James S. Magnuson
Simulating probability matching in groups of foraging animals:
A comparison of representational and nonrepresentational models
Abstract:Representational approaches to animal behavior (e.g., [1, 5]) posit that complex group behavior results from complex representations of events within the central nervous systems of individual animals. I present the results of a simulation of foraging behavior in groups of organisms, in which simple behavioral rules at the individual level result in the emergence of "probability matching" to food sources, a complex group behavior observed in various species. The success of the simulation reaffirms the notion that representations of an environment can occur at the level of the group, and suggests that models of complex behaviors observed in groups should begin with the simplest possible rules at the individual level.