Abstract
We examined the nature of the relationship between dominance and leadership in a flock of ewes, identifying the pattern of social structure within the group and the frequencies of leadership behavior. We found that the pattern of social structure in the flock was a multilevel arrangement, with several levels of dominance apparent. A chi-square test of goodness of fit performed on the leadership frequencies indicated that leading behavior was not a purely random process. In addition, our results clearly suggest a distinct relationship between dominance and leadership in these animals, with the most dominant member of the group also displaying the most leading behavior.
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We thank Nolan Crawford for graciously providing the study area and the subjects.
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Addison, W.E., Simmel, E.C. The relationship between dominance and leadership in a flock of ewes. Bull. Psychon. Soc. 15, 303–305 (1980). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03334540
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03334540