Food For Thought: When Information Optimization Fails to Optimize Utility

Food For Thought: When Information Optimization Fails to Optimize Utility

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Agarwala, Edward K.
Language:English
Published: Case Western Reserve University School of Graduate Studies / OhioLINK 2009
Subjects:
Biology
Mathematics
Information theory
behavior
maximum likelihood
foraging
sensory systems
Online Access:http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1244147146
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spelling ndltd-OhioLink-oai-etd.ohiolink.edu-case12441471462021-08-03T05:33:15Z Food For Thought: When Information Optimization Fails to Optimize Utility Agarwala, Edward K. Biology Mathematics Information theory behavior maximum likelihood foraging sensory systems Information maximization criteria have been used to account for the physiology of sensory systems as diverse as receptive fields in the primary visual and auditory cortices, and olfaction. We investigated a model of an organism searching for food by taking successive samples from an environment in which food particles diffuse stochastically from a slowly and randomly moving source. In the limit of large food concentrations we reduced our high dimensional model system to a Markov chain on a small number of equivalence classes. In this system we made rigorous quantitative comparisons of different search strategies based on (i) maximizing the searcher's information about the food source's location, (ii) maximizing the likelihood of landing on the source, and (iii) hybrid strategies combining aspects of (i) and (ii). In terms of long-term expected food benefit we found that each strategy was superior to the others depending on the source's rate of movement. 2009-08-03 English text Case Western Reserve University School of Graduate Studies / OhioLINK http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1244147146 http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1244147146 unrestricted This thesis or dissertation is protected by copyright: all rights reserved. It may not be copied or redistributed beyond the terms of applicable copyright laws.
collection NDLTD
language English
sources NDLTD
topic Biology
Mathematics
Information theory
behavior
maximum likelihood
foraging
sensory systems
spellingShingle Biology
Mathematics
Information theory
behavior
maximum likelihood
foraging
sensory systems
Agarwala, Edward K.
Food For Thought: When Information Optimization Fails to Optimize Utility
author Agarwala, Edward K.
author_facet Agarwala, Edward K.
author_sort Agarwala, Edward K.
title Food For Thought: When Information Optimization Fails to Optimize Utility
title_short Food For Thought: When Information Optimization Fails to Optimize Utility
title_full Food For Thought: When Information Optimization Fails to Optimize Utility
title_fullStr Food For Thought: When Information Optimization Fails to Optimize Utility
title_full_unstemmed Food For Thought: When Information Optimization Fails to Optimize Utility
title_sort food for thought: when information optimization fails to optimize utility
publisher Case Western Reserve University School of Graduate Studies / OhioLINK
publishDate 2009
url http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1244147146
work_keys_str_mv AT agarwalaedwardk foodforthoughtwheninformationoptimizationfailstooptimizeutility
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