Ecateam: a software to explore group dynamics
Ecateam allows to carry out simulations of groups of agents that have to reach a target in a bidimensional environment, the performance criterion being the time taken by the last agent to reach the target. The only information available to an agent is the location of the target if the target is within a maximum distance from the agent; otherwise the agent moves randomly. The simulations contrast groups with and without a leader, where a leader is an individual which all the other members of the group follow in its displacements in the environment, as a function of (1) group size, (2) the presence of one individual in each group that perceives the target at a greater distance than its companions, and (3) the existence of a communication network among the members of the group that allows an agent that knows where is the target to communicate this information to other agents. The results show that in groups without communication leaders have a beneficial effect on group performance, especially in large groups and if the individual with better sensory capacities is the leader of the group. However, the existence of communication completely reverse the results, with leaders being detrimental, rather than beneficial, to group performance.
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