Agent Based Model of observational and emotional learning processes in groups suffering disturbances

Is adapting behaviour always better? Using an ABM model to simulate a group of foragers - with low cognition, they do recognize others as being in a similar situation, but do not know them as individuals -under predation or other disturbance, makes it necessary to think hard about the assumptions used in modelling, especially when the model is supposed to be a general model for a wide variety of species.For instance, detection of a disturbance would always be some sort of sigmoid, and sudden fleeing behaviour in one individual makes others flee to by contagion. Making the behaviour slightly more sophisticated, widespread forms of adapting behaviour are added : experience gain or a change in fear levels for certain recognized patterns. When one also realizes that the initial setting for fear levels for instance represent the group being dumped in a new environment with a certain ratio of predator attacks to innocuous disturbances, one can simulate and evaluate what happens to groups that do or do not have these adapting behaviours, in the long term, but also in the short term in Rapid Ecological Changing environments. This model gives rise to many testable predictions for empirical observations and vice versa.