Lab 11 Flashcards
Homo heidelbergensis
A Middle Pleistocene hominin species often considered a common ancestor of Neanderthals and modern humans.
Homo neanderthalensis
An extinct species of human adapted to cold climates, known for robust bones, large braincases, and distinct cranial traits like an occipital bun and midfacial prognathism.
Early Modern Humans
Late Pleistocene Homo sapiens with slightly different skeletal traits from modern humans today, but not distinct enough to be a different species.
Allen’s Rule
States that animals (including humans) in warmer climates have longer limbs to maximize heat dissipation, while those in colder climates have shorter limbs to conserve heat.
Bergmann’s Rule
Suggests that animals in colder climates are larger-bodied (lower surface area to volume ratio) to retain heat, while those in warmer climates are smaller to shed heat.
Ulna Length
Used in anatomical comparisons as a measure of limb length to assess climatic adaptation in accordance with Allen’s Rule.
Iliac Breadth
The maximum width of the pelvis, used to infer body girth in climatic adaptation studies under Bergmann’s Rule.
Symbolic Communication
Communication involving symbols—arbitrary signs learned through cultural convention (e.g., words).
Language
A uniquely human system of communication that is phonemic, semantic, grammatical, and symbolic—allowing discussion of non-present or abstract concepts.
Icon (Peirce)
A sign that represents its referent by resembling it (e.g., a picture of a cat represents a cat).
Index (Peirce)
A sign that represents its referent through direct association (e.g., smoke as an index of fire, or a meow as an index of a cat).
Symbol (Peirce)
A sign whose relationship with its referent is arbitrary and learned (e.g., the word “cat” representing the animal).
Charles Sanders Peirce
A logician and semiotician who classified signs into icons, indexes, and symbols—used here to understand language.
Vervet Monkey Calls
An example of animal communication: vervet monkeys emit specific vocalizations in response to predators (e.g., eagle calls), showing communication but not symbolic language.
Symbolic Thinking
The cognitive ability to use abstract signs (symbols) to represent and communicate complex ideas, central to human language and culture.
Distal vs. Proximal Limb Bones
Distal bones (e.g., ulna) tend to be longer in warm climates (Allen’s Rule), while shorter in cold climates to conserve heat.
Language vs. Communication
Communication is common across species and signals immediate context, while language (unique to humans) allows discussing past/future and abstract ideas.
