USC Social Psychology (MWF 1:30-2:30 class)

[regnauld]

sir i already watch the video
part 1:YouTube - 1of5 -- Our Earliest Ancestors - Story of Evolution
part 2:YouTube - 2of5 -- Our Earliest Ancestors - Story of Evolution
part 3:YouTube - 3of5 -- Our Earliest Ancestors - Story of Evolution
part 4:YouTube - 4of5 -- Our Earliest Ancestors - Story of Evolution
part 5:YouTube - 5of5 -- Our Earliest Ancestors - Story of Evolution
REACTION:
Sir the video was so amazing now I got to understand the theory of the evolution of man. The researchers did a great job.It is really not that easy going to different places looking for fossils then putting together the parts especially the skull of the 1470 species of the ape with a big brain, and 3 million years Lucy the first believed human ancestor who walk with 2 legs but has only small brain.In my own opinion sir mas ni tuo ko that we really evolved in the species of the ape because of the other fossil na found out katong KENYANTRUPUS the flat face man(hope correct akong spelling) the first human ancestor fossil found in Kenya 3.5 million years after the time of LUCY.The evolution theory was believable,even before the human species was the only unique species that exist because we human are more intelligent than the animals.
Sir read unya akong mga post ha unya give me dayon sa akong points para makaflat one ko..heheh thanks daan sir..dli jud ta magkaabot ug OL at least im participating(willing to learn).

Ok 15 points for watching and another 10 points for your reaction!

[grace batisla-ong]

sir read sad unya akong post ha...

[grace batisla-ong]

yeheeyy TY sir...

[regnauld]

Late again. . But hope it still counts. . Hehe. .

The key idea in evolutionary psychology is that the human brain should be seen as a vast set of specialized units or “modules” adapted to the problems that our hunter-gatherer ancestors encountered in their environment (see sidebars).

In other words, instead of regarding the human brain as a machine that can learn anything, evolutionary psychologists see it more like a Swiss Army knife: a collection of various tools, each of which performs a specific function.
Naturally, evolutionary psychologists do recognize that all individuals develop their own personal preferences and abilities in the course of their lives. But according to evolutionary psychology, behind these personal attributes lie certain universal attitudes that are found in all cultures. This “human nature” is the result of the long process of hominization that has led to human beings as we now know them.



http://thebrain.mcgill.ca/flash/d/d_..._05_p_her.html


In a recent presentation of evolutionary psychology's theoretical tenets Tooby and Cosmides provide the following list (2005):

1. The brain is a computer designed by natural selection to extract information from the environment.
2. Individual human behavior is generated by this evolved computer in response to information it extracts from the environment. Understanding behavior requires articulating the cognitive programs that generate the behavior.
3. The cognitive programs of the human brain are adaptations. They exist because they produced behavior in our ancestors that enabled them to survive and reproduce.
4. The cognitive programs of the human brain may not be adaptive now; they were adaptive in ancestral environments.
5. Natural selection ensures that the brain is composed of many different special purpose programs and not a domain general architecture.
6. Describing the evolved computational architecture of our brains “allows a systematic understanding of cultural and social phenomena”

Source; Evolutionary Psychology (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)

10 points for you!

[regnauld]

Sorry this is so late. . Had to log out early last night. . Hope this still gets credited. . Evening y'all!

Chromosome and DNA testing has revealed that we are almost identical to chimpanzees. The genus to which we are classified does not make us the same species; it classifies us as different species that are similar. There is about a four percent difference between us, and that four percent is actually more complex than you would think.

The evolutionary changes to humans were also more complex. We used our hands for domestic needs and can see predators by being an upright species. We also learned to make primitive tools. The difference is the four percent. Humans have evolved through culture, beliefs and behaviors. The earliest humans classified as Homo sapiens, not Neanderthal, learned survival skills. These skills were changed over time through cultural changes, not genetic ones. Each generation improved the quality of life and skills by passing on information learned over time. Our brains were improved by the development of regions that were unused previously. We learned from trial and error to make structures, establish communities, trade between different cultures and advanced through the centuries up to the technological age we enjoy today. The four percent difference created inventions and education that continues to evolve.

We are primates, but did we evolve from apes, chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans? I think not. We are classified as different species that are similar, not the evolution of one species to a new and improved being. If we were, why are there still gorillas, apes, chimpanzees and orangutans? If we had evolved from them, why didn't the rest of them evolve over time? Surely they would have advanced in intelligence and improvement of communities as we have. Four percent in this case is a lot bigger number than it seems.

Source: Did man really evolve from apes?

Now for my take on the topic. . It's not only biological and evolutionary diffrences (as mentioned above) that makes me say NO to this question but also the doctrine taught to me by religion. But this does not mean that I totally reject the theory of evolution. I believe that God worked through evolution but I do not believe that humans came from apes. Simply put: Humans and apes are realated and might have evolved from a common ancestor but humans did not evolve fro apes. At least that's what I believe. . Hehe. .
(NAG.REPOST KU KAI WALA PANI CHECK.I)

Did I give you points on this one? hope so.

[sheenatulda]

DID MAN EVOLVE FROM APES?? (sori na dugay kog answer sir.. actually, i mssed a lot of questions.. but im trying to catch up..)

In the present age, old theories are being challenged. According to National Geographic, the one with the most far reaching effects is the new ray of birth of man which challenges Charles Darwain's Origin of the Species.
Darwin had created a ripple in he world of evolutionary science through his theory on the Survival of the Fittest, which till today remains debated. He propounded evolution of man by natural selection. It is the theory of origin, adaptation, complexity and diversity among the living creatures.
Today some people find it unacceptable despite the vast body of supporting evidence.
A 13 million years old ape living in what is now Spain may have been the last common father of all apes, including chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans and humans.

The fossil gives us a missing link, not directly between humans and an apelike ancestor, but between great apes and lesser apes such as gibbons.

The great apes -- orangutans, chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas and humans -- are believed to have branched off from the lesser apes such as gibbons and siamangs about 11 million to 16 million years ago.

Humans branched off from chimpanzees an estimated 7 million years ago.
His name was Pierolapithecus catalaunicus and he had a stiff lower spine and flexible wrists, which showed that he was a tree-climbing specialist, the researchers write in this week's issue of the journal Science.

"This probably is very close to the last common ancestor of great apes and humans," said Salvador Moya-Sola of the Miguel Crusafont Institute of Paleontology in Barcelona, Spain, who led the study.

from the article: "did man evolve from apes or God created man?"

[regnauld]

Ya it was really a trivia, but I'm not really referring to those questions. The more puzzling once are like the Galactic Humans and... oo ang film. Well they are related but technically we have not covered the basic things. ( or maybe there are.) I think that a scheduled conference would really clear up and make the flow of the discussion smoother =).

Just a Suggestion:
Maybe ask each one of us a certain task? topic? insights? and post it and then everyone can dig in and comment. And when we comment on it or make the post. WE do it as a new thread so it will be more efficient and faster to search and grade. Maybe make a format?

For example:

Si Student A is assigned to find anything about this certain theory. Student A then makes a New thread in the forums and reports on what he has find. Then the rest of the class go their and make their comments or whatever is needed to be graded. and para neat and nobody would keep on saying sir wala pako grade and ask to look a certain post #, each one would make only 1 post and Sir Reggie can have one post that contains all the grades =).

Well this is just a suggestion cause I got dizzy from jumping from one page to another to get the flow of the discussion.

This is very good suggestion! We are still evolving from this technology and don't you worry and don't so take seriously about this system coz we are just here to have some fun while learning. This is very unstructured and we are here to survive till the last. This is part of the game and who knows all of you will win but I don't think so. Some will get the 300 points and some will not. So, the better you adapt, the more chances of winning!

Learning is not only found in the classroom but in everyday circumstances as well!

Remember, what I want from you guys are your real contribution not so much on copy paste material but from your POV of that material!

[regnauld]

Okay, let me begin by stating that culture and values are not innate or inborn, rather they are learned by the child from his environment. "Pakikisama" (for me at least) is when a person behaves in a certain way so that his status among his peers becomes stable or "levels up". THis is learned through Operant Conditioning where if he or she does something agreeable to his or her peers, he will receive a reinforcement, therefore strengthening the person's desire to repeat the behavoir. The pressure from peers to conform especially in adolescence (where teens depend on their groups for their identity and where cliquishness and intolerance of diffence is prevalent) is great. So that, teens end up being "forced" to do things they normally wouldn't.

Example:
A girl goes out with her friends and ends up going home later than her curfew. The reason? Her friend teased her and called her "Kj" or "Kill Joy". The girl, feeling the pressure, decided to stay later than she normally would.

Ok

Also, from another point of view, "pakikisama" is also a form of adaptation that helps humans survive socially.

Source: My mind.. Hehe. .

ok 10 points!

[grace batisla-ong]

mao jud sir nice suggestion kapoyon jud ka ug scroll sir..hehhe..kay nagflood na ang mga msgs..
sir daghan napd ko napost pero wla najud nko makitan akong giost tungod sa kadgahan..

[regnauld]

TAKE NOTE CLASS:

Let us adapt to this system or fail! hehehe

This is not for everybody, anyway! This is just another alternative form of learning! I am here not as an expert but as a facilitator of learning! I am also learning from you guys! hehehe

UPDATED RULES OF THE GAME!

1. When I post new questions here, I want you to submit your answers within today before 12 midnight! Failure to submit means no point. late answers are not entertained anymore. TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!

2. Again DO NOT COPY PASTE without your reaction or comments or else no point for you.

3. Anyone can ask questions and do not expect I can answer or entertain your questions and comments right away. Anybody can also answer those questions. You may remind me of anything but we should always stick to the RULES OF THE GAME!

4. Some of my questions are limited to the number of students who will answer the questions! So, be prepared and be FAST ENOUGH!

5. Whining and complaining are valid as long as I see that there is a clear violation of the RULES of THE GAME!

6. Previous questions are not included to this rule. So, any students could answer them except for those questions that have been answered by limited students only! (ex. This question is limited to 10 students only)

7. Strictly no copying of answers or sources from other students! I want you to be ORIGINAL and CREATIVE!

Remember ONLY THE FASTEST and SMARTEST ENOUGH will WIN AND SURVIVE!!!

Physical prowess is not needed here! hehehe