Question 1

The goal of evolutionary psychology is to understand the human mind and brain mechanisms over time in living organisms.

Accepted Answer

Evolutionary psychology aims to explain how the human mind and brain have evolved through natural selection and adaptation to better understand human behavior and thought processes.

Question 2

Imagine a species of finch living on a remote island where their food supply is abundant,with no chance of depletion.According to Darwin's theory of natural selection,the beak of this finch is likely to get smaller across generations.

Accepted Answer

According to Darwin's theory of natural selection, traits that are advantageous in a particular environment are more likely to be passed on to future generations. In this scenario, if the finches on the island have an abundant food supply, there may be no pressure for the beak size to change. It is possible that the beak size may remain stable or even increase, if the available food requires adaptations for larger or stronger beaks. Therefore, it is not safe to assume that the beak of this finch would get smaller across generations.

Question 3

Brian has a phobia of balloons.He can't tolerate the squeaky sound of the rubber of balloons.If he is near a balloon,all he can think about is the panic he'll feel when the balloon pops.According to Dominic Murphy,what is the most likely cause of Brian's phobia?

Accepted Answer

Brian's fear of balloons is most likely a result of conditioning, where he has associated the sound of a balloon popping with danger or panic. This could have been initiated by a past traumatic event or reinforced through frequent exposure to balloons and their subsequent popping. The other options, such as evolutionary history, genetics, or a biological sensitivity to loud noises, are not as applicable in this specific case.

Question 4

Suppose that female rabbits suddenly develop a strong preference for males with white fur.Over generations,fur colour would become whiter as a result of male-male competition.

Accepted Answer

The change in fur color would result from sexual selection due to female preference, not male-male competition.

Question 5

Marcy often engages in gossip when she is with her two best friends,but she is much less compelled to gossip when she is with a larger group of her classmates that she doesn't know as well.Which theory best explains this scenario?

Accepted Answer

The social gossip hypothesis suggests that gossip is used to build and maintain social bonds within close-knit groups. Marcy's behavior of engaging in gossip with her two best friends but being less inclined to do so with a larger group of less familiar classmates aligns with this hypothesis.

Question 6

Paulina is so fearful of snakes that it affects her daily life.She has to be careful what books she reads or movies she watches,because the presence of a snake induces an uncomfortable fearful response.Which term best characterizes Paulina's behaviour?

Accepted Answer

Paulina's fear of snakes is a phobia, as it is an irrational and excessive fear of a specific object or situation that significantly impacts her daily life. Paranoid behavior involves a general distrust of others and suspicion without a specific trigger, generalized anxiety involves excessive and pervasive worry about multiple areas of life, and obsessive-compulsive behavior involves having uncontrollable thoughts or urges and engaging in repetitive behaviors to alleviate anxiety.

Question 7

Individuals suffering from Alzheimer's disease have severe memory deficits,but can often sing along with old songs on the radio.According to Cuddy and Duffin (2005),which statement about music and memory can be made?

Accepted Answer

Research has shown that individuals with Alzheimer's disease often retain musical memory, even in the later stages of the disease. This can be explained by the fact that music interacts with various areas of the brain, including those responsible for emotion and motor function, leading to better retention of musical memory.

Question 8

Charles Darwin wrote The Origin of Species.

Accepted Answer

This is true. Charles Darwin published "The Origin of Species" in 1859, which introduced the concept of natural selection as a mechanism for evolution.

Question 9

According to Andrew Elliot and colleagues (2007),what could hinder one's performance on an exam?

Accepted Answer

Andrew Elliot and colleagues (2007) found that the color red can negatively affect performance on tests, as it is associated with danger and failure, potentially causing anxiety and distraction.

Question 10

What happened when Mineka and colleagues presented monkeys with a video of a monkey recoiling at the sight of a flower?

Accepted Answer

When Mineka and colleagues presented monkeys with a video of a monkey recoiling at the sight of a flower, the monkeys did not develop a fear of flowers. This suggests that observational learning alone may not be enough to create a fear response in monkeys.

Question 11

According to Levitin's research,where in the brain is music processed?

Accepted Answer

Levitin's research suggests that music is processed throughout the brain, involving multiple areas such as the auditory cortex, motor cortex, and frontal lobes. While there may be some specialization in certain areas (e.g. the right hemisphere tends to be more involved in processing melody and rhythm), overall music perception and production involves a distributed network of brain regions.

Question 12

Which term best describes the inability to recognize or identify different tunes?

Accepted Answer

Amusia is the term used to describe the inability to recognize different tunes or to distinguish between different musical pitches. Anosmia refers to the inability to perceive smells, anti-musicality is not a recognized medical term, and tone deafness is often used colloquially to describe someone who sings off-key, but it does not necessarily refer specifically to the inability to recognize tunes.

Question 13

Jason is reading an article titled "Language as a Side Effect of Brain Growth".Who is the most likely author of this article?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Jason is reading an article titled "Language...

Question 14

Which author referred to music as "auditory cheesecake"?

Accepted Answer

Steven Pinker referred to music as "auditory cheesecake" in his book "How the Mind Works". He used this analogy to describe how music, like cheesecake, is a pleasurable experience but not necessary for survival.

Question 15

Greg is so happy that Lisa agreed to marry him.Now he can publically announce their engagement to all the other individuals who were courting Lisa,and this should help prevent them from continuing to court her.According to Terrance Deacon,which hypothesis best explains Greg's beliefs?

Accepted Answer

The social contract hypothesis suggests that individuals form agreements or contracts with each other in order to prevent conflict over resources or mating opportunities. In this case, Greg may believe that by publicly announcing his engagement to Lisa, he is entering into a social contract with others who were interested in Lisa, effectively preventing them from continuing to court her.

Question 16

Lia and Juan are discussing the history of drug use.Lia makes the claim that humans have used drugs for a very long time,as there is archaeological evidence for this.Given that Juan has accurately grasped the information in the text,what response is Juan most likely to make?

Accepted Answer

Sullivan and Hagen (2001) discuss the evolutionary aspects of drug use, which supports the idea that humans have used drugs for a long time, aligning with Lia's claim.

Question 17

In the Stone Age,a father-son pair was hunting together for the first time.The father was able to tell his son how to use the weapon,how to track the prey,and how to launch their attack.What aspect of this scenario is the greatest evolutionary advantage conferred on early humans?

Accepted Answer

The ability to communicate and pass on knowledge and information through language is the greatest evolutionary advantage that early humans possessed. This allowed them to work together, teach and learn from each other, and pass on information from generation to generation, leading to the development of more complex technologies and social structures. The father-son pair in the scenario highlights the importance of language in learning and sharing knowledge about hunting and survival.

Question 18

Stephanie is reading an article titled "Language as a By-Product of Brain Growth".Who was the most likely author of this article?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Stephanie is reading an article titled "Language...

Question 19

What researcher argued that language evolved to facilitate social cohesion among small groups?

Accepted Answer

Robin Dunbar developed the social brain hypothesis, which proposes that language evolved specifically to allow for social bonding and cooperation within small groups. Dunbar suggests that language allowed for more efficient and nuanced communication within these groups, leading to increased social cohesion and cooperation, which in turn conferred evolutionary advantages.

Question 20

Grace had known her husband as an acquaintance for years,but they had never spoken,other than saying "hi".One night they ended up talking for a very long time and began to see each other in a romantic way.This scenario is consistent with which theory on the development of language?

Accepted Answer

The scenario described is consistent with the theory that language may have been used as a screening tool for mate selection. Grace and her husband started talking and communicating, which led to them seeing each other in a romantic way. This suggests that language played a role in their mate selection process. The other options, such as the social contract hypothesis and social gossip hypothesis, are not as applicable to this scenario. Option D might be partially applicable, but the emphasis is not on repeated exposure to one individual, but rather on the use of language in the interaction.

Quiz 3: A: Evolutionary Psychology