DOI
10.1016/j.anbehav.2015.02.018

Summary
In this publication the authors focus their attention on the definition of social complexity and on the standardization of its measurement. They first review the used definition of social complexity and point out their major flaws (lack of objectivity and failure to link the measures of social complexity to cognition), then proposing a new definition of this variable based on the number of differentiated relationships that individuals have. Finally, the authors demonstrate that the new definition is applicable and flexible allowing researchers to include more detailed information about the degree of differentiation among individuals when the data are available.

Relevance for Complex Systems Knowledge
This paper proposes a new definition and standardized measurement of social complexity. The definition given by the authors builds on the core idea that the use of cognition is a critical component of social complexity.

Point of Strength
One point of strength of this publication that the authors apply their proposed method of social complexity to three different situations to illustrate the broad utility of the definition as well as some of the issues that may arise when going from behavioural data to the number of differentiated relationships. The proposed measures could be considered also in measures of the microbial communities complexity