PSYC2212/3312 Final Exam Revision: Psychology and
Social Behaviour (UWA 2025 Psychology Revision material
derived from all lectures. Questions are based on content
from every lecture slide. Most lecture slides are included)
Questions With Complete Solutions
How important is culture? Give an example.
An example is civic duty. Scandinavian countries are very high
while Southern European ones are much lower.
Cultural differences persist over time and reflect the culture of
ancestors. They are passed through generations even when
uprooted from their home. (Rice & Feldman, 1997)
Cumulative Cultural Evolution
the dynamic ongoing process of cultural change that is a
consequence of variation that individuals have produced in the
cultural tools they use
Ratchet effect
Tomasello, Kruger & Ratner (1993)
Cultural evolution operates in one direction and progression is
not loss. Social transmission is faithful and social practices are
maintained to allow further innovations.
What allows humans to 'pool' cognitive resources?
'The ratchet effect' Tomasello, Kruger & Ratner (1993)
What can be improved with Cumulative Cultural Evolution?
,Material and symbolic information.
Why did humans continue to exist and neanderthals didn't?
Perhaps because CCE allowed them to develop better tools and
methods.
Caldwell & Millen
Cumulative Cultural Evolution
- paper planes
- spaghetti towers
Simulated intergenerational transmission of tools and methods.
What cognitive abilities underpin CCE?
Intentional/causal thinking because it facilitates creative
problem solving. Allows prediction and control of events in
absence of an antecedent.
Enables powerful social/cultural learning.
What distinguishes humans from our nearest relatives in terms
of CCE?
We are more social, and have a better grasp of the mental states
of others. We can understand the goals and intentions of others.
Don't understanding underlying cause of consequent behaviours.
Chimps don't point at things, or hold objects up to show others
or intentionally teach others new behaviours.
• Povinelli et al. (1990) - chimps understand others' minds.
,• Povinelli & Eddy (1996) - chimps can't distinguish between
someone who can see and someone who can't, demonstrating
lesser appreciation of the minds of others.
What distinguishes primates from other mammals?
Only primates can understand external, third-party social
relationships (e.g. dominance, hierarchies, kinship).
They can understand others' relationships even if they aren't an
involved party. Other mammals build one-to-one relationships.
How do humans build on the ability of nonhuman primates?
Added understanding of mediating forces: causes and intentions.
This allows humans to better predict the actions of others and
even the behaviour of inanimate objects (e.g. shaking a tree limb
causes fruit to fall)
Why is intentional/causal thinking adaptive?
Because it facilitates creative problem solving. Allows
prediction and control of events in absence of an antecedent.
Enables powerful social/cultural learning.
How does culture of primates differ from human culture?
Primates learn through:
• exposure learning
• stimulus enhancement (young are attracted to objects that
others are using)
, • mimicking
But NOT through imitative learning.
Forms of social learning
• exposure
• stimulus enhancement
• mimicking
• imitative learning
What form of social learning is unique to humans?
Imitative learning.
Reproduce behaviour of demonstrator to achieve same goal.
This is gives motivation/skill to participate in activities with
shared goals and intentions.
Which form of social learning allows humans to participate in
activities with shared goals and intentions?
Imitative learning.
What evidence might there be for imitative learning in primates?
What are the problems with this evidence?
Macaque potato washing (Kawamura, 1959; Kawai, 1965)
Problems:
• washing sand from food is common and many monkeys do it
naturally
Social Behaviour (UWA 2025 Psychology Revision material
derived from all lectures. Questions are based on content
from every lecture slide. Most lecture slides are included)
Questions With Complete Solutions
How important is culture? Give an example.
An example is civic duty. Scandinavian countries are very high
while Southern European ones are much lower.
Cultural differences persist over time and reflect the culture of
ancestors. They are passed through generations even when
uprooted from their home. (Rice & Feldman, 1997)
Cumulative Cultural Evolution
the dynamic ongoing process of cultural change that is a
consequence of variation that individuals have produced in the
cultural tools they use
Ratchet effect
Tomasello, Kruger & Ratner (1993)
Cultural evolution operates in one direction and progression is
not loss. Social transmission is faithful and social practices are
maintained to allow further innovations.
What allows humans to 'pool' cognitive resources?
'The ratchet effect' Tomasello, Kruger & Ratner (1993)
What can be improved with Cumulative Cultural Evolution?
,Material and symbolic information.
Why did humans continue to exist and neanderthals didn't?
Perhaps because CCE allowed them to develop better tools and
methods.
Caldwell & Millen
Cumulative Cultural Evolution
- paper planes
- spaghetti towers
Simulated intergenerational transmission of tools and methods.
What cognitive abilities underpin CCE?
Intentional/causal thinking because it facilitates creative
problem solving. Allows prediction and control of events in
absence of an antecedent.
Enables powerful social/cultural learning.
What distinguishes humans from our nearest relatives in terms
of CCE?
We are more social, and have a better grasp of the mental states
of others. We can understand the goals and intentions of others.
Don't understanding underlying cause of consequent behaviours.
Chimps don't point at things, or hold objects up to show others
or intentionally teach others new behaviours.
• Povinelli et al. (1990) - chimps understand others' minds.
,• Povinelli & Eddy (1996) - chimps can't distinguish between
someone who can see and someone who can't, demonstrating
lesser appreciation of the minds of others.
What distinguishes primates from other mammals?
Only primates can understand external, third-party social
relationships (e.g. dominance, hierarchies, kinship).
They can understand others' relationships even if they aren't an
involved party. Other mammals build one-to-one relationships.
How do humans build on the ability of nonhuman primates?
Added understanding of mediating forces: causes and intentions.
This allows humans to better predict the actions of others and
even the behaviour of inanimate objects (e.g. shaking a tree limb
causes fruit to fall)
Why is intentional/causal thinking adaptive?
Because it facilitates creative problem solving. Allows
prediction and control of events in absence of an antecedent.
Enables powerful social/cultural learning.
How does culture of primates differ from human culture?
Primates learn through:
• exposure learning
• stimulus enhancement (young are attracted to objects that
others are using)
, • mimicking
But NOT through imitative learning.
Forms of social learning
• exposure
• stimulus enhancement
• mimicking
• imitative learning
What form of social learning is unique to humans?
Imitative learning.
Reproduce behaviour of demonstrator to achieve same goal.
This is gives motivation/skill to participate in activities with
shared goals and intentions.
Which form of social learning allows humans to participate in
activities with shared goals and intentions?
Imitative learning.
What evidence might there be for imitative learning in primates?
What are the problems with this evidence?
Macaque potato washing (Kawamura, 1959; Kawai, 1965)
Problems:
• washing sand from food is common and many monkeys do it
naturally
