Deck 4: Evolution of Brain and Function

Question 1

Which of the following is NOT a level in MacLean's triune brain theory?

A) machiavellian
B) neomammalian
C) paleomammalian
D) reptilian

Answer 1

machiavellian

Question 2

Brain structures closer to midline dividing the left and right hemispheres are referred to as _____, whereas those farther away from the midline are called _____.

A) frontal, temporal
B) medial, lateral
C) pyramidal, non-pyramidal
D) rostral, caudal

Answer 2

medial, lateral

Question 3

Although mammals have been seen as evolving from reptiles, there are three types of behavior seen in mammals but not in reptiles. Which of the following is NOT one of these mammal-specific behaviors?

A) audio-vocal communication
B) courtship rituals
C) maternal care
D) play behavior

Answer 3

courtship rituals

Question 4

The neural networks that are active during internal processing are called the brain's _____, which is most active when individuals are engaged in private thoughts or left alone to think about real or hypothetical events.

A) default network
B) limbic system
C) R-complex
D) stream of consciousness

Question 5

Because early mammals were nocturnal, they mostly relied on

A) hearing and smell.
B) seeing and hearing.
C) smell and touch.
D) touch and seeing.

Question 6

Which of the following is NOT one of the lobes of the brain?

A) caudal
B) frontal
C) parietal
D) temporal

Question 7

Although our human brain is only about 2% of our body weight, it uses some _____% of our energy.

A) 15
B) 25
C) 35
D) 45

Question 8

One approach to studying brain evolution and size examines the relationship between specific behaviors and the underlying cortical structures; this is known as the _____ approach.

A) allometric
B) neuroethological
C) ontological
D) taxonomic

Question 9

It is thought that brains first appeared about _____ million years ago.

A) 10
B) 50
C) 100
D) 500

Question 10

Both bats and birds inherited forelimbs from a common ancestor, but each developed wings separately; thus, the forelimbs are _____ similarities, whereas the wings are _____ similarities.

A) homologous, analogous
B)inherited, acquired
C) primitive, derived
D) true, false

Question 11

Around 2.4 million years ago, humans experienced a mutation in gene MYH16, which led to smaller jaw muscles. This mutation allowed us to

A) develop more complex language skills.
B) devote more of the area of the skull to the brain.
C) change our diet, such as eating more meat.
D) use our hands rather than our teeth in food preparation.

Question 12

Even simple organisms such as single-cell protozoa share sophisticated behavior processes with higher-level organisms. Which of the following is NOT one such behavior?

A) Adaptive behaviors, which help the organism survive.
B) Appetitive behaviors, which supply energy.
C) Defensive behaviors, which protect the organism.
D) Reproductive behaviors, which perpetuate the species.

Question 13

Mammals have evolved a brain structure different from that of other organisms, namely the six-layered

A) allocortex.
B) archicortex.
C) neocortex.
D)paleocortex.

Question 14

Many neuroscientists view evolution in terms of increasing the size of the

A) brain.
B) cell columns.
C) convolutions.
D) neurons.

Question 15

In studies of social intelligence in primates, group size alone has not been shown to be strongly correlated with brain size; however, Dunbar did find a positive correlation between _____ and relative brain size.

A) grooming
B) hunting
C) mating
D) playing

Question 16

About 14 days following conception, a process referred to as _____ occurs, which leads to the development of three different cell lines from undifferentiated embryonic tissue.

A) encephalization
B) gastrulation
C) hierarchical integration
D) myelination

Question 17

An important development that came with the larger brains in primates was the ability to connect information processing with _____, an ability that eventually led to a sense of self in humans.

A) plans
B) time
C) source
D) space

Question 18

The nervous system of nocturnal mammals encouraged the evolution of _____, which later evolved into humans' ability to create internal representations of external events.

A) consciousness
B) gray matter
C) mental images
D) spatial maps

Question 19

If a particular characteristic was present in the ancestors of the group under study, it is called a _____ characteristic; if, on the other hand, the characteristic has evolved in the group under study, it is called a _____ characteristic.

A) hierarchical, integrated
B) homologous, analogous
C) inherited, acquired
D) primitive, derived

Question 20

Humans today share a number of characteristics with sea mammals. Which of the following is NOT one such characteristic?

A) chubby babies
B) considerable body hair
C) subcutaneous body fat
D) voluntary control of breathing

Question 21

If an observed similarity between two species is due to a shared evolutionary history, it is called a _____ similarity.

Question 22

The third level of the triune brain is the _____ brain, which includes the neocortex and thalamic structures; this level is generally associated with problem solving, executive control, and an orientation toward the external world with an emphasis on linguistic functions.

Question 23

The frequencies of light that our visual system is most sensitive to are those that are least affected when they pass through

A) air.
B) space.
C) time.
D) water.

Question 24

Hughling Jackson proposed that over evolutionary time human brains have developed more general-purpose processing systems without replacing the earlier special-purpose processing mechanisms. This principle is known as _____.

Question 25

As a general rule, you can say that _____ matter is involved in the processing of information, whereas _____ matter is involved in moving information from one area of the brain to another.

A) cortical, subcortical
B) gray, white
C) subcortical, cortical
D) white, gray

Question 26

In tracing the development of primitive characteristics, Darwin reminds us to consider primitive and specialized characteristics as a _____ rather than a direct and single line, keeping in mind that different species have unique histories of evolution.

Question 27

The _____, or R-complex, which includes the brain stem and cerebellum, processes major life requirements such as breathing, temperature regulation, and sleep cycles as well as fairly structured behavioral patterns such as territoriality, courtship and hunting.

Question 28

Hughling Jackson proposed that higher-level brain structures, which evolved later than the reflexive ones, serve the purpose of inhibiting and modulating these basic reflexes. This principle is known as ______.

Question 29

Part of the limbic system, the _____, receives input from areas of the cortex involved in facial expression; damage in this area results in the lack of ability to detect emotional expressions, even though the person can identify the face.

A) amygdala
B) cerebellum
C) cingulate
D) hippocampus

Question 30

_____ is the preferred term in referring to the ancestral species related to humans because it is more precise.

A) Hominid
B) Hominin
C) Human
D) Humanoid

Question 31

Homo habilis lived from 2.4 to 1.6 million years ago; it was given the name "handyman" because it

A) could grasp with its hands.
B) had five fingers on each hand.
C) no longer had opposable big toes.
D) seem to have used tools.

Question 32

The task of sensory systems is to derive meaning from _____ in the external world.

A) actions
B) energy
C) images
D) matter

Question 33

The _____ includes regions devoted to sensory and motor processing and higher cognitive processes; it both sends and receives information from different areas within itself and to and from subcortical structures.

Question 34

_____ are made up of fats and proteins, and they wrap around axons like insulation does around electrical cables, resulting in increased speed of information transmission.

Question 35

Although humans do not have the largest brain in either absolute or relative terms, they do have the largest number of _____ neurons.

A) cingulate
B) cortical
C) motor
D) sensory

Question 36

In the case of humans, evolution has had to make a trade off between the requirement of walking upright and the development of a large brain; as a result, human infants need more _____ than other primate infants.

A) instincts
B) nutrition
C) stimulation
D) support

Question 37

_____ is the name given to a condition in which individuals report an inability to see objects but can accurately "guess" the location of the object; this condition is generally found in people who have had brain damage.

Question 38

As primates evolved, there has been a shift from reliance on the _____ system to reliance on the _____ system.

A) auditory, olfactory
B) olfactory, visual
C) vestibular, auditory
D) visual, vestibular

Question 39

The _____ includes the hippocampus, olfactory cortex, and other related areas; one of its main features is that it does not have the six-layered structure of the neocortex.

Question 40

MacLean suggested that our current brain can be viewed as having the features of three basic evolutionary formations--reptiles, early mammals, and recent mammals. This formulation, which is referred to as the _____ brain, suggests that our brains can process a variety of information in three somewhat independent ways.

Question 41

Discuss hominin evolution.

Question 42

The _____ model suggests that the brain contains a number of modules devoted to specific tasks; thus, there would be a module for language, a module for spatial abilities, and so forth

Question 43

Discuss the factors that drove the evolution of larger brains in mammals. What is the relationship between brain size and intelligence?

Question 44

Discuss MacLean's model of the triune brain in terms of both function and evolutionary history.

Question 45

Researchers have found that absolute brain size is not a good predictor of mental abilities; rather, we need to consider brain weight in relation to body weight, a measure known as the _____.

Question 46

The front of the brain is referred to as _____.

Question 47

When a similarity between two species is due to an independent evolutionary history, this is called _____ similarity; bat wings and bird wings are an example.

Question 48

According to Humphrey, there is a dynamic tension in social groups that leads to both cooperation and competition. As individuals seek both to preserve the overall structure of the group and outmaneuver others within in, the intelligence of the species increases over evolutionary time. This ideas is known as the _____ hypothesis.

Question 49

The depressions or fissures on the surface of the brain are called _____.

Question 50

Even without an external task to perform, our mind is constantly working. It jumps from one thought to another. William James called this process the _____.

Question 51

Studies on "split brain" patients have demonstrated that the left side of the brain is involved in language processing and other serial tasks while the right side of the brain is involved in spatial tasks and other global processes; this division of labor is known as _____.

Question 52

When we are watching someone perform a task, there are neurons in specific areas of our brain that fire as if we were performing the task ourselves; these are called _____ and may be involved in observational learning as well as the development of an understanding of others.

Question 53

Discuss Hughling Jackson's two principles, hierarchical integration and encephalization. What are the implications of these for modern humans?

Question 54

Compare and contrast the mental module model with the alternative to the mental module model. In what sense do they make similar predictions?