Peter L. Hurd
Encyclopedia
Peter L. Hurd is an academic specialising in biology
. He is currently an Associate Professor aligned to both the Department of Psychology's Biocognition Unit, and the University's Centre for Neuroscience at the University of Alberta
. His research primarily focuses on the study of the evolution of aggressive behaviour, including investigation of aggression, communication and other social behaviour which takes place between animals with conflicting interests. Major tools for this research are mathematical modeling (principally game theory
and genetic algorithms).
He is also interested in how the process of sexual differentiation
produces individual differences in social behaviour.
Hurd conducted a study on digit ratio
s suggesting a positive correlation in males between aggressive tendency and the ratio of the lengths of the ring finger to his index finger. These gathered significant media attention, being reported on the BBC
, in the New York Times, Discover Magazine, Scientific American Mind
, National Geographic and on Jay Leno
.
traits have evolved to exploit previously existing biases in the sensory, or recognition, systems of their receivers, rather than being handicapped displays Hurd has argued against the handicap principle
view of animal communication, demonstrating the evolutionary stability of conventional (non-handicap)
threat displays using game theoretical models. Adding empirical support to this theoretical work, Hurd has also argued that threat displays in birds, and headbob displays in the lizard Anolis carolinensis are conventional signals, rather than handicaps. Hurd attributes the preponderance of handicap models in biology to the use of simple signalling games which are incapable of modelling conventional signalling.
), 2) perceived value of winning, and 3) aggressiveness and argues that if variation in the last trait -aggressiveness- exists in a biologically meaningful way, it ought to be fixed for life at an early stage of development. Many studies on both human, and non-human, animals suggest that inter-individual variation in adult aggressiveness is largely organised by prenatal exposure to androgens. Digit ratio
(2D:4D, the ratio of index to ring finger length) is a widely used as a proxy measure for prenatal testosterone
exposure. Hurd demonstrated that men with more feminine typical-digit ratios showed lower aggressive tendency than males with more masculine-typical digit ratios.
and Bergmann's rule
.
movement and such influences as Jonathan Kozol
and A. S. Neill
's Summerhill School
, Hurd was an enthusiastic member of a student run free school
group while unenthusiastically attending Colonel By Secondary School
. He then completed a BSc
at Carleton University
, Canada
in 1990, followed by an MSc
in 1993 from Simon Fraser University
. He moved to Sweden
to undertake a PhD
at Stockholm University
(Awarded in 1997) before committing to an initial postdoctoral fellowship
with Mike Ryan at the University of Texas. Hurd then became a lecturer at the University of Texas in 2000 until 2001 when he moved to the University of Alberta
, Canada
as an Assistant Professor. Hurd was promoted to Associate Professor in 2007.
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
. He is currently an Associate Professor aligned to both the Department of Psychology's Biocognition Unit, and the University's Centre for Neuroscience at the University of Alberta
University of Alberta
The University of Alberta is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta and Henry Marshall Tory, its first president, it is widely recognized as one of the best universities in Canada...
. His research primarily focuses on the study of the evolution of aggressive behaviour, including investigation of aggression, communication and other social behaviour which takes place between animals with conflicting interests. Major tools for this research are mathematical modeling (principally game theory
Game theory
Game theory is a mathematical method for analyzing calculated circumstances, such as in games, where a person’s success is based upon the choices of others...
and genetic algorithms).
He is also interested in how the process of sexual differentiation
Sexual differentiation
Sexual differentiation is the process of development of the differences between males and females from an undifferentiated zygote...
produces individual differences in social behaviour.
Hurd conducted a study on digit ratio
Digit ratio
The digit ratio is the ratio of the lengths of different digits or fingers typically measured from the bottom crease where the finger joins the hand to the tip of the finger. It has been suggested by some scientists that the ratio of two digits in particular, the 2nd and 4th , is affected by...
s suggesting a positive correlation in males between aggressive tendency and the ratio of the lengths of the ring finger to his index finger. These gathered significant media attention, being reported on the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, in the New York Times, Discover Magazine, Scientific American Mind
Scientific American Mind
Scientific American Mind is a bimonthly American popular science magazine concentrated on psychology, neuroscience, and related fields. By analyzing and revealing new thinking in the cognitive sciences, the magazine tries to focus on the biggest breakthroughs in these fields...
, National Geographic and on Jay Leno
Jay Leno
James Douglas Muir "Jay" Leno is an American stand-up comedian and television host.From 1992 to 2009, Leno was the host of NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Beginning in September 2009, Leno started a primetime talk show, titled The Jay Leno Show, which aired weeknights at 10:00 p.m. ,...
.
Evolution of animal signalling
Some of Hurd's most cited papers deal with the evolution of mating displays, specifically the idea that sexually selectedSexual selection
Sexual selection, a concept introduced by Charles Darwin in his 1859 book On the Origin of Species, is a significant element of his theory of natural selection...
traits have evolved to exploit previously existing biases in the sensory, or recognition, systems of their receivers, rather than being handicapped displays Hurd has argued against the handicap principle
Handicap principle
The handicap principle is a hypothesis originally proposed in 1975 by biologist Amotz Zahavi to explain how evolution may lead to "honest" or reliable signaling between animals who have an obvious motivation to bluff or deceive each other...
view of animal communication, demonstrating the evolutionary stability of conventional (non-handicap)
Cheap talk
In game theory, cheap talk is communication between players which does not directly affect the payoffs of the game. This is in contrast to signaling in which sending certain messages may be costly for the sender depending on the state of the world...
threat displays using game theoretical models. Adding empirical support to this theoretical work, Hurd has also argued that threat displays in birds, and headbob displays in the lizard Anolis carolinensis are conventional signals, rather than handicaps. Hurd attributes the preponderance of handicap models in biology to the use of simple signalling games which are incapable of modelling conventional signalling.
Aggressiveness
Hurd has classified models of fighting behaviour into those driven by: 1) fighting ability (aka resource holding potentialResource holding potential
In biology, resource holding potential is the ability of an animal to win an all-out fight if one were to take place.The term was coined by Geoff Parker to disambiguate physical fighting ability from the motivation to persevere in a fight . Originally the term used was 'Resource Holding Power',...
), 2) perceived value of winning, and 3) aggressiveness and argues that if variation in the last trait -aggressiveness- exists in a biologically meaningful way, it ought to be fixed for life at an early stage of development. Many studies on both human, and non-human, animals suggest that inter-individual variation in adult aggressiveness is largely organised by prenatal exposure to androgens. Digit ratio
Digit ratio
The digit ratio is the ratio of the lengths of different digits or fingers typically measured from the bottom crease where the finger joins the hand to the tip of the finger. It has been suggested by some scientists that the ratio of two digits in particular, the 2nd and 4th , is affected by...
(2D:4D, the ratio of index to ring finger length) is a widely used as a proxy measure for prenatal testosterone
Testosterone
Testosterone is a steroid hormone from the androgen group and is found in mammals, reptiles, birds, and other vertebrates. In mammals, testosterone is primarily secreted in the testes of males and the ovaries of females, although small amounts are also secreted by the adrenal glands...
exposure. Hurd demonstrated that men with more feminine typical-digit ratios showed lower aggressive tendency than males with more masculine-typical digit ratios.
Digit ratio
Among his other research into digit ratio, Hurd has demonstrated that, while there is no difference in digit ratio between the sexes in most laboratory mice, that pups which gested next to brothers have higher digit ratios than those whose uterine neighbours were sisters, and that the large differences in digit ratios between populations may be explained by Allen's ruleAllen's rule
Allen's rule is a biological rule posited by Joel Asaph Allen in 1877. It states that endotherms from colder climates usually have shorter limbs than the equivalent animals from warmer climates.- Theory :...
and Bergmann's rule
Bergmann's Rule
Bergmann's rule is an ecogeographic principle that states that within a broadly distributed genus, species of larger size are found in colder environments, and species of smaller size are found in warmer regions. Although originally formulated in terms of species within a genus, it has often been...
.
Academic history
Strongly influenced as a youth by the anarcho-punkAnarcho-punk
Anarcho-punk is punk rock that promotes anarchism. The term anarcho-punk is sometimes applied exclusively to bands that were part of the original anarcho-punk movement in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s and early 1980s...
movement and such influences as Jonathan Kozol
Jonathan Kozol
Jonathan Kozol is a non-fiction writer, educator, and activist, best known for his books on public education in the United States. Kozol graduated from Noble and Greenough School in 1954, and Harvard University summa cum laude in 1958 with a degree in English Literature. He was awarded a Rhodes...
and A. S. Neill
A. S. Neill
Alexander Sutherland Neill was a Scottish progressive educator, author and founder of Summerhill school, which remains open and continues to follow his educational philosophy to this day...
's Summerhill School
Summerhill School
Summerhill School is an independent British boarding school that was founded in 1921 by Alexander Sutherland Neill with the belief that the school should be made to fit the child, rather than the other way around...
, Hurd was an enthusiastic member of a student run free school
Free school
An anarchistic free school is a decentralized network in which skills, information, and knowledge are shared without hierarchy or the institutional environment of formal schooling. Free school students may be adults, children, or both...
group while unenthusiastically attending Colonel By Secondary School
Colonel By Secondary School
Colonel By Secondary School is an Ottawa-Carleton District School Board high school. It is located in the Beacon Hill neighbourhood of Gloucester in the city of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is a non-semestered school, and is the only English public school in Ottawa that offers the International...
. He then completed a BSc
BSC
BSC is a three-letter abbreviation that may refer to:Science and technology* Bachelor of Science , an undergraduate degree* Base Station Controller, part of a mobile phone network; see: Base Station subsystem...
at Carleton University
Carleton University
Carleton University is a comprehensive university located in the capital of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario. The enabling legislation is The Carleton University Act, 1952, S.O. 1952. Founded as a small college in 1942, Carleton now offers over 65 programs in a diverse range of disciplines. Carleton has...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
in 1990, followed by an MSc
MSC
- Computers:* Mario Strikers Charged* Microsoft Common Console Document, file for the Microsoft Management Console* Microelectronics Support Centre* Microsoft Corporation* MIDI Show Control* Message Sequence Chart...
in 1993 from Simon Fraser University
Simon Fraser University
Simon Fraser University is a Canadian public research university in British Columbia with its main campus on Burnaby Mountain in Burnaby, and satellite campuses in Vancouver and Surrey. The main campus in Burnaby, located from downtown Vancouver, was established in 1965 and has more than 34,000...
. He moved to Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
to undertake a PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
at Stockholm University
Stockholm University
Stockholm University is a state university in Stockholm, Sweden. It has over 28,000 students at four faculties, making it one of the largest universities in Scandinavia. The institution is also frequently regarded as one of the top 100 universities in the world...
(Awarded in 1997) before committing to an initial postdoctoral fellowship
Postdoctoral researcher
Postdoctoral research is scholarly research conducted by a person who has recently completed doctoral studies, normally within the previous five years. It is intended to further deepen expertise in a specialist subject, including acquiring novel skills and methods...
with Mike Ryan at the University of Texas. Hurd then became a lecturer at the University of Texas in 2000 until 2001 when he moved to the University of Alberta
University of Alberta
The University of Alberta is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta and Henry Marshall Tory, its first president, it is widely recognized as one of the best universities in Canada...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
as an Assistant Professor. Hurd was promoted to Associate Professor in 2007.