How Producer Biases Can Favor the Evolution of Communication: An Analysis of Evolutionary Dynamics

Like any other biological trait, communication can be studied from at least four perspectives: mechanistic, ontogenetic, functional, and phylogenetic. In this article, we focus on the following phylogenetic question: how can communication emerge, given that both signal-producing and signal-responding abilities seem to be adaptively neutral until the complementary ability is present in the population? We explore the problem of co-evolution of speakers and hearers with artificial life simulations: a population of artificial neural networks evolving a food call system. The core of the article is devoted to a careful analysis of the complex evolutionary dynamics demonstrated by our simple simulation. Our analyses reveal an important factor, which might solve the phylogenetic problem: the spontaneous production of good (meaningful) signals by speakers because of the need for organisms to categorize their experience in adaptively relevant ways. We discuss our results with respect both to previous simulative work and to the biological literature on the evolution of communication.

[1]  Michael J. Ryan,et al.  How evolutionary history shapes recognition mechanisms , 2001, Trends in Cognitive Sciences.

[2]  Seth Bullock,et al.  Simulation models as opaque thought experiments , 2000 .

[3]  Domenico Parisi,et al.  How can we explain the emergence of a language that benefits the hearer but not the speaker? , 2005, Connect. Sci..

[4]  H. Maki.  Origins of spontaneous mutations: specificity and directionality of base-substitution, frameshift, and sequence-substitution mutageneses. , 2002, Annual review of genetics.

[5]  Angelo Cangelosi,et al.  Simulating the Evolution of Language , 2002, Springer London.

[6]  J. Moor,et al.  The digital phoenix : how computers are changing philosophy , 1998 .

[7]  J. G. van Rhijn,et al.  Being honest about one's intentions: an evolutionary stable strategy for animal conflicts. , 1980, Journal of theoretical biology.

[8]  M. Bedau.  Philosophical Content and Method in Artificial Life , 1997 .

[9]  D. Parisi.  An Artificial Life Approach to Language , 1997, Brain and Language.

[10]  Bruce J. MacLennan,et al.  Synthetic Ethology and the Evolution of Cooperative Communication , 1993, Adapt. Behav..

[11]  R. Trivers.  The Evolution of Reciprocal Altruism , 1971, The Quarterly Review of Biology.

[12]  A. Zahavi.  Mate selection-a selection for a handicap. , 1975, Journal of theoretical biology.

[13]  Stefano Nolfi,et al.  Emergence of communication in embodied agents: co-adapting communicative and non-communicative behaviours , 2005, Connect. Sci..

[14]  L Darwin,et al.  Mate selection. , 1923, The Eugenics review.

[15]  Daniel C. Dennett,et al.  Artificial Life as Philosophy , 1994, Artificial Life.

[16]  Jason Noble,et al.  Cooperation, Conflict and the Evolution of Communication , 1999, Adapt. Behav..

[17]  Stefano Nolfi,et al.  Origins of Communication in Evolving Robots , 2006, SAB.

[18]  Angelo Cangelosi,et al.  Evolution of communication and language using signals, symbols, and words , 2001, IEEE Trans. Evol. Comput..

[19]  Matthew Quinn,et al.  Evolving Communication without Dedicated Communication Channels , 2001, ECAL.

[20]  Domenico Parisi,et al.  Producer Biases and Kin Selection in the Evolution of Communication - How the Phylogenetic and the Adaptive Problems of Communication Can Be Solved , 2010, Evolution of Communication and Language in Embodied Agents.

[21]  Geoffrey E. Hinton.  Untimed and Misrepresented: Connectionism and the Computer Metaphor Untimed and Misrepresented: Connectionism and the Computer Metaphor , 1992 .

[22]  A. Basolo.  Phylogenetic evidence for the role of a pre-existing bias in sexual selection , 1995, Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences.

[23]  N. Tinbergen.  On aims and methods of Ethology , 2010 .

[24]  W. Hamilton,et al.  The evolution of cooperation. , 1984, Science.

[25]  A. Iriki,et al.  Spontaneous vocal differentiation of coo-calls for tools and food in Japanese monkeys , 2003, Neuroscience Research.

[26]  Charles E. Taylor,et al.  Artificial Life II , 1991 .

[27]  S. Nowicki,et al.  The Evolution of Animal Communication: Reliability and Deception in Signaling Systems: Reliability and Deception in Signaling Systems , 2005 .

[28]  W. Hamilton.  The genetical evolution of social behaviour. I. , 1964, Journal of theoretical biology.

[29]  T. Guilford,et al.  Receiver psychology and the evolution of animal signals , 1991, Animal Behaviour.

[30]  N. Tinbergen.  "Derived" Activities; Their Causation, Biological Significance, Origin, and Emancipation During Evolution , 1952, The Quarterly Review of Biology.

[31]  R. Beer.  Dynamical approaches to cognitive science , 2000, Trends in Cognitive Sciences.

[32]  James R. Hurford,et al.  Biological evolution of the Saussurean sign as a component of the language acquisition device , 1989 .

[33]  Maynard J. Smith,et al.  Animal Signals: Models and Terminology , 1995 .

[34]  Simon Kirby,et al.  Natural Language From Artificial Life , 2002, Artificial Life.

[35]  A. Lotem,et al.  The overlooked signaling component of nonsignaling behavior , 1999 .

[36]  L. Steels.  Experiments on the emergence of human communication , 2006, Trends in Cognitive Sciences.

[37]  Randall D. Beer,et al.  The Dynamics of Active Categorical Perception in an Evolved Model Agent , 2003, Adapt. Behav..

[38]  Luc Steels,et al.  Emergent adaptive lexicons , 1996 .

[39]  Domenico Parisi,et al.  LANGUAGE AS AN AID TO CATEGORIZATION: A NEURAL NETWORK MODEL OF EARLY LANGUAGE ACQUISITION , 2005 .

[40]  A Arak,et al.  Conflict, receiver bias and the evolution of signal form. , 1995, Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences.

[41]  Melanie Mitchell,et al.  An introduction to genetic algorithms , 1996 .

[42]  Kenneth Webb,et al.  Evolution of Communication Simulation of Adaptive Behavior – Project Report , 2004 .

[43]  A. Grafen.  Biological signals as handicaps. , 1990, Journal of theoretical biology.

[44]  H. Proctor.  Sensory exploitation and the evolution of male mating behaviour: a cladistic test using water mites (Acari: Parasitengona) , 1992, Animal Behaviour.

[45]  Domenico Parisi,et al.  TALKING TO ONESELF AS A SELECTIVE PRESSURE FOR THE EMERGENCE OF LANGUAGE , 2006 .

[46]  M. Ryan,et al.  Sexual selection for sensory exploitation in the frog Physalaemus pustulosus , 1990, Nature.

[47]  G. M. Werner.  Evolution of Communication in Artificial Organisms, Artifial Life II , 1991 .

[48]  J A Endler,et al.  Sensory ecology, receiver biases and sexual selection. , 1998, Trends in ecology & evolution.

[49]  David H. Ackley,et al.  Altruism in the evolution of communication , 1994 .

[50]  M Oliphant,et al.  The dilemma of Saussurean communication. , 1996, Bio Systems.

[51]  R. A. Brooks,et al.  Intelligence without Representation , 1991, Artif. Intell..

[52]  H. H. Newman.  The Theory of Evolution , 1917, Botanical Gazette.

[53]  Seth Bullock.  A continuous evolutionary simulation model of the attainability of honest signalling equilibria , 1998 .

[54]  Jason Noble,et al.  Tough guys don't dance: intention movements and the evolution of signalling in animal contests , 1998 .

[55]  Stefano Nolfi,et al.  The emergence of communication in evolutionary robots , 2003, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences.

[56]  Angelo Cangelosi,et al.  The Emergence of a 'Language' in an Evolving Population of Neural Networks , 1998, Connect. Sci..

[57]  John Hallam,et al.  From Animals to Animats 10 , 2008 .

[58]  A. D. Blest.  The Function of Eyespot Patterns in the Lepidoptera , 1957 .

[59]  R. Dawkins,et al.  Animal signals: information or manipulation? , 1978 .

[60]  H. Simon,et al.  A mechanism for social selection and successful altruism. , 1990, Science.

[61]  Ezequiel A. Di Paolo,et al.  An Investigation into the Evolution of Communication , 1998, Adapt. Behav..

[62]  Hao Wang,et al.  Introduction to Genetic Algorithms in Electromagnetics , 1995 .

[63]  James A. Reggia,et al.  Progress in the Simulation of Emergent Communication and Language , 2003, Adapt. Behav..