Author/s 1. Magnus Magnusson, University of Iceland, Republic of Iceland;
Abstract This paper primarily concerns a particular type of repeated temporal patterns in religious behavior and possible biological roots regarding their form and function are discussed. Repetion is here a focal term as structural similarity and symmetry both presuppose repetition. This is in good accordance with the following words of F. Crick, (who with Watson discovered of the structure of DNA): “Another key feature of biology is the existence of many identical examples of complex structures.” (1989, p. 138.) Behavior is clearly a case in point while its patterning is often hidden from the naked eye or ear: “Behavior consists of patterns in time. Investigations of behavior deal with sequences that, in contrast to bodily characteristics, are not always visible”, the opening words of Eibl-Eibesfeldt’ s “Ethology: the Biology of Behavior”(1970) . Not denying, of course, the spatial aspect of behavioral patterning. The work behind this paper has primarily focused on the structure of both visible and hidden behavioral patterns and their detection. It has lead to the definition of a general mathematical pattern type, called a t-pattern, (and corresponding detection algorithms) apparently highly characteristic of human and animal behavior and interactions. The definition relies on repetition and focuses simultaneously on the order of pattern components and a particular relationship between the real-time distributions of the components when they occur independently of such patterns (Magnusson, 2000). Search for this kind of patterns has lead to the detection of a multitude of otherwise hidden patterns in neuronal, animal, and human interactions (Anolli et al, 2005; Magnusson, 2004, 2006). Unexpectedly, recent application of the same pattern detection algorithm to DNA analysis has brought attention to spatial patterns of the same type in DNA molecules, notably, patterns corresponding to genes. Repeated rituals characteristic of religious behavior appear to be clear examples of this kind of pattern. Apparently, functional symmetries also exist between such patterns in DNA and in human social and religious behavior (Magnusson, 2005). The t-pattern type will be described and illustated with examples from both religious behavior and DNA. Anolli, L., S. Duncan Jr., M.S. Magnusson and G. Riva (Eds.) (2005). The Hidden Structure of Interaction: From Neurons to Culture Patterns. Amsterdam: IOSPRESS. Hardcover. ISBN: 1-58603-509- 6 Crick, F.H.C. (1988) What Mad Pursuit: A Personal View of Science. Basic Books, New York. Eibl-Eibesfeldt I (1970) Ethology. The Biology of Behavior. Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc., New York. Magnusson, M. S. (2000). Discovering Hidden Time Patterns in Behavior: T-Patterns and their Detection. Behavior Research Methods, Instruments and Computers, 32(1): pp. 93-110. Magnusson, M.S. (2003). Analyzing complex real-time streams of behavior: repeated patterns in behavior and DNA. L’éthologie appliquée aujourd’hui. (C. Baudoin, ed), Volume 3 - Ethologie humaine. Levallois-Perret, France: Editions ED. ISBN 2-7237-0025- 9. Magnusson, M.S. (2004). Repeated Patterns in Behavior and Other Biological Phenomena. In Evolution of Communication Systems : A Comparative Approach (Vienna Series in Theoretical Biology). D. Kimbrough Oller (Editor), Ulrike Griebel (Editor). London: The MIT Press. ISBN: 0262151111 Magnusson, M.S. (2005). Understanding Social Interaction: Discovering Hidden Structure with Model and Algorithms. (View/Download PDF version). In Anolli, L., S. Duncan Jr., M.S. Magnusson and G. Riva (Eds.) (2005). The Hidden Structure of Interaction: From Neurons to Culture Patterns. Amsterdam: IOSPRESS. Hardcover. ISBN: 1-58603-509- 6. Magnusson, M.S. (2006) Structure and Communication in Interaction. In G. Riva, M.T. Anguera, B.K. Wiederhold, F. Mantovani (eds.) 2006. From Communication to Presence: Cognition, Emotions and Culture Towards the Ultimate Communicative Experience. Amsterdam: IOS Press.

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