Deck 2: Culture and Nature

Question 1

According to evolutionary theory, the traits of which man should be most favored by natural selection?

A)Tom, who has one child, and dies when he is 100
B)Juan, who has two children, and dies when he is 50
C)Oded, who has four children, and dies when he is 25
D)There is no difference; the traits of all three men will be equally favored.

Answer 1

Oded, who has four children, and dies when he is 25

Question 2

Which statement about survival is most accurate?

A)Survival is based on individual fitness, not on situational constraints.
B)Survival depends totally on circumstances, not on individual fitness.
C)Survival depends in part on both individual fitness and on environmental circumstances.
D)Survival depends on gene mutation.

Answer 2

Survival depends in part on both individual fitness and on environmental circumstances.

Question 3

Charles Darwin, the biologist who proposed the theory of evolution, was ____.

A)American
B)British
C)Dutch
D)Australian

Answer 3

British

Question 4

If a child who was born a biological male were raised as a girl, what would most likely happen?

A)The child would probably grow up to be a lesbian.
B)The child would probably feel "different" from other girls throughout childhood and ultimately seek to live life as a male.
C)The child would actually most likely grow up to be a "normal" woman.
D)It is impossible to predict; there are no known "patterns."

Question 5

Suppose a child who was born a biological female were raised as a boy (given a male name, dressed in male clothes, etc.). Based on similar cases that have occurred in the past, it would be reasonable to expect that the child would ____.

A)grow up to be a "normal" man
B)feel and act "different" from childhood on
C)feel and act "different" starting in early adulthood
D)feel and act "different" in childhood but ultimately grow up to be a "normal" man

Question 6

Which of the following best describes "change" in the traits of living things?

A)Nature plans ahead and designs certain kinds of changes.
B)Nature allows for living things to remain essentially unchanged from one generation to the next.
C)Nature produces changes in living things that are essentially random.
D)Nature, through the process of reproduction, is guaranteed to produce predictable outcomes in the traits of offspring.

Question 7

Natural selection is best summed up by the phrase _____.

A)"the most advantageous genes will survive to subsequent generations"
B)"certain behaviors exist that are 'natural' "
C)"the most physically fit people will always survive the longest"
D)"if something is natural, then it's right"

Question 8

In evolutionary theory, the process of natural selection MOST favors the ____.

A)genes of people who are most physically fit
B)genes of people who reproduce the most
C)genes of people who survive the longest (even if they do not reproduce)
D)most unique (uncommon)genes in a population

Question 9

In social psychology, the "nature versus nurture" debate ____.

A)rages on with more fervor as more controversies arise about its essential premise
B)has largely died out; most social psychologists maintain that human behavior is shaped mostly by social forces
C)has largely died out; most social psychologists maintain that human behavior is shaped mostly by genetic forces
D)has been reframed; the debate now concerns how nature and nurture interact with one another and influence one another

Question 10

Psyche is defined as

A)the part of the mind outside of consciousness that performs simple operations.
B)an information-based system that includes shared ideas and common ways of doing things.
C)the physical world around us, including its laws and processes.
D)a broader term for mind, encompassing emotions, desires, perceptions, and all other psychological processes.

Question 11

Which factor do biologists emphasize as the MOST important to natural selection?

A)Survival
B)Mutation
C)Situation
D)Reproduction

Question 12

What is the most accurate statement regarding psychological processes?

A)They are mostly based on nature throughout a person's life.
B)They are based on a complex interaction between nature and culture throughout a person's life.
C)They are mostly based on nature in infancy and culture in childhood and adulthood.
D)They are mostly based on culture in infancy and childhood and nature in adulthood.

Question 13

Which statement is true regarding the phrase "survival of the fittest"?

A)The term survival refers to survival of genes in a population's gene pool.
B)The term fittest refers to the physical fitness of individual organisms.
C)The term fittest applies only to animals that do not have a division of labor.
D)The term fittest applies only to animals that do not have a culture.

Question 14

Reproductive success is defined by biologists as the ability to have ____.

A)offspring
B)multiple offspring
C)multiple offspring who survive
D)multiple offspring who also reproduce

Question 15

The case of Little Brenda, who was born a biological male but raised as a girl, illustrates that ____.

A)virtually all human behavior is determined by nature rather than culture
B)gender identity is almost completely based on upbringing rather than biology
C)socialization is a powerful force, but there are limits to how much it can influence people
D)as people age, nature becomes increasingly less important and nurture becomes increasingly more important

Question 16

The theory of evolution as proposed by Charles Darwin focuses on ____.

A)how change occurs in nature
B)how change occurs via nurture
C)reproduction
D)gene mutation

Question 17

Who coined the term survival of the fittest ?

A)Charles Darwin
B)Herbert Spencer
C)David Buss
D)Roy Baumeister

Question 18

Understanding what the human psyche is designed to do can help us to understand human behavior in the same way that ____.

A)reading a product manual can help us understand what a product will do, and how it will react when treated in different ways
B)reading a book report can help to shed light on, and elaborate upon, the ideas presented in a book
C)explaining an idea to someone else can help us to better understand the idea ourselves
D)determining the character of a person is largely based upon what kinds of friends that person has

Question 19

A researcher is working on a project that involves studying the psyche of people living in the largest slum in the world-Khayelitsha, Cape Town. She wants to understand their family dynamics, what they do for living, and what effect the unhygienic, cramped living space has on their mental and physical well-being. In this scenario, which of the following statements is true?

A)The researcher wants to see how people "act like animals" when under stress.
B)The researcher wants to understand the psyche of the people living in the slum.
C)The researcher wants to validate the theory of evolution proposed by Darwin.
D)The researcher wants to see how natural selection works in pathogen-infested areas.

Question 20

A characteristic that is innate ____.

A)results from the influence of environment
B)is often difficult to change
C)typically varies across cultures
D)is independent of genetics

Question 21

The downside of being social is that ____.

A)increasing the capacity of your brain is critical
B)achieving it is more difficult than leading a solitary life
C)having additional social support is cumbersome
D)resolving conflict is a constant necessity for harmony in the group

Question 22

Research on the brain sizes of various animals has indicated that a bigger brain size is MOST strongly linked to______.

A)larger and more complex social groups
B)the level of emotional intelligence
C)the life span of the animal
D)the animal's diet

Question 23

Charles Darwin proposed the theory of evolution, which focuses on how change occurs in nature, during the _____.

A)1700s
B)1800s
C)1600s
D)1900s

Question 24

Research on the brain sizes of different animals would suggest that after adjustment for differences in weight, domesticated cats have ____ than wild, pride-living lions.

A)smaller brains
B)larger brains
C)more developed right hemispheres
D)less developed left hemispheres

Question 25

Sickle cell disease is caused by a genetic mutation and, when untreated, may result in disability and early death. Researchers have detected that the mutation that causes sickle cell disease is associated with protection against malaria. As a result, you would expect to see sickle cell disease to____.

A)be eradicated as quickly as malaria is eradicated
B)occur predominantly in collectivist cultures that have historically low rates of malaria outbreaks
C)occur predominantly in individualist cultures that have historically high rates of malaria outbreaks
D)occur at higher rates in populations that have historically low rates of malaria outbreaks

Question 26

According to evolutionary theory, the main reason that males and females have different approaches when it comes to dating and mating is because ____.

A)males can have many more offspring than females in their lifetime, with minimal investment of time and energy per offspring
B)males are more visually-oriented than females
C)females are physically weaker and more prone to diseases, including sexually-transmitted diseases
D)females are naturally more nurturing and emotionally intelligent than males

Question 27

Which trait of a human baby would be most likely to be preserved for future generations during the process of natural selection?

A)A baby with sharp hearing
B)A baby with short limbs
C)A baby with webbed feet
D)A baby with thick body hair

Question 28

The term culture originally referred to ____.

A)the human propensity to seek connections with others
B)artistic and musical achievements
C)what a large group of people have in common
D)a system of farming

Question 29

Consider a mutation of the gene that determines female lifespan. The lifespan of a female with this mutation will change from 75 to 150 years. This mutation would ____.

A)definitely be passed on and increase over time in future generations
B)probably remain rare and not be passed on
C)possibly be passed on or not, depending on how it interacted with the woman's childbearing frequency
D)increase the number of sex partners the woman will want to have

Question 30

People with bigger social networks have been found to be bigger in some key brain parts, notably the ____.

A)hippocampus
B)orbital prefrontal cortex
C)primary somatosensory cortex
D)hindbrain

Question 31

Consider the research on the brain sizes of different animals. According to this research, after adjustment for differences in body weight, domesticated dogs should have ____ than wild, pack-living wolves.

A)larger frontal lobes
B)smaller hindbrains
C)larger brains in general
D)smaller brains in general

Question 32

Social animals need something akin to ____ to help them adjust to group life.

A)self-concept
B)self-control
C)self-esteem
D)self-awareness

Question 33

Joe is from a Baptist background. Sarah is from a Lutheran background. They are arguing about whether or not it is "right" to baptize infants into the Christian faith. Even though they disagree on infant baptism, their argument is based on their common belief that the Christian faith is truth. This feature that underlies their argument illustrates the element of _____.

A)culture as system
B)culture as shared ideas
C)culture as praxis
D)culture as information

Question 34

"Social brain theory" states that ____.

A)the human brain evolved to enable humans to have rich, complex social lives
B)the human brain evolved to allow humans to develop language
C)humans are born with access to a "collective unconscious" (certain types of cumulative social knowledge)
D)unlike the left and right hemispheres in the brains of other animals, the two hemispheres in the human brain are much more "social" (communicative)with one another

Question 35

According to evolutionary theory, men should generally be more interested in ____ than women.

A)short-term sexual relationships
B)same-sex sexual relationships
C)passing their genes down to future generations
D)same-sex friendships

Question 36

Which of the following statements about the theory of evolution is true?

A)Nature has the ability to plan ahead and design a certain kind of change.
B)Human beings and the great apes evolved from a common ancestor.
C)Each living thing lacks the drive to prolong life as it grows older.
D)An important feature of most living things is the need to be monogamous.

Question 37

Most of the explanations for human behavior ultimately relate to two basic ways of answering these fundamental questions: ____.

A)nature and nurture
B)genotype and phenotype
C)dominant and recessive transmission
D)culture and environment

Question 38

A mutation is a ____.

A)new gene or combination of genes
B)representation of the fittest genes in the current generation
C)genetic defect
D)change in genetic structure resulting from chemical exposure

Question 39

Seahorses show a reversal of the usual sex roles; male seahorses invest more time and energy into offspring than female seahorses do. What would an evolutionary psychologist be MOST likely to say about this?

A)The females are nonetheless probably still more interested in long-term, monogamous relationships than the males.
B)The females are nonetheless probably still more interested in having offspring than the males.
C)The males are probably even more interested (than males of other species)in finding a female mate who is physically attractive.
D)The males are probably less interested (than the males of other species)in having multiple sex partners.

Question 40

The human brain evolved to be larger than the brains of other animals because it allowed humans to ____.

A)evolve from a sustenance way of life to an agrarian way of life
B)domesticate and control other species that posed significant threats
C)have rich and complex interpersonal relationships
D)learn how to plant, harvest, and store food

Question 41

Research on cross-cultural differences in sexuality has found that sex manuals written thousands of years ago in China covered ____ techniques that one would find in a sex manual today.

A)almost exactly the same
B)very little, and did not discuss almost any of the
C)a great deal more than the relatively simple
D)completely different techniques than the

Question 42

The relative age effect best illustrates ____.

A)culture as praxis
B)culture as a system
C)culture as shared ideas
D)culture interacting with nature

Question 43

Unlike virtually all other animals, humans ____. ​

A)feel bad when they do not have enough to eat
B)develop strong aversions to any foods that have previously made them ill
C)will eat or not eat certain foods because of ideas
D)sometimes eat up to four or five times per day

Question 44

Money's relationship with human biology is BEST described as ____.

A)a financial "instinct"
B)one that is programmed into our DNA
C)an innately desirable commodity
D)a development too recent to have directly shaped human nature biologically

Question 45

Marlena works hard to earn as much money as she can but rarely spends it, not even for things that she really needs. Marlena's behavior exemplifies the analogy that money is like a(n)_____.

A)instinct
B)tool
C)drug
D)bank

Question 46

What is the best example of praxis in American culture?

A)Children sleeping in rooms separate from their parents
B)The increasing gap between the rich and the poor
C)The belief in freedom of religion
D) The intervention of the United States ("War on Terror")in Iraq

Question 47

Across all contemporary human cultures, ____.

A)homosexuality is looked upon with disapproval
B)sex outside of marriage is illegal
C)women are expected to be virgins when married
D)men desire more sexual partners than women

Question 48

What makes humans most unique from other animals is ____.

A)culture
B)communication
C)social bonding
D)division of labor

Question 49

Which of the following is an example of a French praxis?

A)The French flag
B)Drinking wine with dinner
C)Believing in ethnic assimilation
D)Close ties with other European nations

Question 50

Consider the many steps involved in how most people get their food in modern societies (e.g., steps involving everything from farms to factories to stores). This process is a good example of ____.

A)"the conscious override"
B)"the selfish gene"
C)"nature says go, culture says stop"
D)"putting people first"

Question 51

What was the conclusion of studies regarding monkeys and aspects of money?

A)Monkeys were unable to learn to deal with money in any fashion.
B)Monkeys had a rudimentary grasp of handling money.
C)Monkeys could use money with each other but never with humans.
D)Monkeys were capable of learning all aspects of money.

Question 52

The term praxis best describes ____.

A)cultural diversity
B)social hierarchies
C)practical ways of doing things
D)shared belief systems

Question 53

Vegetarianism is best described as an example of ____.

A)ideas, or culture, impacting human behavior
B)social, rather than cultural behavior
C)a genetic mutation
D)an American praxis

Question 54

Among animal species that are meat-eating, ____.

A)humans are the only species in which some individuals choose to be vegetarian
B)about 5% of the population of most species choose to be vegetarian
C)about 50% of the population of most species choose to be vegetarian
D)the tendency to follow a mostly vegetarian diet appears to be largely genetic

Question 55

What is the LEAST likely explanation for one's motivation to work in pursuit of money?

A)Money operates as a kind of tool to get what one wants. ​
B)Money is similar to a drug in that it is pleasurable for its own sake.
C)Money is an innate need ingrained in human nature since its existence.
D)Money helps people obtain things that they desire.

Question 56

Which of the following is the best example of a "social system"?

A)A network of computers that are all connected to each other
B)A classroom of students listening to a professor's lecture
C)A rainforest in which different species of plants and animals depend on each other
D)A building in which all the different forms of structural supports keep it standing

Question 57

Culture is best defined as ____, involving both ____ that allows people to live together and satisfy each other's needs.

A)an information-based system; shared ideas and praxis
B)an information-based system; morals and customs
C)a language-based system; praxis and laws
D)a language-based system; shared ideas and customs

Question 58

Molly was born in September, and the cutoff date for admission to kindergarten in her school district is being five years of age on August 1. Based on the relative age effect, Molly will MOST likely be one of the ____.

A)youngest in her class and therefore have an advantage
B)oldest in her class and therefore have an advantage
C)youngest in her class and therefore have a disadvantage
D)oldest in her class and therefore have a disadvantage

Question 59

Money has been part of human culture since ____.

A)the beginning of time
B)early civilizations
C)about 3,000 years ago
D)only the past few hundred years

Question 60

Kirk works hard to earn as much money as he can. He tries to be a good steward of his money, using it to buy a solid house for his family to live in, healthy food for them to eat, cars so they can get around town, and so forth. Kirk's approach to money is most consistent with the analogy of money as a(n)_____.

A)instinct
B)tool
C)drug
D)bank

Question 61

A professor of genetics is studying the family tree of a royal family to understand how diseases are transmitted from one generation to the next. She hopes to isolate the cause of a mysterious disease that afflicts the females of each generation. Which cultural activity is discussed in this scenario?

A)Research
B)Preservation
C)Praxis
D)Exchange

Question 62

Unlike social animals, cultural animals ____.

A)coordinate their actions to act together as a mass
B)copy things that they see each other doing
C)communicate with each other
D)may serve meals to total strangers

Question 63

Social animal is to cultural animal as ____ is to ____.

A)compromise; moral principles
B)law; aggression
C)aggression; compromise
D)moral principles; law

Question 64

Social animals will generally help ___.

A)anyone in need
B)relatives
C)other members of their community
D)total strangers

Question 65

Which of the following is a cultural act rather than just a social act?

A)A group of ants working together to carry a piece of watermelon across the street
B)A group of baby ducks imitating the walk of an older duck
C)Two dogs aggressively barking at one another
D)A group of citizens obeying the state's laws about littering

Question 66

In all contemporary human cultures, homosexual behavior is ____.

A)generally looked upon with disapproval
B)now accepted
C)viewed differently; in that, it is accepted in some cultures and not accepted in others
D)generally looked down upon for males, but sometimes tolerated or even encouraged for females

Question 67

When a tornado hit Joplin, Missouri, many people from all over the United States donated money and time to help the individuals in need due to that disaster. This tendency to help even total strangers illustrates the textbook's classification of humans as ____.

A)social animals
B)unconditionally generous
C)cultural animals
D)conflict-driven animals

Question 68

If biology measures success in terms of survival and reproduction, human culture ____.

A)has struggled over many years
B)has had some successes but an equal amount of failures
C)has had moderate success
D)has been very successful

Question 69

Which statement about the division of labor and the exchange of goods and services is true?

A)These concepts are, by and large, unique to humans.
B)All cultural animals and social animals incorporate these concepts.
C)All cultural animals, but only some social animals, incorporate these concepts.
D)Not all social animals naturally incorporate these concepts, but they can learn them through imitation.

Question 70

When it comes to conflict, social animals tend to use ____ to resolve conflict.

A)aggression
B)laws
C)moral codes
D)mediation

Question 71

Humans today still benefit from the famous invention of Alexander Graham Bell (the telephone). Even though Bell has been dead for decades, the basic technology he invented still exists, and modern telephone systems have built and elaborated upon his invention. What best describes this?

A)Generational division of labor
B)Network of trade and exchange
C)Praxis of creativity
D)Progress through preservation of knowledge

Question 72

Which of the following is evidence of the success of human culture in biological terms?

A)Humans have tripled their average lifespan largely by virtue of research.
B)Humans have been able to stop migration and locate in the most temperate geographic locations.
C)Humans have increased their happiness levels through higher levels of social cognition.
D)Humans have decreased their population to improve conditions for more of the population.

Question 73

Humans today still benefit from the famous invention of the Wright brothers (the airplane). Even though they have been dead for generations, their basic technology still lives on, and modern aircrafts have built and elaborated upon their invention. What best describes this?

A)Generational division of labor
B)Network of trade and exchange
C)Praxis of creativity
D)Progress through preservation of knowledge

Question 74

Collectivist cultures tend to be found in places where there are ____ pathogens; individualist cultures tend to be found in places where there are ____ pathogens.

A)many; few
B)few; many
C)few; few
D)many; many

Question 75

Which statement about communication is MOST accurate?

A)Non-human animals do not communicate with one another at all.
B)Non-human animals communicate with one another, but they do not naturally have anything approximating human language.
C)A few non-human animals have language in the same way that humans do, but most only communicate in very basic ways.
D)While no non-human animals naturally have language in the same way that humans do, a few are capable of learning human language as well as humans.

Question 76

Which of the following is one of the ways that cultural animals differ from social animals?

A)Only cultural animals help kin.
B)Only cultural animals can communicate with one another.
C)Only cultural animals live in large groups.
D)Only cultural animals have an elaborate division of labor.

Question 77

One of the things that sets culture apart, and is one of its major advantages, is ____.

A)progress-the ability to store and build upon the knowledge and achievements of previous generations
B)communication-the ability to convey thoughts and preferences, even if just in one-word utterances or grunts
C)coordination-the ability for organisms to act together in a unified, organized fashion
D)the ability for organisms to engage in mutually beneficial actions-even if these actions are just between two relatives of the same species

Question 78

Which statement is most accurate regarding communication?

A)Nonhuman species communicate visually and physically, but not aurally.
B)Nonhuman and human species communicate to relate past events.
C)All cultural animals use language to communicate.
D)Most social animals have a set of communication mechanisms that is as complex as human language.

Question 79

Humans are different from other animals in various ways. For example, unlike other animals, humans ____.

A)typically help next of kin in emergency situations
B)communicate about events or entities that are present in the moment
C)are able to form groups with multiple roles
D)prefer to take on one primary social role in their group

Question 80

In general, it would be most accurate to say that humans are ____, while other animals are ____.

A)social and cultural; just social
B)social and cultural; social and moral
C)just cultural; just moral
D)just cultural; social and cultural