Hostname: page-component-745bb68f8f-hvd4g Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-02-11T20:13:36.788Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Author's Response: Developmental structure in brainevolution

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 October 2001

Barbara L. Finlay
Affiliation:
Departments of Psychology and Neurobiology and Behavior, Uris Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853 blf2@cornell.edu rbd1@cornell.edu nn12@cornell.edu www.psych.cornell.edu/psychology/finlay/finlaylab.html www.psych.cornell.edu/darlington/index.html
Richard B. Darlington
Affiliation:
Departments of Psychology and Neurobiology and Behavior, Uris Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853 blf2@cornell.edu rbd1@cornell.edu nn12@cornell.edu www.psych.cornell.edu/psychology/finlay/finlaylab.html www.psych.cornell.edu/darlington/index.html
Nicholas Nicastro
Affiliation:
Departments of Psychology and Neurobiology and Behavior, Uris Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853 blf2@cornell.edu rbd1@cornell.edu nn12@cornell.edu www.psych.cornell.edu/psychology/finlay/finlaylab.html www.psych.cornell.edu/darlington/index.html
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

First, we clarify the central nature of our argument: our attempt isto apportion variation in brain size between developmentalconstraint, system-specific change, and “mosaic” change, underliningthe unexpectedly large role of developmental constraint, but makingno case for exclusivity. We consider the special cases of unusualhypertrophy of single structures in single species, regressivenervous systems, and the unusually variable cerebellum raised by thecommentators. We defend the description of the cortex (or anydevelopmentally-constrained structure) as a potential spandrel, andweigh the implications of the spandrel concept for the course ofhuman evolution. The empirical and statistical objections raised inthe commentary of Barton are discussed at length. Finally, wecatalogue and comment on the suggestions of new ways to study brainevolution, and new aspects of brain evolution to study.

Type
Author's Response
Copyright
© 2001 Cambridge University Press