Chapter 2: Culture and Human Nature

Question 1

What are three cognitive skills and products specific to Homo Sapiens?

Answer 1

1. Produce complex tools. 2. Use symbols to communicate. 3. Engage in social practices and organizations.

Question 2

What is a prestige bias?

Answer 2

Humans try to seek out those who have skills and are respected by others and try to imitate them.

Question 3

What are the two human-specific modes of cultural transmission?

Answer 3

1. Theory of mind. 2. The ability to communicate with language.

Question 4

What is a theory of mind?

Answer 4

The understanding that others have minds of their own.

Question 5

What does a theory of mind allow for?

Answer 5

It allows for the ability to consider the perspective of others.

Question 6

What is imitative learning?

Answer 6

The learner internalizes somethings of the model’s goals and behavioral strategies.

Question 7

What is emulative learning?

Answer 7

The learning is focused on the environmental events that are involved - how the use of one object could potentially effect changes in the state of the environment.

Question 8

What is the key difference between imitative and emulative learning?

Answer 8

Emulative learning does not require imitating a model’s behavioral strategies.

Question 9

What do imitative learners focus on?

Answer 9

What the model intends to accomplish.

Question 10

What do emulative learners focus on?

Answer 10

The events that happen around the model.

Question 11

Does emulative learning allow for cultural information to accumulate?

Answer 11

No.

Question 12

What is the ratchet effect?

Answer 12

After an initial idea is learned from others, it can then be modified and improved upon by other individuals. The information grows in complexity and in utility over time.

Question 13

What are the 3 steps involved in cumulative cultural evolution?

Answer 13

1. Somebody invents an artifact or practice. 2. Others learn and transmit it faithfully. 3. Somebody may add their own modifications and these modified artifacts will again be accumulated.

Question 14

Describe the study conducted by Nagell, Olguin, and Tomasello.

Answer 14

Researchers presented chimpanzees and 2 year old children with a model using a rake-like tool to get a desired object. that was kept out of reach. The model used the rake effectively and ineffectively to get the object.

Question 15

What did the study conducted by Nagell, Olguin, and Tomasello show?

Answer 15

Children tend to solve problems using true imitative learning while chimpanzees used emulative learning.

Question 16

What is the independent variable of the study conducted by Nagell, Olguin, and Tomasello?

Answer 16

The species. Human or chimpanzee. And the way the model used the rake.

Question 17

What is the dependent variable of the study conducted by Nagell, Olguin, and Tomasello?

Answer 17

Emulative or imitative learning.

Question 18

Describe the study conducted by Herrmann et al. (2007).

Answer 18

Participants (2.5 year olds, chimpanzees, and orangutans) were faces with two kinds of tasks: physical and social. Physical meant obtaining an object they wanted with tools on hand. Social meant obtaining it by observing the model first.

Question 19

What is the independent variable of the Herrmann et al. (2007) study?

Answer 19

The species (2.5 year olds, chimpanzees, and orangutans).

Question 20

What is the dependent variable of the Herrmann et al. (2007) study?

Answer 20

The proportion of correct responses.