From Kuramoto to Crawford: Exploring the onset of synchronization in populations of coupled oscillators

Sources

• Strogatz, S. H. (2000). From Kuramoto to Crawford: Exploring the onset of synchronization in populations of coupled oscillators. doi:10.1016/S0167-2789(00)00094-4

  Level D Review

  Supports the claim that, in the Kuramoto model, oscillators with natural frequencies drawn from a distribution undergo a transition when coupling exceeds a threshold, with some synchronizing and others remaining incoherent. A mathematical review; it offers no evidence about human synchrony or social bonding.

• Kuramoto, Y. (1984). Chemical oscillations, waves, and turbulence. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-69689-3

  Level E Book

  Supports attributing the coupled-oscillator model of synchronization to Kuramoto. It is mathematical and makes no claim about people, emotion or groups; its contents were not re-read for this appraisal, and the model's properties are cited from the 2000 review.

Sources

• Strogatz, S. H. (2000). From Kuramoto to Crawford: Exploring the onset of synchronization in populations of coupled oscillators. doi:10.1016/S0167-2789(00)00094-4

  Level D Review

  Supports the claim that, in the Kuramoto model, oscillators with natural frequencies drawn from a distribution undergo a transition when coupling exceeds a threshold, with some synchronizing and others remaining incoherent. A mathematical review; it offers no evidence about human synchrony or social bonding.

• Wiltermuth, S. S., & Heath, C. (2009). Synchrony and cooperation. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9280.2008.02253.x

  Level B Experiment

  Supports the claim that synchronous activity increased later cooperation, including under personal cost. Short laboratory tasks; long-term effects were not studied.

• Tarr, B., Launay, J., Cohen, E., & Dunbar, R. (2015). Synchrony and exertion during dance independently raise pain threshold and encourage social bonding. doi:10.1098/rsbl.2015.0767

  Level B Experiment

  Supports the claim that synchrony and exertion each raised pain thresholds and in-group bonding. Pain threshold is a proxy for endorphin activity, which was not measured directly.