Deck 17: The Evolution of Human Behavior

Question 1

Researchers found that the timing of progesterone production __________.

A) varies from culture to culture
B) is much slower in smaller societies
C) is dependent on nutrition
D) none of these

Answer 1

none of these

Question 2

It is difficult to study the evolutionary foundations of contemporary human behavior because __________.

A) we cannot see evolution happening
B) we cannot do experiments on humans
C) human behavior occurs in a cultural context
D) all of these

Answer 2

all of these

Question 3

Which of the following is an example of paleontological reconstruction of behavior?

A) studying human behaviors as the result of direct evolutionary pressures
B) charting the relationship between agricultural practices and the evolution of the sickle cell polymorphism
C) hypothesizing about the cultural abilities of ancient hominins by comparing them to living non-human primates
D) focusing on the ecological factors that influence present-day hunter-gatherer societies

Answer 3

hypothesizing about the cultural abilities of ancient hominins by comparing them to living non-human primates

Question 4

Which of the following is an example of evolutionary psychology?

A) studying human behaviors as the result of direct evolutionary pressures
B) charting the relationship between agricultural practices and the evolution of the sickle cell polymorphism
C) hypothesizing about the cultural abilities of ancient hominins by comparing them to living non-human primates
D) focusing on the ecological factors that influence present-day hunter-gatherer societies

Question 5

Which of the following best describes the 'environment of evolutionary adaptedness'?

A) large agricultural societies
B) urban societies dependent on industrialized agriculture
C) small groups of hunter-gatherers
D) none of these

Question 6

Which of the following is NOT a cognitive universal?

A) motor control
B) religion
C) emotions
D) memory

Question 7

Human behavior can be studied at the __________ level.

A) individual
B) population
C) species
D) all of these

Question 8

Biological constraints on human behavior are the primary result of biological processes.

Question 9

Cross-cultural universals include __________.

A) language
B) a system of kinship
C) the organization of society along sex and gender lines
D) all of these

Question 10

Stephen Jay Gould feared that sociobiology was too susceptible to political misapplication.

Question 11

Evolutionary ecological research mostly relies on qualitative data.

Question 12

Researchers found that the amount of progesterone production __________.

A) varies from culture to culture
B) is much slower in smaller societies
C) is dependent on nutrition
D) none of these

Question 13

Looking at variation of variables such as sex and age is common to investigations of __________.

A) within-culture variation
B) the biological constraints of human behavior
C) cross-cultural universals
D) cognitive universals

Question 14

Edward O. Wilson defined sociobiology as the science of __________.

A) the biological basis of social behavior
B) the effects of culture on biology
C) the effects of society on culture and biology
D) the sociological basis of biological evolution

Question 15

Which of the following is an example of biocultural approach to understanding human behavior?

A) studying human behaviors as the result of direct evolutionary pressures
B) charting the relationship between agricultural practices and the evolution of the sickle cell polymorphism
C) hypothesizing about the cultural abilities of ancient hominins by comparing them to living non-human primates
D) focusing on the ecological factors that influence present-day hunter-gatherer societies

Question 16

Researchers interested in evolutionary ecology often conduct studies of traditional hunter-gatherer and small agricultural societies because such societies are __________.

A) easier to study than larger societies
B) more common
C) similar to the original human societies
D) the easiest to study using quantitative methods

Question 17

The cooperative provisioning model correlates the evolution of a sexual division of labor with __________.

A) nutritional elements
B) monogamy
C) the changing size of human societies
D) the fact that males have different problems to overcome than females

Question 18

Evolutionary ecologists found that, among small-scale societies, wealth __________.

A) has a positive effect on a man's reproductive success
B) has a negative effect on a man's reproductive success
C) has a negative effect on a woman's reproductive success
D) is not at all related to an individual's reproductive success

Question 19

The three main principles of evolutionary psychology include the idea that

A) human behavior is produced by a mind that is a flexible, general purpose device
B) behaviors cannot be understood as adaptations
C) culture is more important than biology when trying to understand human behavior
D) human behavior evolved in the context of relatively small groups

Question 20

Which of the following is an example of human evolutionary ecology?

A) studying human behaviors as the result of direct evolutionary pressures
B) charting the relationship between agricultural practices and the evolution of the sickle cell polymorphism
C) hypothesizing about the cultural abilities of ancient hominins by comparing them to living non-human primates
D) focusing on the ecological factors that influence present-day hunter-gatherer societies

Question 21

The provisioning model of meat sharing explains the sharing of hunted meat in terms of __________.

A) costly signaling
B) paternal investment
C) status
D) all of these

Question 22

Most scientists agree that language is a biological universal in our species.

Question 23

The Westermarck hypothesis links brother-sister incest aversion to __________.

A) status
B) culturally sanctioned laws
C) learned behavior
D) children being raised in proximity

Question 24

In hunter-gatherer societies, men's contribution to subsistence tends to be __________.

A) more predictable
B) smaller foodstuffs
C) more highly prized
D) less available for redistribution

Question 25

Risky behavior among mammalian males may occur because __________.

A) it is fun
B) females are attracted to risky behavior
C) they are socialized to engage in such behaviors
D) none of these

Question 26

Research on human mate selection indicates that women tend to value __________ in their partners.

A) youth
B) appearance
C) resource-providing abilities
D) all of these

Question 27

The "tolerated theft model" relates meat sharing to __________.

A) prestige
B) violence
C) altruism
D) the nutritional value of meat

Question 28

Taiwanese sim-pua marriages do not do as well as other marriages in Taiwan because __________.

A) laws prohibit the practice
B) the couple was raised together as children
C) the married couple are brother and sister
D) the married couple is a biological incestuous pair of some kind

Question 29

Research on human mate selection indicates that men tend to value __________ in their partners.

A) status
B) resource-providing abilities
C) appearance
D) risk-taking behavior

Question 30

Mammalian female reproductive strategy involves __________.

A) choosing a high quality mate
B) investing little energy into producing offspring
C) mating with as many males as possible
D) monogamy

Question 31

Male mammals have less energetic investment in producing offspring.

Question 32

In a majority of primate species, males directly participate in the rearing of young.

Question 33

The results if inbreeding include __________.

A) an increase in genetic variability over time
B) an decreased expression of recessive alleles
C) inbreeding depression
D) higher reproductive success of the resulting offspring

Question 34

All human cultures have rules and traditions that regulate sexual contact and reproductive relationships.

Question 35

Mammalian males __________.

A) are less choosey about their mates
B) invest less energy in producing offspring
C) participate less in the rearing of offspring
D) all of these

Question 36

Biological theories of inbreeding avoidance focus on __________.

A) social and psychological factors
B) an individual's innate desire to commit incest
C) incest avoidance as an adaptive mechanism
D) laws against incest

Question 37

The "Man the Hunter" model of human evolution __________.

A) is still in vogue today
B) affected only cultural anthropology
C) was criticized as sexist
D) all of these

Question 38

Researchers found that children raised in the same kibbutz are more likely to marry later in life.

Question 39

The conflict model correlates the evolution of a sexual division of labor with __________.

A) nutritional elements
B) monogamy
C) the changing size of human societies
D) the fact that males have different problems to overcome than females

Question 40

Observations reveal that language development __________.

A) only occurs in children who are intentional taught to speak
B) does not occur in deaf children
C) occurs in universal stages
D) is a purely cultural development

Question 41

Reading and writing are human cross-cultural universals.

Question 42

A person with substance dependence will continue to use the drug despite knowledge of the negative consequences of continued usage.

Question 43

An individual with the ALDH2*2 allele is __________.

A) much less likely to become an alcoholic
B) more susceptible to becoming addicted to opiates
C) metabolizes alcohol quicker that someone without the allele
D) cannot become addicted to psychoactive substances

Question 44

While the practice of infant-directed speech is not universal, the form it takes when it is practiced is universal.

Question 45

There is a "reading region" in the brain of all humans.

Question 46

If a person suffers from two or more weeks of depressed mood or impaired enjoyment, she is said to be experiencing __________.

A) an adaptive behavioral phenotype
B) minor depression
C) major depression
D) schizophrenia

Question 47

While studying various cultures' terms for colors, Berlin and Kay found that __________.

A) many cultures used the same actual words for colors
B) from a cross cultural perspective, the naming of colors is chaotic and unsystematic
C) the terms for blue and red must have evolved first
D) none of these

Question 48

Motherese is typified by __________.

A) slow
B) higher-pitched
C) more repetitive
D) all of these

Question 49

Which of the following is NOT true of schizophrenia?

A) it is characterized by delusions and hallucinations
B) its onset is usually in the late teens/ early twenties
C) it is not genetically inherited
D) schizophrenia has an estimate prevalence rate of 1 percent

Question 50

Many behavioral diseases are expressed in much the same way in different cultures.

Question 51

According to Stanislas Dehaene, human writing systems

A) have no relationship to the brain
B) are all the same
C) share neurological constraints
D) are profoundly different in every way

Question 52

Schizophrenia is found in __________ human cultures.

A) very few
B) virtually all
C) only modern
D) 1 percent of all

Question 53

The relatives of schizophrenics exhibit potentially adaptive characteristics such as __________.

A) disease-resistance
B) creativity
C) asocial tendencies
D) all of these

Question 54

Randolph Nesse associates depression with __________.

A) situations presenting an "adaptive challenge"
B) the pursuit of unreachable goals
C) natural selection for a period of low activity following a crisis
D) all of these

Question 55

Babbling starts at about the age of __________.

A) 7 to 8 days
B) 1 year to 15 months
C) 8 years
D) 7 to 8 months

Question 56

Reward deficiency syndrome is associated with __________.

A) schizophrenia
B) minor depression
C) substance abuse
D) all of these

Question 57

Due to its negative affect on fertility and reproductive behavior, schizophrenia is being eliminated from the species.

Question 58

In cultures with three color terms, the named colors are always __________.

A) red, blue, and green
B) black, white, and red
C) black, blue, and red
D) white, black, and gray

Question 59

Studies show that a culture with only two color names can only perceive the two colors they have words for.

Question 60

The consumption of psychoactive drugs __________.

A) is a cultural universal
B) is a relatively recent phenomenon
C) occurs mostly in Western cultures
D) does not occur in preagricultural societies

Question 61

Discuss how meat sharing is explained by the tolerated theft model. How does the provisioning model differ from the costly signaling perspective of meat sharing?

Question 62

Explain the debate between "sociobiologists" and their opponents. How can we study the evolutionary foundations of contemporary human behavior?

Question 63

Describe the ideas behind the "Man the Hunter" school of thought. What are some common critiques of these ideas?

Question 64

What is the difference between the contributions of men and women in hunter-gatherer societies?

Question 65

Outline the evidence for a genetic component of schizophrenia. Why might schizophrenia persist in our species?

Question 66

What is reward deficiency syndrome and what is its relationship to human behavior? Outline the possible maladaptive and adaptive dimensions of psychoactive substance use.

Question 67

Non-hedonic substances constitute a minority of drug consumption.

Question 68

How do male mammals differ from female mammals in terms of reproduction and mate selection? How is this expressed in our species?

Question 69

Compare the four approaches to the evolution of human behavior.

Question 70

Who do evolutionary ecologists tend to study? What are their methods? Citing specific examples, explain the evolutionary ecological perspective on wealth and reproductive success.

Question 71

Explain the possible biological mechanisms behind such cultural universals as language, color naming, and minor depression.