What is an "adaptive problem"?
A. Design of brain = solution to a "problem" in evolutionary history l "Problem" = how to best exploit a regularity in the environment
B. Dependent on species niche
C. Dung flies love dung! We don't. l Same problem (how to exploit the presence of dung?) l
Do humans have more or fewer instincts than other animals?
W. James and ev psych view:
A. Animals have 'em We have MORE of 'em (so we can do more!)
B. "Instincts" handle the problems we find EASY l SO easy we forget they need to be explained
What do evolutionary psychologists mean by "reliably developing" or "organized in
advance of experience"?
Innate"
If given normal circumstances, it will arise, at least eventually.
A function that a module CAN do, but wasn't DESIGNED BY NATURAL SELECTION
to do, is called what?
DOMAIN GENERAL
When a module is doing what it was designed by natural selection to do, does our
conscious mind usually PERCEIVE the very complex task as difficult or easy?
Nope perceives it as very easy
Do we have many or few mechanisms in the brain? Are they domain general or
domain specific?
WE HAVE A TON OF MECHANISMS
They are domain specific
In terms of both ease and accuracy, how does a Wason selection task that is put in
terms of unspecified variables (for example, "If P, then Q"), compare to a Wason
selection task that is put in terms of a social contract ("If you enter the museum, you
mus
Social contracts are easier for us to understand than non specific variables. We use precautionary reasoning and selective impairment.
This is domain specific social cognition
We have very good CHEATER DETECTION
Natural selection cannot select one information-processing mechanism over another
unless the mechanism results in WHAT? (The answer is not reproductive success.
This is a more proximate phenomenon relative to cognitive mechanisms.)
A mechanism is a way it is because it has a history of enhancing fitness with this information (Behavior makes you more fit)
What does the term "SSSM" stand for?
Standard Social Science Model
According to the SSSM (which is argued as being "wrong" in this class), the brain is
made up of domain- _____________ mechanisms.
domain-general mechanisms
Imagine a module that is functioning, as designed, to solve the adaptive problem
responsible for the module's existence in the first place. It is said to be operating in
its _______________ domain.
specific domain
.Behavior genetics is a field of study that is interested in this concept: "The amount of
VARIATION between people that is due to GENETIC DIFFERENCES". What is this
concept called? (I'm looking for one word.)
heritability
What is the word for the idea that ALL connections are as easy to make as all other
connections?
Equipotentiality
In an argument with a friend, you accuse them of believing in a "homunculus". What
have you just said your friend believes in?
Homunculus is that little man/monkey thing in our brain that is watching our life like a movie
The problem of consciousness is intuitively solved by thinking of a holistic (or
"whole") person that is just a part of the larger organism. Give me a SHORT essay
explanation for why this is impossible.
We have modules that are functionally separate and don't share information with each other. The default is DISconnection because if everything was connected, it would take too much energy. Consciousness is only one module so it only knows what it needs to
. Know some things that are true about cognitive modules:
3.1. They aren't necessarily localized
3.2. They are distinguishable by function
3.3. They share only specific information with specific other modules
3.4. They apply to everything, not just to sen
...
Under what circumstances will a module share information with another module (for
instance, with the module for "consciousness"?)
Modules can share information when it comes to making decisions or acting on behavior impulses
(T/F) Consciousness is special in that it does NOT seem to have a function.
False, Consciousness is special in that it does NOT seem to have a function.
(T/F) Consciousness is the central information processing center, to which all other
areas of the brain report.
False, the consciousness is not the center of all information
(T/F) Unprompted, spontaneous decision making originates in consciousness.
False, Consciousness is the central information processing center, to which all other areas of the brain report.
Brief essay: One of the interesting findings regarding the centrality of consciousness
(or awareness) was associated with a series of experiments by Benjamin Libet, one
of which was described in some detail by Kurzban and Ze Frank. Describe to me
(briefly
There were 2 events that were time stamped: the brain activity associated with the wrist movement (1), and the awareness of the decision to move the wrist (2). 1 always came before 2. A decision can NOT come before the brain activity - it is not driven by
Experimenters asked people to make decisions regarding punishment under 1)
conditions where the punishable behavior was tied to brain activity, and b) conditions
under which it was not. Most people tended to give answers that reflected what way
of seeing
conditions that were tied to brain activity, due to evidence being present. People who received a brain scan received a lighter sentence
If the brain were a government administration, what would be the best description of
the role of "consciousness"?
The press secretary, the function of the consciousness is to share information
Pick out a true statement regarding the kind (and amount) of information that
consciousness has access to.
Consciousness does what it is told but doesn't know why (ie moral dumbfounding). It doesn't have access to all information because it doesn't need to.
What is "moral dumbfounding"?
When people's beliefs prove to have no logic or are inconsistent and you point this out to them and they still believe it
According to Daniel Dennett, what practical advantage might there be to thinking of
other people as having a centralized "self"? That is, what might we be able to do well
if we think of others this way?
Efficiency in predicting behavior
What is the word for information stored in the brain, which can potentially be in
different formats if it's in different parts of the brain?
Representation
Jared does not think of himself as sexist, and his behavior is admirable in as much as
he treats everyone with respect and equality. Nevertheless, during an Implicit
Association Test, it becomes clear that he associates men with science and
engineering an
YOU DON'T HAVE TO CHOOSE BETWEEN THE "PARTS" OF YOURSELF, YOU CAN ACCESS THEM AT DIFFERENT TIMES
l Different representations in different systems, access in different ways under different circumstances � None intrinsically more "authentic