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CHAPTER 2 WHAT IS EVOLUTION
WHAT IS EVOLUTION CHAPTER 2
58
Psychology
Undergraduate 4
08/30/2014

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Term

1 Does Evolution guides the organism toward better solutions to fundamental problems? Why not?

Definition

It leads to a new development or modification of the species that creates new possibilities. Other times, like the dinosaur, it leads to extinction. The study of evolution is about change.

Term

2. Originally, all humans lived in hunter-gatherer societies, but by __________years ago about half of all humans were engaged in some form of agriculture.

Definition
5,000
Term

3.  Define & provide examples of a (n) proximate and an ultimate question.

Definition

Proximal questions are questions that ask how a phenomenon works, "how" questions. Ultimate questions are questions that ask why a behavior or trait occurs, "why" questions.

Term

4. The fusiform face area (FFA), located in the ________ lobe, is a complex set of brain structures _____________________.

Definition
TEMPORAL; FOR MAKING, RECOGNIZING, AND DISCRIMINATING BETWEEN FACIAL EXPRESSIONS.
Term

5. The scientific principle of parsimony states____________________________________.

Definition
 that similar processes should be explained by the same fundamental principles
Term

6. When doing science, we must not only consider what evidence supports our hypothesis, we must also consider _________________.

Definition
what evidence would be required to refute the hypothesis
Term

7. According to philosopher of science Thomas Kuhn, a paradigm refers to the _____________.

Definition
topics we study and the types of questions we ask.
Term

8. The present-day eye evolved from a structure that detected________________.

Definition
 GROSS CHANGES IN LIGHT
Term

9. Vestigial structures retain previous physiology that is neither __________nor FUNCTIONAL.

Definition
ADAPTIVE
Term

10. __________ independently developed a theory of evolution similar to Darwin’s

Definition
Alfred Russell Wallace
Term

11. During Darwin’s voyage on the Beagle, his thinking was greatly influenced by the geographer _________who believed the earth’s age was ________.

Definition
CHARLES LYELLL; OLDER THAN 6000 YEARS
Term

12. What amazed Darwin about the Galápagos Islands was the________________________.

Definition
 number of plants and animals that existed there but nowhere else on earth
Term

13. Darwin discovered what on the Galápagos Islands (3 things)?

Definition
  1.  100 flowering plants that existed only on these islands
  2. The birds found on one of the ten islands were different from those found on the rest of the islands
  3. Differently shaped beaks on the birds of each of the islands
Term

14. Darwin’s thinking began with the assumption that ________________.

Definition
there was variation in nature
Term

15. Once back in England, Darwin’s idea of natural selection was inspired by his observations of _____.

Definition
pigeon breeding
Term

16. The biological concept of species is defined as a group that ______________.

Definition
only breeds among the group and does not seek to breed with other groups
Term

17. The term adaptive radiation refers to the situation in which ________________________.

Definition
A SINGLE SPECIES DEVELOPS INTO MULTIPLE SPECIES
Term
18. In addition to natural selection, Darwin proposed another evolutionary mechanism sexual selection.  What were his thought about this selection mechanism?
Definition
First, organisms that are made more attractive will be more likely to find a mate and pass on their respectful genes. Second, those within the same sex that are strong, cunning, and more competitive will have a greater chance to mate with the opposite sex.  Imagine the male peacock attracting females with his tail feathers, and only the most alpha male lion will win the right to mate with the females in a lioness pride.
Term

19. Through the process of adaptation, organisms will _________________________.

Definition
CHANGE TO BECOME BETTER ABLE TO LIVE IN ITS ENVIRONMENT THROUGH NATURAL SELECTION
Term
20. For Darwin, what did he mean by ‘continuity of species’?
Definition
Term

21. Descartes argued that humans and animals___________________.

Definition
 ARE QUALITATIVELY DIFFERENT IN PSYCHOLOGICAL PROCESSES
Term

22. Morgan’s Canon directs that scientific explanations should be as _____ as possible.

Definition
SIMPLE
Term

23. Galton laid the groundwork for the future study of __________________.

Definition
individual differences in ability
Term

24. The biogenetic law, stated as “ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny,” means that __________can be seen as paralleling the evolutionary history of the species.

Definition
human development
Term

25. Sigmund Freud incorporated Darwin’s emphasis on instinct into his work, but he emphasized ___________________________.

Definition
SEXUAL SELECTION over NATURAL SELECTION.
Term

26. Jung’s idea of the collective unconscious reflects the manner in which the expressive predispositions of current-day humans are the result of _______________.

Definition
evolutionary pressures on our ancestors
Term

27. William James was particularly interested in the ______ aspects of psychological processes.

Definition
functional
Term

28. William James disagreed with other scholars of his day in his belief that humans had ________ instincts than other animals.

Definition
A GREATER NUMBER OF
Term

29. J.B. Watson argued that the proper study of psychology was ________________.

Definition
the behavior and not the mind.
Term

30. Skinner suggested that such concepts as freedom, will, dignity, and other concepts referring to the mind or internal states ______________.

Definition
have no explanatory value
Term

31. __________ is a process that results in heritable changes in a population over many generations.

Definition
Evolution
Term

32. “Why do peacocks have colorful tails?” is an example of a (n) _______ question.

Definition
ULTIMATE
Term

33. Kuhn pointed out that, at different periods in the history of science, some questions are overemphasized and others ignored; he called the topics we study and the types of questions we ask a (n) ______.

Definition
paradigm.
Term

34. Evolution by natural selection can only work when there is _______, giving some organisms a survival and reproductive advantage over others.

Definition
variation
Term

35. The manner in which males and females choose to mate is known as ____________ and this is also an important factor in evolution.

Definition
sexual selection
Term

36. The best-fit line through the values on a scatter plot is called a (n) ________.

Definition
REGRESSION LINE
Term
37. For Freud, the sexual ______was the major driving force for human life and interaction
Definition
INSTINCT
Term

38. The tendency for ideas that are presented together in time to be mentally called forth together is known as ________.

Definition
ASSOCIATIONISM
Term

39. Freud believed the nervous system was capable of retaining and discharging a type of energy he called Q, _________________________.

Definition
but later came to be known as libido or sexual energy
Term

40. In Freud’s theory, ___________ refers to the ability of higher cognitive functions to inhibit the experience of lower ones.

Definition
REPRESSION
Term

41. According to Jung, the ______________ reflects the manner in which the expressive predispositions of current-day humans are the result of evolutionary pressures on our ancestors.

Definition
COLLECTIVE UNCONSCIOUS_
Term

42. Jung referred to the universal patterns of thought that are available to all humans as _______.

Definition
ARCHETYPES
Term

43. In response to those who said humans were different from other animals in that they lacked instincts, James replied, “Man has a far greater variety of ______than any lower animal.”

Definition
impulses
Term

44. Watson said the proper study of psychology was ______ and not the mind.

Definition
BEHAVIOR
Term

45. Skinner developed a process of shaping behavior through reinforcement is known as _____________.

Definition
operant conditioning.
Term

46. Prior to 10,000 years ago, there was no agriculture, and all humans lived in _______ societies.

Definition
HUNTER-GATHERER
Term

47. The _____________, located in the temporal lobe, is a complex set of brain structures for making, recognizing, and discriminating between facial expressions.

Definition
FUSIFORM FACIAL AREA (FFA),
Term

48. Newton suggested that the same forces that cause rocks to fall to the earth in England will also cause rocks to fall in Africa or Asia; this is an example of the scientific principle of ____________.

Definition
parsimony
Term

49. Organisms may retain previous physiology that is neither adaptive nor functional; these are called ______________.

Definition
VESTIGIAL STRUCTURES
Term

50. What is the name of the ship that Darwin traveled to the Galápagos Islands on?

Definition
HMS BEAGLE
Term
51. Trace the development of Darwin’s thinking on evolution. Include a discussion of thinking on evolution in Darwin’s time, the voyage of the Beagle, the influence of Lyell and Malthus, and the ideas of Wallace.
Definition

During the time Darwin lived there was a great intellectual focus on the historical changes in the natural world.  Men such as, Sir Charles Lyell were already theorizing that the natural geography of the world was not merely 6,000 years old, but far older.  Lyell’s book Principles in Geology encouraged C. Darwin during his trip to South America on the HMS Beagle.  However, both C. Darwin and Alfred R. Wallace were men that focused on plants and animals only Darwin focused his attention to theorizing applications of evolution to all life on Earth.  Wallace, like many of his day, sought to conceptualize modern man apart from all other life on earth because he felt the concepts of evolution were difficult to apply to modern man.  After some time spent in the Galapagos Islands Darwin developed his ideas about natural selection, but would not publish until 1859.  When he finally wrote On Origin of Species he allowed himself to adopt a theory derived by the man named T. Malthus.  Malthus was an economist that explained the concept of exponential growth of a human population.

Term

52. The peppered moth in England is commonly used to illustrate natural selection in action. Explain

Definition

During Industrial Revolution, trees were dirty with soot and the bark was darker. The darker variation of moth's population increased because their coloring was now effective camouflage, and the lighter colored ones were eaten because they no longer could blend in. This process reversed after pollution controls were put into place and the trees regained the lighter bark color.

Term

3. Discuss the roles of natural selection and sexual selection in the evolution of species.

Definition

Natural selection - In each generation there are variations that appear to happen randomly. The individuals that survive are also the ones that live to mate. It is their characteristics that are passed on to the next generation. Natural selection focuses on those characteristics that help an organism survive in the context of its particular environment.

Sexual selection - According to Darwin, sexual selection depends on the success of certain individuals over others of the same sex. Characteristics that make one more attractive to a mate will be passed on to future generations. Within the same sex, characteristics such as strength or cunning that allow one to compete and control reproduction will also have a greater chance of being passed on to future generations because those without the trait have fewer chances to mate.

Term

54. Discuss how Galton, Freud, Jung, and James extended Darwin’s theory to the study of human cognitive processes.

Definition

Darwin for a very long time studied the evolution of animals and all the different species that developed which developed into the theory of Natural Selection.

After much independent study he began to think of human beings and the way we came to be in a very evolutionary perspective. Later after he had discovered the theory of natural selection he extended his discoveries to also include sexual selection.

In Darwin’s book of The Descent of Man and selection in relation to sex (1874), he dedicated the second section and third section of the book to the sexual selection of animals and humans. In this book he extended the idea of sexual selection about humans and their reproductive organs. But in other writings, in his notebooks he does go into to discuss his thinking to cognitive and emotional processes. He found that non-humans had shown attributes of problem solving and consciousness. He noticed that humans made selections and classifications outside of awareness. He found that humans were not always logical or rational in the manner in which they behave and experience the world. He actually suggested that humans descended from a less highly organized form, but that we share similar structures and processes with other animals. Even he went as far to say that we humans share some of the same mental faculties.

With this notion other very highly influential psychologist who had done their own research who were all inspired by the writings and discoveries of Darwin all wrote and experimented with their influences to form their own theory’s, ideas and or concepts.

Galton, the study of individual differences with a focus related to intellectual abilities. He talked about inheritance, genes and the organic world. Which relates to the article published in the journal of the mind that Darwin wrote in regards to infants and how they develop as advanced species relating this to conception of the human beings and the evolutionary history behind the human species.

Freud was into Darwin’s scientific findings and ran with Darwin’s concept of instinct, with more of a focus on the sexual selection versus the natural selection theory.

Term

Jung viewed human behavior and experience on a much broader term, if there is evolution of the body then why not suggest there is evolution of the consciousness?

Definition
 He was interested in the instinctual processes and the environmental factors that influence them. He was interested in humans universally and studied humans in other cultures specifically Africa.
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