Research on how competitors assess (i.e., gather information on) fighting ability and contested resources, as well as how assessment impacts on contest processes and outcomes, has been fundamental to the field of dyadic (one-on-one) contests. Despite recent growth in studies of contests between social-living groups, there is limited understanding of assessment during these intergroup contests. We adapt current knowledge of dyadic contest assessment to the intergroup case, describing what traits of groups, group members, and resources are assessed, and how assessment is manifested in contest processes (e.g., behaviors) and outcomes. This synthesis helps to explain the role of individual heterogeneity in assessment and how groups are shaped by the selective pressure of contests.

关于竞赛者如何评估（即收集有关）战斗能力和竞赛资源的信息，以及评估对竞赛过程和结果的影响的研究，对于二元（一对一）竞赛领域至关重要。尽管最近社会生活群体之间的竞赛研究有所增长，但在这些群体间竞赛中对评估的理解仍然有限。我们将当前关于二元竞赛评估的知识适用于团体间案例，描述了评估团体，小组成员和资源的哪些特征，以及评估如何在竞赛过程（例如行为）和结果中体现出来。这种综合有助于解释个体异质性在评估中的作用，以及如何通过竞赛的选择压力来塑造群体。