Perspective-taking and memory capacity predict social network size
✍ Scribed by James Stiller; R.I.M. Dunbar
- Publisher
- Elsevier Science
- Year
- 2007
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 318 KB
- Volume
- 29
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0378-8733
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
Human social networks typically consist of a hierarchically organized series of grouping levels. There is, however, considerable variation between individuals in the sizes of any given network layer. We test between two possible factors (memory capacity and theory of mind) that might limit the size of two different levels within human social networks (support cliques and sympathy groups). We show that the size of an individual's support clique (the number of individual's in the innermost circle of friends) is better explained by individual differences in social cognition (mentalising skills). However, the size of the sympathy group (the most frequent social partners) is better explained by individual's performance on memory tasks.