The first talk in the 2011-2012 CDC seminar series will be given by:
Willem Frankenhuis, UCLA
Date: TUESDAY, August 23, 2011, 5 PM (Please note that this talk will be
given on a different day than usual!)
Location: Cognitive Development Center, Hattyú u. 14, 3rd floor
*An evolutionary approach to developmental change
*
Abstract: Although building blocks of cognition are commonly viewed in light
of evolution (e.g., core systems), processes of developmental change rarely
are. Developmental processes, however, can also be analyzed in light of
their evolved features, because natural selection shapes developmental
mechanisms that “construct” adaptive phenotypes—based on the physical and
social environment. In order to study how natural selection shapes
ontogenetic change, biologists have used a modeling approach called dynamic
optimization. In this talk, I will show how this approach can be applied to
the study of cognitive development. In doing so, I will discuss several
examples, including the study of developmental plasticity, life history
development, and learning and decision problems involving continuous
updating based on feedback—such as determining whether another agent is
responding contingently to one’s own actions.
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