BIO A 208 Exam 1 with answers
What are the three criteria of a good scientific explanation? - correct answer -Falsifiable predictions,
replicability, parsimony
Define proximate explanations - correct answer -During the organism's life -- anatomical/physiological --
"how"
Define ultimate explanations - correct answer -evolutionary -- functional/historical -- "why"
What are the ways one can test ultimate explanations? - correct answer -Correlation and Experimental
Manipulation
Where is the nature and nurture dichotomy useful? - correct answer -In dealing with MEASURABLE
components (ex: heigh, weight)
What is the blank slate view? - correct answer -That the human mind is "a general purpose learning
machine, capable of acquiring whatever information to which it was exposed"
Define Heritability - correct answer -the proportion of total phenotypic variability observed for a given
trait that can be ascribed to genetic factors
Why is heritability important? - correct answer -It shows how different just one trait can be within
individuals based on genetics.
What is evolution - correct answer -A change in the genetic structure of a population. The term is also
frequently used to refer to the appearance of a new species.
What are the four forces of evolution? - correct answer -Mutation, Genetic Drift, Migration, Natural
Selection
Define mutation - correct answer -The ultimate source of all genetic variation
, Define migration - correct answer -Individuals of any species moving around and sharing genes among
populations.
Define genetic drift - correct answer -Random population change overtime;bottleneck; founder effect
Define Natural Selection - correct answer -Non-random population change overtime.
What are the prerequisites for evolution by natural selection? - correct answer -Variation, differential
reproduction, heritability
What are the factors that govern the rate of evolution by natural selection? - correct answer -Strength
of association between variation and reproductive differences, Heritability, Generation time
How does heritability affect the rate of evolution? - correct answer -The higher the heritability, the
faster the rate.
What are the three constraints on perfection. - correct answer -Cost, Variation (chooses only from
available choices), Time (organisms adapt to ancestral environments)
Define obligate adaptions - correct answer -Traits that are not affected by the environment
Define facultative adaptions - correct answer -Trait changes in relation to environmental variable
Facultative adaptions have _______ heritability - correct answer -low
what is mental modularity? - correct answer -The thought that the mind is a collection of facultative
adaptions.
What are the three levels of selection? - correct answer -gene, individual, group
What are the three criteria of a good scientific explanation? - correct answer -Falsifiable predictions,
replicability, parsimony
Define proximate explanations - correct answer -During the organism's life -- anatomical/physiological --
"how"
Define ultimate explanations - correct answer -evolutionary -- functional/historical -- "why"
What are the ways one can test ultimate explanations? - correct answer -Correlation and Experimental
Manipulation
Where is the nature and nurture dichotomy useful? - correct answer -In dealing with MEASURABLE
components (ex: heigh, weight)
What is the blank slate view? - correct answer -That the human mind is "a general purpose learning
machine, capable of acquiring whatever information to which it was exposed"
Define Heritability - correct answer -the proportion of total phenotypic variability observed for a given
trait that can be ascribed to genetic factors
Why is heritability important? - correct answer -It shows how different just one trait can be within
individuals based on genetics.
What is evolution - correct answer -A change in the genetic structure of a population. The term is also
frequently used to refer to the appearance of a new species.
What are the four forces of evolution? - correct answer -Mutation, Genetic Drift, Migration, Natural
Selection
Define mutation - correct answer -The ultimate source of all genetic variation
, Define migration - correct answer -Individuals of any species moving around and sharing genes among
populations.
Define genetic drift - correct answer -Random population change overtime;bottleneck; founder effect
Define Natural Selection - correct answer -Non-random population change overtime.
What are the prerequisites for evolution by natural selection? - correct answer -Variation, differential
reproduction, heritability
What are the factors that govern the rate of evolution by natural selection? - correct answer -Strength
of association between variation and reproductive differences, Heritability, Generation time
How does heritability affect the rate of evolution? - correct answer -The higher the heritability, the
faster the rate.
What are the three constraints on perfection. - correct answer -Cost, Variation (chooses only from
available choices), Time (organisms adapt to ancestral environments)
Define obligate adaptions - correct answer -Traits that are not affected by the environment
Define facultative adaptions - correct answer -Trait changes in relation to environmental variable
Facultative adaptions have _______ heritability - correct answer -low
what is mental modularity? - correct answer -The thought that the mind is a collection of facultative
adaptions.
What are the three levels of selection? - correct answer -gene, individual, group
