Social Behavior of Hominids

1742 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Introduction to human nature

With the exploratory analysis of the existing primate species, it can be quite helpful in attempting to comprehend the possible behaviour of early hominids. The social behaviour of primates is discovered amongst the investigative research of primatology, which provides evidence that the fissure between humans and other primates are beginning to decrease (McGrew, 1998: 302). This tends to result in a change of mind concerning the human conditions and the re-identification of what makes us human. The making and the regular use of tools were once considered to be what separated humans from other primates, however, primates such as Chimpanzees and Orangutans have been found making and using tools as well which keeps us wondering. What makes us human? (McGrew, 1998:310). Following these and other similar discoveries, the main decisive factor changed to the possession of culture. It became what was thought to be what separated us from other primates however; it is becoming quite clear that other primates possess culture of their own. Verification that non-human primates do in fact have culture will be achieved through discussing the meaning of culture, how and why culture has changed over evolutionary time from non-primates, to non-human primates, to early hominids to early humans (Janson, et al.,2003:57), as well as the multiple components, such as symbolism, teaching, imitation, speech and “gesture demand brain-size mediated neurological capacities”, which include fine motor skills and the ability to construct variable, complex motor acts, concepts, and objects, that will help determine whether non-human primates possess symbolic culture (Gibson, 2002: 323).

Customs and traditions of Homo sapiens species are countless, unique and e...

... middle of paper ...

... 18, 2011

Sapolsky, Robert M.

2006 Culture in Animals: The Case of Non-Human Primate Culture of Low Aggression and High Affiliation

University of North Carolina Press, Electric Document, http://www.jstor.org/stable/3844414

Accessed March, 18, 2011

Tomasello, Michael

1999 The Human Adaptation for Culture

Annual Reviews, Electronic Document, http://www.jstor.org/stable/233404

Accessed March, 18, 2011

Works Cited

Whiten, Andrew, Horner, Victoria, Marshall-Pescini, Sarah

2003 Cultural Pantrhopology. In Evolutionary Anthropology: Issues, News, and Reviews vol. 12, no.2, pp. 92-105

Wiley Subscription Services Inc., a Wiley Company

Whiten, Andrew, Goodall, Jane, McGrew, and W.C.

2003 Cultures in Chimpanzees. In The Annual Ethics Reader, edited by Armstrong, Susan J., and Botzler, Richard J.

Routledge, New York, NY

Show More
Related

  • Behavioral Differences Between Chimpanzees and Bonobos

    834 Words  | 2 Pages

    While there are noticeable by differences in social conduct between these two primates, I argue that they are extra of similar behaviors than most books have suggested. This book portrays several reasons that modern views of bonobo and chimpanzee cultures may not harmonize well with ground data. Bonobos are derived since their behavior has been defined lately than that of chimpanzees, and the likelihood that explanations of bonobo-chimpanzee differences are echoes of human male-female alterations.

    Read More

  • Behaviourist and Biological Approach to Typical Behavior

    1414 Words  | 3 Pages

    In this essay, we have been asked to evaluate two psychological perspectives’ in relation to “typical behaviour”. The perspectives I have chosen is the behaviourist and biological approach, to be able analyse these approaches, I have decide to use the case study of the death of the two year old ‘James Bulger’ and with this, the relevant therapy’s used by each perspective.

    Read More

  • Early Hominids and The Pleistocene and Holocene Eras

    868 Words  | 2 Pages

    Ever since the Pleistocene era, human societies have expanded rapidly, developing innovative ways to defend their territories and migrate across the land. Consisting of an aggregate of humans living together, these societies became more powerful as time progressed by consuming more meat (megafauna). Supporting this development, the more mammals that humans would eat, the more protein their bodies would absorb. When humans consume high amounts of protein, they develop stronger muscles, which leads to the stimulation of brain activity. By way of further explanation, amino acids from the proteins are used to make the neurotransmitters that allow your brain cells to network and communicate. Amino acids that come from the protein you eat are the building blocks of your brain’s network. They can excite or calm your brain as well as nourish your brain throughout its lifetime. Also, they allow the body's own proteins to be used to support life, particularly those found in muscle. This led humans to develop intelligence and create a wide variety of tools. These tools are what the early hominids used to develop their culture into that of hunter-gatherer-fishers, making humans a more dominant mammal within that ecosystem.

    Read More

  • Understanding Chimpanzee Culture

    707 Words  | 2 Pages

    In primates such as chimpanzees it is imperative to look at their culture to understand their intelligence. Culture in this circumstance means a specific set of behaviors obtained through learning in a population/species. Chimpanzee’s intelligence is quite unique how they interact with their environment and use it to their benefit just like humans. They have the ability to overcome the obstacles of everyday life through learning and the ability to use tools to create a better quality of life. The complexity of their intellect is different from any other animal ever seen. A significant part of chimpanzee intelligence that sets them apart from other primates and puts them closer to humans is the way they exhibit social learning within their culture and interactions within their environment.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Culture In Primates

    759 Words  | 2 Pages

    There has been an age long debate to whether or not primates have culture. This is based on the idea that primates may have certain behaviors that our taught rather than already being programmed in their minds biologically. Some would argue that a certain action that a primate does wouldn’t necessarily be something that primate was born knowing; but others would argue that it was something that was something they knew in their subconscious mind. Notable arguments that would be in favor of culture in primates would include their use of tools, how a primate eats, and how they interact; arguments against the theory of culture in primates would proclaim that a primate’s habits are determined biologically and not affected by outside sources.

    Read More

  • Non Human Primates Essay

    1325 Words  | 3 Pages

    Quiatt, D., & Reynolds, V. (1993). Primate behaviour: information, social knowledge, and the evolution of culture. Cambridge [England: Cambridge University Press].

    Read More

  • Primate Culture

    1444 Words  | 3 Pages

    It has been believed that culture is unique to humans and no other groups of animals have culture, but recent evidence refutes this ideology. Before getting into the meat of the argument, it is important to first address the issues regarding the ambiguity of the term, “culture.” What is culture? Many scientists may argue that culture is the way of life for a group of individuals, this definition includes the values, beliefs and traditions of the group (Sapolsky, 2006). Other scientists may argue that culture is the transmission of habits and information by social means (Sapolsky, 2006). Despite the different specifics of what culture is, almost all scientists would agree that culture is transmitted socially through social learning that promotes the transfer of information between members in a group (Boesch and Tomasello, 1998). Based on these notions of culture, it can be justifiably stated that primates have culture. Primates exhibit food preparation techniques, use of tools, communication skills, and most importantly, behaviors of social learning. An exemplar of primates’ capabilities for culture is Koko, the lowland gorilla. Koko, in captivity, was able to learn American sign language, demonstrate self-awareness and the ability to deceive.

    Read More

  • Similarities Of Neanderthals

    1464 Words  | 3 Pages

    The ancestral lines of Neanderthals and modern humans is split roughly about 800,000 years ago, making them our closest relatives in the hominid ancestry. Neanderthals inhabited Europe and parts of the Western Asia before going extinct around 30,000 years ago. Neanderthals made and used a range of tools, they were able to control fire, make and wore clothing, were very skilled hunters of large animals however also ate plant foods, they lived in shelters, and occasionally made symbolic or ornamental objects, which no previous hominid species, had ever practiced this representative and complex conduct. Over this essay we will be covering some elemental information on Neanderthals, their differences and similarities anatomically with modern humans, along with their differences in behavior, and finally giving some possible implications for the timing of the development of culture.

    Read More

  • Redefining Neanderthals: From Cavemen to Human Subspecies

    1048 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Neanderthals are an extinct species of human that lived in ice age Europe between 120,000-35,000 years ago. This species is known for their receding forehead and prominent brow ridges. We know this species as the uncivilized or unintelligent person or group. Neanderthals are often portrayed as “unintelligent cavemen in animal-skin clothing.” Scientists’ first thought the Neanderthals’ were subhuman, but that thought is beginning to change. The original name given to the Neanderthals when they were first discovered was ‘Homo Neanderthalensis’ and they were considered to be an ancestor to modern humans. “Forty-four years after this biased classification, Neanderthals were reclassified as a human subspecies Homo sapiens Neanderthalensis and

    Read More

  • Zoo Primate Observation

    1056 Words  | 3 Pages

    Our earliest ancestors are primates. They are our closest relatives which is why we can see our behavior’s and practices in them. If we observe them we can get a better understanding of them and us, human beings. But unfortunately we all don’t get the chance to see a Primate right in our backdoor. So the best thing I could do for my observation was to visit them at the zoo.

    Read More

  • Primate Intelligence: Apes

    1577 Words  | 4 Pages

    Monkey see, monkey do. Apes have always been thought to have an increased level of intelligence. Over the years, researchers have attempted to understand the degree of intelligence these primates possess. However, it is essential to understand the definition of intelligence in order to determine the amount of intelligence primates have. Intelligence is the capability of obtaining knowledge and being able to utilize it in everyday situations. There are many hypotheses that focus on the evolution of intelligence in primates that view a number of factors including brain size and modernism. Primate intelligence has been a topic of interest to many because it will allow us to further understand the close relationship between humans and primates. Additionally, we will be able to understand the difference between human and primate cognition. Some studies suggest that the human and primate brains possess many similarities. This demonstrates why primates tend to respond to stimuli in a manner that is closely related to humans. Researchers have conducted a number of studies in an effort to understand primate cognition.

    Read More

  • Scavenger hunt

    836 Words  | 2 Pages

    The idea that early hominids were powerful players in the ancient is slowly slipping away. Evidence is emerging that our ancestors were not great hunters, but scavengers that roamed the savanna looking for leftovers. Pat Shipman, discusses how it would be possible for early hominids to survive as strangers and how this method of cultivation affected human evolution. Shipman, uses the marks that stone tools, and teeth would make on the bones of prey animals as evidence for her hypothesis. She theorizes that early hominids weren't mighty hunter, but cunning scavengers.

    Read More

  • How Humans Developed: The Homo Sapiens

    1823 Words  | 4 Pages

    “The scientific study of how humans developed did not begin until the 1800s in Europe. Until that time, people relied on religious explanations of how humans came into existence. Starting in the 1500s a scientific revolution began to sweep Europe. Thinkers started using scientific methods and experiments to try to better understand the world and the creatures living in it. Eventually these methods were turned to the question of human origins” (The Nature Of Human Origins, 1). Earth made it possible for species to change over time because Ancient Earth provides ability to plenty of time.The Homo Sapien a is very complex creature. The species started off very simple by living in caves and surviving with little food and then later evolved into a species that were able to do many more complex things. The first species was Sahelanthropus tchadensis They were one of the most simple humans in that time period and on. They had very small skulls compared to Homo Sapiens today and their motor skills were just the same. We have evolved and changed for the better both mentally and physically. The Evolution of Homo Sapiens started off simple, such as the Neanderthals, and now we are the most advanced species to ever walk the planet so far.

    Read More

  • Robert Sapolsky: The Uniqueness Of Humans And Other Primates

    1019 Words  | 3 Pages

    In his lecture, primatologist Robert Sapolsky explains the uniqueness of humans as well as our similarities to other primates. In doing so, he broke it down into six points of interest: aggression, theory of mind, the golden rule, empathy, pleasure in anticipation and gratification postponement, and lastly, culture. Professor Sapolsky approaches each point with interesting fact-based examples thus allowing me to gain insight on humans and other primates. Sapolsky’s knowledge of primates along with his scientific background allows him to make a clear argument that one cannot simply ignore.

    Read More

  • Chimpanzee's and Tool Use

    1332 Words  | 3 Pages

    Boesch-Achermann, Hedwige, and Christophe Boesch. "Tool Use In Wild Chimpanzees: New Light From Dark Forests." Current Directions In Psychological Science (Wiley-Blackwell) 2.1 (1993): 18-21. Academic Search Premier. Web. 16 Apr. 2014.

    Read More

More about Social Behavior of Hominids

Open Document