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Assessment strategies are an important component in game theoretical models of contests. Strategies can be either based on one's own abilities (self-assessment) or on the relative abilities of two opponents (mutual assessment). Using statistical methodology that allows discrimination between assessment types, we examined contests in the jumping spider Phidippus clarus. In this species, aggressive interactions can be divided into ‘precontact’ and ‘contact’ phases. Precontact phases consist of bouts of visual and vibratory signalling. Contact phases follow where males physically contact each other (leg fencing). Both weight and vibratory signalling differences predicted winners, with heavier and more actively signalling...