Mathematics and Cognition  Seminar

Spring 2006

Tuesdays 12:00  GWC 604

Seminar Schedule:<http://math.la.asu.edu/~tom/cognition/math+cogsched.html>


On Tuesday, February 14, at 12:00 Noon in GWC 604,
the Mathematics and Cognition Seminar
will present a discussion with Mike McBeath

of the
Department of Pschology,
on the topic of 

"Natural Selection Operates at Multiple Levels"

Abstract
I will discuss the idea I raised in a recent Brain and Behavioral Sciences publication that natural selection in evolution operates simultaneously at several levels: Macro, Micro, and Social.  I suggest that in modeling evolutionary development it is helpful to demarcate the level of change to help clearly differentiate the mechanisms by which natural selection operates at the different levels.  As examples, I will describe some of my work examining the occurrence of asymmetries in human and animal functioning such as handedness, turning biases, and attention-side biases.  The principal conclusions are that (i) the robustness or plasticity of a trait is selected to match the level of permanence or malleability of the environment, and (ii) operational mathematical models of change and variability at each level of natural selection are likely to be entirely different from each other.