Social behavior
In
biology,
psychology and
sociology social behavior is behavior directed towards, or taking place between, members of the same species. Behavior such as
predation which involves members of different species is not
social. While many social behaviors are
communication (provoke a response, or change in behavior, without acting directly on the receiver) communication between members of different species is not social behavior.
In sociology, "
behavior" itself means an animal-like activity devoid of social
meaning or social context, in contrast to "social behavior" which has both. In a sociological hierarchy, social behavior is followed by
social action, which is directed at other people and is designed to induce a response. Further along this ascending scale are
social interaction and
social relation.
Among members of certain species, such as ,
horses (more broadly,
Family Equidae),
dogs and
whales, young non-dominant males can spontaneously form
bachelor groups or
bachelor bands. The corresponding social structure for females is the
harem. Unlike the bachelor group, the harem is typically organized around a single dominant male.
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anti-social behavior*
behavioral ecology*
behavioral economics*
dual inheritance theory*
ethology*
Forms of activity and interpersonal relations*
human behavioral ecology*
sociobiology*
peer group
