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11 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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anthropology's role in cogsci
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reveals variation across societes but also universal qualities
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cultural universals
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e.g. baby talk, antonyms, beliefs in religion, anticipation
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problems with studying human evolution
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archaeology is an inductive problem, since we have only a small amount of total data
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chimps, language, and tools
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chimps have been trained to possess a limited vocabulary of is words in sign language. they're able to make sentences but they are not using a human grammar. are able to make only very simplistic tools
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prehistoric people and tools
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olduvian --> archulean --> levallois methods of making tools. each separated by 1 m.y. or more. since tools became more powerful, we believe that a modern mind and body were also being developed
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Baldwin effect
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acquired characteristics slowly become incorporated into genes
e.g. calluses on the stomach of ostriches |
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learning and evolution
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learning speeds up evolution because it speeds up the development of complex behaviors.
- a species that can adapt to its environment will be subject to small variations, meaning it will have to adapt less--this provides a gradient on which evolution can operate |
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what is cognition good for?
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- learning helps us adapt faster to our environment
- individuals can gather knowledge, then share it and perform actions around it - we can develop a cognitive niche |
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cognitive niche
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being able to outsmart other species' defenses through our adaptation
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the danger of evolutionary explanations
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although explanations seem satisfying, that doesn't mean these genetic traits can't change, or are OK for that matter.
-a function is not always a result of selection |
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evolutionary psychology
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how much of the mind can we explain by thinking in evolutionary terms?
- are our minds shapred by the problems of our ancestors? e.g. detecting cheats, finding places to live, finding mates |
