L2 - Mental Evolution

Question 1

How would you characterise Huxley’s role in advocating evolution compared to Darwin’s?

Answer 1

• aggressively advocated evolution unlike the reserved Darwin

Question 2

Lamarck

Answer 2

First person ever to propose a mechanism for evolutionary change.
Giraffes - Lamarck claims that from the habit of browsing the leaves in trees they have lengthened their fore-legs and neck to a certain degree.
His ideas were dismissed and criticized.

Question 3

Lamarckian Inheritance

Answer 3

1. Environmental changes can produce new habits
2. New habits produce physical changes
3. Physical changes are heritable: inheritance of acquired characteristics
   * * example of new habit: cooking has transformed the evolution of hominids - smaller jaw and jaw muscles

Question 4

Theory of Natural Selection

Answer 4

Individuals with adaptive characteristics are likely to produce more offspring than others.

Question 5

Huxley

Answer 5

Human evolution - Darwin ignored the topic, but Huxley confronted it directly.
Huxley’s argument for human evolution was based on similarities between the brains of the great apes and the human brain

Question 6

Wallace

Answer 6

Co-discoverer of the principle of Natural Selection. Independently from Darwin.
Wallace believed that human evolution must have involved supernatural intervention, since he believed that mental faculties emerge in advance to any usefulness.
Believed the idea of sexual selection was also unnecessary
Humans unique in mental intelligence

Question 7

What was Wallace first to propose? (2 things)

Answer 7

1. Human selection shifts from physical to psychological

2. Social instincts attenuate natural selection process and prevent further intellectual evolution

Question 8

What was Darwin’s reply to Wallace?

Answer 8

Sexual selection; sexual selection as factor of human evolution; human intellect not unique (mental continuity with other species).
Book: The Descent of man

Question 9

Romanes

Answer 9

“Darwin’s heir”
Mental evolution - the capacity for a particular skill becomes stronger and stronger through the next generations

believed that animal intelligence evolves through behavioural conditioning, or positive reinforcement

Question 10

Romanes’ Hierarchies for Emotions and Cognitive Processes

Answer 10

The lower down cognitive processes are seen in many species (e.g. pain, pleasure, fear, memory).
The middle are seen in some species (e.g. sympathy, jealousy, communication ideas)
The top abilities are specific to only a few species (e.g. shame, revenge and use of tools which is specific to the human species).
Problem solving pinnacle to evolutionary advancement

Question 11

Who first published a book on human evolution?

Answer 11

Huxley

Question 12

What was a problem with Romanes’ evidence?

Answer 12

• observations were anecdotal and second hand

Question 13

How did Romanes determine which organisms had minds?

Answer 13

He believed any organism with a nervous system and the capacity to learn had a mind.

Question 14

In which book did Romanes outline his arguments?

Answer 14

Animal Intelligence.

Question 15

What was Romanes’ Recapitulation Theory?

Answer 15

Ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny. I.e. development of the individual human mind from childhood to adulthood recapitulates the evolution of the species over millions of years.

Question 16

What examples did Darwin use to show human-like traits existed in other animals?

Answer 16

Reasoning in apes

Parrots could talk

Question 17

Lamarkian Law of use and disuse

Answer 17

Using muscles makes them develop more. Giraffe stretching its neck will produce physical changes, creating long neck characteristics for their offspring