Glenn S S, Madden G J
Center for Behavior Analysis, P.O. Box 13438,University of North Texas, Denton, Texas, USA.
Behav Anal. 1995 Fall;18(2):237-51. doi: 10.1007/BF03392711.
Organic and behavioral evolution both involve variation, selection, and replication with retention; but the individuals involved in these processes differ in the two kinds of evolution. In this paper, biological units of evolution, selection, and retention are compared with analogous units at the behavioral level. In organic evolution, natural selection operates on variations among organisms within a species, with the result of preserving in future generations of organisms those heritable characteristics that contributed to the organism's survival and reproduction. Species evolve as characteristics of the population change as a result of past selection. Continuity in a lineage in the biosphere is maintained by replication of genes with retention of organismic characteristics across successive generations of organisms. In behavioral evolution, reinforcement operates on variations among responses within an operant, with the result of preserving in future responses those characteristics that resulted in reinforcement. Continuity in a behavioral lineage, within the repertoire of a given organism, appears to involve retention and replication, but the unit of retention and replication is unknown. We suggest that the locus of retention and replication is the nervous system of the behaving organism.
有机进化和行为进化都涉及变异、选择以及带有保留的复制；但参与这些过程的个体在这两种进化中有所不同。在本文中，我们将进化、选择和保留的生物学单位与行为层面的类似单位进行比较。在有机进化中，自然选择作用于一个物种内生物体之间的变异，其结果是在生物体的后代中保留那些有助于生物体生存和繁殖的可遗传特征。随着过去选择的结果，种群特征发生变化，物种得以进化。通过基因复制以及在连续几代生物体中保留生物体特征，生物圈中的谱系得以保持连续性。在行为进化中，强化作用于操作性行为内反应之间的变异，其结果是在未来的反应中保留那些导致强化的特征。在给定生物体的行为模式中，行为谱系的连续性似乎涉及保留和复制，但保留和复制的单位尚不清楚。我们认为，保留和复制的场所是行为生物体的神经系统。
