creators_name: Ghirlanda, Stefano
creators_name: Vallortigara, Giorgio
type: journalp
datestamp: 2006-12-12
lastmod: 2011-03-11 08:56:44
metadata_visibility: show
title: The evolution of brain lateralization: A game theoretical analysis of population structure

ispublished: pub
subjects: bio-etho
subjects: bio-ani-cog
subjects: bio-evo
subjects: bio-behav
subjects: comp-psy
subjects: bio-eco
subjects: behav-neuro-sci
subjects: bio-theory
subjects: bio-ani-behav
full_text_status: public
keywords: evolutionary biology, lateralization, game theory
abstract: In recent years, it has become apparent that behavioural and brain lateralization is the rule rather than the exception among vertebrates. The study of lateralization has been so far the province of neurology and neuropsychology. We show how such research can be integrated with evolutionary biology to more fully understand lateralization. In particular, we address
the fact that, within a species, left- and right-type individuals are often in a definite proportion different from 1/2 (e.g., hand use in humans). We argue that traditional explanations of brain lateralization (that it may avoid costly duplication of neural circuitry and reduce interference between functions) cannot account for this fact, because increased individual efficiency is unre-
lated to the frequency of left- and right-type individuals in a population. A further puzzle is that, if a majority of individuals are of the same type, individual behaviour becomes more predictable to other organisms. Here we
show that alignment of the direction of behavioural asymmetries in a population can arise as an evolutionarily stable strategy (ESS), when individually asymmetrical organisms must coordinate their behaviour with that of other
asymmetrical organisms. Thus, brain and behavioural lateralization, as we know it in humans and other vertebrates, may have evolved under basically
"social" selection pressures.

date: 2004
date_type: published
publication: Proceedings of the Royal Society of London
volume: B271
pagerange: 853-857
refereed: TRUE
citation:   Ghirlanda, Stefano and Vallortigara, Giorgio  (2004) The evolution of brain lateralization: A game theoretical analysis of population structure.  [Journal (Paginated)]     
document_url: http://cogprints.org/5299/1/ghirlanda_vallortigare06.pdf