Origins of Brain and Behavior (Ch. 1) Flashcards
About half of our brains are made of ___ cells that ___. The other half are ___ cells that ___.
- Neurons
- Specialized nerve cells that are interconnected with each other and other muscles and organs. These cells help in information processing
- Glial cells
- support the functioning of neurons
The brain and spinal cord make up the ___, the part of our nervous system that is encased in ___. It is given its name because it is both the nervous system’s physical __ and core structure mediating ___.
- central nervous system
- encased in bone
- physical core
- mediating behavior
All processes that occur outside of the ___ and brain constitute the ___.
- spinal cord
- peripheral nervous system (PNS)
The ___ (forebrain) has two symmetrical hemispheres. It is responsible for most of our ___. It also enfolds the ___, the set of structures responsible for most of our unconscious behaviors.
- cerebrum
- conscious behaviors
- brainstem
A major structure of our brainstem that coordinates movements and learning is the ___.
cerebellum
What is the embodied behavior argument? What does it say about our understanding of ourselves and others?
- movements that we make and movements we perceive in others are central to our behavior
- we understand not only through listening to words but also through overt gestures and body language
In locked-in syndrome, the brain is __ and ___ and sensitive to the external world but its nerve fiber pathways that produce movement are ___.
- intact and functioning
- inactive
Being in a minimally conscious state means that the individual is able to ___ and occasionally ___. Those in this state sometimes undergo ___ which sometimes results in much improvement of the patient’s behavior and ability to ___.
- communicate with single words
- follow very simple commands
- deep brain stimulation
- follow commands
In a persistent vegetative state, individuals show signs of ___ but they are unable to ___.
- wakefulness
- communicate
Irenaus Eible-Eibesfeldt bagin his class textbook “The Biology of Brain and Behavior” by stating that, “Behavior ___”
- “Behavior consists of patterns in time”
Most behavior consists of a mix of ___ and __ actions and involve a brain that is __ and __ through experience.
- inherited and learned actions
- preorganized and modifiable through experience
Animals with smaller, simpler nervous systems exhibit a narrow range of behaviors that mainly are the result of being ___, whereas animals with more complex nervous systems have more behavioral options that depend on ___.
- inherited
- learning
Aristotle argued that the __ is responsible for life and its departure from __ results in death. To Aristotle, the __ is independent of ___, but is responsible for human __, ___, ___, and a range of other processes.
- psyche
- the body
- the psyche
- independent of the body
- responsible for human consciousness, perceptions, emotions, etc.
Someone like Aristotle who believes in mentalism would believe that __.
a person’s mind (psyche) is nonmaterial and responsible for behavior
Descartes believed in ___ and held the belief that the __ instructed the __ which lies beside fluid-filled cavities called ___ to direct fluid through the nerves and muscles. In this way, when ___, the body would __. Dualism believed that behavior is controlled by __ entities, a __ and a __, where the __ received information from __ through the brain, and the mind directed the brain through __.
- dualism
- the mind instructed
- the body
- ventricles
- when the fluid expanded
- the body would move
- controlled by both entities
- a mind
- a body
- the mind received information from the body through the brain
- the mind directed the brain through the body
The mind-body problem is an issue about the __ view and questions how ___.
- dualism view
- a nonmaterial mind can interact or influence a material brain
Descartes theory of mind also has a problem in its view of the mind as found in the examples of __ or __ who often fail to reason properly so they must ___.
- children or mentally ill individuals
- lack a mind
Materialism was pioneered by ___ who advanced the idea that the __ and the ___ fully explain behavior.
- Darwin
- the brain and the rest of the nervous system alone
Natural selection explains the process of how species __ and __ over time. A species is a group of organisms that can ___. Individuals within species can vary in their ___, which are __.
- evolve and change over time
- can breed with each other
- phenotype
- characteristics we can observe or measure
Gregor Mendel found that heritable factors which we now call __, govern __. A particular genetic make-up is a ___. Therefore, Mendel developed principles of ___.
- genes
- govern various physical traits
- genotype
- principles of inheritance
The field of epigenetics studies how ___, and how the environment and experience can influence __ through their effects on __.
- gene expression is turned on or off at different times
- can influence behavior
- effects on genes
To summarize materialism…
1. Because all animal species are __, their __ must be related.
2. Because all animal species are __, their __ must be related.
3. Brains and behaviors in complex animals (like humans) evolved from __.
- related, their brains must be related
- related, their behavior must be related
- evolved from simpler animals’ brains and behaviors
Hebb’s believed that learning is enabled by small groups of neurons forming new connections with one another to form ___, which is the substrate for __. These interact and become connected and __ to one another which links __. Hebb’s believed that this is what explains our ___.
- a cell assembly
- a memory
- linked
- memories
- complex behavior
Hebb’s explanation of eliminative materialism states that if __ can be described __, then the __ explanation should be eliminated.
- behavior
- without recourse to the mind
- mental explanation
We trace evolution of the human brain and behavior by
1. animals first developed a __ and __ to move.
2. the __ grew more complex as the brain evolved to mediate behavior.
3. how the __ evolved to its present __.
- nervous system and muscles
- nervous system
- human brain
A common ancestor is a __ from which __ lineages or family groups arise.
- forebear
- 2 or more
Humans and other apes evolved from a common ancestor, but we do not know ___.
exactly who those relatives were
Evolution of the nervous system in animals follows 7 steps which are:
1. __ & __
2. __
3. __ symmetry
4. __
5. __
6. __
7. __
- neurons & muscles
- nerve net
- bilateral symmetry
- segmentation
- ganglia
- spinal cord
- brain
A chart called a cladogram displays __ of related organisms as __.
- groups
- tree branches
Variation exists among all chordates, but common to all is the basic structural pattern of ___, ___, and a __ & __ encased in cartilage or bone.
- bilateral symmetry
- segmentation
-spinal cord and brain
A nerve net resembles the assembly of a brain, but is only made up of __ that receive ___ and connect to other __ that __.
- neurons
- sensory information
- neurons
- move muscles
When the nervous system on one side of the animals mirrors that t=on the other side.
bilateral symmetry
What is segmentation?
- Division into parts that are similar
- the vertebrae contain similar repeating segments of the spinal cord
Ganglia are clusters of __ that resemble primitive __ and function somewhat like them because they are __.
- neurons
- brains
- command centers
Chordates are animals that have both a __ and a __.
brain and a spinal cord
Increased brain __ and __ are pronounced in primates. Primates are animals with __ relative to their body size. They have excellent __ because of their eye positions located __ to enhance __.
- folds and size
- large brains
- color vision
- at the front of the face
- enhance depth perception
Among apes, we are most closely related to __.
chimpanzees
What are hominids?
primates that walk upright
The first fossilized human ancestors to be discovered were __. Another group, the Homo Floresiensis lived about 13,000 years ago, meaning our solo experience of being humans is relatively __.
- neanderthals
- new/recent
To estimate relative brain size, Harry Jerison used the ratio of __. This quantitative measure became known as the __.
- actual brain size to expected brain size
- encephalization quotient
Topographic maps represent ___ whereas connectome maps represent __.
- functional areas
- the connections through each of the regions that influence each other
What climate change began changes in human anatomy? What did this do to populations in the west vs east?
- tectonic event
- wet jungle climate in the west where apes remained unchanged
- dry and hot climate in the east and rapidly evolved the apes to upright hominids
Robin Dunbar argues that a primate’s ___ is a cornerstone of lifestyle that predicts brain size.
social group size
Katharine Milton documented the relationship between __ and __. Harvesting __ requires good __ skills such as __ to see it, __ to reach and manipulate it, and good __ skills to find it. It is also beneficial to have good __ to return to the same spot and good __ to fight off predators.
- fruit and brain size
- fruit
- sensory skills
- color vision to see it
- motor skills to reach and manipulate it
- good spatial skills to find it
-good memory to return to the same spot - good friends to fight predators
The use of __ allowed for cooking which is a cooperation tasks in food gathering and cooking, a major characteristic of the __ lifestyle.
- fire
- hominid
What are some changes in physiology of hominids that aided evolution?
- changes in the morphology (form) of the skull
- Brain cooling techniques with dispersed blood flow
Heterochrony is the study of the processes that regulate the __ and __ stages and their developmental __ and __.
- onset
- end-of-life
- speed
- duration
Neoteny helps explain evolution through exemplifying that juvenile stages of predecessors become ___ of their __. For instance, domesticated __ are neotonic to __.
- adult features
- descendants
- domesticated dogs
- wolves
Apes and modern humans have about ___ of their genes in common, but each of these genes have many small differences.
96%
Species typical behavior
behavior expressed by all members of the species
Alex Mesoudi concluded that cultural elements, ideas, and behaviors that spread from person-to-person are __. He proposes that individuals differences in __ favor the development of __.
- memes
- brain structure
- memes
