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Figure 2 | Frontiers in Zoology

Figure 2

From: Adaptive explanations for sensitive windows in development

Figure 2

Developmental changes in information state when conditions are stable. The upper panel shows the optimal estimate (p t ) of the environmental state in response to a steady stream of information (from cues of fixed reliability), calculated using Bayesian updating (Appendix A, additional file 1). The lower panel shows the extent to which the estimate changes (Δp t ) when a new cue is observed. The three different lines depict the estimates for individuals in three cases, depending on whether the initial estimate is a uniform prior (i.e. both states are equally likely), is in agreement with subsequent cues (‘congruent’) or is contradicted by subsequent cues (‘incongruent’ ). Note that sensitivity to environmental cues declines with time, unless the observed cues contradict the initial estimate. See text for more details.

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