Getting the most out of Shannon information

Lean, Oliver M.

doi:10.1007/s10539-013-9410-2

Cited by 18 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…This uncertainty reduction is what information theorists refer to as mutual information ; note that it is distinct from the usefulness (e.g. fitness value; see (iii) below) of that information [ 41 , 46 , 47 ]. Systematic variation across development in cue informativeness could arise from exogenous or endogenous factors.…”

Section: Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adaptive explanations for sensitive windows in development

2015

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Development in many organisms appears to show evidence of sensitive windows—periods or stages in ontogeny in which individual experience has a particularly strong influence on the phenotype (compared to other periods or stages). Despite great interest in sensitive windows from both fundamental and applied perspectives, the functional (adaptive) reasons why they have evolved are unclear. Here we outline a conceptual framework for understanding when natural selection should favour changes in plasticity across development. Our approach builds on previous theory on the evolution of phenotypic plasticity, which relates individual and population differences in plasticity to two factors: the degree of uncertainty about the environmental conditions and the extent to which experiences during development (‘cues’) provide information about those conditions. We argue that systematic variation in these two factors often occurs within the lifetime of a single individual, which will select for developmental changes in plasticity. Of central importance is how informational properties of the environment interact with the life history of the organism. Phenotypes may be more or less sensitive to environmental cues at different points in development because of systematic changes in (i) the frequency of cues, (ii) the informativeness of cues, (iii) the fitness benefits of information and/or (iv) the constraints on plasticity. In relatively stable environments, a sensible null expectation is that plasticity will gradually decline with age as the developing individual gathers information. We review recent models on the evolution of developmental changes in plasticity and explain how they fit into our conceptual framework. Our aim is to encourage an adaptive perspective on sensitive windows in development.

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Section: Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adaptive explanations for sensitive windows in development

2015

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“…2 A recent trend seeks to distinguish two concepts I treat as equivalent. The distinction advocated by Rescorla [40] and Lean [23] runs as follows (Rescorla cites Burge [6] as inspiration; Dan Hutto also promotes something like this). Simple signalling systems carry information in the guise of reliable correlation ("functional isomorphism", "Shannon information") -tokens that correspond to worldly states in a manner sufficient for successful behaviour.…”

Section: First Result: Information and Contentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…From this perspective all information is at bottom "natural", whether it is communicated intentionally or retrieved from an uncaring environment. Lean [23] offers such an approach. Along with Millikan I promote neither view.…”

Section: First Result: Information and Contentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In sum, a functional interpretation of information accords well with a growing trend in natural science to consider the optimisation of informational processes. In contrast to the causal interpretation, biological information cannot be pulled apart from the costs 23 incurred to handle it and the benefits attained by using it. Information allows a principled redistribution of physical resources, entailing optimised behaviour that contributes to downstream functions and, eventually, evolutionary fitness.…”

Section: A Functional Account Of Information Provides a Clear Interprmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Consequences of a Functional Account of Information

Mann

2018

Rev.Phil.Psych.

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“…Our functional content vector is broadly in the spirit of Oliver Lean's ([ 2014] ) ‘informational functions’. However, Lean casts his approach as contrasting with teleosemantic accounts of semantic information in biology, arguing that greater clarity is achieved by analysing function separately from information, and treating information in the style of Shannon.…”

Section: Two Kinds Of Contentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Content in Simple Signalling Systems

Shea

Godfrey‐Smith

Cao

2018

The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science

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Our understanding of communication and its evolution has advanced significantly through the study of simple models involving interacting senders and receivers of signals. Many theorists have thought that the resources of mathematical information theory are all that are needed to capture the meaning or content that is being communicated in these systems. However, the way theorists routinely talk about the models implicitly draws on a conception of content that is richer than bare informational content, especially in contexts where false content is important. This article shows that this concept can be made precise by defining a notion of functional content that captures the degree to which different states of the world are involved in stabilizing senders’ and receivers’ use of a signal at equilibrium. A series of case studies is used to contrast functional content with informational content, and to illustrate the explanatory role and limitations of this definition of functional content. 1 Introduction2 Modelling Framework3 Two Kinds of Content 3.1 Informational content 3.2 Functional content4 Cases 4.1 Case 1: Simplest case 4.2 Case 2: Partial pooling 4.3 Case 3: Bottleneck 4.4 Case 4: Partial common interest 4.5 Case 5: Deception 4.6 Case 6: A further problem arising from divergent interests5 DiscussionAppendix

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Getting the most out of Shannon information

Cited by 18 publications

References 28 publications

Adaptive explanations for sensitive windows in development

Adaptive explanations for sensitive windows in development

Consequences of a Functional Account of Information

Content in Simple Signalling Systems

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