Simple Cognitive Process Formation Model

Abstract

we constructed and analyzed a model of the formation of simple cognitive processes. The model examined a persistence hunting scenario in which a hunter pursued an antelope in very hot conditions. The hunt was successful when the antelope became exhausted before the hunter or when the hunter caught up with the antelope. The hunt was unsuccessful when the hunter lost track of the antelope or became exhausted first.
Both the hunter and the antelope had their own energy resources. The hunter followed the antelope’s tracks and mentally simulated the antelope’s behavior to estimate its movement and energy expenditure. In doing so, the hunter formulated and used hypotheses about the antelope’s movement.
We studied the model using a computer simulation. We analyzed hunter learning, changes in the energy resources of both agents, and the dynamics of successful and unsuccessful hunts. The results show that constructing and using hypotheses about animal behavior plays a key role in hunting and suggest that human cognition in this context resembles scientific reasoning.