Home Neuroscience The HoneyComb Paradigm for Research on Collective Human Behavior
Neuroscience JoVE (Open Access) Citable · DOI

The HoneyComb Paradigm for Research on Collective Human Behavior

DOI: 10.3791/58719-v
What you'll learn
  • Design and configure multi-agent game experiments to study collective human behavior
  • Manipulate experimental variables (incentives, vision radius) and measure movement outcomes
  • Analyze emergent collective movement patterns from informed and uninformed participants
  • Interpret how local information influences group-level coordination dynamics
Protocol

Here, we present the computer-based, multi-agent game HoneyComb, which enables experimental investigations of collective human movement behavior via black-dot-avatars on a virtual 2D hexagonal playfield. Different experimental conditions, like variable incentives on goal fields or vision radius, can be set, and their effects on human movement behavior can be investigated.

Difficulty
intermediate
Total time
~45 min per experimental session (including setup, testing phases, and data collection)

Steps

1
Set up experimental conditions in HoneyComb platform

Configure the computer-based multi-agent game environment with hexagonal playfield, define goal field locations, set variable incentive structures, and establish vision radius parameters for participant avatars.

▶ 01:18
2
Conduct testing and post-test experimental phases

Execute the experimental protocol with participants controlling black-dot avatars, record collective movement behavior under the configured conditions, and complete post-experiment procedures.

▶ 02:54
3
Analyze collective movement patterns with informed players

Examine representative data showing how the presence of informed players (aware of goal locations) influences uninformed participant behavior and overall group navigation dynamics.

▶ 04:31
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