SOCPROG: Programs for the analysis of animal social structure

Written by Hal Whitehead

SOCPROG2.9 for MATLAB2018B is (APRIL 2019) available for downloading, together with a compiled version (which does not require you to have a copy of MATLAB). This version fixes some bugs in SOCPROG2.5-2.8, and includes added functionality (especially association complexity).

SOCPROG is a series of MATLAB programs written by Hal Whitehead for analyzing data on the social structure, population structure and movements of identified individuals. The programs are designed to be easy to use, most input is done through graphical user interfaces (i.e. windows with things to click on), and most things can be done without any knowledge of MATLAB (although this helps for custom options, figuring out errors, making your own extensions, etc.). The programs are also designed to be pretty flexible so you can tailor the analyses to your data and hypotheses.

These programs are available to anyone who would like to use them. This page contains a brief introduction to the main features of the programs. It also contains instructions regarding the downloading of the programs. Please take the time to read through this introductory page before downloading the programs. At the bottom of this page you are given the option of viewing the complete manual associated with these programs or proceeding to download the programs.

Among the things the programs do are:

• Use data on membership in groups, dyadic interactions, or records of individuals, their circumstances and behaviour;
• Work over any time scales for which you have data;
• Work with characteristics of individuals, such as sex, age, identifiability to restrict analyses to certain types of individuals, do analyses by classes of individuals, or label points on plots;
• Use any sampling period (days, hours, ...) you care to set;
• Define association based on groupings, spatial or temporal proximity, or behaviour;
• Define interaction rates in a wide range of ways;
• Restrict analyses to certain parts of the data;
• Produce 'Discovery' curves;
• Use several different types of association index (plus ones you make up);
• Calculate generalized affiliation indices, and use them;
• Permutation tests for preferred/avoided companions (3 types of test);
• Permutation tests for reciprocity/unidirectionality;
• Analyses of behavioural asymmetry and dominance hierarchies;
• Network diagrams;
• Hierarchical cluster analyses;
• Principal coordinates analyses;
• Multidimensional scaling;
• Distributions of associations;
• Saving association matrix for use by other programs;
• Network analysis statistics;
• Community division by modularity;
• Association complexity;
• Lagged association rates;
• Fitting models of temporal change in association rates;
• Displays of multiple association measures including principal component analyses;
• Analyses of multiple association measures including Mantel tests;
• Analyses of populations using open and closed population models;
• Estimation of mortality using sociality;
• Preparation of data in format for 'Mark' population analyses;
• Analyzing movements of identified individuals between study areas;
• Analyzing movements of identified individuals in continuous space.

Unless you use the compiled version, you will have to buy or borrow a copy of MATLAB plus the Statistics Toolbox (see http://www.mathworks.com/ for purchasing information and more about MATLAB).

The compiled version of SOCPROG2.9 only works on Windows 7, 8 and 10 computers (as far as I can tell).

[Note from Thibaut Bouveroux on 13 March 2017: “I have a MacBook pro, with the OS X El Captain. I have installed Parallels Desktop 12, which allows to run Windows in a Mac. Then I have installed Windows 7 family pack and installed SocProg 2.7, and all is working perfectly… I have also tried Windows 8 pro 64bit, but SocProg wasn’t working with this version.”].

There are undoubtedly bugs in the programs. I will try to advise you if you run into problems (please email at: hwhitehe@dal.ca) but cannot guarantee I will be available or able to help. Read the manual very carefully. Check results wherever possible.

When you download the uncompiled programs, you will receive a zipped folder. You must extract this first before you can use the programs. This will generate the following files for you:

• Manual.pdf: PDF version of the manual
• Variables.pdf: list of MATLAB m-files, what they do, and some important variables (useful for those with MATLAB experience, and especially those who wish to alter the programs for their own purposes)
• *.m, *.fig, *.dll: a number of MATLAB script, function or figure files
• Simulated data files which can be used to explore the programs (simlina.xls, simlinn.xls, simdyaa.xls, simdyan.xls, simgrpa.xls, simgrpn.xls, simmovan.xls, simmovco.xls, simsexa.xls, simsexn.xls)

For information on the compiled version, see SOCPROG_compile.htm

A number of researchers have tried the earlier versions of SOCPROG. The most common problems seem to have been:

a) not having the MATLAB Statistics Toolbox installed or available;

b) MATLAB is case-sensitive, so it is important to type in names of variables, etc., with the same combination of capital and non-capital letters in all parts of the analysis.

Updated by Hal Whitehead, April 2019

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If you would like more information, you may view a copy of the complete manual before downloading the programs. Otherwise, you may proceed with downloading. The downloads seem to work best on Mozilla Firefox, and worst on Internet Explorer.

View Manual Download