219 research outputs found
How training and testing histories affect generalization: a test of simple neural networks
No full textWe show that a simple network model of associative learning can\ud
reproduce three findings that arise from particular training and\ud
testing procedures in generalization experiments: the effect of 1)\ud
``errorless learning'' and 2) extinction testing on peak shift, and\ud
3) the central tendency effect. These findings provide a true test\ud
of the network model, which was developed to account for other\ud
penhomena, and highlight the potential of neural networks to study\ud
phenomena that depend on sequences of experiences with many stimuli.\ud
Our results suggest that at least some such phenomena, e.g.,\ud
stimulus range effects, may derive from basic mechanisms of\ud
associative memory rather than from more complex memory processes
EnquistLindGhirlandaChainingCode.zip
No full textThis package contains simulation code accompanying the paper "The power of associative learning and the ontogeny of optimal behavior," by Magnus Enquist, Johan Lind, and Stefano Ghirlanda. The package contains code to reproduce all simulations in the paper, and documentation on how the code works.<br
Script repository for the book "The Human Evolutionary Transition"
No full textScripts and programs for the book:
Enquist, M., Ghirlanda, S., & Lind, J. (2023). The Human Evolutionary Transition: From Animal Intelligence to Culture. Princeton University Press.
Programs were written in Python, and scripts in text files were used for computer simulations of learning phenomena in a software called Learning Simulator, which can be downloaded at: https://www.learningsimulator.org.</p
Sustainability of culture-driven population dynamics
No full textWe consider models of the interactions between human population dynamics and cul-
tural evolution, asking whether they predict sustainable or unsustainable patterns of growth.
Phenomenological models predict either unsustainable population growth or stabilization
in the near future. The latter prediction, however, is based on extrapolation of current
demographic trends and does not take into account causal processes of demographic and
cultural dynamics. Most existing causal models assume (or derive from simplified models
of the economy) a positive feedback between cultural evolution and demographic growth,
and predict unlimited growth in both culture and population. We augment these models
taking into account that: 1) cultural transmission is not perfect, i.e., culture can be lost; 2)
culture does not always promote population growth. We show that taking these factors into
account can cause radically different model behavior, such as population extinction rather
than stability, and extinction rather than growth. We conclude that all models agree that
a population capable of maintaining a large amount of culture, including a powerful tech-
nology, runs a high risk of being unsustainable. We suggest that future work must address
more explicitly both the dynamics of resource consumption and the cultural evolution of
beliefs implicated in reproductive behavior (e.g., ideas about the preferred family size) and
in resource use (e.g., environmentalist stances)
Data and code for "On the role of responses in Pavlovian acquisition"
No full textThese are data and code to reproduce analyses in the paper "On the role of responses in Pavlovian acquisition", by Stefano Ghirlanda and Magnus Enquist.<br
Exposure to mother's pregnancy and lactation in infancy is associated with sexual attraction to pregnancy and lactation in adulthood
No full textIntroduction. Several theories, including psychodynamic theories, sexual imprinting and early conditioning have been formulated to explain sexual development. Empirical data, however, remain insufficient for a thorough evaluation of these theories. Aim. In this study, we test the hypothesis that a critical period exists for the acquisition of sexual preferences, as suggested by empirical findings in birds and mammals (sexual imprinting). Methods. An Internet questionnaire was used. Main Outcome Measures. We gather data from individuals with a sexual preference for pregnant and/or lactating women, under the hypothesis that pregnancy or lactation may become sexually attractive in adulthood following an exposure to pregnant or lactating women in infancy. Results. We find that these preferences are more common in older siblings, i.e., in individuals who have been exposed to more maternal pregnancy and lactation. This result is independent of respondent and sibling sex. In addition, only maternal pregnancies and lactations experienced between 1.5 and 5 years of age are associated with the preferences. Conclusions. We discuss our findings in relation to theories of sexual development and to earlier reports of birth order effects on sexual behavior. We suggest that this age range may constitute a sensitive period for the acquisition of sexual preferences.</p
Critical points in current theory of conformist social learning
No full textAbstract. Existing mathematical models suggest that gene-culture coevolution favours a conformist bias in social learning, that is, a psychological mechanism to preferentially acquire the most common cultural variants. Here we show that this conclusion relies on specific assumptions that seem unrealistic, such as that all cultural variants are known to every individual. We present two models that remove these assumptions, showing that: 1) the rate of cultural evolution and the adaptive value of culture are higher in a population in which individuals pick cultural variants at random (Random strategy) rather than picking the most common one (Conform strategy); 2) in genetic evolution the Random strategy out-competes the Conform strategy, unless cultural evolution is very slow, in which case Conform and Random usually coexist; 3) the individuals’ ability to evaluate cultural variants is a more important determinant of the adaptive value of culture than frequency-based choice strategies. We also review existing empirical literature and game-theoretic arguments for conformity, finding neither strong empirical evidence nor a strong theoretical expectation for a general conformist bias. Our own vignette study of social learning shows that people may indeed use different social learning strategies depending on context
On the Literary Embedding of LSP-Elements from the Perspective of Translation Science—the Case of the Novel “De verdovers” by Anne Enquist in its German Translation
No full textDer vorliegende Beitrag setzt sich mit der Problematik des Übersetzens von den in einen literarischen Text eingebetteten fachsprachlichen Elementen auseinander. Anhand des Romans De verdovers der niederländischen Schriftstellerin Anna Enquist wird eruiert, wie die Übersetzerin des Werkes ins Deutsche in ihrer strategischen Herangehensweise an den zu übersetzenden Text mit den Elementen der medizinischen Fachsprache im Translationsprozess umgegangen ist. In Anlehnung an das Paradigma der anthropozentrischen Translatorik sowie die Annahmen der Scenes-und-Frames-Semantik, die eine theoretisch-methodologische Basis der dargebotenen Analyse darstellen, werden mögliche Gründe der getroffenen Entscheidungen erwogen, die zur Lösung der Translationsprobleme führten.The present article explores the issue of translating elements of LSP embedded in a literary text. Using the novel De verdovers by the Dutch author Anna Enquist as an example, it examines, how the translator of the work into German addressed elements of medical language in her strategic approach to the text in the translation process. Drawing on the paradigm of anthropocentric translatorics as well as the assumptions of scenes-and-frames semantics, which constitute the theoretical and methodological foundation of the presented analysis, the article scrutinises possible motivations behind the translator’s decisions that contributed to the resolution of translation problems
Voices and imitation in the translation of children's books<em></em> : The case of <em>De tre grottornas berg</em> by Swedish author P. O. Enquist in French and German
No full textThe world-famous Swedish author P. O. Enquist made his début as a writer of children´s books in 2003 with the adventurous story De tre grottornas berg (English title Three Cave Mountain, or: Grandfather and the Wolves). This book makes considerable use of oral imitation markers for adult and child characters both in dialogues and narration. The children´s voices are characterized by several ways of imitating children´s forms of expression and logic. The study compares the translation of different types of speech imitation (direct, indirect, free indirect) in the French and German translations. It concludes that the French version suppresses the child voices and thereby the polyphonic structure in favour of the more neutral narrator´s voice, while the German version to a very large extent maintains all the voices.</p
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