Quiz 2 - Social Cognition And The Evolution Of Intelligence Flashcards
Evolution of Cognition
Difficult to trace as bodies are fossilized but soft tissue is not - skull is fossilized but not brain
Not many bones fossilized - 1 bone in a billion becomes fossilized - 6 bones for 34 million CDNs on average - not full skeleton
Also, needs to be discovered/found
How long have humans existed
50,000 to 100,000 years - only 2,500 to 5,000 generations at 20 yr avg.
If language is instinct than it would have had to evolve before humans
Australopithecines - had hands - evolved for manipulation
Stone Age - stone tools existed - prior was made of wood, etc. which is biodegradable so not fossilized
Migration of humans across the earth - Africa to Australia then India/China - Europe - North America - South America
Standard timetable for human evolution
Humans differentiated from something 100k to 200k years ago
Humans differentiated from chimps much longer ago
Primates - chimps and humans evolved from something - not humans from chimps only
Mate and reproduce X 2 determines species
Mitochondria
Powerhouse of cell - have own DNA - most likely parasite originally
Mitochondrial Eve - most distinct female that is the ancestor of all living things
Mitochondria DNA is in female egg only so is in offspring
Evidence of human evolution
Body is museum of human history - includes parts needed to survive as an animals ie wisdom teeth to tear/kill/chew animal is not needed today but is still present in humans
Adrenaline - survive cold by shiver - fight or flight fuel
Humans share 70% DNA with mice
Humans are Homo Sapiens
Why are humans so smart - Picker’s vision theory
Picker’s vision theory - vision is 3D unlike olfaction
Olfactory animals ie dogs keep their heads close to the ground - smell is 2D flantland viewed through 1D peephole
3D thinking requires more brainpower
Why are humans so smart - Kevin Dunbar’s group living theory
Human lives differ from other primates mostly in terms of their social environments
Human’s evolved smart brains to communicate, keep track of everyone, and maintain social relationships
Results in social cognition arms race
Why are humans so smart - Hunting theory
Carnivores are smarter than herbivores
Takes more brain for a wolf to hunt a rabbit than a rabbit to hunt clover
Meat - brain trusts nutrition is in environment allowing brains to grow bigger
Big kills allow socialization - share with others
Why are humans so smart - The Hand/Walking Theory
Walking upright which allowed hands to do many things
Hands - carry things, create complex objects from parts
Requires planning, imagination, working memory
No evidence of artifacts to support theory
Upright posture puts pressure on pelvis to be small to maintain intelligence in arms race - evolution discovered a different strategy - actriciousness = more infant care by parent therefore more male attention and pair bonding
Cumulative Cultural Evolution
Most cultures don’t know why their customs work
Don’t understand but keep doing - important
Evidence - Overimitation - when learning new skills chimps drop irrelevant factors humans do not
Chilli Peppers - anti microbial - naturally aversive
