Chapter 1 - Introduction

Question 1

brain

Answer 1

an organ consisting of living nervous tissue
- half of nerve cells are neurons (process information)
- half of nerve cells are glial cells (support neuron activity)

Question 2

spinal cord

Answer 2

where the interconnections between the brain and the body are made

Question 3

CNS

Answer 3

consists of the brain and the spinal cord

Question 4

PNS

Answer 4

consists of all the nerves outside of the brain and spinal cord

Question 5

cerebrum

Answer 5

the largest and uppermost part of the brain and is divided into 2 (almost) symmetrical halves called hemispheres
- linked to conscious behavior

Question 6

cerebellum

Answer 6

smaller and important for movement

Question 7

brainstem

Answer 7

responsible for our unconscious behavior

Question 8

mentalism

Answer 8

Aristotle, from the Greek myth of Psyche, assumed that all human intelligence comes from the psyche (= spirit) and when it leaves, it will end in death
- did not value the brain and assumed that the psyche was responsible for consciousness, perception, emotion, imagination, etc.
- idea of a non-materialistic psyche solely responsible for behavior is called mentalism

Question 9

dualism

Answer 9

the idea that behavior is controlled by 2 separate entities (mind and body); most popular proponent was Descartes
- mind was found in the brain, and connected to the body through the pineal gland
- explained the mechanical effect of the mind on the body by stating that fluid passes through chambers to control certain parts of the body

Question 10

materialism

Answer 10

the idea that rational behavior can be fully explained by the functioning of the brain and the nervous system, without the presence of an intangible mind
- became prominent when supported by Darwin’s theory of evolution (natural selection)
- still accepted in the scientific community to this day

Question 11

evolution of the nervous system in animals

Answer 11

1. formation of neurons and muscles
2. nerve net
3. bilateral symmetry
4. segmentation
5. ganglia
6. spinal cord
7. brain

Question 12

formation of neurons and muscles

Answer 12

brain cells and muscles are the first to evolve
- allows animals to move

Question 13

nerve net

Answer 13

a net of neurons, without brain or spinal cord, with only neurons for receiving sensory information in contact with neurons for muscle movements

Question 14

bilateral symmetry

Answer 14

the nervous system on one side of the animal is the mirror image of the other side

Question 15

segmentation

Answer 15

the nervous system contains similar repeating segments
- in humans, seen in the spinal cord

Question 16

ganglia

Answer 16

clusters of neurons that function as primitive brains

Question 17

phylogenetic development of humans

Answer 17

the development of higher species from lower ones

Question 18

ontogenetic development

Answer 18

the development of the individual human from sperm and egg cells

Question 19

taxonomy of life

Answer 19

Question 20

cladogram

Answer 20

shows groups or related organisms as branches on a tree

Question 21

hominid

Answer 21

(= primate that walked upright)
- was a humanoid species that originated about 5 million years ago
- all humanoid species are descended from this

Question 22

australopithecus

Answer 22

southern ape
- originated about 4 million years ago in Africa and has a brain size of about 400 cm^3 weighing about 0.4kg
- example of this is australopithecus afarensis called Lucy

Question 23

homo habilis

Answer 23

handy man
- originated about 1.5-2.5 million years ago in Africa and had a brain capacity of about 800 cm^3 weighing about 0.8kg
- used simple stones as tools and also ate animal foods

Question 24

homo erectus

Answer 24

erect or upright man
- originated about 1.5 million years ago and has a brain capacity of about 900-1200cm^3 weighing about 1kg
- used better tools than homo habilis and migrated to Europe and Asia

Question 25

homo sapiens

Answer 25

knowing man (modern humans)
- originated in Africa 120,000 years ago and migrated to Europe 100,000 years ago
- were responsible for the extinction of the Neanderthals and are known for their cave art
- brain capacity of about 1500cm^3 weighing 1.48kg

Question 26

brain weight over last 4 million years

Answer 26

homo sapiens brain weight is about 3 times the size of an australopithecus brain
- brain weight tripled in about 4 million years

Question 27

correlation between complex behavior and cerebrum/cerebellum

Answer 27

the larger the cerebrum and cerebellum is and the more folded, the more complex the behavior will be
- in relation to body size

Question 28

encephalization quotient (EQ)

Answer 28

calculated by dividing the actual brain size by the expected brain size relative to body weight
- humans have the highest EQ of all animals
- cat EQ = 1, australopithecus EQ = 2.5, modern human EQ = 7

Question 29

counting brain cells

Answer 29

a method to estimate the relative size of the brain
- the higher the packing density, the more complex the behavior

Question 30

how did the human brain get so big

Answer 30

1. drastic climate changes
2. lifestyle adjustments
3. efficient brain cooling
4. life history divided into stages; changed processes at these stages may have cause the size of our brains

Question 31

lifestyle adjustments impacting brain size

Answer 31

• hunter-gatherer: required complex behaivor
• living in larger social groups
• eating fruit
• use of fire and cooking

Question 32

efficient brain cooling

Answer 32

human brain has become a lot larger due to better blood circulation

Question 33

neoteny

Answer 33

the process in which juvenile stages of predecessors become adult features of descendants

Question 34

larger brain = better brain ?

Answer 34

larger brain does not mean that it is a better brain within the same species