Exam 3

Question 1

The Invertebrate “Brain”

Answer 1

1. no brain, only nerve net
2. no brain (central ganglia), cerebral ganglia on snail is in its head
3. centralized brain, like insects

Question 2

Ganglia

Answer 2

collections of neurons that control a few local functions

Question 3

centralized brain

Answer 3

communicates with the whole body

Question 4

Earthworms

Answer 4

learn with only 302 neurons total, chloride and sodium experiment

Question 5

Mushroom bodies

Answer 5

located in the center of the bee brain, expand with foraging experience NOT AGE, potentially spatial cognition

Question 6

The Vertebrate Brain

Answer 6

All vertebrate brains have the same basic structure:

1. Forebrain (Telencephalon + Diencephalon)
2. Midbrain (mesencephalon)
3. Hindbrain (cerebellum, pons, medula)

Question 7

Cortex

Answer 7

Only mammals have a cerebral cortex

Question 8

Human brain size

Answer 8

has more than doubled in the last 2 million years

Question 9

Absolute Brain Size

Answer 9

humans do not have the largest brain or most total neurons. larger animals generally have larger brains and more neurons.

Question 10

Relative brain size

Answer 10

compared to body size, mammals have more brain for their body than other vertebrates

Question 11

Encephalization Quotient

Answer 11

EQ calculated relative to a standard species (standard for mammals is the cat) human EQ is 7

Question 12

Cortical Neurons

Answer 12

number of neurons in cortex, humans have the most

Question 13

Human brain

Answer 13

accounts for 2% of body weight but consumes 20% of metabolic energy at rest alone

Question 14

Learning Rate

Answer 14

learning to learn, measured by trail to performance

Question 15

Inhibitory control

Answer 15

ability to resist interfering information, related to endocranial volume across species

Question 16

Intensive foraging-related cognitive skills

Answer 16

1. extractive foraging with tools

2. memory demands for food caching

Question 17

Home range size

Answer 17

related to foraging demands, is correlated to brain size in primates

Question 18

Two social cognitive skills

Answer 18

1. reasoning ability

2. communication

Question 19

Social demands

Answer 19

in primates the size of their cortex is related to the average size of their social group

Question 20

Innovation

Answer 20

1. foraging on novel food items
2. acquiring novel behaviors
3. complexity of social relations

Question 21

Human Uniqueness candidates

Answer 21

1. technology
2. shared intentionality and social cognition
3. language
4. relational reasoning

Question 22

Bipedalism (4 million)

Answer 22

freed hands to carry and throw things, allowed us to travel long distances on less energy

Question 23

Shared intentionality

Answer 23

when two people are looking at the same thing (reference point) and they know they are looking at the same thing. usually have (a goal)

Question 24

Humans vs apes

Answer 24

human children only differed from apes on social tests, the physical tests were the same

Question 25

relational reasoning

Answer 25

relational reasoning is understanding an abstract relationship between entities (non-human primates primarily think about things they can directly observe, while humans think about abstract patterns and relations)