biology chapter 6/7 Flashcards
ideal type (Aristotle)
Natural or “perfect” version - a person or thing occurs through development unless there were (variation resulted from) interfering forces (changed the biology of the thing) can be biological or environmental that changed the biology.
Locke Variation
Variation is not meaningful; categorization is arbitrary–> we have somehow decided that being long or tall is important for dogs –> we somehow superimposed categories onto objects. Variation (the types) didn’t have importance; it’s how we decided the world fit into boxes.
Erasmus Darwin; advocate for learning & education
No true instincts only learned behaviour –> ideas of evolution. There were differences because of learning → we learned the behaviour, that’s why we know it.
Dogs; trained and non-trained → if they behave a certain way, it’s because they learnt it.
Lamark; theory of inheritance of acquired characteristics
Theory of inheritance of acquired characteristics; how acquired characteristics can also be passed down. The First one to explain why change happened. First one to say there are inheritance and acquired change; differentiating between biological & behavioural. (underscoring behaviour)
example; a giraffe stretched its neck to grab branches, and when she had kids, her baby acquired long necks → somehow passed them onto offspring.
What were the rules that Lamarck set out for the theory of inheritance of acquired characteristics?
- motivation for change was physical needs–> physical needs generate an “internal feeling” which facilitates behaviour.
- Repetition of action cause “fluids” (Descartes; reflexes) to change the routes they pass through.
Fact-check: Hebbian synapse (cells that fire together wire together)
In a sense talking about how physiology changes through repetition → working out, → lifting weights. (repetitions of certain behaviours do change physiology on the neurodevelopmental level). - Changes (acquired changes) were then “passed on” to offspring
Problem: understanding of reproduction
Charles Darwin; natural selection
Natural Selection; Process that allows for the survival of species members.
natural selection looked at the survival of the species members –not survival of species.
Looked at individual members; they were carrying on the process (members themselves are different) (didn’t look at differences between species)
homogeneity would kill off the species (variation keeps a population going)
Charles Darwin: Variation - 3 types
variation
1. mechanisms of change: between members (not between species)
he was saying that members themselves are different, and because they’re all different, they’re keeping everything going regardless of change.
2. variation was passed down to offspring; he believed the differences were passed down to offspring.
When you breed animals, you’re not passing on traits. You’re passing on the probability of traits.
3. implicitly debunks “true type.”
- if variation is the rule, then there’s no homogeneity. (no true type)
Relative or circumstantial denomination (we denominate things based on their circumstances/ type)
Charles Darwin: Instinct
Instinct: learned actions become habitual (almost like automatic processing for animals)
by instincts, he meant habitual behaviourism.
Behavioural (variation) differences–> not only that animals differentiated by their sizes, etc., but the behaviours they could produce.
Instinct meant a learnt action that became so habitual it was almost automatic.
Problem: the mechanism by which learned behaviour became instinct
Darwin: Natural Selection; Traits
transmitted based on rates of reproduction
1. Individuals of a species are not identical
2. Reproduction tends to increase a population unless factors limit it (natural selection controls)
3. Not all offspring survive (survive to) / not all reproduce.
Features of species emerge from sexual selection.
Darwin: Sexual Selection & Pressure
Females exert pressure on males, and males exert pressure on females, → leads to offspring.
Adaptation leads to sexual selection (how attractive someone is)
Changes in species are not run by natural selection, but rather the features of species change from sexual selection. → through to the power of sexual selection → gives rise to offspring
Natural selection restricts the changes
sexual selection is what facilitates the change (becomes hereditary).
Darwin: Morality
Facilitated through preservation.
1. Members of a family are more similar in traits.
Preservation of family members allows for the dissemination of similar traits.
2. More variable members demonstrate behaviours that facilitate the survival of groups
neuter members - an “artificial” selection of traits (done by the family→ that allows animals to adapt to the environment) (not all animals reproduce)
Our ideas of morality (motivating emotions of guilt) gave rise to moral behaviour → moment you take care of other creatures, how would you survive to do so
3. morality Emerged from:
Animals had moral behaviours: how would you be motivated to take care of others –> moral behaviour
Raising offspring
Seeking/interacting with a mate
Interacting with group members
Conflict between instincts resulted in guilt (motivating emotion)
Darwin: facial expressions
Facial Expressions; how animals portray their internal emotions, externally
Functional (but arbitrary); based on
1. The Principle of Associated habits: Expresses emerged as an epiphenomenon to action
Physical changes were useful and constant.
In preparing its body with facial expressions, we were able to call it a certain emotion (anger).
2. Spilling Over: excess “nervous energy.” (reaction to certain stimuli that elicits an emotion) (jumping when excited) (emotion bubbling over → need to let out somehow).
- epiphenomenon
3. The Principle of Antithesis: contrasting mental states produced contrasting (opposite) behaviours
Ambiguous; no survival value
Darwin felt facial expressions were not meaningful.
darwin: intellect
Intellect; how fast you can learn something, the flexibility,
defined by the speed of acquisition
the flexibility of responses to environmental situations
(this intellect was innate) Innate
No difference b/wn instinct and reason
variation of intellect across members
Baldwin (Neo-Darwinism) (Intelligence); The doctrine of Inherited Association
A behaviour that was transmitted to offspring by learning becomes independent of learning.
Believed everything was learnt, but the speed of acquisition is the difference between creatures.
When creatures pick up behaviours quickly, it may seem innate, but it’s still the environment influencing that behaviour. → based on variation → animals who learn something fast → procreate → inheritance→ becomes innate
implications of the doctrine of inherited association
- Selection for behaviour that facilitated learning
Selecting for adaptability (selecting for behaviour that elicited learning) -> looking for smarts, not attraction) - Sexual selection parallels environmental factors
Fastest learners survive
“Fastest learners are the ones that survive.”
Fact-Check: Plasticity
Absolute vs. Relative periods
Kittens deprived of early experience; lost that ability
Early deprivation during an absolute period of exposure meant the animal never developed that ability
One hour of exposure during a critical period -> animal was able to develop that behaviour.
