Chapter 1 Flashcards
Psyche
“the mind” or source of all human behaviour
mentalism
proposes that human cognition is so complex that it cannot be only biological (dualism)
What did aristotle think the brain did?
cooled the blood, memories were in the heart
Who pioneered anatomy?
Andreas Vesalius via noticing fibers to spinal cord
Was Descartes dualist or materialist?
Dualist - believed in mentalism. Material brain only directed mechanical behaviour
Who though that humans shared similar “structure of the mind” from which we experienced life
Immanuel Kant
Who shifted the beliefs from dualism to materialism?
Darwin
What was Darwin’s idea of Fitness
survival and passing genes on to the next generation
How to fossils show evidence for evolution?
Change through different geological layers of discovery
How do structural similarities show evidence for evolution?
structural similarities in skeletons of otherwise unrelated animals shows common ancestor
How does selective breeding show evidence for evolution?
Traits can be increase or decreased through selective breeding, showing species change
Is natural selection referring to physical or cognitive traits?
both!
narrow range of behaviour = _______ nervous system
simple
What response is present in simple nerve nets of marine organisms?
reflexive motor responses to environment
Ganglia
Clusters of neurons that allow for limited simple cognition
What two parts are required in chordate nervous systems
brain and spinal cord
What is unique about the symmetry of chordate nervous systems
There is bilateral symmetry and crossed organization of brain hemispheres
mammals are a _____ of chordates
class
Primates are a _______ of mammals
sub-order
what is the most common ancestor of humans
chimps
what characteristics were shown in the first primates
bipedalism and tool use
Why was the discovery of tool use important to human evolution
showed higher intelligence
Homo Habilis (handy)
early primates, made simple stone tools, only found in Africa
Homo Erectus (upright)
migration beyond Africa and more sophisticated tools made
Neanderthals
Localized to europe and asia, suggested to exist at the same time as modern humans
What gene showed evidence of language ability
FOXP2
What was the main factor that cause species evolution
adaptation to major climate changes
How did environmental changes lead to smaller facial muscles and teeth
changes in climate and diet
what did changes in facial muscles lead to?
ability to produce greater vocal range and language
What three factors differentiate modern humans?
- tool making
- hunting and cooking
- social organization
T/F Language only requires the physical vocal chords to create various sounds
F - also require cognition to understand it
Which hominid had the greatest brain size?
H. Neandrethals
T/F Brain size is the only thing that predicts higher intelligence
F - there is a strong connection but more to it (ex: Neandrathals had bigger brains but weren’t smarter)
