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19 - Evolution of Memory Systems in Animals

from Part II - Evolution of Memory Processes

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 May 2022

By
Johan Lind ,
Stefano Ghirlanda  and
Magnus Enquist
Edited by
Mark A. Krause ,
Karen L. Hollis  and
Mauricio R. Papini
Mark A. Krause
Affiliation:
Southern Oregon University
Karen L. Hollis
Affiliation:
Mount Holyoke College, Massachusetts
Mauricio R. Papini
Affiliation:
Texas Christian University
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Summary

Memory provides information for decision making and determines partly what animals can and cannot do. Here we categorize memory systems in animals in terms of their generality and their temporal characteristics, and we explore how evolution has tailored memory systems, considering both the benefits of having access to information and the costs of acquiring and remembering information. General associative memories are flexible and can last for years. In contrast, general short-term memories decay rapidly. We find no evidence of general memory systems used to store sequences of stimuli faithfully. Importantly, seeming limitations of general memory systems may be adaptive as they minimize storage and learning costs. In addition to general memory systems, animals have evolved specialized memories when they need more faithful or longer-lasting memories than afforded by general memory systems. We discuss the consequences of these findings for animal cognition research.

Keywords

memoryevolutionanimalsassociative learningtrace memorydecisionadaptive specializationsgeneral process
Type
Chapter
Information
Evolution of Learning and Memory Mechanisms , pp. 339 - 358
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

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