Converging Operations: Using multiple approaches to address a single question – using each approach’s

strengths where the other approaches are weak

Scientific Inference: Empirical method that scientists use to study the unobservable – measure what can
be observed and use those as a basis for inferring what can’t be observed

Critical Thinking: Ability to evaluate scientific claims by identifying potential omissions or weaknesses in
the evidence

Morgan’s canon = Occam’s razor

Dichotomy: division or contrast between two things that are represented as being opposed or entirely
different

False Dichotomy: apparent dichotomy between two things that are not truly opposed or entirely
difference

Descartes – believed that reflexed were produced physically through a hydraulics like ‘flowing of animal
spirits through valvules’, rational decision making not physical

Monism: belief that mind is not separate from the brain

Ethology: study of animal behaviours in their natural setting

Fixed Action Patterns: stereotypic behavioural sequences an animal follows after being triggered by a
well defined stimulus, does not require previous learning

Watson – father of behaviourism

Asomatognosia: lack of awareness of parts of one’s own body, typically associated with left side of the
body and damage to the right parietal lobe

Sensitive period: optimal period shortly after birth when an organism’s exposure to certain stimuli or
experiences produces proper development

Imprinting: process by which animals form attachments during critical periods, evidence that cognitive
mechanisms and not necessarily traits and behaviours that are inherited

Early evolutionary ideas focused on structures and not less visible processes

Natural Selection – needs variation, inheritance, selection

Sexual selection: principle that inherited traits that lead to successful mating will be passed on to
succeeding generations

Evolution misconceptions:

1. Evolution is not linear

2. Humans have only existed for a brief 270000 years
3. Rapid evolutionary changes can and do occur
4. Under 1% of all known species are still in existence
5. Evolution does not necessarily result in perfection – not goal oriented

Adaptations have to overcome problems of reliability, efficiency, economy – improbable usefulness

6. Not all existing behaviours or structures are adaptive – spandrels: incidental non-adaptive
byproducts
7. Not all existing adaptive characteristics initially performed their current functions – exaptations:
evolved to doing one thing but now do something else
8. Similarities not necessarily homologous – convergent evolution: unrelated species evolved
similar solution to similar problems
9. Homo sapiens mated with other homo species in Africa and as they migrated out of Africa

Relative size of brain regions more important than total brain size for intelligence

Dichotomous traits: occur in one form or another, never in combination

True-breeding lines: breeding lines in which interbred members produce offspring with the same trait,
generation after generation

Karyotype: number and visual appearance of all chromosomes in an organism

Epigenetics: study of all mechanisms of inheritance other than the genetic code and its inheritance

PKU – single gene metabolic disorder, absence of phenylalanine hydroxylase, 1/100 Europeans carrier