For exam, lecture 4 Flashcards
what is Encephalization
the increase in brain size, relative to body size
what is The trouble with a focus on brain size and cranial capacity
it measures only the dimensions of the brain, not neural activity or structural complexity
where does majority of brain activity take place
The relatively thin cerebral cortex is where the majority of brain activity takes place. Humans have highly textured brains, allowing for more overall cortical surface
what was the first major distinction between hominins and apes
bipedalism
what was the most dramatic and lasting distinction between hominins and apes
encephalization
what is important to note about intelligence and brain size
It is important to note that due to the complex physical structure of the human – and, by extension, the hominin – brain, size is not the only factor in intelligence. For example, we can’t say for certain that H. erectus / ergaster was 50% more intelligent than Au. africanus just because the latter’s cranial capacity was 50% lower
Anatomical evidence FOR H. erectus and Language
- Lateralized brains are indicated by handedness. Since language is lateralized in modern humans, and handedness is identifiable in their stone tool production, the association is made.
- Broca’s and Wernike’s areas (language centers in the brain) were present in Homo erectus, as evidenced through endocasts (imprints of the cranial vault). BUT, modern brain scans show language activity is not centered on the surface of the brain.
- Physical anthropologist Jeffrey Laitman equates H. erectus linguistic abilities to those of a six-year old human, based on the anatomy of the basicranium (inferior portion of the cranium).
Anatomical evidence AGAINST H . erectus and Language
- Thoracic vertebrae nerve canal is small like apes, not large like humans. This may show erectus had LESS of the fine- scale breath control needed for speech.
- Cognitive scientist Philip Lieberman claimed that ALL early hominin vocal tracts (larynx) could not form consonants, and that only modern humans could speak. TRUE for Australopithecus afarensis, which has a chimp-like hyoid bone.
what is very likely about language from Homo erectus onwards
It is very likely that from Homo erectus onwards, hominins had at least a rudimentary form of language, but when did COMPLEX language with many abstract symbols begin
what was recovered in the 1890s from the H. erectus erectus site of Trinil on Java
Bivalve shells with geometric engravings
when do the discovered Bivalve shells with geometric engravings date back to
500,000 years old
what made the Bivalve shells with geometric engravings
The marks are almost certainly anthropic (human made), and making them required some effort. They may be “doodles,” or they may represent something more
was The Lower Pleistocene a good time to be living in Western/Northern Europe
no
the climate between 800 and 500 kya was much colder (by several degrees) than other locales contemporaneously occupied by H. erectus/ergaster.
Middle Pleistocene European and African hominins share many morphological similarities with what
humans
Middle Pleistocene European and African hominins are collectively known as what
archaic H. sapiens (archaic hominins).
