R. Haven Wiley

The Evolution of Communication:

Information and Manipulation

(1983)

SLANG - Seminar

03.07.2012

Amani Hussein

1. Adaptation for efficient communication

2. Communication as manipulation

3. Withholding information

4. Evolution of simple honesty

5. Conclusion

6. Personal statement

1. Adaptation for efficient

communication

What is communication?

Two forms of information:

• Transmitted information: the predictability of

a receiver's behavior increases after a signal

• Broadcast information: the predictability of a

sender’s behavior increases after a signal

• link between communication and evolution:

communication is the process which allows us

to evolve, due to this process we learn how to

use our and the other's behavior for our benefit

signal evaluation of response

improvement behavior evolves

Decoding/Encoding

• Internal/ personal factors

• Signal: reflection of inner state

• Action: expression of inner state

• same applies to the receiver: signal changes its

internal state resulting in a response

• Other factors influencing response: context of

signal and history of receiver process called

decoding (in terms of sender: encoding)

Causes of error in signal

transmission/ reception:

External factors:

• Noise

• Distance

• Receiver’s threshold for detecting signals

• Missed detection: missing parts of the signal

• False alarms: reacting to factors which have

nothing to do with the signal

How to improve the detection of

signals?

• Sender uses easy-to-detect-signals

• sender can send signals that have certain

features which increase the reliability of

detection (= receiver misses fewer signals by

reducing the detection of false alarms)

Redundancy

• signal (or part of it) is repeated or usage of

stereotypical components results from

predictability: when a signal or part of it is seen

over and over again one can recognize it easily

• reduces errors in detection + good for long

distance in a noisy environment

Conspicuousness

• It’s easy to detect signals if they are

conspicuous or set in a contrast, one has to

make oneself visible and distinguishable

Small repertoires and typical

intensity

• "the smaller the repertoire of signals that a

receiver must identify, the better is its

performance" (163)

• Combined with typical intensity = less

ambiguity!

• Especially in a noisy environment, it is better

to produce a few standardized signals which

are easy and surely detectable

Alerting signals

• used in the beginning of a signal, it must be

detectable and set in contrast to the

background helps the receiver to figure out

when to expect a signal

• must not contain any info at all

• four features mostly go together producing

ritualized signals

• the connection to evolution: nature selects

responses that increases the receiver's fitness

as well as the production of signals which

increase the signaler's fitness!

2. Communication as manipulation

• Manipulation = signals are used not to provide

information but to influence the receiver to

behave in a way that benefits the signaler

• Deceit: depends on the rules of decoding the

signal by the receiver or in other words: the

receiver has to be willing to believe the deceit

and the signaler takes advantage of that

• To counter deceit as receiver: use the signal to

increase its own fitness by gaining

information which is not meant to be signaled to

the specific receiver = eavesdropping

• Deceit is good for survival/ distinction between

information and manipulation

• Receiver’s don’t bluff, they retaliate: change the

rules of decoding so the signaler can not take

advantage

Inflation or devaluation of signals

• Receiver counters bluffing by inflation/

devaluation more and greater bluffing

ends in the escalation of signals and decoding

= when bluffing becomes too costly leads to

honest signals!

Increased discrimination by

receivers

• Receiver tries to see through the bluffing and

discover the true motives of a signaler, by

investigating signals carefully honest

signals: once signaler is exposed, the receiver

will not be fooled by it again

So, what about the honest signalers who can be

mistaken for bluffers, what should they do?

They use unbluffable signals, a feature which

will distinguish them from imitators!

3. Withholding information

• Protects the sender from revealing their true

nature

• Makes eavesdropping complicated for rivals

• never useful to reveal important information

(broadcast information) about the next move

even with all collected information, one can

still not predict the end of a fight

Contingent information

• Information about possible responses

following a certain signal, like: an individual

will retaliate if a rival attacks or withdraw

when the rival withdraws

• another possibility for the lack of information

is bluffing

• as seen in the animal world it pays off to

threaten with maximum intensity

• but once there is mutual bluffing (meaning the

opponent was not scared away by initial

bluffing) it is important to take time to judge

rival thoroughly

• once opponents learn more about each other

the confrontation can come to a resolution

• the more the opponents resemble each other

the more time a conflict takes

• sometimes fights don't obey any strategies

• uncorrelated asymmetry: one difference that

has nothing to do with fighting abilities, totally

random feature

Speckled wood butterfly

have an "owners always win" rule

4. Evolution of simple honesty

• Deceit can evolve into honesty

• But: honesty coming from competition not mutuality

• To provide honest information, the exchange has to be based on mutuality: both sender and receiver exchange information and benefit from this exchange (even if deceit provides greater advantages for either sender or receiver)

Kin selection

• Definition: "results from the presence of the

same genes in related individuals, by virtue of

their descent from a common ancestor" (p182)

• Manipulation of a relative individual to one's

advantage does not increase the survival and

reproduction of the same genes in the relative

manipulating own or related kind is not

favored by nature!

• What about unrelated individuals?

• evolution of mutuality is analyzed by game theory = the net benefits of an individual depends both on its own strategy and the strategy of the other individual

• Example: prisoner's dilemma

• Same applies to population of deceivers: they will not be invaded by others because but their net benefit is lower than a population of honest and cooperative people

5. Conclusion

• Communication applies to rules: rules for encoding, for decoding, rules for deceit and mutuality

• Communication does not occur independently, it is more interdependent: the interaction between individuals depends on their relationship to each other

Rules of communication come from communication and interaction!

6. Personal statement

• As a Darwin fan, the text did make sense to

me: not only does evolution involve the

physical development by adaption to the

environment we live in, but also they way we

communicate with each other evolves

• Problem: text does not explain how the

communication of individuals evolves when

there are limited communication tools

• Due to the date of the text, the author couldn’t

include modern communication

Any questions?

Thank you!