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SUMMARY:“How does natural selection shape development?” - Dr Willem Fr
 ankenhuis\, Behavioural Science Institute\, Radboud University\, The Nethe
 rlands
DTSTART:20141015T113000Z
DTEND:20141015T123000Z
UID:TALK53385@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Diane Pearce
DESCRIPTION:Fused together\, evolutionary and developmental sciences gener
 ate predictions about the design of developmental mechanisms\, including w
 hat traits are likely at different life stages\, patterns of ontogenetic c
 hange\, and emerging phenotypic variation.  In this talk\, I will present 
 recent modelling showing that natural selection can result in mechanisms t
 hat produce sensitive periods in development.  Such modelling may illumina
 te the roles of previous life experiences and chronological age in shaping
  plasticity (its retention and decline) across the life span.  In addition
 \, I will present recent empirical work examining whether human reasoning 
 abilities become fine-tuned to locally important information.  Specificall
 y\, I will compare people who developed in safe vs. harsh environments (i.
 e.\, violent neighbourhoods) on a transitive inference task involving both
  social dominance relations and chronological age relations\, where the fo
 rmer are thought to be more fitness-relevant in harsh environments.
LOCATION:Library\, Sub-Department of Animal Behaviour\, Madingley
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