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http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/pr1gm81p3b| Abstract: | There is a growing effort in the “physics of behavior” that aims at complete quantitative characterization of animal movements under more complex, naturalistic conditions. One reaction to the resulting explosion of high-dimensional data is the search for low-dimensional structure. Here I try to define more clearly what we mean by the dimensionality of behavior, where observable behavior may consist of either continuous trajectories or sequences of discrete states. This discussion also serves to isolate situations in which the dimensionality of behavior is effectively infinite. |
| Publication Date: | 29-Apr-2022 |
| Electronic Publication Date: | 29-Apr-2022 |
| Citation: | Bialek, William. (2022). On the dimensionality of behavior. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 119 (18), 10.1073/pnas.2021860119 |
| DOI: | doi:10.1073/pnas.2021860119 |
| ISSN: | 0027-8424 |
| EISSN: | 1091-6490 |
| Language: | en |
| Type of Material: | Journal Article |
| Journal/Proceeding Title: | Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |
| Version: | Final published version. This is an open access article. |
| Notes: | How do we characterize animal behavior? Psychophysics started with human behavior in the laboratory, and focused on simple contexts, such as the decision among just a few alternative actions in response to sensory inputs. In contrast, ethology focused on animal behavior in the natural environment, emphasizing that evolution selects potentially complex behaviors that are useful in specific contexts. New experimental methods now make it possible to monitor animal and human behaviors in vastly greater detail. This “physics of behavior” holds the promise of combining the psychophysicist’s quantitative approach with the ethologist’s appreciation of natural context. One question surrounding this growing body of data concerns the dimensionality of behavior. Here I try to give this concept a precise definition. |
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