Psy 594 Spring 2012 Intersections in Mind-Brain Research
Dr. Adrian V. Jaeggi
Sage Center for the Study of the Mind, Department of Anthropology ajaeggi@anth.ucsb.edu

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What is “intelligence”?
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Ability to respond flexibly to new or complex situations, to learn and innovate (Byrne 1995)
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How to measure intelligence?
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Cognitive tasks: Reversal learning, invisible displacement, detour problems, etc.
 Deaner et al. 2006, MacLean et al. 2012
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Behaviors: Tool-use, innovation, learning, etc.
 Reader & Laland 2002
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Anatomical proxies: ECV, brain size, brain parts, etc.
 Healy & Rowe 2007

Explaining variation in brain size:
Allometry
Isler 2011: y = kx a or log y = a log x + log k

Explaining variation in brain size:
The comparative method
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Compare species that differ in brain size and other explanatory variables
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Control for phylogenetic relationships

Comparative phylogenetic methods
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Phylogenetic independent contrasts (PIC)
Y
1
Y
2
Y
3
Y
4
C
1
C
3
C
2
MacLean et al. 2012

Comparative phylogenetic methods
Y
1
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Phylogenetic Generalized Least Squares (PGLS)
Y
2
Y
3
Y
4
MacLean et al. 2012

Comparative phylogenetic methods
MacLean et al. 2012
Furthermore, Bayesian methods like RJ MCMC..

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Social intelligence hypotheses
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Machiavellian intelligence (Byrne & Whiten 1988,
Whiten & Byrne 1997)
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Cultural intelligence (Whiten & van Schaik 2007, van Schaik & Burkart 2011)

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Neocortex size ~ Social group size:
 Barton 1996 (also ~ frugivory)

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Cultural repertoire ~ Gregariousness:
 Whiten & van Schaik 2007

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Ecological intelligence hypotheses
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Extractive foraging, “technical intelligence hypothesis” (Parker & Gibson 1977, Byrne 1997)
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Cognitive mapping, spatial cognition (Milton
1988, Barton 1996)
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Cognitive buffering, seasonality (Deaner et al.
2003, Sol 2009)

Ecological intelligence:
Cognitive mapping
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Hippocampus size and food-storing in birds Juvenile Food-storers
Adult Food-storers
Juvenile Non-storers
Adult Non-storers
Food-storers
Non-storers
Food-storing species have relatively larger hippocampi (Sherry et al. 1989) Food-storing species has steeper developmental trajectory (Healy et al. 1994)

Ecological intelligence:
Cognitive mapping?
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Hippocampus ~ Foraging mode:
 Hutcheon et al. 2002
Plant feeders (fruits, nectar) X Insectivores

Ecological intelligence:
Cognitive buffering
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Brain size ~ Seasonality:
 Schuck-Paim et al. 2008
Temperature Rainfall

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Brains are extremely costly organs (Mink et al.
1981)
 Evolutionary increases have to be paid for
 Expensive Brain Framework (Isler & van Schaik
2009)

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Increase energy subsidies:
 Brain size ~ Body mass by breeding style: Isler 2011

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Increase total energy turn-over
 Brain size ~ BMR: Isler & van Schaik 2006

Ecological intelligence:
Costs and benefits
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Brain size ~ Experienced / Buffered Seasonality:
 Van Woerden et al. 2011

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How does brain size (or even parts of the brain) correspond to certain cognitive abilities, let alone intelligence as a whole
 Healy & Rowe 2007
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Experimental psychology & Comparative methods
 MacLean et al. 2012

Comparative phylogenetic psychology
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Compare species on various cognitive tests
 Deaner et al. 2006

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Nunn, C. L. 2011 The comparative approach in evolutionary anthropology and biology
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Striedter, G. F. 2005
Principles of brain evolution