Lecture 1

Question 1

What is the brain?

Answer 1

The brain is an organ consisting of nervous tissue.
The cells within this tissue are called nerve cells (neurons and glial cells)

Question 2

What is behaviour

Answer 2

Any form of observable action or reaction of a person or animal in response to an external or internal stimuli

Question 3

The mind-body problem

Answer 3

Dualistic versus monistic philosophical views.
Spiritualistic v. materialistic views.

NB: extensively covered in other courses.

Question 4

Evolution of the human brain size

Answer 4

Encephalisation quotient (EQ)

• Actual brain size / expected brain size (relative to body weight).
• Our brain weight tripled in 4 million years time.

Question 5

How did our brain get so big?

Answer 5

• Life style adjustments
• Efficient brain cooling
• Neoteny

Question 6

Lifestyle adjustments

Answer 6

• Social group size, hunter gatherer
• Eating fruit (more difficult than eating grass)
• Use of fire, more time for social interaction

Question 7

Efficient brain cooling

Answer 7

Circulating blood functions like a radiator, enabled homo sapians to maintain high metabolism (more horsepower)

• 2% weight, 25% oxygen, 70% glucose

Question 8

Neoteny

Answer 8

• Retention of juvenile features in the adult animal
• Adult humans closely resemble the infants of gorillas and chimpanzees
  (e.g. large head relative to body size)

Question 9

Is a larger brain also a better brain?

Answer 9

No

• NB: most behaviour is not innate by acquired during life and culturally determined.