Essential conditions for evolution of communication within a species

2008/03/31 by Alexander Feigel, A. Feigel · 5 citations
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Computer Science · Mathematics · Physics and Astronomy · Psychology · Social Sciences · #Artificial intelligence #Computer science #Entropy (arrow of time) #Evolution and Genetic Dynamics #Evolutionary Game Theory and Cooperation #Information exchange #Information theory #Mathematics #Mutual information #Population #Psychology #Reciprocity (cultural anthropology) #Social psychology #Statistics #cs.GT #physics.soc-ph #q-bio.PE

paper · pdf · doi:10.1016/j.jtbi.2008.07.005

published in Journal of Theoretical Biology 254(4), 768-774 (Elsevier BV) · Final version to appear in Journal of Theoretical Biology, see DOI Extended introduction, notation is changed to fit the standard

openalex publication_date 2008/07/17 · arxiv created 2008/09/06 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05

Abstract

A major obstacle in analyzing the evolution of information exchange and processing is our insufficient understanding of the underlying signaling and decision-making biological mechanisms. For instance, it is unclear why are humans unique in developing such extensive communication abilities. To treat this problem, a method based on the mutual information approach is developed that evaluates the information content of communication between interacting individuals through correlations of their behavior patterns (rather than calculating the information load of exchanged discrete signals, e.g. Shannon entropy). It predicts that correlated interactions of the indirect reciprocity type together with affective behavior and selection rules changing with time are necessary conditions for the emergence of significant information exchange. Population size variations accelerate this development. These results are supported by evidence of demographic bottlenecks, distinguishing human from other species' (e.g. apes) evolution line. They indicate as well new pathways for evolution of information based phenomena, such as intelligence and complexity.

Citations

• Evolution of digital organisms at high mutation rates leads to survival of the flattest
• A Mathematical Theory of Communication
• Evolutionary stable strategies and game dynamics
• The genetical evolution of social behaviour. I
• Reconstructing human origins in the genomic era
• Agreeing to Disagree
• Volatile Signaling in Plant-Plant Interactions: "Talking Trees" in the Genomics Era
• Rethinking the Theoretical Foundation of Sociobiology
• Towards an evolutionary theory of language
• Evolution of indirect reciprocity by image scoring
• Evolution of indirect reciprocity
• The Faculty of Language: What Is It, Who Has It, and How Did It Evolve?
• Five Rules for the Evolution of Cooperation
• Evolution in the Social Brain

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