Skewed performance distributions as evidence of motor constraint in sports and animal displays

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dc.contributor.authorLogue, David
dc.contributor.authorBonnell, Tyler R.
dc.date.accessioned2024-08-28T00:02:43Z
dc.date.available2024-08-28T00:02:43Z
dc.date.issued2023
dc.descriptionOpen access article. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license (CC BY 4.0) applies
dc.description.abstractAnimal displays (i.e. movement-based signals) often involve extreme behaviours that seem to push signallers to the limits of their abilities. If motor constraints limit display performance, signal evolution will be constrained, and displays can function as honest signals of quality. Existing approaches for measuring constraint, however, require multiple kinds of behavioural data. A method that requires only one kind could open up new research directions. We propose a conceptual model of performance under constraint, which predicts that the distribution of constrained performance will skew away from the constraint. We tested this prediction with sports data, because we know a priori that athletic performance is constrained and that athletes attempt to maximize performance. Performance consistently skewed in the predicted direction in a variety of sports. We then used statistical models based on the skew normal distribution to estimate the constraints on athletes and displaying animals while controlling for potential confounds and clustered data. We concluded that motor constraints tend to generate skewed behaviour and that skew normal models are useful tools to estimate constraints from a single axis of behavioural data. This study expands the toolkit for identifying, characterizing, and comparing performance constraints for applications in animal behaviour, physiology and sports.
dc.description.peer-reviewYes
dc.identifier.citationLogue, D. M., & Bonnell, T. R. (2023). Skewed performance distributions as evidence of motor constraint in sports and animal displays. Royal Society Open Science, 10(11), Article 230692. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.230692
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10133/6891
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherThe Royal Society Publishing
dc.publisher.departmentDepartment of Psychology
dc.publisher.facultyArts and Science
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Lethbridge
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Puerto Rico
dc.publisher.urlhttps://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.230692
dc.subjectBird song
dc.subjectDisplay signals
dc.subjectMotor performance
dc.subjectSexual selection
dc.subjectSkew
dc.subjectSports performance
dc.subjectSkewed behavior
dc.subjectConstraints
dc.subjectAthletic performance
dc.subject.lcshBirdsongs
dc.subject.lcshSexual selection in animals
dc.subject.lcshMotor ability
dc.titleSkewed performance distributions as evidence of motor constraint in sports and animal displays
dc.typeArticle
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