PSYB65H3 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: Piriform Cortex, Pituitary Gland, James Papez
Document Summary
2. 1 evolution of brain size and human behaviour. Compared with other mammals, primates have evolved larger brains that would be predicted from their body size. Within the primates, humans have much larger brains than rhesus monkeys or chimpanzees. Monkey brain eq 2. 0, human brain eq. After factoring in relative sizes of brain and body measured by encephalization quotient (eq), human brain is huge. Increases in relative brain size are associated with increases in behavioural complexity and mental capacity. Humans have language capacity that requires lots of brainpower and is fundamental to understanding human brain organization. Richard passingham argued that communication by language leads to a novel form of understanding of the world around us and in the way that we think, reflect on our own thoughts, and imagine. The capacity to talk to others and to ourselves has changed the nature of our mental life relative to that of other mammals.
