Comparative Cognition Flashcards
indicators of developed cognition
use of tools
cogniton of birds resembles that of
primates
cogniton of birds resembles that of
primates
first use of tools by humans
Palaeothlic
Which humans understood how to utulise platform depth and exterior platform angle?
H heidelbergensis, H eretctus, neanderthals
Lower Palaeothlic tools
Chopper stones
flakes
What happened to tools as the paleothic age progressed?
tools became sharper
the correlation of technological innervation with what characteristic is poorly understood?
Brain size
the correlation of technological innervation with what characteristic is poorly understood?
Brain size
what aspect of the cortex is thought to contribute to cognition?
gyri
why are human brains not as expected?
larger than apes, neocortex larger than expected, more white matter
Encephalization quotient
ratio between observed and predicted brain mass for an animal of a given size
human cognitive ability may be explained by
relative size of cortical areas: increased relative size of neocortex. more neurons
how do primates and rodents differ in brain structure?
primates alwaysc oncentrate larger numbers of neurons in the brain than rodents of a similar, or even larger,brain size, especially in the cerebral cortex
evolution of tools hows what progression?
refined sharpening
when did length of flint edge increase relative to its size
pleistocene
flint thickness at its origin:
platform depth
exterior platoform angle:
angle between the surface being hit and the surface of stone core being used to make the flake
how can flakes be made with sharper edges?
increasing the exterior platform angle
where can middle stone age tools be found?
Jebel Irhoud
When did H. habilis and H. erectus make early Pleistocene stone flakes?
1 million years ago
describe the flakes made by H. habilis and H. erectus
short working edge
how were H.erectus, followed by H.heidelbergensis and then Neanderthals able to make tools shaper?
understood how to manipulate exterior platform angle and platform depth
How long ago was lower paleolitihic?
2 to 1.3 million years ago
When was the middle paleolithic?
1.2 mil to 40 thousand years ago
How long ago was the upper paleolithic?
40 thousand to 8 thousand years ago
How long ago was the upper paleolithic?
40 thousand to 8 thousand years ago
what was the trend in tool size through the paleothilic?
increasing tool sharpness
lower palaeolithic tools:
chopper cores
flakes for cutting and scraping (33mm)
Describe tools in the middle palaeolitihic:
ranging in size: 5 to 9 inches long and
Acheulean flakes and hand axe tracked back to when?
middle palaeolithic
length of tools in upper palaeolithic:
long
facets to attach to spear (siberia)
when were handpaintings and crafted figurines dated back to?
Upper palaeolithic
which brain regions in modern humans are larger than expected?
cerebellum and neocortex
how has skull morphology changes throughout human development
flattening of the face, perhaps due to a large neocortex
human encephalization factor
0.7
brain simalrities across mammals
primary
somatosensory
visual
auditiory cortical areas
how do human brains differ to that of other mammals?
cortical areas have different relative sizes and locations
the spare capacity hypothesis explains what?
enhanced human cognitive abilities
how many neurons are in the cortex?
16 billion
is brain size a reliable indicator of neuron number?
no
why dont larger bodied primates have larger brains?
energy to sustain more neurons too great
whar event correlated with the emergence of Homo erectus/H. ergaster?
use of fire
why increased food processing efficieny required?
time spent eating to comepnsate for energy use above that of viability curve (8hrs)
when did H.erectus emerge?
1.7 million years ago
use of fire
790,000 years ago (or perhaps 1.7 million years ago)
Gesher Benot Ya‘aqov, Israel hominins
habitual fire use
expensive tissue hypothesis
in order for brain to evolve in size, energy requirements of other tissues must be reduced
how does cooking relate to expensive hypothesis?
Cooking food meant that small jaws, teeth and gut required
Evidence for cooking is inferred from…
hearths that containanimal remains showing signsof being heat treated
antibacterial herbs
onion
oregano
sage
parsley
corrinader
fennel
basil
