Robustness in a Variable Environment
Robustness in a Variable Environment
Robustness is a prominent concept in technical sciences and engineering and has been recognized as an important principle in evolutionary biology. This chapter proposes that “robustness” be used to characterize the extent to which a natural or artificial system can maintain its function when facing perturbation, and that this concept is relevant to Darwinian decision theory. Situations in which the action of natural selection is liable to lead to the evolution of robust behavioral strategies are highlighted along with some psychological mechanisms that might lead to robust decision-making processes. Robustness describes a property of a system varying on a continuous scale rather than existing as a dichotomous feature. Degree of robustness depends on the details of the interaction of system characteristics and environmental contingencies, as well as the specific types and extents of perturbations to which the system may be subjected. A system can be robust in one domain while remaining highly vulnerable to perturbations in others. As defined here, robustness is related to, yet distinct from, flexibility and optimality. The sorts of environmental variation, and hence perturbations, that an organism or technology is liable to face are described, as is the cost-benefit trade-off of robustness. Finally, the robustness of decision making at the level of social groups is considered.
Keywords: Strüngmann Forum Reports, decision making, decision theory, robustness, flexibility, optimality
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