Animal behaviour seems, almost by definition, flexible and variable. But it is – at the same time – stable, predictable and robust.

Migratory birds in every generation make the same travel between distant lands, finding exactly the same spot without previous experience. Different species of Peromyscus mice dig burrows that are highly stereotyped. Human languages around the globe hold many universals.

We call those behaviours instinctive. The concept of innate behaviour was widely criticized over years but is still haunting our discussions about robust behaviours: whenever we write about sex, fear and feeding, we talk about instinct; recently the concept of instinct penetrated into the field of AI. But is it useful?

Where does order in behaviour come from?

The answer for many researchers is genes: they specify a heritable programme that ensures that behaviours develop similarly in every generation and in every member of a species. Others, though, claim that the stability of behaviour is achieved by the interaction of organismal and environmental factors. 

The goal of our workshop is to discuss the different ways in which animal behaviour can be canalized. We want to talk about genetic influences on behaviour, the way the environment shapes behavioural development and the newest computational methods that allow us to model the evolution and the development of behaviour. 

The questions we would like to discuss – among others – are:

• Is instinct a useful term in modern neuroscience?
• How do genes influence and constrain behavioural development?
• How environment and morphology can canalize behavioural development?
• What factors contribute to the stability of behaviours across generations?
• How can we simulate the constraints that shape the development and the evolution of behaviour?

Our workshop will be organized in the spirit of our School of Ideas – with only a few, long talks, a small group a relaxed atmosphere, and a lot of time to think.

Where, when and how

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The workshop will be organized on April 19-21th in Jazdów estate, in Finnish wooden houses run by NGOs that host workshops, seminars, and conferences (http://otwartapracownia.pl/). Warsaw. The fee is EUR 200. We are securing funds for fee waivers, please specify in the registration form if you need one.

You can find the application form here. The deadline for application is February 15th 2024. If you have any questions, contact us at schoolofideas[at]nencki.edu.pl.