title: Bayesian animals sense ecological constraints to predict fitness and organize individually flexible reproductive decisions.
abstract: A quantitative theory of reproductive decisions (Gowaty & Hubbell 2009) says that individuals use updated priors from constantly changing demographic circumstances to predict their futures to adjust actions flexibly and adaptively. Our ecological/evolutionary models of ultimate causes seem consistent with Clark's ideas and thus suggest an opportunity for a unified proximate and ultimate theory of Bayesian animal brains, senses, and actions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, and Institute of Environment and Sustainability, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA. gowaty@eeb.ucla.edu
authors.forename: Patricia Adair
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Gowaty
authors.forename: Stephen P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Hubbell
mesh_terms: D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D019336:Cognitive Science / Q000639:trends*; D006801:Humans; D010465:Perception / Q000502:physiology*