- Natural Selection
- Architecture of the cerebral cortex
- Functional organization of the brain
- Kaas revised
- DNA structure
- Ethology and Neuroethology
- Sociobiology
- Evolutionary Psychology
Assumptions and Aims of Comparative Neuroscience
- Assumptions
- all behavior in all animals is generated by the nervous system
- brains evolve therefore behavior evolves
- we can gain insight just by studying animals
- Aims
- roots: history of brain and behavior
- rules: how did it change?
- relevance: generalizability
The Comparative Approach
Homology: the retention of a structure, behavior or gene from a common ancestor.
Convergent evolution: similar structures with similar functions can arise independently in different lineages
Out group comparison: phylogenetic relationships among animals
Adaptation and the Brain
Our behaviors are adapted to a simpler life. People are better at detecting some thing immoral rather than a simple logical task. Spatial abilities cary according to sex.
Evolutionary Insights into Human Brain Organizations
Many believe that bigger brains are better, but this appears to not be true. Human brains are larger because they need more problem solving capacity.
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