Data Skeptic

Animal Decision Making

Mar 12, 2024

The podcast explores animal decision-making, discussing how animals perceive information and use it for learning. Topics include costs of learning in animals, experimental evolution using fruit flies, animal intelligence in species like dolphins and bees, and evolution of preferences in flies.

37:02

Creator website

Episode guests

Aimee Dunlap

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Quick takeaways

Animals develop biases towards stimuli for decision-making efficiency.

Fruit flies are valuable for studying evolution due to genetic data availability.

Prepared learning influences behavior and cognitive evolution in animals.

Deep dives

Research and Teaching Role at University of Missouri

The guest, Dr. Amy Dunlap, an associate professor at the University of Missouri, St. Louis, discusses her role in research, teaching courses in animal behavior, behavioral ecology, and the evolution of cognition. She supervises a diverse team of grad students and undergrads working on cognitive questions, bridging lab-based cognition with field ecology studies.

Elegance in Model Building for Understanding

01:54

Choosing an Ideal Guest based on Knowledge and Relevance

00:59

Introduction

5min

Exploring Animal Behavior, Cognition, and Ecology Research

5min

Exploring the Costs of Learning in Animals

2min

Exploring Learning in Animals and Evolution through Experimental Evolution

16min

Exploring Animal Intelligence and Evolution of Prepared Learning

3min

Evolution of Preferences in Flies

7min

On today’s episode, we are joined by Aimee Dunlap. Aimee is an assistant professor at the University of Missouri–St. Louis and the interim director at the Whitney R. Harris World Ecology Center.

Aimee discussed how animals perceive information and what they use it for. She discussed the connection between their environment and learning for decision-making. She also discussed the costs required for learning and factors that affect animal learning.

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Data Skeptic

Animal Decision Making

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Deep dives

Research and Teaching Role at University of Missouri

Fruit Flies as Model Organisms

Evolutionary Preparedness in Learning

Experimental Evolution and Gene Expression Studies

Dr. Dunlap's Advice for Aspiring Scientists

Elegance in Model Building for Understanding

Choosing an Ideal Guest based on Knowledge and Relevance

Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts