Behavioral ecologist Amaya Patel and her colleagues gave bumblebee colonies access to feeders that could be opened using either of two equally rewarding methods. After the researchers introduced a bee trained to use one method, that method spread through its colony. Even when a few bees discovered the alternative, colonies generally retained the initially demonstrated method. The researchers proposed that this persistence may reflect conformity—a tendency to adopt a behavior because most group members use it—rather than merely a tendency to copy whichever behavior a bee witnesses most often.
Which finding, if true, would most directly support the researchers’ interpretation?
For command-of-evidence questions involving competing explanations, identify the variable that distinguishes the explanations and choose the finding that changes only that variable. Here, compare the number of distinct bees using a method while holding the total number of demonstrations constant.
Hints
Focus on the distinction
Consider how conformity differs from simply copying a behavior that has been observed repeatedly.
Identify the variables
Separate the number of distinct demonstrators from the total number of demonstrations.
Look for a controlled comparison
Choose the finding that changes group prevalence without also changing exposure, reward, or prior experience.
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify the competing explanations
The researchers distinguish conformity, in which an observer follows a behavior used by many group members, from copying based simply on which behavior the observer sees demonstrated most often.
Determine the necessary control
The strongest evidence should change the number of bees demonstrating each method while keeping the total number of demonstrations equal. Otherwise, repeated exposure, prior learning, or reward size could explain the observer’s preference.
Select the controlled comparison
One method is demonstrated six times by six distinct bees, while the other is also demonstrated six times but by only one bee. Because total exposure is equal, a preference for the first method is best explained by its prevalence among group members. Therefore, the answer is Observers preferred a method demonstrated once by each of six bees over another method demonstrated six times by a single bee.