Anthropology 105: Questions on Chapters 1-5 of De Waal (2016) Are we smart enough to know how smart
Anthropology 105: Questions on Chapters 1-5 of De Waal (2016) Are we smart enough to know how smart animals are?
Due in class on November 2nd
Using the book, say something about (give a definition and/or example of) each of the following terms. What is the relevance of the term to understanding animals? If you use any external sources, you must cite them fully. It is fine to discuss this assignment with others or work in teams as long as you answer each part in your own words. Please type your responses.
1. Umwelt (page 6, 12)
2. Ecological Niche (6)
3. Behaviorism versus Ethology (27)
4. Instinct/innate behaviors (4,40)
5. Trial and error learning (56)
6. Operant conditioning (31)
7. Cognition (69)
8. Human exceptionalism/saltationist view versus evolutionary continuity/connection (13, 26, 43, 121-122)
9. Anthropomorphism versus anthropodenial (24 and 26)
10. Clever Hans Effect (45)
11. Anecdote (42, 67)
12. Homology versus analogy (75)
Fill in this table, to the best of your ability:
| Behavior or cognitive ability | Species described in book | Briefly describe the field observation, experiment or anecdote | Page numbers |
| Self-recognition or self-awareness | elephant, chimpanzee | A mark placed on a sleeping animal; animal sees mark in the mirror and touches it repeatedly | |
| Culture | Japanese Macaque | 51 | |
| Inferential reasoning | 54 | ||
| Face recognition | 70 | ||
| Tool Making | 77-83 |
Chapter 4: Language
1. Fill in this table, to the best of your ability:
| Species | Skill or phenomenon and how studied | Conclusion |
| African Grey Parrot (Alex) | Ability to add, symbolism | |
| Chimpanzee (Nim) | ||
| Gorilla (Koko) | ||
| Honeybees | Referential signaling – observation | |
| Bobobo (Kanzi) | ||
| Eli and Cali (dogs) | Brain activation via MRI |
2. What is Wernicke’s area and how does it support the position of evolutionary continuity?
3. What is the FoxP2 gene and how does it support the position of evolutionary continuity?
Chapter 5:
1. What is neo-creationism and why does De Waal object to it?
2. How does De Wall use the iceberg metaphor to explain evolutionary continuity (125)?
3. Read the paragraph on page 129 that begins “Methodology…” What might this suggest not only about testing other animals, but testing people (for example, K-12 students)?
4. What is theory of mind (ToM) (130)? How has it been studied (give some examples)? What have we learned?
5. What is one more interesting thing you learned from Chapter 5?
Complete this worksheet using the book 1) De Waal, Frans (2016) Are we smart enough to know how smart animals are? New York: W.W. Norton and Company Inc. (ISBN 978-0-393-24618-6)
Submit it in 4-6 hours
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