ANTHROPOLOGY 256:
HUMAN BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY THEORY:
MATHEMATICAL MODELING OF BEHAVIOR
FALL 2012 (Enrollment #67140)
DR. MICHAEL GURVEN
Thursdays 2:00PM-4:50PM, 2018 HSSB
Office Hours: Monday 10-noon or by appointment
Office: 2059 HSSB
Office Tel: 893-2202; e-mail: gurven@anth.ucsb.edu
Required Texts:
1) Kokko, H. 2007. Modeling for Field Biologists and Other
Interesting People. Cambridge University Press
2) McElreath, R., Boyd, R. 2007. Mathematical Models of
Social Evolution: A Guide for the Perplexed. University of
Chicago Press.
3) Papers available in pdf format to be emailed to student
email list
Course Description
Mathematical models play a central role in the evolutionary study of behavior, in both
natural and the social sciences. This graduate seminar is designed to provide the
rudiments of behavioral modeling using mathematics and evolutionary theory. It is not
expected that most students will be devising models on their own, but rather the goal
of the class is to develop the ability to understand and appreciate models in the
literature. Learning about how models work helps hone one’s thinking in general, by
forcing you to be explicit about your assumptions and the logic underlying your
deductions from theory. Additionally, it illustrates the limitations of relying too heavily
on verbal reasoning. This class is therefore necessary for all students who employ
evolutionary logic in their research. We will base the class on several great advanced
introductory books written for the non-mathematician, Mathematical Models of Social
Evolution: A Guide for the Perplexed by Richard McElreath and Rob Boyd and Modeling
for Field Biologists and Other Interesting People by Hanna Kokko. Topics include
optimization, game theory, population and quantitative genetics, Price equation,
sexual selection, foraging theory. We will use Excel, R programming languages,
algebra, some calculus and probability theory. Grading will be based on homework
and class participation.
Tentative Schedule
WEEK
Sept. 27
TOPIC
Introduction to modeling,
math basics, Excel and R
Oct. 4
Oct. 11
Getting started: pop’n
genetics approach
Optimization
Oct. 18
Game Theory
Oct. 25
Altruism and cooperation
Nov. 1
Groups, signals
Nov. 8
Foraging theory
Nov. 15
Nov. 22
Nov. 29
Simulations
** HOLIDAY
Examples, Part 1
Dec. 6
Examples, Part 2
READINGS
1) Maynard Smith, J., G.A. Parker.
Optimality theory in evolutionary biology
[ONLINE]
1) M&B, Ch. 1
2) Kokko, Ch. 1, 2
1) Kokko, Ch. 4
2) Kokko, Ch. 5
1) M&B, Ch.2
2) Kokko, Ch. 6
1) M&B, Ch. 3
2) M&B, Ch. 4
1) M&B, Ch. 5
2) M&B, Ch. 6
1) Stephens & Krebs, Ch. 2;
2) Bettinger, Ch.1,2
1) Kokko, Ch. 7,8
1) Wolf et al. 2007. Life history trade-offs
favour the evolution of animal personalities.
Nature. Massol & Crochet response.
2) Trimmer et al. 2012. Understanding the
placebo effect from an evolutionary
perspective. EHB.
3) Hooper et al. 2010. A theory of leadership
in cooperative groups. J. Theoretical Biology
265:633-646.
1) Kokko et al. 2001. The evolution of
cooperative breeding through group
augmentation. Proc R. Soc. B 268:187-196.
2) Henrich 2004. Demography and cultural
evolution: how adaptive processes can
produce maladaptive losses: the Tasmania
case. American Antiquity 69:197-214.
3) Frankenhuis & Panchanathan 2011.
Balancing sampling and specialization: an
adaptationist model of incremental
development. Proc R Soc B 278:3558-3565.
Resources
Notes: R versions of all the Matlab code for Kokko can be downloaded here:
http://evolution.unibas.ch/people/zumbrunn/
R related resources
Download R: http://www.r-project.org/
Introduction to R: http://cran.r-project.org/doc/manuals/R-intro.html
Misc R: http://www.statmethods.net/
Make tertiary diagrams: http://xcelab.net/rm/?p=68