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Bolhuis, J. |
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Title |
Function and mechanism in neuroecology: looking for clues |
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2005 |
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Animal Biology (formerly Netherlands Journal of Zoology) |
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55 |
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4 |
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457-490 |
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The four questions that Niko Tinbergen identified for behavioural biology ? evolution, function, development and causation ? are all important and should be studied in their own right. Recently, there has been a debate as to whether these four questions should be investigated separately or whether they should be integrated. Integration of the four questions has been attempted in novel research disciplines such as cognitive ecology, evolutionary psychology and neuroecology. Euan Macphail and I have criticised these integrative approaches, suggesting that they are fundamentally flawed as they confound function and mechanism. Investigating the function or evolutionary history of a behaviour or cognitive system is important and entirely legitimate. However, such investigations cannot provide us with answers to questions about the mechanisms underlying behaviour or cognition. At most, functional or evolutionary considerations can provide clues that may be useful for a causal analysis of the underlying mechanisms. However, these clues can be misleading and are often wrong, as is illustrated with examples from song learning and food storing in birds. After summarising the main issues in the neuroecology debate, I discuss some misunderstandings that were apparent in the responses to our critique, as well as some recent relevant data. Recent results do not support the neuroecological approach. Finally, I suggest that the way forward is a cautious and critical use of functional and evolutionary clues in the study of the mechanisms of behaviour. |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
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3396 |
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Author |
Bolhuis, J.J.; Macphail, E.M. |
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Title |
A critique of the neuroecology of learning and memory |
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Journal Article |
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Year |
2001 |
Publication |
Trends in Cognitive Sciences |
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Trends. Cognit. Sci. |
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5 |
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10 |
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426-433 |
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Recent years have seen the emergence of neuroecology, the study of the neural mechanisms of behaviour guided by functional and evolutionary principles. This research has been of enormous value for our understanding of the evolution of brain- and species-specific behaviour. However, we question the validity of the neuroecological approach when applied to the analysis of learning and memory, given its arbitrary assumption that different [`]problems' engage different memory mechanisms. Differences in memory-based performance in [`]natural' tasks do not prove differences in memory capacity; similarly, differences in the use of memory in the natural environment do not provide a sound basis for expecting differences in anatomical structures that subserve learning and memory. This critique is illustrated with examples taken from the study of the neurobiology of food storing and song learning in birds. |
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1364-6613 |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
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4742 |
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Bolhuis, J.J. |
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Title |
Bird brains and behaviour: perception, cognition and production |
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2003 |
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Animal Biology |
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53 |
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2 |
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71-72 |
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formerly Netherlands Journal of Zoology |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
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3104 |
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