining motionless at the bottom of the tank), stop (hanging
motionless for a period in the middle level of the tank), escape (swimming
rapidly away), and inspect (approaching and looking at another fish or
himself in the mirror).
Budaev obtained two personality dimensions from detailed statistical
analyses, Fear Avoidance and Approach. Fear Avoidance consisted of bold,
approach behaviors versus fearful escape responses to novel situations,
such as being in the same tank as a larger predatory fish. Approach consisted
of active, sociable behaviors versus passive responses to schooling situations.
Personality dimensions similar to Fear Avoidance and Approach have been
found in many other species and in humans. Budaev likened the guppy Fear
Avoidance dimension to Neuroticism, a human personality trait associated
with anxiousness and tension. He compared the guppy Approach dimension
with Extroversion, a human personality trait associated with sociability
and activity. Obviously a lot more research into the functions and genetics
of these personality types is necessary in order to make comparisons between
humans and guppies but the evolutionary implications are quite interesting.
Overview | Article
Summary | For Instructors | For Students
For Instructors
Links to the Lecture
How is personality and expression of adaptive behavior? Cats tend to
have rather antisocial personalities but they are not social animals. Dogs
have a wide range of personalities that reflect their social status. Have
students reflect on their pet's personalities and how these stable behaviors
relate to their intra-species and inter-species (including human) social
status.
Overview | Article
Summary | For Instructors | For Students
For Students
About the Author
Sergey Budaev is in the Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution
in the Department of General Biology of the Russian
Academy of Sciences.
About the Journal
The Journal of Comparative
Psychology publishes research on the behavior, cognition, perception,
and social relationships of different species. This journal has a very
long history; check out some recent issues.
Links to Life
Fish and Their Personality
Do your fish have unique personalities? Here's a personal article on
fish behavior
and personality This article comes with background music.
Animal Personality Research Project
Fill out the pet personality
survey to learn about your pet's personality and contribute to their
research.
What About Your Personality?
These are some interesting personality tests, including extroversion,
anxiety, and social
anxiety. What kind of guppy would you be?
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