Lesson11Worksheet

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Anthropology

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Jan 9, 2024

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Name: Erasmo Abella Lesson 11 Worksheet – upload to the L11 Dropbox by the due date on the calendar. Question Set: Answer the following short answer questions. Read the instructions carefully and be sure to answer each question thoroughly. Tip: The Rifkin article can be found by following the link in the box defining 'Intelligence' and 'Cognition.' Skip to pages 5-8 of the article. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. [6 points] Answer the following questions about the Foraging Hypothesis . Use the following two references: the Lesson material and the Rifkin article to answer the questions. a. [2 pts] Part of the foraging hypothesis is something we’ve seen before in Lesson 6 – what was the Lesson 6 hypothesis called and what does it say? The hypothesis that we have discussed in lesson 6 that is similar to the foraging hypothesis is the Expensive Tissue Hypothesis. This is the idea that primates who primarily eat leaves have a huge amount of neurons in their gut, and this makes their gut system large, but they don’t have a large brain at the same time. In contrast, primates who eat high quality foods such as fruits and seeds have been observed to have large brains, but a small gut. b. [2 pts] What does the Foraging Hypothesis add to the Lesson 6 hypothesis? The foraging hypothesis proposes an addition to the concept of why primates with larger brains evolved that way. During lesson 11, we have learned that rich quality foods such as fruits and seeds are scattered everywhere, and they are not found in a single area. Therefore, primates who primarily eat these require a large brain to increase memory so that they can remember where to find these fruits, and eating these rich quality foods help them increase their brain size. c. [2 pts] What are the three different forms of the “food-related ecological hypotheses” according the Rifkin (1995)? Describe them briefly. According to Rifkin, one of these food-related ecological hypothesis is that larger brains reflect a cognitive demand on frugivores to monitor the availability of a temporally and spatially dispersed food supply. Frugivores who eat rich quality foods need a larger brain in order to enhance memory of where they should get their food, or what he calls the ephemeral food supply hypothesis. The second of these food-related ecological hypothesis is that the dispersed nature of food supply selects for increased memory capacities, where larger brained primates memorize where the food supply is. He calls this the mental map hypothesis. The third one is the food extraction hypothesis, where complex extractive techniques are needed for the primate to get their food, in which a larger brain is needed.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. [6 points] Answer the following questions about the Social Intelligence Hypothesis . Use the following two references: the Lesson material and the Rifkin article to answer the questions. a. [2 pts] What is the idea behind this hypothesis? The idea behind the social intelligence hypothesis proposes the idea that primates have larger brains because they need it to overcome the challenges and the nature of living with a large social group. b. [2 pts] What does it suggest would be the difference between monogamous primates and primates living in a multi-female/multi-male group? The hypothesis suggests that the difference between monogamous and multi-female/male groups is that monogamous primates primarily live in smaller social groups than the other. Researchers have found out that monogamous primates have smaller brains than multi-female/multi-male groups. c. [2 pts] Rifkin (1995) mentions three subcategories of social manipulation, how does alliance formation demonstrate primate intelligence? The alliance formation subcategory suggests that primates build their relationships with other primates based on the knowledge and information they have gathered. This also pertains to the level of relationship and the kind of alliance that a primate will give to another primate. Rifkin also states that primates groom their relationships with one another before a contingency arrives. This will help build protection around them so that other primates will be able to help them in case of future dangerous events. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. [18 points] Answer the following questions about Part 2 of the Human Spark Series, “So Human, So Chimp”: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x29vf0a . Tip: read the questions before watching the video so you know what to look out for while watching. a. [5 pts] Describe one of the primate experiments that is presented in the video. Include the following information: 1) what species of primate is participating (including humans!); 2) a full description of the experiment ( what is the set-up and what are they trying to learn? ); 3) the results of the experiment ( what happened? ); and 4) the conclusion that is reached about primate intelligence. One of the experiments in the video aimed to find out the difference between primates and humans. Their behaviors were observed to see the abilities and intelligence of chimps and compared to humans, particularly children. There were two objects in the experiment, one was light and the other was heavy. There were also colored trays where one was labeled as light, and the other was heavy. If the chimp puts the object on the correct tray, they get a treat, and they get nothing if they get it wrong. While the chimps took a long time to learn this task, children learned how to do this very quickly, and this led to the conclusion that can’t understand the

concept of heavy and light, and that primates don’t have the level of abstraction to learn the concepts of weight rapidly than humans. b. [5 pts] In the Lesson, there are four aspects of primate intelligence listed: 1) primates are expert imitators ; 2) some primates have a developed “ theory of mind ”; 3) some primates are self-aware ; and 4) primates are tool-makers . PICK ONE of these aspects and find an example from the video. Provide a time stamp and description of how the primate(s) are demonstrating this aspect of intelligence. In the documentary, a study was done to test the presence of the “theory of mind” in chimps. There were three women who had trays with grapes on them. The trays were placed on the ground, and two women were facing the chimp, but one was facing away. During the study, the chimp took the grape from the woman who was not looking at it. The study shows that primates have an awareness of other organism’s minds. c. [4 pts] After watching the video, what do you think is the “human spark”? What is the characteristic of human intelligence that is most important in separating humans from our closest primate relatives? For me, the video was interesting, and I learned a lot about the difference between humans and primates. I think that the most important thing that separates us from primates is that we have the ability to think abstract thoughts. This abstract thought helps us approach the world more differently, and we can achieve so many things with it, which sets us apart from primates and other organisms d. What is your response to the video: What is the most interesting thing that you learned? Were you surprised by any of the study outcomes? Have your perceptions of primate intelligence changed? For me, the most interesting thing that I learned is that chimps have the ability to observe the awareness of others’ minds. This can be human minds, or other animals. I was also surprised at the fact that primates do not understand the concept of differentiating between light or heavy, and they have to learn and train on how to do it for a very long time, unlike humans where we can learn about it in a very much shorter time! Personally, this changed my perception of primate intelligence. The gap between human and primate intelligence is much greater than I thought. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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Lesson11Worksheet

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