Jul 2026· GECCO Companion· pp. 121-124· 0 citations· 35 references
Computer ScienceBiology
TL;DR
It is shown that larger neural networks in dynamic environments arise mainly from prior static evolution, achieving superior performance under unpredictable changes and highlighting the role of evolutionary history in brain size evolution.
Abstract
Large brains are metabolically costly, and associations with changing environments do not imply they evolved there, as the Cognitive Buffer Hypothesis (CBH) would suggest. They may instead evolve in stable conditions and later facilitate colonization of changing environments. Using neuro-evolution in an artificial seasonal foraging task, we compared agents evolving exclusively in changing environments to agents first evolved in static environments before transitioning. Results show that larger neural networks in dynamic environments arise mainly from prior static evolution, achieving superior performance under unpredictable changes. Our results challenge strict CBH predictions, provide agent-based (computational) support for a colonization-based account and highlight the role of evolutionary history in brain size evolution.
The results suggest that many psychopathology-relevant aspects may be interpreted as bounded cognitive systems operating under modern-ancestral environmental mismatch, positioning ERDM as a key computational cognitive tool that can be extended to other studies.
It is found that the source of environmental uncertainty determines cognitive design, with weak priors being favored in environments dominated by change, and evolution maximizes the geometric mean number of offspring over generations, an objective that recurs across optimization problems where outcomes accumulate seque...
C. Turner, Thomas L. Griffiths, Cameron Rouse· 0 citations
It is argued that current explanatory practice misses two situations that can arise in any lineage, not only the authors': dynamic: traits continue changing in one direction when a lineage's own niche construction keeps enlarging the problem it faces.
M. Ben-Dor, Ran Barkai· Evolutionary Anthropology (p...· 0 citations
Preliminary findings suggest that learning is accompanied by frequency-specific changes in brain communication and provide new insights into the neural basis of adaptive decision-making in birds.
Li-Fang Yang, Ying Ma, Zhi-Hui Li et al.· Animals· 0 citations
Evidence that altered perceptual environments impact receiver biases across sensory modalities and contexts is reviewed, selection-driven modifications of receiver biases or the associated responses are discussed, and research directions to evaluate potential negative consequences of receiver biases in anthropized syst...
C. M. Garcia, Bibiana Montoya, Roxana Torres· Annual Review of Ecology, Ev...· 0 citations
Can our understanding of evolution be used to make predictions, both within biology and on larger historical scales? Opinions diverge. Skeptics emphasize that contingency and chance—such as random genetic variation and drift— preclude detailed prediction. In contrast, proponents point to recurring patterns and general...
Dr. dr. Gerard Jagers op Akkerhuis G.A.J.M· Journal of Big History· 0 citations
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