Posts by Collection

portfolio

publications

On Salience and Signaling in Sender-Receiver Games: Partial Pooling, Learning, and Focal Points

Synthese, 2018

In Lewis' (1969) conception of a signalling game, salience is offered as an explanation for how individuals may come to agree upon a linguistic convention. Skyrms (2010) offers a dynamic explanation of how signalling conventions might arise presupposing no salience whatsoever. I extend the atomic signalling game to include a variable parameter which allows for 'degrees' of salience, thus filling in the continuum between Skyrms' and Lewis' respective models.

Recommended citation: LaCroix, Travis. (2018). "On Salience and Signaling in Sender-Receiver Games: Partial-Pooling, Learning, and Focal Points." Synthese 1. Forthcoming. https://travislacroix.github.io/files/2018-03-20-Salience-and-Signalling.pdf

, 1901

talks

On the Role of Power in the Evolution of Inequitable Norms

Published:

Abstract

We use tools from evolutionary game theory to examine how power might influence the cultural evolution of inequitable norms between discernible groups (such as gender or racial groups) in a population of otherwise identical individuals. Similar extant models always assume that power is homogeneous across a social group. As such, these models fail to capture situations where individuals who are not themselves disempowered nonetheless end up disadvantaged in bargaining scenarios by dint of their social group membership. Thus, we assume that there is heterogeneity in the groups in that some individuals are more powerful than others.

Reference by Proxy and Truth-in-a-Model

Published:

Abstract

I examine Simchen's (2017) challenge to interpretationist metasemantics by extending his theoretical problem of singular reference in light of actual communicative exchanges. I show that when the problem is couched in these terms, the ability to refer depends inherently upon coordination---the onus of which is on the receiver. Thus, I show how the interpretationist stance, in this case, can reasonably be understood to encompass the productivist stance.

Less is More: Degrees of Compositionality for Complex Signals

Published:

Abstract

Several formal models of signalling conventions have been proposed to explain how and under what circumstances compositional signalling might evolve. I suggest that these models fail to give a plausible account of the evolution of compositionality because (1) they apparently take _linguistic_ compositionality as their target phenomenon, and (2) they are insensitive to role asymmetries inherent to the signalling game. I further suggest that, rather than asking how signals might come to be compositional, we must clarify what it would mean for signals to be compositional to begin with.

Using Logic to Evolve More Logic: Composing Logical Operators via Self-Assembly

Published:

Abstract

In recent work on self-assembly, Barrett and Skyrms (2017) show how a binary logical operator can evolve more quickly in a signaling game when the agents utilize pre-evolved dispositions---as opposed to learning a new disposition from scratch---via template transfer. Their argument is not intended to show how such logical dispositions might evolve in the first place. Further, template transfer does not show how to evolve, e.g., a ternary-input logical operator from a binary-input logical operator. This paper extends their analysis. I begin by analysing simple unary logical operations, rather than binary ones. I then show how binary logical operations can evolve out of unary logical operations via modular composition---a process whereby one game evolves to accept the play of another game as input. Thus, the new models presented here are able to account for phenomena which cannot be accommodated by the models presented in Barrett and Skyrms (2017).

teaching

Teaching experience 1

Undergraduate course, University 1, Department, 2014

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Teaching experience 2

Workshop, University 1, Department, 2015

This is a description of a teaching experience. You can use markdown like any other post.