Ecological dominance, social competition, and coalitionary arms races

As we fall asleep we forget about the future: A quantitative linguistic analysis of mentation reports from hypnagogia

“…As these results point towards a gradual decline in memory for the future within sleep onset, they can be seen as supporting previous assumptions made based on the AIM model (Hobson et al, 2000) that assume a gradual decrease of physiological activity, namely prefrontal activity, from waking to sleep onset, en route to REM sleep ). The present results further fit in with physiological evidence on the decrease in frontal and limbic lobe metabolism during sleep onset (Kaufmann et al, 2006), which are brain regions considered fundamental to memory for the future (Flinn, Geary, & Ward, 2005;Schacter et al, 2012;Suddendorf & Corballis, 2007). In the light of (i) previous studies which indicate that the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the orbitofrontal cortex play a fundamental role for memory for the future (Flinn et al, 2005;Schacter et al, 2012;Suddendorf & Corballis, 2007) as well as (ii) predictions based on the AIM model that these areas gradually decrease in sleep onset, the present findings appear to provide first evidence that memory for the future decreases during sleep onset hypnagogia.…”

“…The present results further fit in with physiological evidence on the decrease in frontal and limbic lobe metabolism during sleep onset (Kaufmann et al, 2006), which are brain regions considered fundamental to memory for the future (Flinn, Geary, & Ward, 2005;Schacter et al, 2012;Suddendorf & Corballis, 2007). In the light of (i) previous studies which indicate that the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the orbitofrontal cortex play a fundamental role for memory for the future (Flinn et al, 2005;Schacter et al, 2012;Suddendorf & Corballis, 2007) as well as (ii) predictions based on the AIM model that these areas gradually decrease in sleep onset, the present findings appear to provide first evidence that memory for the future decreases during sleep onset hypnagogia. Even though memory for the future is believed to rely on much of the same neuronal structures that are needed for remembering the past, especially prefrontal and hippocampal regions (Hassabis et al, 2006;, the current results suggest that the number of linguistic indications of episodic past memories, along with thoughts about present scenarios, remains fairly constant throughout sleep onset hypnagogia.…”

Coalitions in theory and reality: a review of pertinent variables and processes

“…It seems likely that group-wide coalition formation provides the only context in which the opposing parties are not mutually dependent on each other (except in dolphins and especially humans, where interdependence extends beyond the level of the group, e.g., Connor et al, 2001;Walker et al, 2011): they usually occur in a clear and unambiguous competitive context and thus are predictably hostile, in contrast to the interactions that occur within groups (Connor et al, 1992;Harcourt, 1992;see below). Group-wide and within-group coalitions, however, are not mutually exclusive phenomena: for example, the need for in-group members to cooperate during between-group encounters is known to profoundly affect the social dynamics of groups, and hence the formation of withingroup coalitions (humans: Alexander, 1990Alexander, , 2014Flinn et al, 2005;Choi & Bowles, 2007;Bowles, 2009;Rusch, 2014;other animals: Watts & Mitani, 2001). Group-wide coalitions have also been suggested as one possible evolutionary precursor of within-group coalitions in animals (Harcourt, 1992), although a formal test of this hypothesis is lacking.…”

High-Dimensional Fitness Landscapes and Speciation

“…A number of potential answers focusing on the effects of climatic (Vrba 1995), ecological factors (Russon and Begun 2004), and social factors have been hotly debated. One widely discussed set of ideas (Alexander 1990;Byrne and Whiten 1988;Dunbar 1998Dunbar , 2003Flinn et al 2005;Geary 2004;Humphrey 1976;Roth and Dicke 2005;Striedter 2004; Whiten and Byrne 1997), coming under the rubric of the "social brain" hypothesis (sometimes also called the "Machiavellian intelligence" hypothesis), considers selective forces coming from social competitive interactions as the most important factor in the evolution of hominids, who at some point in the past became an ecologically dominant species (Alexander 1990;Flinn et al 2005). These forces selected for more and more effective strategies of achieving social success (including deception, manipulation, alliance formation, exploitation of the expertise of others) and for the ability to learn and use them.…”