anth ch 15

Why are anthropologists so intent on studying the food-gathering practices of hunter-gatherer societies?

Humans have been foragers since the rise our species, and before our species arose, other animals of the homo genus were foragers. Anthropologists think that our brains are evolutionarily designed to experience life in foraging societies

Which of the following explains what bridewealth is, as in the Kipsigis example?

It is valuable goods and/or payment given to a bride's family at marriage

First-cousin marriages are legal in many states. What is the anthropological explanation for this?

It seems to be in our genes to avoid inbreeding because we do not want to increase the chance of passing on deleterious alleles; but culturally, the definition of inbreeding or incest differs

In Taiwanese minor marriages, which of the following statements regarding the divorce rate is true?

It was higher if the girl was adopted before the age of 1

According to one theory, cultural rules are all that prevent widespread incest from occurring. This theory can be disproved by evolutionary theory. Why?

The matings between close relatives are exceedingly rare among all primates

Many evolutionary psychologists imagine the environment of evolutionary adaptedness (EEA) for human beings to be _________

contemporary foraging societies

Which of the following statements would be made by someone who assumes that the nature-nurture debate is reputable?

correct: -Behaviors are either genetic or they are learned. -A dichotomy between genetic transmission and learning exists. -There is a clear distinction between genetic effects and environmental effects. false: -Genes and the environment interact with one another to create behaviors and traits.

Which of the following statements regarding how humans think and learn is true?

correct: -Evolutionary analysis helps us understand the development of the human brain. -Human societies share many universal mental mechanisms. false: -Human brains are designed to solve the problems that our very early scavenging ancestors faced. -Most learning strategies are very flexible and can be used to adapt any aspect of phenotype.

Which of the following statements regarding genetics and behavior is true?

correct: -Genetic determinism of behavior is inconsistent with the fact that most behavior is learned. -Evolution has shaped our behavior. false: -Most of the variation in our behavior has a genetic basis. -Culture and environment are the factors that influence behavior the least. -Evolutionary explanations of behavior imply genetic determinism.

Which of the following statements regarding people who grow up together and the incest taboo is true?

correct: -We have egocentric empathy with regard to incest among others. -Kibbutz age-mates did not generally marry others in the same peer group. -Adults tend not to be sexually involved with people with whom they grew up. false: -Minor marriages demonstrated that regardless of the age of the wife when adopted, these marriages never survive.

The table below shows men's and women's ranking of traits in regard to mate preference. Which of the following statements regarding the table is true?

correct: -Women are more interested in their potential mate's ambition level than men are in their potential mate's ambition level. -Men are more concerned with the health of their potential mate than are women. -Cross-culturally, mutual attraction is the most desirable trait in a potential mate. false: -Women care more than men about whether their partner has been chaste before marriage.

Which of the following statements regarding incest taboos is correct for all societies?

correct: -there are no human societies in which parent-offspring pairings regularly occur. false: -The marriage of an aunt and a nephew is forbidden. -Uncle-niece pairings are taboo. -First cousin marriages are forbidden.

Animals with complex neural systems, like mammals and birds, have a few general purpose learning mechanisms that allow them to learn a wide range of behaviors suited to a wide range of conditions.

false

Behavior is genetically determined.

false

Which of the following is a theoretical problem with the environment of evolutionary adaptedness (EEA)?

it is possible that significant and complex mental mechanisms evolved recently and thus cannot be excluded

According to the Buss study, both males and females rated ____________ above all other desired traits of a potential mate.

mutual attraction

Matings between unrelated individuals is considered_____________

outbred mating

The interaction between an individual's genes and the environment produces his or her _________

phenotype

What is the central misconception in the nature versus nurture debate?

that there is a clear distinction between the effects of the environment and the effects of genes on the phenotype

Behavioral traits and their expression are usually more sensitive to _______ than morphological traits are.

the environment

behavioral traits and their expression are usually more sensitive to ______________ than morphological traits are.

the environment

In humans, the offspring of closely related parents have lower fitness than the offspring of unrelated parents.

true

Organisms can develop different adaptive behaviors in different environments due to natural selection.

true

The study of the human brain, informed by evolutionary science, provides insight into how our brains are designed and how they work.

true

the younger a wife is when adopted, the lower her fertility rate

true