Evolution of brain and cognition

Question 1

Darwin theory of evolution (historical development of traits) is based on 3 main points:

Answer 1

1) Variation -> neck link
2) Heritability –> “natural selection”
3) Adeptness/natural selection (some traits survive other not ) -> selection pressure (pressure from the outside word)

Question 2

Homology

Answer 2

a trait (brain structure) is of common descend

Question 3

Analogy

Answer 3

a trait (brain structure) is functionally similar but not derived from the same ancestors (wings in birds and bats)

Question 4

Evolution of the brain –> Does size matters?

Answer 4

Brain size don’t really matter (cow brain is bigger) -> you should look at the relative size compared to the body (brain body allometry).

Question 5

Ecological or foraging hypothesis

Answer 5

differences in the way animals get food

Question 6

Social Machiavellian intelligence hypothesis

Answer 6

more complex social groups and social interactions the bigger the brain is

Question 7

General intelligence hypothesis

Answer 7

new ways of foraging, species differences in social learning and innovation are linked to brain volume

Question 8

Medieval misunderstanding

Answer 8

“Scala naturae” (hierarchy view over nature -> it doesn’t exists).

Question 9

Ethology

Answer 9

the objective study of behaviour. Animal emotions aren’t objectively observed -> pointless to discuss them.

Question 10

Tinbergen’s four whys

Answer 10

• Evolution
• Function (survival rate)
• Development (ontology)
• Mechanism (causation of behaviour)

Question 11

Cognitive ecology

Answer 11

one of the key idea is adaptive specialisation (some part of the body are more present in the brain)

Question 12

Adaptive specialisation in cognition

Answer 12

good memory of where they stored food, difference in relative size of hippocampus between food storing birds and non-food storing birds.

Question 13

Cognitive ecology of food-storing birds

Answer 13

food storers do not have superior spatial memory or larger hippocampus than no-storers

Question 14

Evolutionary psychology

Answer 14

• Evolutionary considerations as explanation for human cognition
• Mind/brain has evolved as a result of selection pressures in the stone age

Question 15

Wings in birds and bats is an example of a . Trait

Answer 15

analogous

Question 16

Fruit eating bats having larger brain than insect-eating bath supports

Answer 16

the ecological hypothesis (way of species forages)

Question 17

Cognitive adaptive specialization in food-storing birds is thought to be

Answer 17

improved spatial memory

Question 18

Neural adaptation specialization is food-storing birds is thought to be

Answer 18

increased relative hippocampus size (attention between neural and cognitive level)

Question 19

The mind has evolved as a result of selection pressures in the Pleistocene is an example of

Answer 19

evolutionary psychology