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BIOL 200 > the brain > Flashcards

the brain Flashcards

1
Q

which mammal has the largest brain

A

Sperm whale: 8kg

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2
Q

body size accounts for what % of the variance in brain size

A

80-90%

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3
Q

who has the largest brain per body weight

A

humans: 7x larger than expected for a mammal of its size

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4
Q

has brain per body weight increased or decreased over the last 7 million years

A

increased

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5
Q

how much larger is our brain size than chimps

A

3x larger

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6
Q

who has the largest brain of the hominids

A

neanderthals

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7
Q

is our EQ higher or lower than neanderthals

A

slightly larger

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8
Q

is decrease in brain size related to a decrease in body size due to agriculture

A

no

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9
Q

who was homo floresiensis

A

flores man or the hobbit
archaic human that lived up until 50,000 BP on flores is. indonesia

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10
Q

how did homo floresiensis go extinct

A

us

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11
Q

why did homo floresiensis have such a tiny brain

A

only 3’7” in height
EQ = 2.5-4.6

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12
Q

who was homo naledi

A

archaic human from south africa
living from 335,000-236,000 BP

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13
Q

how tall was homo naledi

A

4’9” and 88 ibs

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14
Q

how large was homo naledi’s brain and what was his EQ

A

Small brain: EQ = 4.5

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15
Q

who did homo naledi coexist with

A

Coexisted with larger brained hominids

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16
Q

how much faster do our brains grow than chimps before birth

A

2x faster

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17
Q

how much more neurons do we have than chimps

A

2x as many neurons, most in the outer 4 mm layer of the cerebrum - neocortex

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18
Q

who has the larger and faster brain between humans and chimps

A

humans

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19
Q

what kind of hunter and what size brain did homo erectus

A

Homo erectus was a successful hunter with a smaller brain

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20
Q

what was the function of a larger brain in the Palaeolithic era

A

cooperative hunting and sharing information

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21
Q

what does neocortex size correlate with

A

group size

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22
Q

how many people did dunbar suggest humans can cope with

A

humans can cope with social networks of 100-230 people

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23
Q

what % of our body weight is our brain

A

2%

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24
Q

what % of our brain is energy

A

20%

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25
what % of blood flow at any time does the brain get
12-15%
26
what % of energy do newborn infants have
65% they sleep all the time
27
how many calories a day does the brain require
400 calories/day
28
what is consistency of the brain
tofu or soft butter
29
how much did the brain weigh
1.5 kg: 75-80% water + fat + protein
30
does the brain have pain receptors
no
31
how does the brain sense the world
a series of electrical impulses
32
how many exabytes of information does one brain contain
200 exabytes (1 billion GB)
33
what is the amount of the brain's exabytes equivalent to
Equivalent to entire digital content of today’s world
34
how many exabytes in info in all the words ever spoken by mankind
5 exabytes
35
do we retain or recall more info
Retain more info than we can recall
36
what are some components of the brain
Nothing is distinctly human about its components: neurons, axons, ganglia
37
how many billion nerve cells in the brain
86 billion nerve cells: 3x more than chimps
38
what does each neuron in the brain connect with
Each neuron connects with thousands of other neurons
39
how many connections in our brain
trillions
40
what are the connections in our brain responsible for
responsible for our intelligence not the # of neurons
41
how many signals do eyes send to the brain
100 billion
42
what % of information comes from the optic nerve
10%
43
what % of seeing is making sense of information
90%
44
what can eyes help us with
recognize faces, interpret movements, sense danger etc.
45
how long does it take for visual input to travel from optic nerve to the brain, processed and interpreted
0.2 seconds
46
how does one respond to danger in a time delay world
our brain forecasts what will happen in the future
47
what is the flicker fusion threshold
when the world is changing faster than our eye can detect – brain smooths out the image when a flickering light becomes steady
48
how do we 'see' tv and movies having 25-50 images
we see it as continuous motion
49
if tv and movies showed images any slower what would happen
it would be a strobe of flashing pictures
50
do cats and dogs, or humans have faster retinol neurons
cats and dogs they see the flashed
51
why do cats and dogs have faster retinol neurons
their carnivorous diet vitamin a
52
what travels faster light or sound
light
53
how does your brain trick you when seeing and hearing lighting and thunder
brain tricks you into thinking that both signals are arriving simultaneously
54
how does pattern detection work
we are excellent at pattern detection fill in blanks make associations make order out of way too much sensory input
55
why is pattern detection important
designing camouflage in other species overcome camouflaging in animals important in hunting and gathering
56
is our brain perfect
no
57
how can our brains be fooled
false memory syndrome cognitive biases
58
how come we can be irrational if our brain is a marvel of logic and reason
it's a result of making quick judgements in a complex world
59
what is confirmation bias
Interpret new info to fit our worldview rather than being fair & objective
60
who takes advantage of confirmation bias
Astrologers & psychics take advantage of this effect
61
what's an example of confirmation bias
Opinions on political & social policies are particularly resistant to change E.g. individuals were randomly presented with research studies providing strong support for & against their own beliefs – asked to rate the quality of the study Consistently rated the study backing their personal beliefs as more reliable
62
how do false memories work
suggestions can create false memories pictures or images fool you particularly about traumatic events
63
what's an example of false memories
many people claimed to have gone to woodstock because they saw so much news coverages and images
64
what is an example of a real life event being distorted over time
Psychologists interviewed 700 people immediately after 9/11: where they were One year later: ½ contradicted their earlier account Put themselves in a different place Saw it on TV, when they heard it on the radio etc.
65
what is an example of how past trauma exaggerated
Over time, war veterans report having experienced greater trauma Interviewed 1-2 months after returning from service What types of trauma did you experience: e.g. running from sniper fire, sitting with a dying comrade, etc Over time they reported more trauma
66
what is likely happening when people exaggerate past trauma
ptsd distorting memory Adaptation to avoid dangerous situations in the future
67
what is the gambler's fallacy
a random event is more likely to occur if it has not happened it past independent events (like coin flips or roulette spins) influence the probability of future outcomes
68
why do we make bad decisions
We expect our world not to be random: it hasn’t rained for 10 days in a row, so it is bound to rain soon
69
at age 10 how complete is brain growth
95%
70
when are your synapses full wired
until your 20s
71
what is the psychological difference between teenagers and adults
teenagers are more impulsive and less reflective more susceptible to alcohol
72
when does the pleasure centre, nucleus accumbens, and dopamine production fully develop
as teens
73
what age group feels life more intensely
teens
74
what is the leading cause of death in teens
accidents – particularly when with other teens
75
why do teens take risks
Make a name for yourself Establish yourself in a social hierarchy Attract a mate Maladaptation for our modern world where teens are not yet adults Leave home to find “greener pastures”

BIOL 200 (19 decks)

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