week 1

• What was the selective pressure for intellect in hominids?


  Learning and problem solving
• Why could ancestors of chimps and gorillas survive without high intellect?

  They lived in tropical forests with fewer pressures
• How did the environment of the savannah affect hominid evolution?

  It required adaptation to seasonal changes
• What solutions did hominids develop for survival in the savannah?

  • Scavenging softer tissues like offal
  • Use of fire for cooking meat
  • Establishing base camps for food collection
• What is the time frame for Homo habilis existence?

  1. 4-1.4 million years ago
• What were the characteristics of Homo habilis?


  Brain 50% size of modern human, primitive tools
• When did Homo erectus exist?


  1. 89 million-110,000 years ago
• What were the key features of Homo erectus?


  Brain 60-70% size of modern human, used fire
• What is the time frame for Homo neanderthalensis?


  400,000-40,000 years ago
• What were the characteristics of Homo neanderthalensis?


  Large brains, sophisticated tools, social structures
• When did Homo sapiens first appear?


  300,000 years ago to present
• What are key features of Homo sapiens?


  Specialized tools, transition to food production
• What does the archaeological record provide evidence for in hominid evolution?

  • Increasing brain size
  • Skills and abilities (fire, tools, camps)
  • Adaptation to changing environments
• What did Darwin state about human language?


  It is not a true instinct and must be learned
• What communication abilities do chimpanzees exhibit?

  30+ sounds, body language, facial expressions
• What did Savage-Rumbaugh demonstrate about chimps in the 1990s?

  Chimps could use sign language with syntax
• How might bipedalism have influenced language development?

  It may have led to anatomical changes for speech
• What are the adaptive advantages of language?

  • Warning of danger
  • Communicating hunting locations
  • Instructing tool-making
  • Promoting social structures
• How does innate language ability benefit survival?

  It allows communication and skill transmission
• What did Chomsky propose about language learning?

  Innate mechanisms and universal grammar exist
• What are examples of early language development?

  • Simple commands (help, stop)
  • Nouns for food and animals
  • Abstract concepts (today, yesterday)
• When did modern languages likely develop?

  40-35,000 years ago
• How did language likely evolve?

  • From basic communication methods
  • Anatomical changes from bipedalism
  • Slow evolution with proto-language stage
• What does evidence of tool use in non-human primates indicate?

  Pre-cursors for tool use were present in ancestors
• What archaeological evidence supports tool technology development?

  • Stone chopping tools (~2.5 million years ago)
  • Hand axes (~1.2 million years ago)
  • Standardized hand axes (~700,000 years ago)
• How does language play a role in developing technology?

  It enables complex cultural transmission of tools
• What does the archaeological record show about tool making?

  • Increasing complexity from 2.5 million years ago
  • Likely older than preserved evidence suggests
  • Complex tools indicate intelligence and planning
• What facilitated rapid cultural evolution in humans?

  Enhanced global communication
• What are the key points in the summary of human origins and cognitive abilities?

  • Adaptation to new environments
  • Innate mechanisms for language learning
  • Fast adaptation through cultural evolution
• What limitations exist in archaeological methodology?

  • No experiments can be conducted
  • Understanding is constantly revised