Trust your gut: using physiological states as a source of information is almost as effective as optimal Bayesian learning.

ABSTRACT: Approaches to understanding adaptive behaviour often assume that animals have perfect information about environmental conditions or are capable of sophisticated learning. If such learning abilities are costly, however, natural selection will favour simpler mechanisms for controlling behaviour when faced with uncertain conditions. Here, we show that, in a foraging context, a strategy based only on current energy reserves often performs almost as well as a Bayesian learning strategy that integrates all previous experiences to form an optimal estimate of environmental conditions. We find that Bayesian learning gives a strong advantage only if fluctuations in the food supply are very strong and reasonably frequent. The performance of both the Bayesian and the reserve-based strategy are more ro

SUBMITTER: Higginson AD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5805941 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature