Co-Evolution of Social Learning and Evolutionary Preparedness in Dangerous Environments

Abstract

Danger is a fundamental aspect of the lives of most animals. Adaptive behavior therefore requires avoiding actions, objects, and environments associated with danger. Previous research has shown that humans and non-human animals can avoid such dangers through two types of behavioral adaptions, (i) genetic preparedness to avoid certain stimuli or actions, and (ii) social learning. These adaptive mechanisms reduce the fitness costs associated with danger but still allow flexible behavior. Despite the empirical prevalence and importance of both these mechanisms, it is unclear when they evolve and how they interact. We used evolutionary agent-based simulations, incorporating empirically based learning mechanisms, to clarify if preparedness and social learning typically both evolve in dangerous environments, and if these mechanisms generally interact synergistically or antagonistically. Our simulations showed that preparedness and social learning often co-evolve because they provide complimentary benefits: genetic preparedness reduced foraging efficiency, but resulted in a higher rate of survival in dangerous environments, while social learning generally came to dominate the population, especially when the environment was stochastic. However, even in this case, genetic preparedness reliably evolved. Broadly, our results indicate that the relationship between preparedness and social learning is important as it can result in trade-offs between behavioral flexibility and safety, which can lead to seemingly suboptimal behavior if the evolutionary environment of the organism is not taken into account.

Social Fear Learning: from Animal Models to Human Function

“…Another line of research should address the role of altered SFL in rodent models of human disorders and diseases, such as autism and Alzheimer’s disease [70, 94]. Lastly, development of computational models and simulations of SFL will help to elucidate the workings of the underlying neural networks and will provide a mechanistic basis for understanding of the generation, maintenance and transmission of threat information [95]. …”

The Role of Intelligence in Social Learning

“…Another aspect is how the integration of social and individual information is accomplished 20 , 21 . In an environment where demonstrators are observed repeatedly, on the one hand, it is possible to learn from others using simple reinforcement learning 22 , which is the case when an agent imitates others, evaluates the feedback she receives after imitation, and chooses whether to keep imitating or not, depending on the outcome 23 – 27 . On the other hand, a more strategic use of social information involves understanding the rationale behind the observed choices 6 , 13 , 28 – 30 .…”

Physiological Synchrony Predicts Observational Threat Learning in Humans

“…Such memories are expressed by heightened autonomic nervous system activity in the observer when later facing that stimulus alone. Observational threat learning is efficient, and minimizes risks to the individual arising from directly interacting with potential dangers [13]. Understanding how threat information in the environment is observationally acquired is central to explaining adaptive, as well as maladaptive, survival related behavior in humans and other animals.…”