Transformation Through Time
List at least 3 conclusions to come out of the enlightenment.
1. Laws of Nature
2. Uniformitarian Thesis
3. The world was not created for conscious purposes
4. Man is a recent development
5. Morality only exists in human society, not nature
True and False: Cronk would say that the elongation of the female lifespan is associated with secondary childcare, such as grandmothers.
True
What is the key concept(s)?
Culture is fundamental to understanding human behavior.
Culture causes behavior by causing changes in our biology.
What is the Key Concept(s)?
- Mothers are naturally nurturing
- Maternal love can be discriminatory and selective
- Social, cultural, and economic factors played a key role in how mothers assessed the viability of their children
What are the two main aspects of Weber’s “Rationality of culture”?
The declining authority of tradition & examining beliefs according to universalistic standards.
With a few exceptions most human behavioral ecologists subscribe to the _____ thesis.
Weak Sociobiological Thesis
How would Richerson & Boyd define culture?
Culture is information capable of affecting individuals’ phenotype which they acquire from other conspecifics by teaching or imitation
What were some cultural adaptations to the problem of abandoned children and high child mortality rates?
In Rome, abandoned infants were "recycled" into slaves, prostitutes, and replacement children
In Brazil, mothers refused to breastfeed their children if their chances of survival were already low
In 15th century Florence, wet nurses were expected to use an arcutio to prevent overlaying
In several European countries, foundling homes were created to rear abandoned children
What do you think Marx & Engels could view as an evolved social relation of production?
Marx & Engels would view communism as an evolved social relation of production.
What is a criticism of Behavioral Ecology?
Naturalistic fallacy, what is is not, what ought to be.
How would you define behavior based on the ideas expressed by Richerson and Boyd?
The physical response to your biology and environment
Why did early theologians warn Christians to avoid brothels for fear of committing incest?
The rate of abandoned children was very high in Western Europe, and many of them were taken in and reared in brothels
How does wealth affect fitness in a Darwinian sense?
Essentially the wealthy have more opportunities and access...Thus they survive.
What would in Human Behavioral Ecology, the two kinds of effort be?
Somatic & Reproductive. Give examples.
Your behavior is a result of your biology and environment. What 2 hormones elevate when a person is in a conflict?
Cortisol and testosterone
What is the best predictor of effective mothering according to Sarah Blaffer?
Age
“Older women describe motherhood as more meaningful, are more likely to sacrifice themselves on behalf of a needy child, and mourn lost pregnancies more than do younger women - presumably because the latter see more opportunities to conceive again”
According to Irons how does culture affect biological success?
Culture exists in order to provide biological success to those with cultural success.
According to Lee Cronk, what was the reason the Mukogodo males were looked at as low status by the Maasai-speakers?
The Mukogodo lived in caves as foragers, gave beehives as bride wealth while the Maasai-speakers were pastoralists.
True or False: Culture is a derived trait and could not evolve without the development of the human brain. Explain why.
True with provided explanation
What are some pieces of evidence that the concept of maternal love has changed over time?
Good mothering is a recent cultural invention
Infant abandonment has happened in recorded history for millennia
Social and scientific revolutions over time have allowed for decreased infant mortality rates, encouraging connection between mother and child