LS 15 FINAL PHELAN UCLA EXAM 2025
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Why is the rate and direction of change more important than absolute levels how does this
relate to - ANS 50% of all suicides in prison happen in 1st 2 weeks
Extreme depression cuz it's a big change
If they make it thru things improve
Our happiness is relative to our basic feelings
Why are emotions designed to be less permanent than they feel - ANS Brain states that alter
your behavior in ways beneficial to your genes
Sitting being happy al the time is not consistent w evolution
Motivate u to do something so u can be motivated again once they reset
Describe 3 lines of evidence to support the idea that emotions are tools used to motivate our
behavior - ANS Ex: guilt, jealousy, desire
Guilt motivates you to not be selfish
Desire motivates you to act in a certain way to achieve your goals
Emotions like a lack of happiness can motivate you to take drugs
Sexual jealousy: if u are scared of someone cheating on you, you are going to step up your
game
Using an example describe the interplay between culture and biology - ANS Culture is
learning things its tech, education, etc
Ex: all of us have been reproductively mature for a while now, and very few of us have children.
Bio sets us up to be reproductively mature at age 13.
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, Ex: ppl start having sex at age 16 but birth control prevents them from having kids
You are nudged in certain places but culture decides how you act on these urges
What is the fundamental reproductive equation what does it reveal about culture and biology -
ANS Sex = pregnancy = babies = maternal child care = loss of female economic opportunity =
loss of female political power
It's hard to fight biological urges
Sex does not have to equal pregnancy -> rubber
Pregnancy does not have to equal babies -> surgery
Babies do not have to equal maternal child care -> rubber nipples
Maternal childcare does not have to equal loss of female economic opportunity -> daycare
Loss of female economic opportunity does not have to equal loss of female political power ->
The cultural idea that the person in power doesn't need to have the most money basically
democracy
There are certain biological constraints on how we r built that unchecked can lead to
undesirable outcomes
Culture can block every step of the fundamental reproductive equation
The invention of vulcanized rubber can stop that equation at 3 dif places
Bio is not an excuse
Using 2 examples explain what constrained learning is and how it illuminates culture biology -
ANS Ex:
It is easier to grasp a language at a younger age compared to learning a language at age 20
because it is a biological constraint.
Rats could learn to associate certain stimuli and physical conditions but couldn't learn to
associate others
Associate nausea and weird taste
Associate light+noise w electric shock
But could never learn to not drink water
Monkeys could not learn to be scared of flowers, but they were quick to learn to fear snakes
You can know how to max cardiovascular fitness but it won't work the same for everyone
COPYRIGHT © 2025 FYNDLAY ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 2
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Why is the rate and direction of change more important than absolute levels how does this
relate to - ANS 50% of all suicides in prison happen in 1st 2 weeks
Extreme depression cuz it's a big change
If they make it thru things improve
Our happiness is relative to our basic feelings
Why are emotions designed to be less permanent than they feel - ANS Brain states that alter
your behavior in ways beneficial to your genes
Sitting being happy al the time is not consistent w evolution
Motivate u to do something so u can be motivated again once they reset
Describe 3 lines of evidence to support the idea that emotions are tools used to motivate our
behavior - ANS Ex: guilt, jealousy, desire
Guilt motivates you to not be selfish
Desire motivates you to act in a certain way to achieve your goals
Emotions like a lack of happiness can motivate you to take drugs
Sexual jealousy: if u are scared of someone cheating on you, you are going to step up your
game
Using an example describe the interplay between culture and biology - ANS Culture is
learning things its tech, education, etc
Ex: all of us have been reproductively mature for a while now, and very few of us have children.
Bio sets us up to be reproductively mature at age 13.
COPYRIGHT © 2025 FYNDLAY ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 1
, Ex: ppl start having sex at age 16 but birth control prevents them from having kids
You are nudged in certain places but culture decides how you act on these urges
What is the fundamental reproductive equation what does it reveal about culture and biology -
ANS Sex = pregnancy = babies = maternal child care = loss of female economic opportunity =
loss of female political power
It's hard to fight biological urges
Sex does not have to equal pregnancy -> rubber
Pregnancy does not have to equal babies -> surgery
Babies do not have to equal maternal child care -> rubber nipples
Maternal childcare does not have to equal loss of female economic opportunity -> daycare
Loss of female economic opportunity does not have to equal loss of female political power ->
The cultural idea that the person in power doesn't need to have the most money basically
democracy
There are certain biological constraints on how we r built that unchecked can lead to
undesirable outcomes
Culture can block every step of the fundamental reproductive equation
The invention of vulcanized rubber can stop that equation at 3 dif places
Bio is not an excuse
Using 2 examples explain what constrained learning is and how it illuminates culture biology -
ANS Ex:
It is easier to grasp a language at a younger age compared to learning a language at age 20
because it is a biological constraint.
Rats could learn to associate certain stimuli and physical conditions but couldn't learn to
associate others
Associate nausea and weird taste
Associate light+noise w electric shock
But could never learn to not drink water
Monkeys could not learn to be scared of flowers, but they were quick to learn to fear snakes
You can know how to max cardiovascular fitness but it won't work the same for everyone
COPYRIGHT © 2025 FYNDLAY ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 2
