TYPE Editorial PUBLISHED 18 July 2023 DOI 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1248233 Editorial: Behavior and OPEN ACCESS self-similarity between nano and human scales: from T-pattern and EDITED AND REVIEWED BY Pietro Cipresso, University of Turin, Italy *CORRESPONDENCE Magnus S. Magnusson T-string analysis (TPA) with msm@hi.is RECEIVED 26 June 2023 THEME to T-societies ACCEPTED 06 July 2023 PUBLISHED 18 July 2023 CITATION Magnus S. Magnusson1*, Gudberg K. Jonsson1 , Mariona Portell2 , Magnusson MS, Jonsson GK, Portell M, Anguera MT, Casarrubea M and Schwab F M. Teresa Anguera3 , Maurizio Casarrubea4 and Frank Schwab5 (2023) Editorial: Behavior and self-similarity 1 Human Behavior Laboratory, School of Health Sciences, University of Iceland, Reykjavík, Iceland, between nano and human scales: from 2 Department of Psychobiology and Methodology of Health Sciences, Universitat Autònoma de T-pattern and T-string analysis (TPA) with Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain, 3 Faculty of Psychology, Institute of Neurosciences, University of THEME to T-societies. Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain, 4 Laboratory of Behavioral Physiology, Department of Biomedicine, Front. Psychol. 14:1248233. Neuroscience and Advanced Diagnostics (Bi.N.D.), Human Physiology Section “Giuseppe Pagano”, doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1248233 University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy, 5 Department of Media Psychology, University of Würzburg, COPYRIGHT Würzburg, Germany © 2023 Magnusson, Jonsson, Portell, Anguera, Casarrubea and Schwab. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms KEYWORDS of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction self-similarity, TPA, THEME, T-patterns, T-system, T-societies, proteins, mass-societies in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, Editorial on the Research Topic distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. Behavior and self-similarity between nano and human scales: from T-pattern and T-string analysis (TPA) with THEME to T-societies This project was inspired in the sixties by primatologist Morris’s (1967) “The Naked Ape,” Tinbergen (1963), Von Frisch (1967), and Lorenz (1974) ethological research, rewarded in 1973 by a shared Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology, and Wilson’s (1975) opus “Sociobiology”. Other important inspirations were Skinner (1969) work on probabilistic real-time contingencies, Chomsky (1957) on syntactic structure and creativity, Montagner (1971) on interactions in social insects and in children (Montagner, 2012), Duncan (1977) on turn-taking in human dyadic interactions, and Dawkins (1976) on behavioral hierarchy and detection algorithms. Structured animal mass-societies (>104 individuals) are only found in insects and modern humans and understanding their similarities and differences became a major aim through a search for hidden interaction patterns. Existing multivariate and artificial neural network methods and models lacked adequate description and detection of complex real- time patterns requiring new mathematical time structure (1-D) models, now the T-system, with detection algorithms and software (THEMETM ). The first was the T-pattern concept, a statistical hierarchical self-similar (pseudo-fractal) pattern recurring with significant translation symmetry since detected in human, animal, and brain network behavior (Magnusson, 1996, 2000, 2005; Casarrubea et al., 2015, 2018; Magnusson et al., 2016; Casarrubea and Di Giovanni, 2020). Gradually, more structural concepts i.e., T-meme, T-composition, T-associate, T-packet, T-music, T-string, T-religion, T-money, and T-society have been added constituting the T-system (Magnusson, 2020). Frontiers in Psychology 01 frontiersin.org Magnusson et al. 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1248233 Spatial string T-patterns, called T-strings, characterize the focus on three adult-child relationships: those with a foster carer, extra-individual voluminous purely informational (inert) texts a father, and a mother; interestingly, very different interactive essential for the formation of specialized individuals in human processes were identified: for instance, with the foster carer the mass-societies and the giant extra-individual DNA molecules interaction patterns were mainly focused on play objects, whereas essential for the formation of citizens in protein mass-societies. they involved more collaborative activity with the father and Such mass-societies based on Giant Extra-Individual Purely distraction/avoidance behaviors with the mother. Santos et al. Informational T-strings or GEIPITS, and thus called T-Societies, discuss the use of TPA in Sport Science, by analyzing offensive are only found in proteins and humans and T-Societies of T- and defensive actions of football goalkeepers; the authors argue Societies only in humans, a unique self-similarity. that the study could contribute to a better knowledge of the T-societies are notably not found in earlier Homo Sapiens nor goalkeeper’s behaviors in the competition. Pennill and Timmers in social insects that use very different mechanisms, more like those propose an original application of TPA in describing patterns of in bodies as societies of cells. verbal interaction in newly formed music ensembles; the Authors With the invention of writing, powerful precise cumulative suggest that such a novel use of TPA could contribute to the extra-individual (external) memory, in a biological eye-blink understanding of human group behavior and interaction patterns human T-Societies appeared with this unique self-similarity across leading to expert team performance. Casarrubea et al. present some nine orders of magnitude in years and size, coinciding a review of the use of different approaches, such as transition with explosive growth in human knowledge, laws, science, matrices based analyses and TPA, in the study of the behavior and technology. While humans descend from earlier primates, from rodents to non-human primates; the Authors discuss the human mass-societies descend from the far earlier mass-societies advantages and drawbacks of each approach and suggest that their of proteins existing on the same bio-mathematical continuum work could represent a useful background for all scientists who unifying culture and biology. intend to study quantitative and structural aspects of behavior. Presenting a new view of human modern mass social life, we Anguera et al. present an elegant review of the use of TPA in aim to give the reader the most up-to-date perspective on how T- the modern scientific literature; following PRISMA guidelines, pattern detection and analysis (TPA) with Theme has led to new searches were carried out by means of different and widely known insight into the structure of behavior, interaction, communication scientific databases such as Scopus, PsycINFO, Web of Science; the and social organization in both human and non-human subjects. Authors conclude that TPA shows a remarkable affordability and Contributions in this Research Topic (RT) range from different applicability and that a noticeable presence TPA in studies using areas such as behavioral and brain sciences, health sciences, observational methodology is evident. Chacón-Moscoso et al. the sport science, education, and communication thus suggesting the so-called “Methodological Quality Scale” (MQS), i.e., a tool with remarkable affordability and versatility of TPA in the study of the adequate reliability, validity evidence, and metric properties; the most multifaceted aspects of human and non-human behavior. Authors suggest that, unlike other existing scales, MQS is easy The diversity of disciplines utilizing TPA does not place a to apply and methodological quality profiles can be obtained in preferential order in the fruition of the contents, with the sole different areas of intervention and with different types of methods. exception of the contribution that the Reader of this RT should take Finally, in the field of Pedagogical Science, Belza et al. present into consideration first, i.e. that of Magnusson, creator of the T- a study concerning the application of TPA to identify important system and TPA. In his elegant work, in fact, the Author presents aspects of the choreography followed by Pikler educators; results important propaedeutic aspects of theoretical and conceptual show complex patterns and how educators establish interaction order concerning the model and method at the basis of the with children. detection algorithm. He then continues with the definition of his As Editors of this RT, we are delighted to say that it has been a new and striking addition to the T-system, the concept of T- great pleasure to host such different contributions and from such societies the basis for his definition of the biomathematical self- different fields of research, and we hope that the Reader will have similarity and uniqueness of human mass-societies at the heart the same pleasure in reading these contributions, which, we are of this RT. The RT continues with a contribution by Fioretti sure, will be able to provide useful insights for all those researchers and Neumann in which the Authors summarize and rationalize who intend to use TPA in their research. current typologies of organizational forms, arranging available classifications in a hierarchy of increasing generality; in a second step, they discuss various communication structures pointing to Author contributions the presence of several sources endowed with global connections as the most efficient diffusion mode. Sáiz-Manzanares et al. All authors listed have made a substantial, direct, and present a systematic review of the use of TPA during the last intellectual contribution to the work and approved it for half decade with a special focus on mixed methods and data publication. mining techniques; the contribution offers a detailed overview of the use of the approach in the study of human and non-human behavior. Alonso-Vega et al. discuss the role of verbal interaction Acknowledgments pattern analysis in Clinical Psychology, analyze the patterns of verbal interactions, and compare the results using TPA and We sincerely appreciate and acknowledge the numerous GSEQ, i.e., a software tool sequential analysis. Simon and Blanchet reviewers for their important critical and optimizing role Frontiers in Psychology 02 frontiersin.org Magnusson et al. 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1248233 in the submitted manuscripts. Also, we would like to that could be construed as a potential conflict of thank Frontiers in Psychology for having trusted in our interest. proposal of this Research Topic, as well as the invaluable help given in the management and editing process of the manuscripts. Publisher’s note All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated Conflict of interest organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or The authors declare that the research was conducted claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships endorsed by the publisher. References Casarrubea, M., and Di Giovanni, G. (2020). Application of T-pattern analysis Magnusson, M. S. (2005). “Understanding social interaction: discovering hidden in the study of the organization of behavior. Physiol. Behav. 227, 113138. structure with model and algorithms,” in The Hidden Structure of Interaction: From doi: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2020.113138 Neurons to Culture Patterns, eds. G. Riva, L. Anolli, S. Duncan Jr., and M. S. Magnusson (Amsterdam: IOS Press), 3–22. 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