Question

I am taking history of psychology the bellow is my question

Identify something new that you learned about Darwin in this unit. For example, beyond his famous theory of evolution, did you know his thoughts on geography or slavery, or were you aware of his five-year voyage? Additionally, use this forum to brainstorm with your professor and classmates on contributions of early theorists, such as how Weber’s two-point threshold speaks to modern neurology.

Answer 1

Darwinism is a theory of biological evolution developed by the English naturalist Charles Darwin (1809–1882) and others, stating that all species of organisms arise and develop through the natural selection of small, inherited variations that increase the individual's ability to compete, survive, and reproduce.

Evolution Sentence Examples. The doctrine of evolution in its finished and definite form is a modern product. Darwin's theory of evolution is based upon the idea of natural selection.

Evolutionary psychology is inspired by the work of Charles Darwin and applies his ideas of natural selection to the mind. Darwin's theory argues that all living species, including humans, arrived at their current biological form through a historical process involving random inheritable changes.

Natural selection is the process by which heritable traits that make it more likely for an organism to survive and successfully reproduce become more common in a population over successive generations. It is a key mechanism of evolution.

Modern evolutionary theory is based on combining the theory of De Vrie's mutations with Darwin's theory of natural selection leading to descent with modification. ... The Neo Darwin or modern synthesis is dependent on the concept of mutations creating new information.

Evolutionary neuroscience is the scientific study of the evolution of nervous systems. Evolutionary neuroscientists investigate the evolution and natural history of nervous system structure, functions and emergent properties. The field draws on concepts and findings from both neuroscience and evolutionary biology. Historically, most empirical work has been in the area of comparative neuroanatomy, and modern studies often make use of phylogenetic comparative methods. Selective breeding and experimental evolution approaches are also being used more frequently.

Evolutionary neuroscientists examine changes in genes, anatomy, physiology, and behavior to study the evolution of changes in the brain. They study a multitude of processes including the evolution of vocal, visual, auditory, taste, and learning systems as well as language evolution and development. In addition, evolutionary neuroscientists study the evolution of specific areas or structures in the brain such as the amygdala , forebrain and cerebellum as well as the motor or visual cortex.

History:

Studies of the brain began during ancient Egyptian times but studies in the field of evolutionary neuroscience began after the publication of Darwin's On the Origin of Species in 1859. At that time, brain evolution was largely viewed at the time in relation to the incorrect scala naturae. Phylogeny and the evolution of the brain were still viewed as linear.[4] During the early 20th century, there were several prevailing theories about evolution. Darwinism was based on the principles of natural selection and variation, Lamarckism was based on the passing down of acquired traits, Orthogenesis was based on the assumption that tendency towards perfection steers evolution, and Saltationism argued that discontinuous variation creates new species. Darwin's became the most accepted and allowed for people to starting thinking about the way animals and their brains evolve.

The 1936 book The Comparative Anatomy of the Nervous System of Vertebrates Including Man by the Dutch neurologist C.U. Kappers (first published in German in 1921) was a landmark publication in the field. Following the Evolutionary Synthesis, the study of comparative neuroanatomy was conducted with an evolutionary view, and modern studies incorporate developmental genetics. It is now accepted that phylogenetic changes occur independently between species over time and can not be linear. Itis also believed that an increase with brain size correlates with an increase in neural centers and behavior complexity.

(NOTE: Darwin's theory allowed for people to start thinking about the way animals and their brains evolve.)

Thank You.