Individual variation in cognitive performance: developmental and evolutionary perspectives

被引:211
作者
Thornton, Alex [1 ]
Lukas, Dieter [2 ]
机构
[1] Univ Cambridge, Dept Expt Psychol, Cambridge CB2 3EB, England
[2] Univ Cambridge, Dept Zool, Cambridge CB2 3EB, England
基金
英国生物技术与生命科学研究理事会;
关键词
cognition; development; evolution; individual differences; meta-analysis; reproductive fitness; BEHAVIORAL FLEXIBILITY; CULTURAL INTELLIGENCE; SOCIAL INTELLIGENCE; LEARNING-ABILITY; SAGUINUS-OEDIPUS; MATE CHOICE; US HUMAN; HYPOTHESIS; BRAIN; WILD;
D O I
10.1098/rstb.2012.0214
中图分类号
Q [生物科学];
学科分类号
07 ; 0710 ; 09 ;
摘要
Animal cognition experiments frequently reveal striking individual variation but rarely consider its causes and largely ignore its potential consequences. Studies often focus on a subset of high-performing subjects, sometimes viewing evidence from a single individual as sufficient to demonstrate the cognitive capacity of a species. We argue that the emphasis on demonstrating species-level cognitive capacities detracts from the value of individual variation in understanding cognitive development and evolution. We consider developmental and evolutionary interpretations of individual variation and use meta-analyses of data from published studies to examine predictors of individual performance. We show that reliance on small sample sizes precludes robust conclusions about individual abilities as well as inter-and intraspecific differences. We advocate standardization of experimental protocols and pooling of data between laboratories to improve statistical rigour. Our analyses show that cognitive performance is influenced by age, sex, rearing conditions and previous experience. These effects limit the validity of comparative analyses unless developmental histories are taken into account, and complicate attempts to understand how cognitive traits are expressed and selected under natural conditions. Further understanding of cognitive evolution requires efforts to elucidate the heritability of cognitive traits and establish whether elevated cognitive performance confers fitness advantages in nature.
引用
收藏
页码:2773 / 2783
页数:11
相关论文
共 83 条
  • [1] Variation in the volume of zebra finch song control nuclei is heritable: developmental and evolutionary implications
    Airey, DC
    Castillo-Juarez, H
    Casella, G
    Pollak, EJ
    DeVoogd, TJ
    [J]. PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES, 2000, 267 (1457) : 2099 - 2104
  • [2] Genetic influences on dynamic complexity of brain oscillations
    Anokhin, AP
    Müller, V
    Lindenberger, U
    Heath, AC
    Myers, E
    [J]. NEUROSCIENCE LETTERS, 2006, 397 (1-2) : 93 - 98
  • [3] [Anonymous], 1990, MONKEYS SEE WORLD IN, DOI DOI 10.7208/CHICAGO/9780226218526.001.0001
  • [4] [Anonymous], 1964, On the Origin of Species
  • [5] [Anonymous], 1974, ORIGINS INTELLIGENCE
  • [6] Intelligence and semen quality are positively correlated
    Arden, Rosalind
    Gottfredson, Linda S.
    Miller, Geoffrey
    Pierce, Arand
    [J]. INTELLIGENCE, 2009, 37 (03) : 277 - 282
  • [7] Baars Bernard., 1986, The Cognitive Revolution in Psychology
  • [8] General Intelligence in Another Primate: Individual Differences across Cognitive Task Performance in a New World Monkey (Saguinus oedipus)
    Banerjee, Konika
    Chabris, Christopher F.
    Johnson, Valen E.
    Lee, James J.
    Tsao, Fritz
    Hauser, Marc D.
    [J]. PLOS ONE, 2009, 4 (06):
  • [9] Insightful problem solving and creative tool modification by captive nontool-using rooks
    Bird, Christopher D.
    Emery, Nathan J.
    [J]. PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, 2009, 106 (25) : 10370 - 10375
  • [10] Causal reasoning in rats
    Blaisdell, AP
    Sawa, K
    Leising, KJ
    Waldmann, MR
    [J]. SCIENCE, 2006, 311 (5763) : 1020 - 1022