Psychology of Learning Exam 1
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Describe specific behaviors of elephants?
The baby elephant fell into a watering hole and the other elephants’ maternal instincts kicked in to protect the baby elephant and protect her.
Describe specific behaviors of penguins?
The specific behaviors of penguins are the father penguin protects the egg in between their feet for months with no food or water.
Describe specific behaviors of cheetahs?
The mother drops the cubs in a bush while they go to hunt because of the threat of a lion. The cubs that know to be silent are safer than the cubs that are hyperactive which get killed.
Describe specific behaviors of cuckoo birds?
The cuckoo bird lays its egg in the nest of another bird, and the cuckoo bird baby has an “instinct” to become dominant and push off the other bird’s eggs from the nest.
Describe specific behaviors of the dog and the duck?
The dog was chasing the duck but then the duck pretended to be dead and had that freeze in flight or freeze. The dog did not attack because it appeared to be “paralysis”,
Describe specific behaviors of the dog and the squirrel?
The dog chased the squirrel up the tree and similar to the duck it froze.
Describe specific behaviors of the rabbit and the snake?
The mom rabbit’s maternal instinct is to protect her baby, so she attacks the snake to save her baby.
Describe specific behaviors of cape buffalos?
The cape buffalo devised a tactic to retrieve the baby—also moving side to side to intimidate lions and work together as a group so the offspring survive.
From an evolutionary perspective, is it always advantageous for young animals to be curious and actively explore their surroundings?
curiosity can be good so that they can learn but it can also be dangerous because it can increase the likelihood of being killed.
What strategies do lions use to kill a zebra?
The lions pin down the zebra and attack the legs because that is where the zebra would be able to kick the lion.
A criticism of the idea that humans evolved from animals is that if people are
related to animals, then people should act like animals. They should care only about
their own survival, have no compassion for others, and have no control over their
emotions and their behavior. Evaluate this statement from a genetic, neurobiological
and sociological perspective
Genetic: No because offsprings share their genes.
Neurobiological: prefrontal
Sociological: learning in lifetime about appropriate behavior
What is the most important factor in evolutionary theory?
passing down genes
What is phylogenetic memory?
phylogenetic memory is instinctual
What is ontogenetic memory?
ontogenetic memory is learned from our environment
Describe changes in pelvic and leg shape and the consequences for the back in the transition from knuckle walking apes to human.
the pelvic became U-shape and the femur became angled. It supported the upper body, but the spine did not change which is why we still have back problems.
What does the male Japanese Puffer Fish do to get a female’s attention?
The puffer fish creates an elaborate design on the sea floor
How do strong emotions affect frontal cortex functioning? Give examples from class on emotion-frontal cortex interactions?
Strong emotions impair the frontal cortex normal functioning
ex: Will smith and Chris rock
How does alcohol affect frontal cortex functioning? Give an example from class on alcohol-frontal cortex interactions.
Alcohol impairs the frontal cortex normal functioning. It can numb it.
ex: Football player going in for a kiss during the interview.
Describe an example from class of an animal’s ability to create art. Give one example of subtlety in the artistry pointed out in class that indicates a high degree of talent.
Elephants painting. Made thin lines in the light and thick lies in the shadow
Explain the penguin parenting process and how it can be shaped by evolution. What are the ontogenetic?
ontogenetic: penguins pair up for life & maybe learning to pass the egg
Explain the penguin parenting process and how it can be shaped by evolution and phylogenetic memory components?
phylogenetic: protecting the egg and sharing a strategy
Does the penguin care for the egg because it wants to be a good father?
No, it is instinctual.
How do normal ants respond to zombie ants? Why?
normal ants kick out/cast out the zombie ants. they do this because of instinctual response from previous generations. The spores can spread and kill a whole colony
What is inequity of reward?
inequity of reward is when two individuals form the same act but only one gets rewarded.
how was inequity of reward demonstrated in class?
Baby monkeys got one grape or cucumber after giving a stone to the person after a click. the one monkey threw a temper tantrum (awareness) and throw the stone.
Describe 3 instincts covered in class that humans have inherited from our evolutionary past.
parental protection of offspring
response to threat/ freezing
craving for sweet things
Which brain structure in the rat is targeted by toxoplasma gondii?
amygdala
What happens when toxoplasma gondii interferes with the functioning of part of the rat brain?
the rat no longer has “fear” and does not fear the cat but finds it appealing.
What is the advantage to toxoplasma gondii to affect rat brain functioning?
it gets back into the cat once it eats it.
What aspects of rat brain functioning are not affected by toxoplasma gondii?
everything else is normal—> still feels pain
In general, how does toxoplasma gondii affect human behavior? Give a specific example of how toxoplasma gondii has been shown to affect human behavior.
toxoplasma causes reckless and impulsive behavior in humans. Ex: people getting into car accidents.
How do dolphins strategize, use memory and coordinate to hunt for fish?
the dolphins go on the right side to push the fishes closer to the shore
what is flashbulb memeory?
flashbulb memory is memory that is vivid and detailed which lasts a lifetime
what physical and behavioral features do bonobos have in common with people?
walking upright & having sex for fun
why do intersections in London tell pedestrians to “look right?”
Habitual memory—- of looking left because of America
Describe the interaction between the penguin, the petrel, and the adele.
The baby penguins are prey to the petrel, and they form a circle to not be attacked by the petrel and then the Adele helps the penguins fight off the petrel. (Cooperative behavior)
why did moon decide to decline the opportunity to mate?
he was concerned that Gamma and his brothers would come after him.
Describe the interactions between Gamma and Moon and compare that to a comparable situation in two people. Why did Gamma and his brothers harass Moon on a regular basis?
they wanted to toughen moon
In the chimp videos:
a) what evidence was there that the chimps cooperated in their hunting?
cooperative strategy—they all had different responsibilities
in the chimp’s video: what evidence was there of xenophobia?
they attacked the outsiders.
in the chimp’s video: why did the female run away so slowly from the attacking males?
maternal instincts to wait for the baby
what evidence was there that chimps are cannibals?
they ate the mom and the baby chimp
In one video, a female chimp presented herself to a male as an offer to mate, but the male declined the offer.
a. Explain the circumstances of this behavior.
she was negotiating sex for food.
In one video, a female chimp presented herself to a male as an offer to mate, but the male declined the offer.
Give two possible explanations for why the male chimp declined the opportunity to mate with her.
he was focused on eating his food
he knew she was not fertile.
What behaviors suggested monkeys can “mourn” the loss of a baby?
when the spy monkey died, they comforted each other, instantly paid respect, stayed close to each other
Describe how the chimps in the videos approached their prey and intruders, and how their techniques compare to human hunting and military strategy.
they were silent and they had other chimps go observe the prey
How did chimp hunting strategy compare to my dog’s hunting strategy?
the chimps actually had a strategy
Describe the 5 components of a killer whale hunt for the grey whale.
silent approach
fatigue the prey
separate the mother
attempt to drown the calf
go in for the kill
What was the evidence that the killer whales were not solely motivated by hunger when they hunted and killed grey whale?
After 6 hours they only ate very little of the calf
How did a failure to remember American vs British driving laws result in tragedy?
people driving on the wrong side of the road and getting into accidents
Describe two traumatic experiences Rama experienced.
stranded by mom on a mountain
bitten by outsiders and got stradned—bleeding out
Give two examples of compassion toward Rama.
the young females helping him get down the mountain
Ramas friend coming back for him
What is the evolutionary pressure for animals to crave sugar? Why is sugar craving so bad for our health? Be specific to information covered in the lecture and video.
evolutionary-sugar-nutrients very rarely availiable so sugar is able to be converted into fat and helps species survive.
Why is a predator less likely to attack immobile prey? How might this behavior be influenced by evolutionary pressure?
they think it is sick or dead
What are 2 potential explanations for why killer whales toss the sea lions high in the air before eating them?
it’s fun
breakign their bones—makes it easy to digest
39.Describe 2 ways in which chimps hunt prey and one way in which bonobos hunted monkeys
the females made spears and then the males surrounded the other monkeys. the bonobos separated the adults and went after the baby
The ability to stand and walk erect, without arm support, was a major advance for primitive humans. This evolutionary development occurred because some of the primitive humans had a larger prefrontal cortex and increased intelligence, so they decided to stand upright to use their tools more efficiently.
this is false because Australopithecus actually had the smallest brain size so the ability to stand upright just kind happened.
What evidence was shown in class that chimps are violently territorial?
they killed the females.
What is frontotemporal dementia? Why does it endanger people who have it?
frontotemporal dementia impairs the frontal lobe usage and causes impulsivity and no empathy
what celebrity has frontoltemporal dementia?
Bruce willis
What was the tool used by Australopithecus to obtain animal-based nutrients? How is it known that they used this tool?
stone tools; it was known that it was used because there were cut marks on the bones
What was the difference in pelvic structure and ambulation (walking) between Australopithecus and chimpanzees?
the pelvis was wider and shorter
Compare the sexual behavior of chimps and bonobos.
chimps have sex only when they are fertile
Evolutionary pressure forces individuals to protect, defend and associate with those who share a high percentage of their genes, as in members of one’s family, territory and race, and to be hostile to outsiders who have a lower percentage of genes in common. Therefore, evolutionary theory justifies racist behavior.
Evolution is not a moral compass. It allows us to understand why it happens but does not justify it.
What were the consequences of the great improvement in the availability of nutrients from meat that affected human prenatal brain development and the birth process?
dramatic increase in brain and head size—hazard during birth
What did Homo Erectus do that no other creature had done before? How did that accelerate human evolution?
They knew how to control fire and it accelerated human evolution because they ate better good and migrated to colder places
Which part of the University of Miami football player’s brain controlled his behavior in his response to behavior he considered offensive during a football game?
hypothalmus
Which part of the TV commentator’s brain controlled his behavior in his response to behavior he considered offensive during a football game?
Hypothalamus
who these two groups of people were?
homo sapiens and neanderthals
Which part of the University of Miami football player’s brain controlled his behavior in his response to behavior he considered offensive during a football game?
the hypothalmus
Which part of Warren Sapp’s brain controlled his behavior in his response to a racist remark made toward him during a football game?
frontal cortex
What is wrong with the “inverted-U function” between arousal and performance?
no optimal point: flashbulb memory—easy and requires minimal cognition and low arousal
multitasking—high arousal
describe the functioning and interactions of 2 brain structures in Bill Clinton’s interactions with Monika Lewinski.
hypothalmus—impulsive—went out over the frontal cortex
PFC (prefrontal cortex)
Why did the male baboon decide not to have sex with the female?
he did not want to get beat up
What was Karl Lashley searching for? Explain what his experiments were. Did he find it?
an enegram
What were the Principles of Mass Action and Equipotentiality?
memory is processed in the brain tissue, and all brain areas are equal
What was the same and different about Phineas Gage before versus after his accident?
no change in intellect or communication
What 2 historical events led to the development of the prefrontal lobotomy?
metal pike—changed personality-impulsive-not wanting to bathe
Wolfe tried to remove bad parts relating to behvioral issues
Why was it no longer used as a treatment for psychiatric disorders? lobotomy
it did not cure anything
Contrast how a chimp and human throw an object and how that relates to human hunting ability.
humans throw overhand (spears-hunting)
chimps throw underhand
How did stress affect Chris Webber at the end of the NCAA basketball finals?
he forgot how many timeouts he had
What do we have in common with chimps, killer whales and dolphins, and what makes us unique, as predators? How does this uniqueness distinguish human teeth and nails from other carnivores?
strategy and coordination; humans have a larger prefrontal cortex and don’t need to use our teeth so we use tools
How did harnessing fire change the course of human evolution?
more easily digested food and protection
How might 2 brain structures interact in someone is experiencing road rage?
hypothalamus and prefrontal cortex
What one factor, not present throughout human evolution, has made a dramatic change in the outcome of hostile interactions between people?
weapons
How is the attack on the quarterback similar to chimp hunting strategy?
coordinated attacks + swarm prey and attack
Why does a football quarterback represent the epitome of human accomplishment from an evolutionary perspective.
coordinating as a group—symbolic to hunting
55. Who was closer to being right about localization of function in the brain:
Gall, Lashley or Flourens?
Gall— he theorized localization of function & bumps in the skull and that the brain had different functions
Why did the chimp have an abnormal reaction to the robot bushbaby?
it did not try to hide—unnatural social cues scared the other chimps
How might an expert witness describe how abnormal brain functioning can explain impulsive and violent behavior in an elderly person?
their preffrontal cortex deteriorating with age
Which people in (1) recent human history and (2) ancient human history appear to have engaged in cannibalism? How do we know that this behavior likely took place?
The Maori & Moirori; we know this because of the marks on the bones and actual record
Consider the possibility that Africa had been an island which had completely isolated Africans from Europeans until they came into contact only 200 years ago. Based on what you’ve learned about human behavior when opposing groups come in contact and the cognitive capacity of these two populations, describe what is likely to have happened if Africans and Europeans (Neanderthals) had come into contact for the first time just 200 years ago.
the Africans would have killed the Europeans
Describe the scene at the football game video shown in class in which men and a woman exhibited primitive (instinctual) behavior which has been shaped by evolution.
the men were territorial and the women were maternal—tried to break up the fight
In approximately 50,000 years, humans traveled by land and sea from Africa to every part of the world. What drove people to travel such great distances? What happened 10,000 years ago to reduce their need to travel?
they were following animals'; less travel occurred when agriculture started to be practice
How might our susceptibility to developing back pains from lifting objects be related to our evolutionary past?
the pelvis and the legs changed but the spine did not adjust for support
Why is it that male Neanderthal DNA (Y chromosome) is not found in modern humans?
either all the males were slaughtered or the offspring did not survive
About how far back in time do Neanderthals and modern humans have a common ancestor?
500,000 years
What was the difference in bone structure between Neanderthals and Cro-Magnons and what does that tell us about their lives?
d. What is the evidence of miscegeny between Neanderthals and Cro-Magnons?
DNA