Better safe than sorry: spider societies mitigate risk by prioritizing caution

Abstract

A major benefit of living in a group is the ability to learn from others. We investigated how spider societies learn and respond to important information when that information is held by the majority or by single influential or generic individuals. We found that groups adopted a “better safe than sorry” strategy and exhibited caution when the group or any individual, regardless of their presumed social influence, had been previously exposed to danger.