Recognising the key role of individual recognition in social networks

Many aspects of sociality rely on individuals recognising one another. Understanding how, when, and if individuals recognise others can yield insights into the foundations of social relationships and behaviours. Through synthesising individual recognition research in different sensory and social domains, and doing so across various related social contexts, we propose that a social network perspective can help to uncover how individual recognition may vary across different settings, species, and populations. Specifically, combining individual recognition with social networks has unrecognised potential for determining the level and relative importance of individual recognition complexity. This will provide insights not only on the ecology and evolution of individual recognition itself, but also on social structure, social transmission, and social interactions such as cooperation. The ability of individuals to recognise and keep track of others influences many social processes (e.g., formation of social structure, social learning, and cooperation) yet the role of individual recognition is rarely considered.Social network analysis entails quantifying the social associations among individuals to provide insights into patterns of individual behaviour, interactions, and social structure.Integrating our understanding of individual recognition into the social network approach allows for a better understanding of the basis for social relationships within networks in different populations.Combining the currently largely distinct, but intimately related, areas of social networks and individual recognition will lead to new perspectives in both and improved understanding of the evolutionary and ecological causes and consequences of sociality.