The effect of inter-species competition on lifetime learning

Abstract

We use simulators to model systems in order to gain insight into their functioning. Simulators have been used for many problems, such as and Engineering Simulations. Simulators are now more widely used in scientific investigations because the process of studying a model leads to the discovery of certain features and facts about the very system that the model is intended to imitate. This is known as surrogative reasoning. Artificial Life simulations are used to model life processes and abstract from natural living systems their logical form. John A. Bullinaria, a prominent Cognitive Science researcher, created such a simulation to use an Artificial Life approach to examine the effect of parental protection on lifetime learning. Bullinaria concludes his paper by suggesting a number of extensions to his work, among them "the need to pay more attention to the evolutionary pressures and consequences that arise from the introduction of competition with, and coeveolution with, other species." He mentions that it is highly likely that there will be performance differences arising from inter-species competition In this work we shall develop a simulation with the aim of providing researchers with the means to simulate a population of learning individuals both with and without inter-species competition in order to find out how it affects Lifetime Learning. We find that inter-species competition in a form similar to predator-prey relationships does have a substantial effect on Lifetime learning, as it provides increased incentive to each species to learn faster and differentiate itself from other species, even if that means taking shortcuts such as a bug in the simulation.