Reading Activity Week #6 (Due Tuesday)

Chapter 5
One thing that I found interesting about this chapter was how Charles Lyell challenged the catastrophic view and came up with the idea of uniformitarianism. Catastrophism is the idea that that God and the Bible’s story were true while taking into consideration the scientific evidence that they were finding. This means that geological change occurred abruptly and dramatically as the result of major catastrophic events such as the flood in the Book of Genesis. Charles Lyell’s idea of uniformitarianism is the argument that geological change occurred really slowly and involved forces that are constantly at work. An example of this is volcanos and mountains.

The Galapagos’ have always interested me because of the fact that so many different species live there. I feel like Charles Darwin had to of been so overwhelmed with his discovery of these islands. I really liked how he was able to distinguish the differences in the bird species even if it wasn’t completely accurate at the time. He mostly just noticed the different beaks that birds had from island to island which is now considered to be Darwin’s finches. It is amazing that he didn’t realize right away what he was seeing, but yet it took him a while to figure out that he was seeing evolution all around him on that island.
The third thing that I found interesting was that comparative psychology in America was developed rather quickly after it was created. There were universities developed and laboratories built for the purpose of discovering how we are similar and different to animals or other species. One of the most amazing things that we were able to create at this time in America was maze learning, and puzzle boxes that were mainly used on cats. This puzzle box was created by Thorndike, but used by many after its creation.

The first part on Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution was not interesting to me just because it is what we have been learning over and over in school since we were in young. I think that it is a good thing to have just to get you ready for the rest of the chapter, but I hated reading it just because it was a preview of everything that I already knew. This happened frequently while reading this chapter because there were a lot of things that I already knew.

This chapter builds off the last chapters in a different way. So far we have been learning the developments made by psychologists in different parts of the world and now we are focusing on one person who isn’t even a psychologist, but yet he contributed to the field anyway. That man’s name is Charles Darwin and he is a biologist. His ideas were what challenged psychologist to really look at the differences and similarities between humans and animals.

After reading this chapter I think that it is most useful to know that Darwin’s discovery of evolution was important to psychology for the main purpose of creating functionalism. He also opened the door to the similarities between humans and other species which is called comparative psychology. These are important to understanding are past because it accelerated the psychologists research in those areas.

When reading this chapter I thought about the marine biologist I know Kathleen Ireland. She has visited the Galapagos and experienced the warm weather, but yet really cold water. Her stories are amazing from her time there. I also thought about what it would have been like to have to travel on a boat crammed full of people. I was thinking that if I were them I would have gone crazy. I also don’t think I would have ever wanted to leave that island it is just so beautiful. Even though I already know quite a bit about the Galapagos I would still like to learn more. I have been fascinated with those chains of islands since I first learned about them. I want to learn more about it just on the chance that maybe someday I will get the opportunity to go there and visit this amazing place.

Charles Darwin, psychologist, biologist, Charles Lyell, catastrophic, uniformitarianism, catastrophism, geological, Galapagos, Darwin’s finches, functionalism, evolution, psychology, comparative psychology, puzzle boxes, maze learning, Thorndike,

After reading this chapter predominantly on Charles Darwin, the three most interesting things in my opinion are related towards him. The first thing that I found intersting was his background. Not many people would have guessed that he wasn't the most motivated in the beginning. His parents pretty much thought he was going to be a failure, and eventually turned out to be extrememly successful and contributed a great deal to psychology today. I also thought it was intersting that he originally was sent to med school, and then became a psychologist. I found it interesting though that he was ill a substantial amount of time during his lifetime. The second thing that I found interesting goes along with Darwin's background. I thought it was interesting that he was going to be a priest. Being an evolutionary psychologish, a priest is kind of the complete opposit. Goes against all the beliefs of a priest. As were the majority of the other evolutionary psychologists, they were all set out to be priests as well. I found this to be pretty ironic. The third thing that struck me as interesting was Darwin's findings of the finch beaks. He stated that the finches that live in different environments had different beak structures. For instance, the ones that live in a more luxurious environment that could feast on insects had softer, less durable beaks. Whereas the ones who lived in a more rugged envrionment, who ate nuts,etc had a harder more durable beak. I found it interesting that he made this distinction, and it led to the evolutionary theory.

The topic fromt his chapter that I think is most useful in understanding psychology would have to be Galton's twin studies. My reason being, this is a great way to study differences or similarities in species, as well as if environment plays an influence on how a species reacts, and develops. It was a great idea by Galton. The topic that I think relates most to the last chapter would have to be evolutionary theory. Because the last chapter dealt with psychology becoming a science, and evolutionary theory was a new and questionable idea to science and psychology. Many people were not in favor of this theory, and it questoned alot of individual's beliefs and also created some controversy as well. Some ideas I had while reading this chapter were generated towards what I previously brought up about the majority of the evolutionary psychologists who had originally had the goal of being a priest. I just found it interesting and ironic that the vast majority of evolutionary psychologists were going to be priests. My reason being is that they are pretty opposit career paths, and their beliefs challenge each other immensely.

Terms: Charles Darwin, Twin Studies, Evolutionary Theory, Evolutionary Psychologist, Finch, Priest

Chapter 5

The majority of this chapter focused on Charles Darwin and his evolutionary theory. Most of us can remember hearing about this as far as back as grade school and every subsequent grade thereafter. Because of this, I was leery to start reading this chapter. However, I was very surprised at the many different things that I learned about Darwin and his theory.

The first thing that caught my attention was the fact that as an adolescent, Darwin was a typical, lazy teenage boy and seen sometimes as a letdown to his father who was a successful doctor. I found it more interesting that because of this apparent lack of a future, Darwin was expected to become and Anglican priest, as that is what most “average” boys aspired to be if there was nothing else for them. At this time, the church was very powerful in England and I would have assumed that they only wanted the most prestigious men to enter their universities. Also, despite his religious upbringing and vigorous training at the Anglican school of Cambridge University, Darwin was able to find his life calling studying the natural world, even though it opposed the beliefs that he had been raised with.

Secondly, I have heard of the Galapagos Islands several of times throughout my coursework. However,the Beagle was new information to me and I found it very interesting. At the beginning of the voyage and even upon his return, Darwin considered himself a geologist and a zoologist. Until this time, he had no intention of making such a break through discovery. Also, it was intriguing to realize that Darwin was not the first or the only person to come up with the idea of evolution. Rather, he was the first person to provide solid evidence that assisted him in being able to explain his theory in a more rational depiction to the rest of the world. I have always pictured Darwin as a mad scientist, alone in a lab studying different breeds. It was cool to find that he was much more than that—very active and a traveler of the world. On his voyage in the Beagle, Darwin collected many rocks and fossils along with observing the surviving species that he encountered. It was fascinating to him that fossils, although different in some variations, resembled current species of his time. This allowed him to start searching harder for evidence as to why that is; putting the start of his theory into action. It wasn’t until he examined the Finches of the Galapagos Islands that he realized that the differences in their beaks served a purpose- a purpose for survival. Depending on the food available in certain islands, finches grew different beaks.

Once Darwin returned home after over 5 years, (he married his cousin!) he was welcomed with great appraisal for his work on the voyage. He began to put together pieces of his research the led to a more holistic explanation of his theory. He recalled that farmers artificially breed their animals for different, suitable traits. He then so wondered, perhaps this process also happens naturally, in the natural world. This term was coined natural selection or natural breeding. A variation would occur in a species if some event (drought) caused a lack of food or other threat to survival. This variation would make it easier for the animal possessing it to survive. Therefor, those that survived would most likely possess the trait and soon it would become species typical. I found interesting that once he had his theory down and written out, he was skeptical about publishing it for fear or public humiliation and church condemnation.—it took him 20 years to finally publish what might be the most influential work of all time!!

I then liked how, although Darwin did not mention humans in his original work, he eventually highlighted how his theory is evident in the human race and how his work set forth the research of many other famous psychologists and scientists. Darwin spearheaded the interest in what we now know as comparative psychology, noticing that there is a continuity of mental processes seen in humans and other animal studies. He also noticed that emotional expressions are universal. This began a surge of research focusing on the evolution of intellectual and emotional expressions along with differences seen at the individual level.

The chapter ended by talking about Francis Galton and his work with intelligence. He, as a rich white male in England, considered him and his friends to be superior to other classes. He believed that his intelligence was inherited and that intelligence is important to survival. While it was obvious to me, as a 21st century scholar, that his work was bias, it was nonetheless interesting to read.

There was one section in the chapter that I found to be a bit boring. This was the section on Conwy Lloyd Morgan and the Principle of Parismony. Morgan studied animals and countered the current research that suggested animals thought in higher mental process. He instead claimed that there is always a more simple reason for why animals do things that we humans view as exceptionally smart, such a dog opening a fence gate with his head. Giving human like qualities to animals was popular in George Romanes work and is called anthropomorphism. Morgan was not claiming that animals are incapable of higher mental processes like Romanes suggested. He simply believed that there was no evidence showing that animals act on any levels of mental processes beyond those needed to survive.

This chapter did a lot for me as far as putting different research techniques and cases into perspective. The nature vs. nurture debate is still an ongoing one as it was immediately after the publishing of Darwin’s book. Twin studies make more sense to me now and I realize the uniqueness they offer. Also, this chapter did a great job of building on previous chapters. For instance, it gave light to the personalistic vs. naturalistic issue discussed back in Chapter 1. Darwin, the person, clearly had a great deal of input in creating his theory. However, would this have been the focus of his research if it was not already a hot topic of his time? (Naturalistic) And, an eponym is an idea identified with a person’s name; which Darwin’s theory is an example of.

After reading this chapter, I would like to learn more about the evolution of emotional expressions. I think it is very cool how something as common as a “snarl” can be found to have benefits in our evolutionary process and became permanent even after that benefit was no longer necessary. While reading, I couldn't help but analyze the day to day facial expressions that I make. How did those once serve a surviving purpose to my ancestors?

Terms used: Darwin, evolutionary theory, evolution of emotional expression, eponym, Galapagos islands, Romans, Galton, comparative psychology, natural selections, Conwy Lloyd Morgan, personalistic, naturalistic, twin studies.

Chapter Five answered many of my questions about evolution and overall informed me in detail about evolutions and each contribution to it. There were several things throughout this chapter that I found interesting. The first thing was the theological version or existence. The overall idea of our species being created but where did diversity come from. As I have stated in previous post, I do have a strong religious belief and so reading this area was somewhat a light at an end of the tunnel for me. I knew religion is something tested in this area of study, but I knew it still was involved over time. This design stated that God was still of existence and he created the guide for manages evolution. I am a realist and do believe in things changing over time for geological benefits, but I do believe in God as the creator. The complexity has so many different areas to explore, but this seems reasonable and I understand it. The ides of chain of being helped me visualize this topic. The second thing that I found interesting from chapter five was the voyage that Darwin took. I thought learning about his educational history was important, but somewhat pointless up until this point. I guess I would say that was a page in the text that I found least interesting. The fact that parents are let down by genius’s seems to be a reoccurring story. His five year voyage that inspired his inner genius was got me interested. During this five year period he found enough information to publish and discover so many things! Although, it took awhile he got around to it! I wish the text would have gone into more detail about where he all went and more detail about what his observations were over. It seems he basically studied all species but I just want to know more. I want to know more because I like to put myself in the psychologists perspective, hearing about what exactly he saw would inspire me and make me feel more connected. Other scientist have done experiments that I can follow, but this voyage would need more detail. Back to the voyage overall, I think it is interesting that it was five years under the same person. He also rejected that guys idea if I can remember right. This was also the first scientific demonstration that showed the power of observation. His discovery of uniformitanism was due to this voyage as well has catasrtophism. The final area that interested me was survival of the fittest and the struggle for existence. Darwin makes some perfect sense with this topic, however, I could not stop thinking about how its more about survival of the fit and reproductive. Genes and characteristics are adaptive over time because they are the most fit, but they are also the most sexual for reproduction. I am taking a human differences course and we recently discussed this, that might be why it is in my mind. That teacher infact stated that Darwin was wrong. I do not think he was wrong, I just think he could have added a reproductive side to it. The examples from the text of the finches explain natural selection in a great way. Although, I would like to learn more about how reproduction fits into evolution.

Overall this entire chapter is going to be useful to understand in our careers of psychology. I firmly believe in understanding the foundation before moving forward in any area of study. Evolution as a whole is important to understand, and it is still considered as a main discussion, and I think it is important to be knowledgeable on valuable issues to our society. Being unaware hurts us the most. There were a few things that I had ideas about during the chapter. Another topic that made me have several ideas was about our characteristics that are similar to animals. And the study of comparative psychology for similarities of animals. For instance the direct effects on the nervous system, this made me think about the small aspects that we have that are blamable on animal like evolution.Also the works of Romanes to continue Darwin’s study made me want to know more about his further workings. The entire evolution theory interests me.

Key Terms: uniformitainism, catorstrophism, diversity, theological version, Chain of Being, geologist, survival of the fit, evolution, Romanes, direct action of the nervous system, struggle for existence, comparative psychology.

I found chapter five to be very interesting. As we have grown up in the American school system, we have learned about Charles Darwin in a variety of classes. The main two of course, being history and science classes. His work has greatly influenced the beliefs of all of man kind. Of course, as with any great discovery, there are some that refuse to accept it. This disagreement can be called the argument from design. I believe that if it can be proved in a lab or with an experiment, than there should be no reason not to believe its existence. A lot of the sections in this chapter were interesting but three really stuck out.

The first section that caught my attention was the first section of the chapter, The Species Problem. It was interesting learning about the history of the theory of evolution. I did not know that there were a number of different people to announce theories of evolution before Darwin, especially his own grandfather. Lamarck had an interesting theory for evolution that involved the chain of being. I do not recall ever hearing of this before reading this chapter. This term means, that a species is continuously evolving in to a more complex creature, and new species are constantly evolving from inorganic life. I have heard of the inheritance of acquired characteristics, because it was included in Darwin's theory. This theory is where characteristics can be genetically passed down from generation to generation. I liked this section because it gave me background information on the beginning of the theory of evolution and how Darwin was not the first person to think of it.

Another section I found interesting in this chapter was the section Darwin's Delay, in which the reasons he waited so long to have his works on the theory of evolution published. I thought it was interesting because it talked about the things he was dealing with in his life that caused him to wait to publish. One of the things he was struggling with was the fear of his peer's reactions. I think it is interesting to think about how such a great discovery, if presented too early could have been completely discredited, because of the lack of face validity, and just the fear of change. We have seen throughout history that major discoveries are often initially rejected, because people fear change. another thing Darwin was struggling with was illness. In his time common illnesses could easily lead to death. He was spending a lot of time finding more evidence for his research, because a lack of evidence could have made it more difficult for him to gain credibility among his peers.

The next section I found interesting because it pertains to psychology. The main contribution that Darwin brought to the field of psychology was the process of functionalism. The comparative theory was interesting because it talks about the similarities and differences between humans and other species. His study of individual variation led to the importance of individual differences, which gave rise to a number of different tests to show differences among people.

The thing I found least interesting about this chapter was re-reading all of the information that we have grown up reading and learning throughout our entire educations. The first couple of times reading about how he discovered the evolution of the finches was interesting, but now it is too repetitive that it makes his great discovery seem less marvelous, because we have grown up knowing about the theory of evolution, and the processes that occur.

I would like to learn more about the term anthropomorphism, because it seems like an interesting concept in which human faculties are given to nonhuman entities.

Terms: species problem, argument from design, chain of being, inheritance of acquired characteristics, discredit, evolution, face validity, variation, and anthropomorphism.

galemaj JG (I am locked out of my account)

Chapter five was basically a review of things that I have already studied extensively. I took Human Origins my freshman year and we learned a lot about this information. I did like this chapter however. When reading about Darwin’s early years, I was struck by the fact that he was not a good scholar and that he had no clue what he wanted to do with his life. It baffles me that someone who is so well known in modern science did not get his start in some grand, amazing way. The section where it was discussed that Darwin went to college without knowing what he wanted to do, and that he struggled with that idea for a while, made him all the more relatable. I have mention this in previous discussions, but I like that people like Darwin, or anyone else for that matter, were no more naturally gifted than anyone else and that contributions to science could be completed by anyone.
The second thing that I liked in this chapter was how different aspects of Darwin’s thoughts and views over time were categorized. I liked that we as the readers got to see Darwin grow and change. We see Darwin go from considering being a clergyman to his voyage on the Beagle to study of finches on the Galapagos Islands. The reader gets a clear image of what this man was like. He was going to be a clergyman because he saw no other option. He then got an opportunity to travel the world, and the observations he made convinced him that what he was raised to believe may not be true. This doubt started with little things like the catastrophism verses uniformitarianism debate, but grew as he realized that if his theory was true, than the idea that God created each species separately could not also be true. In short, I liked that we were not just taught the basics of the theory of evolution, but the ideas and metamorphosis of a man whose experiences and ideas changed his viewpoints enough to challenge everything he knew.
The third thing that I really liked was a small thing, but still interesting. The idea of pigeon breeders really interested me. Here was proof that selective breeding actually changed the physical appearance and traits of a species. The pigeon breeders saw specific traits in certain pigeons and bred them to give those specific traits to their offspring. I find it funny that Darwin’s theory is basically being performed right before his very eyes. Although people did not accept Darwin’s theories right away, it was not due to a lack of proof. Other things certainly supported his claims, but this example with the pigeons literally spelled it out in front of everyone.
I did not care for the information in the chapter after Darwin. It bored me and I did not take much away from it. I think it had to do with the fact that I had already read all about Darwin and it was more of a review for me. The other stuff was all relativity new and not very memorable. I think that, although it is not less important, it seemed like it because Darwin is so stressed in this area of history that it makes other people in that area seem less important.
I think the most important thing to take out of this chapter is the theory of evolution. It is now the main style of thinking in modern times and of psychology. Modern psychology is molded by these findings.
This chapter builds on the other chapters in that psychology continues to change and adapt to specific areas and fields. We went from basic questions and observations, to the study and experimentation of different phenomenon, to the specific localization of study in psychology. The more the chapters press on, the more defined the term "psychology" becomes.
I would like to learn more about Galton's twin studies because it seemed like an interesting concept that could be examined more closely than what it was. I am not so much interested in Galton's experiment as I am in twin studies in general.

Terms: Darwin, catastrophism, uniformitarianism

After reading chapter five I found some things that I thought were interesting and somethings that I did not like. In class I talked about how the material was getting to be a little redundent for me. I found this chapter to be a lot more interesting to read, and it kept my interest the whole time. The first thing that I liked was Darwin, and the story of his life. I like the journey he took and how his theory evolved. The second thing that I enjoyed about the chapter was Galston and his discovery of the natural intelliengence. The third thing that I enjoyed was Anthropometric labratory that Galton set up at the fair to measure ability amoung humans. There was one thing that I did not like and that was LLoyd Morgan and his law of parismony. I do not know if I did not quite understand that topic, but it was my least favorite.
Reading about Darwin was very interesing. I like how he was a troubled child and that he was not a very good student. It reminds me of the quote on the title page of this website. Basically saying that if you teach someone to do something the wrong was then they will go through life believing that they are dumb. That is exactly what Darwin did. He did not like the classes that he was taking, so his dad sent him to a school to study medicine. Turns out that Darwin magically did not find an appreciation for medicine like his father had hoped, so the next place he went was Cambridge to become a clergy member. Darwin soon found out that he loved science and began hanging out with one of the science proffessors at the University. Darwin thought that he would become a clergy member and be an amatuer scientist as well. the oppurtunity came up to go on a boat trip to the tip of South America. Darwin decided to take the offer because he would be able to research and collect data on his trip. I thought it was interesting that he was so willling to go because of the technology of the boats at that time. Seemed like a big journey to go on just to collect some data. Turns out it was the best decision that Darwin would make. On the voyage he collected data on the Gallopolos finches(he thought they were three, but I will talk about that later) different species. He soon began to believe that this process of evolution that took place amoung the birds existed. That there beaks were adaptations to the food that they had to eat at different parts of the island. Darwin later returned home and it took him almost ten years to publish his findings. I thought it was interesing that a science man thought it was hard to publish findings because he was afraid of what the church thought. It turns out that Darwin was not the only one that had found out the same things. There was a man all the way across the world that had the same theory. His name was Alfred Wallace. Although Darwin was extremely upset they presented their information jointly. Overall, I believe that Darwin was a special character in the history of psychology.

The second thing that I liked about the chapter was this natural intelligence that Galton discovered. Just like Darwin, Galton believed that intelligence traits were passed down to the next generation. He thought that if less intelligent people had to struggle to survive then the the most intelligent would live on and pass the trait on. Galton was credited with the first person to use the survey method. He soon found out that fidning the right question to ask people was very hard. Today we know that environmental factors and gentitcs also play a role in intelligence, but Galton provided that pathway for that discovery and that is why I thought it was interesting to read about. Another thign about Galton that I would like to talk about was the theory of eugenics. This was his idea that we should basically reproduce with other people who have ideal gentics. I thought this was interesing because it goes against most social norms, and I do not think that anyone would do that.

The third thing that I liked was the anthropometric labrotory that Galton set up in his hometown. It was at the state fair that was held every year. Galton was testing mearsuble abilities in human beings. As people went through that fair he would have them stop by his tent and he would perform tests that he created. One of the famous ones was the whistle test were he would test to see if people could hear certain pitch differences. These proved to be non effiecent ways to measure human ability, but Galton did do something cool in his research. While attempting to measure all of his experiments, Galton, unknowingly discovered correlation. This was interesting to read about because it is so significant to psychology and science.

One thing that I did not like was Lloyd Morgan law of parsimony. I do not know if I did not get this concept or if it was just not interesting to me, but I found it to be the most uniteresting part of the chapter. The thing that was somethat interesting about the section was the scorpions. Discovering that they did not kill themselves when surrounded by fire was interesting. It was merely a reflex to the smoke that was on there bodies. There was no psychological significance the scorpions taking their own live's. This section was shorter and I hope that we talk about it more in class, so I get a better understanding of this section.

The thing that I read that I think wil be the most important thing in the understanding of psychology was the tie ins between this chapter and the last. I liked that Galton discovered the survey and correlation. Those are two huge things that psychology still uses to this day. All the classes that I have taken here at UNI refer to both of those terms. I thought it was interesting that he discovered correlation by accident. Seems like most things in history are discovered this way, but to actual read about it and know hwo discovered it was interesting to read about.

This chapter was a build on from that last chapter in the sense that the way that we approach data is evolving. Last chapter was more focused on the scientific approach. Darwins till used the scientific approach, but it lead to another theory. What I am trying to say is that as the chapters proceed, discoveries are made by the last persons findings and techniques. Using the last guys lifes work and discoveries leads to the next guy making better discoveries. I think of it as chain reaction in the timelime of discovery.

The topic that I would like to learn more about would probably be Darwin. He was such an interesting man that I would like to know even more about him. Darwin was such a significant person to the psychological and scientific feild that I feel the chapter probably left out some information. Maybe reading a book about him would provide more informtation about his life. I want to know about his discoveries on that galopolos islands, and then more about his home life. Something that the book could not get into because it is a history book.

Some ideas that I had while reading the chapter were mostly about Darwin and his life. I thought that it was interesting to read about all of his doscoveries and then the time it took for him to publish. I thought that it was weird that a man of science was afraid of the church and there thoughts. Before reading this chapter I thought that Darwin a man that did not care about the church and was set on making God obselte. I also thought how cool it was that Galton discovered so many things. Being in that time an accidently stumbling apon correlation is fasinating. I was thinking that he had no clue about the historical significance about all of his discoveries and the amount of credit that he should have got, but never did.

Terms: Darwin, Galoplos, Cambridge, Finches, Beagle, Evolution, Lloyd Morgan, Lloyd Morgan canon, Lloyd Morgan law of parsimony, Galton, Natural intelligence, eugenics, survey method, anthropometric laboratory,

In chapter 5 the topic of Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution was interesting, especially how creation and the view of the world would be challenged. I liked his naturalistic views of how each species are constantly evolving in order to adapt to their environment. Darwin’s five year voyage to South America aboard the H.M.S. Beagle enlightened his knowledge about the existence of life. Though he was often nauseated and sea sick from the voyage, he was still able to explore continents and observe nature by land. With the uniformitarian ism view, Darwin believed that changes in nature as something that happens slowly over a long period of time. By studying sea beds and volcanic activity, Darwin determined geologic events to be gradual rather than catastrophic changes. It was also discovered through his theory of evolution that earth is much older than previously thought.

Another interesting topic was Darwin the zoologist. It is incredible the amount of specimen he was able to collect, categorize, and research. Through his studies and understanding the evolution of earth, Darwin was able to figure out that the organisms on this planet also evolve slowly over time. It was also interesting that Darwin was able to notice small distinct differences between similar island birds and mainland birds. Each generation of species will slightly vary from each other and over time these variations can produce new species. Darwin’s theory suggests our struggle for existence combined with natural selection gives us the ability to adapt and ultimately survive. If a species can’t adapt to their changing environment, they are in danger of becoming extinct.

The third interesting topic was Darwin on the evolution of emotional expression. I found it interesting that Darwin conducted the first cross-cultural study on emotional expression using children and insane people. He used the galvanization method using electrodes to touch the surface of the skin, this would produce muscle spasms to test the muscles involved with emotional expressions. Darwin discovered people have serviceable associated habits, in other words some of our habits are inherited from our ancestors. However when it comes to survival humans along with animals share the same mental and emotional drive for survival.

Darwin contributed to psychology with his theory of evolution, and his personality tests measuring individual differences. He helped to promote the functionalism view of human behavior, and show how individuals adapt to a changing environment. Darwin’s theories impacted comparative psychology through his studies of different species. He challenged our way of thinking with his complex ideas of evolution.

Evolutionary psychology would be interesting in learning more about, and how our mental and physical behavior evolves through time.

Terms: Charles Darwin, Uniformitarianism, Galvanization, Serviceable associated habits, Functionalism, Comparative psychology, Individual differences

Although I don't like how Darwinism is becoming like a religion in this day and age, I really like the stories of Darwin. This chapter gave a very in-depth report of Darwin's life and how he came up with his theories. I found it interesting that he actually didn't notice that the different birds he saw in the Galapagos islands were all finches until after he returned from his journey and somebody else pointed it out when looking through his work.
I think that before Darwin's great discovery, all of the right pieces were there to create psychology, but it may have never developed like it did if it weren't for Darwin. Once he published his theory of evolution, peoples' minds exploded. People began thinking of everything in a much different way. George Romanes began looking at animal behavior as something more than just "god programmed them this way." Although his analyses of animals were too anthropomorphic, the important part is the fact that he was thinking in terms of an evolutionary past. I feel that this happens with most people; when I was in the 6th grade and I was first taught about evolution by means of natural selection, it completely blew my mind.
Another important thing to realize from this chapter is that it's not completely an accident that a small number of rich men have been credited with many huge scientific discoveries throughout history. This chapter explained that very well when saying that Galton "never found it necessary to earn a living..." and therefore "he was able to indulge an exceptionally wide range of interests" (Goodwin 2008, p. 156). Many people attribute the success of the rich to their connections to other successful people. Although that is one part of it, I think that the main reason is that they have the luxury of not having to worry about feeding themselves. Having said that, money is not the only factor. But here's an example: Two children are born with the same high IQ. One is born into a rich family and one is born into a poor family. The rich one can afford to go to college, but the poor one has to work full time just to pay for college. The rich one has connections to get a very desirable unpaid internship, and can also afford to live without income for the duration of the internship. The poor one can't feed himself without working, and therefore couldn't even accept the internship if it were offered to him.
That is why all of the major players in history have been rich. It is because poor people spend too much time working just for subsistence, and can't pay attention to developing science.

This chapter really brought everything together because all of the right ingredients were there before, but Darwinian evolution was the catalyst that set everything off. Soon on the timeline psychology as we know it will be born.

I would like to learn more about Galton's research, because he did quite a bit of it and even this extensive book just scratched the surface.

Terms:
Darwinism, Darwin, Theories, Galapagos, Evolution, Romanes, Anthropomorphic, Natural Selection, Galton, Catalyst

One of the first things that I found interesting was the section that discussed Charles Darwin's life before he became famous for his theory of evolution. In previous classes, I was only taught about Darwin's theories and career as a zoologist. I was completely unaware that he grew up in a very wealthy family, with a father who thought he was a failure. It's so interesting to see what was happening in his life before his major theories and what experiences he had that could possibly have influenced his theories. It's also so interesting to find out that someone who's ideas have sparked so much intense controversy in the church, started his career studying for the clergy at Cambridge University. After reading about this it's really much more easily understood why Darwin was interested in the things that he was and how he came to the conclusion that he did; he was interested in naturalism after he worked for the clergy, worked with geology, and then zoology. It only makes sense now.

Another thing that I found really interesting was the section titled "Darwin's Delay." When I think of someone who's ideas are as famous as Charles Darwin's I don't really think about how they write their books or conduct their studies. I don't consider how long it took them to write their theories or even if they had any setbacks. Knowing this, it's easy to understand that it kind of caught me off guard when I began reading that it took Darwin nearly twenty years to finally publish his Origin of Species. It was also surprising to read that one of the reasons that it took so long was because of his bad health. In general, I think that people think that famous people in academia can't become sick. Because we see them as superior humans in academia, we also see them as "super humans" that were in their prime while conducting their studies.

A third thing that I found interesting was Darwin's direct impact to psychology. I had always simply learned about Charles Darwin with direct associated to zoology and anthropology. Seeing his work associated with psychology is something that's rather exciting. Even Charles Darwin, the father of the evolutionary theory, was working on mental processes and how they effect our lives. Not only was he working on these theories but he published work about them in The Descent of Man. His theories even led to interest in psychology, most specifically comparative psychology and the emphasized study of individual differences in people.

Something that I found very uninteresting was the section about Comparative Psychology in America. I thought the section was boring and was a real downer after reading all about Charles Darwin and all of his great theories and contributions. The section seemed almost more like a caption to the rest of the chapter and was kind of out of place.

Chapter five relates very well to chapter four in the sense that it continues to educate us about important people who helped define psychology to the science that it is today. chapter four mostly discussed Wilhelm Wundt while chapter five focused mostly on Charles Darwin. However, both sections emphasized the importance of scientists who were not trained primarily in psychology, yet had tremendous impacts on the psychology that I am learning today.

I would like to learn more about Galton's twin studies. As I understand, Minnesota is extremely well known for the studies they have done on twins and I've always found the studies I've read to be very interesting. We can really learn a lot for twins and I think that it's so interesting to read about how the studies were developed and who had the idea to use twins to better understand our minds and personalities.

The main ideas that I had while writing this blog were about my other classes. As a grade school student I was taught, probably multiple times, about Charles Darwin and his theories of evolution. When I came to college I even took a couple of anthropology classes and went to a couple "Darwin Week" discussions and learned even more about his ideas, theories, and texts. However, what I didn't learn was how many other disciplines he effected by his studies. His effect on psychology, I believe, really had an impact on how it really got started as a science and helped to validate it's purpose and necessity. I would love to have known more about how he influenced other academic disciplines.

Terms: psychology, Charles Darwin, Theory of Evolution, theories, geology, zoology, Origin of Species, anthropology, evolutionary theory, The Descent of Man, comparative psychology, individual differences, Wilhelm Wundt,

I wanted to start off my post by saying that I am gratefully pleased by how much I enjoyed this chapter. I remember starting off this semester thinking I wasn't going to like the Darwin chapter because every other time I “learn” about Darwin; it was the same thing over and over. Chapter 5 from this book was not that at all, I loved it. I think overall this chapter pieced together the scientific movement of, well, science. The chapter really helped me look at the history of Darwin’s life in a more objective view. I actually had a hard time picking out which bits of information that I wanted to use for this week’s post and I only narrowed it down to 5.
One thing I wanted to sort of get out there and ask was why everyone went to school for religion and why it seemed that everyone was a “reverend”. I know the book talked about how Darwin was sent to Cambridge to study clergy so that he could become a “proper gentleman”. I guess I don’t know the setting of the time to know if this was the norm. But it seems to me like College back in that time wasn’t something that you went to so that you could become a better man. I guess it wasn’t so much of a scholarly place as it is now. Going off of this, it’s very strange to think the many that would soon publish many documents that went against the thoughts of church originally wanted to be a priest.
I was amazed at how many fields of work Darwin was interested in. I wish that I could go to school for 3 or 4 different subjects, but that’s not economically possible for me. Darwin on the other hand seemed to dip into everything, such as; Zoology, Clergy work, Geology, Biology, and even Psychology. He wasn’t formally educated in these fields (not school educated) yet he still had a lot of work in them. He was very luck to work under some amazing people in each field and returned the favor by discovering things that were useful for everyone.
One thing that I didn’t like about Darwin was his unfair advantage of being rich. At first while reading I was like “Of course the super smart guy has a head start with money”. But as I read more and more, I realized that although Darwin had the head start with money, it was his determination, curiosity, and being in the right place at the right time that led to his success.
I was kind of interested Thomas Malthus, the economist who seemed a bit wacky. Although his ideas were quite sick, like thinking that the struggle for survival was only meant to be won by those best fit, he was actually smart and had some good philosophical points. To me it seemed that he was pretty much trying to say that life isn’t fair, and you don’t have a chance if you aren’t in the right place to start. His ideals would not pass in today’s times, especially in America.
I thought it was brilliant of Darwin to delay his writings about evolution. He knew that the church and its community would not take his findings lightly. He knew that it would be shut down and that he might even be separated from his peers of creationism beliefs. I felt that I need to comment on how important it was that Darwin waited to share his knowledge. Had he published his work at the wrong time, the church could have destroyed his work and he probably wouldn’t be the scientist we know of today.
I will probably do my next writing on the fight between the church and Darwin’s theories. I don’t want to write about each side, but I am interested in seeing what the majority of religious people thought when Darwin published his work. His quote on page 140 kind of puzzles me and I am looking for many meanings of it.
I wanted to write more about Functionalism, sexual selection, and Darwin’s work with Instinct Experiments, but I feel like I have written quite enough. I could have easily written a 5 page opinionated paper for this one assignment. Some of the things I was interested in though out the chapter are definitely on my “things to research” list and I will most likely come back and read this chapter after the class is over.
Terms: Darwin, sexual selection, clergy, functionalism, instinct experiment, Thomas Malthus, Zoology, geology, biology, psychology, scientific movement, Cambridge, college.

One thing that interested me about this chapter is the discussion of comparative psychology, especially in its relation to Darwin's theory of evolution. Although evolution is taught in many classrooms, there's still much to learn from it-- especially concerning its implications. In this case, the fact that we evolved from more primitive species meant we had to have some similarities. This set the stage for comparing and contrasting our mental processes and behavior with that of other species, particularly apes. George Romanes' method was not necessarily ideal, as he relied too heavily on anecdotes and tended to anthropomorphize animal behavior. But reaching back to a historical approach, his work was important because it laid a foundation for future comparative psychologists-- those whose findings would be more scientific.
Another thing in this chapter that interested me a lot in the section on individual differences. This also arose from the functionalistic approach to science that fostered comparative psychology. I found this section interesting to read because I am very interested in individual differences in general, especially in intelligence, personality, etc. However, I am also in Psychology of Individual Differences this semester, and we are currently learning about evolutionary psychology. These traits we have that differ from person to person must have roots in some kind of evolutionary mechanism, however, it is the striking similarity between all humans that point us back to evolution. Even though we perceive a lot of diversity in the world, we are much more similar than not. This understanding helps us to put evolution into perspective. We from one common source and have made slight adaptions in order to better survive and reproduce.
Although individual differences interest me overall, especially in the context of evolution, I thought Darwin's theory of evolution as applied to emotional expressions was particularly fascinating. Explaining the evolutionary root of basic human expressions, which are common across all cultures, is further evidence for our common ancestry. I also found the rationale for studying children to be interesting. It's very true that children are more expressive of their emotions, so it makes sense that one would seek out children. They would make the job of the researcher easier, since he wouldn't have to detect subtle expressions. At any rate, these serviceable associated habits that we have picked up explain even the most minute quirks we have.
Although I certainly see the importance of studying evolution and the process by which it was discovered, this was the section I found least interesting. This is likely because I am simply not interested in geology or any of the other natural sciences. The scientific method employed by other sciences and their findings are invaluable, however I find that when there is no connection between a science and people, I lose all interest. One awesome thing is that the finding of evolution itself bridges the gap between the "hard" sciences and the human sciences. If we all come from one primitive organism, if we're all stardust, then even the sciences that I find irrelevant are inherently relevant-- everything in the natural world that can possibly be studied is in some way or another a part of our psychology. In this way, the thing that least interested me about the chapter also gave way to the ideas I had throughout this chapter. Goes to show that Dr. MacLin is right- when we reflect upon the things that we don't like, we learn more.
For my research on Thursday, I would like to read more about the evolution of emotional expression. The basic expressions that are present cross-culturally most certainly have an evolutionary root. If there's any literature out there on the matter, I'd also be interested in reading up about culture-specific expressions. Although anything that is culture-specific is most deeply rooted in social psychology, I'm wondering if I'll be able to find anything about the evolutionary rationale for such behavior. Maybe there's an evolutionary reason we create expressions recognizable by our own society.

Terms: comparative psychology, Charles Darwin, theory of evolution, George Romanes, anthropomorphism, anecdotal evidence, historical approach, individual differences, functionalism, emotional expressions, serviceable associated habits

BR

I actually enjoyed reading chapter five, it kept me interested throughout and it was an easy read. One of the interesting things I read in this chapter was Darwin and his background. I’ve never heard anything about his life leading up to his evolution theory so it was nice to actually know more about his past. Until reading this chapter I never knew he was on a boat called the Beagle for five years. I think that shows dedication personally and it’s pretty interesting how he managed that at such a young age. I can related to Darwin on having sea sickness, but he stuck through it because he had was determined to get information from various stops to collect data for his theory. I thought it was interesting that Darwin during the beginning years of the voyage thought that his work would have no important bearing on the bible or what religion back in the day was said to portray about mankind.... He was definitely wrong thinking this.
I liked reading about the Galàpagos Islands. I found this section interesting because it’s how he stumbled upon some unusual species, which were a huge contribution to getting his theory going. It’s unique how there was different species from one island to the other and how the tortoises were known where they live by their shells. On the Islands Darwin discovered how different birds had different beaks. With no humans to bother or destroy these animals it was crazy that he got to study them in their natural environment with no disturbances or causes for them to have to adapt as they would have if humans lived there. He didn’t even realize the extent to what he came upon until he got back home to sort through his data. Without Darwin finding those birds or going on the voyage for as long as he did, I don’t think he could’ve came up with as good as a theory as he did, and back then it was important to have good evidence behind claims that will go against what the church says about how we arrived on this earth.
The last thing I found interesting was Darwin’s Delay. I was really surprised that it took him almost twenty years to get his work published. I can’t believe someone could stick with something that long before they could let their work be known. I thought it was interesting that a letter about Wallace and his outline of evolution theory which was really similar to Darwin’s is what kicked him in the butt to get moving on getting his stuff published quicker than anticipated. I couldn’t imagine how devasting it would be to do all that work over that many years, to have someone else be recgonized for it, or publish their workings first. He worked through being sick and the death of one of his sons, which is dedication in my opinion. Darwin finally got his whole theory published in his book, On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life, and it was in bookstores on November 22,1859.
This chapter builds on othe chapters because it’s showing how the background and groundwork from the first chapters is being put into use or used in the field of psychology as well as science. It also goes in chronological order of the times or historical events.
I would like to learn more about his findings in the Galàpagos Islands. It would be really interesting to studying or read his book that he published based on the findings he discovered while visting these islands. It would also be interesting to use the information he came up with in comparison to the same types of the animals today (i.g., certain birds, tortoises, lizards, etc.)
Some ideas I had during this chapter was that I wonder how the animals on the Galàpagos Islands were effected after Darwin’s discoveries. Did people who were at sea stop by those islands more often now, disturbing the animals? I also wondered how much the animals have evolved or changed from Darwin’s day until now.

Darwin, evolution, Beagle, Galàpagos Islands, Darwin’s Delay, species

I was most interested in C. Lloyd Morgan’s contribution to comparative psychology and his idea that the simplest solution is probably the most reasonable. Morgan was responding theories his contemporaries were putting forth regarding anthropomorphism. Some researchers were attributing rational intelligence to the behaviors of animals and not considering other factors which might produce those behaviors. I would use the same parsimonious explanation to address Frances Galton’s theory that intelligence was inherent in elite families and that the very act of being poor would indicate a lack of intelligence. Galton’s contributions to nature versus nurture may have been more substantial if he could have overcome his bias for the elite class. He might have applied his Charles Darwin’s survival theories to explain the reasons why men of lesser means did not have the luxury to contemplate the meaning of life from sun-up to sundown. Galton might then have noticed that those “dummies” were really too busy trying to put food on the table and did not have the time jot down their more profound ideas concerning the universe.

I thought it was interesting that Darwin procrastinated in reporting his research findings on evolution until he became aware that he might lose the credit for the theory if he did not act quickly. Theories on evolution were not widely accepted because they went against the prevailing doctrines of the Church. Darwin had left instructions for his wife to publish his work if he died prior to publishing. I was amazed that he would take the chance that his life’s work might never be published! It was almost like he did not want to face the controversy which would likely erupt from his research findings.

I found it interesting that Darwin married his cousin which would have contributed to a shallow gene pool in his lineage. I wondered if that was by design, because maybe he considered that the attributes of his family were so desirable that they should not dilute the bloodline by marrying outside the family. He may have been subconsciously putting eugenics to the test. Royal families married within themselves for similar reasons, along with socioeconomic ones.

Eugenics has sinister implications because Galton’s ideas of breeding a superior race and causing those with unwanted characteristics to die out brings to mind images of the Holocaust. After reading about Galton’s ideas on eugenics, I realized that he may have suffered from a mental disease which many people in power develop – megalomania. Galton believed it might be in the best interests of mankind if we could get rid of the weak minded elements, which translates to getting rid of anyone who is not approve d of by the elites. Galton’s ideas on eugenics may have contributed in some ways to science, but it also contributed to a “scientific” excuse (incomplete as it was) for economic, racial, and sexual superiority. Granted, all of those things existed before Galton came on the scene, but he took it to new levels and may have even offered a basis for implementing a form of “racial cleansing”.

I believe that zeitgeist is one of the most useful ideas we can get from the chapter. Many researchers and scientists study the same theories and concepts at the same time, and sometimes the one who publishes first gets all the credit. It may come down to a matter of resources and the ability to publish, as well as timing of the publication. In Darwin’s case he had made a life’s work and carefully documented his theory of evolution, although he was not the one who invented the concept. Darwin seemed to time his publication expertly and he had the data to back up his findings, his book became a best-seller and it seemed to open evolution for public debate.

While the previous chapters were about the breakthroughs in the physiology of the brain, this chapter dealt with the science on the evolution of life. Many scientists had questioned the concepts of species development and its implications concerning human existence, but Darwin proposed a theory with research which supported the evolution of life. This led to continuity of the species and ultimately caused scientists to research animal behaviors and compared them to human behaviors. Ultimately, comparative psychology was born and led to the study of differences in human behaviors.

I would like to do a little more research on Darwin’s offspring to see what became of them. The text stated that he had ten children, I was wondering if the intermarrying had any adverse effect on any of them. I have read about Polynesian races that intermarried and never seemed to have genetic anomalies, but they seem to be more of an exception to the rule.

As I read the chapter, I thought of how Darwin was almost destined to be the one to present evolution to the scientific community. I never knew that it was his grandfather that had originally presented the concept. It is also apparent that Darwin was not motivated at a young age to go anything of value with his life, but through his economic resources he was given opportunities which eventually inspired him to greatness.

Terminology:
C. Lloyd Morgan, comparative psychology, anthropomorphism, parsimonious, Frances Galton, Charles Darwin, evolution, Eugenics, racial cleansing, zeitgeist, continuity of the species

One thing I found really interesting in this chapter was Darwin’s voyage on the Beagle. I could not imagine spending five years on a ship, but I’m sure at that time it was a good way to experience more than anyone else had yet experienced. This is probably Darwin’s most influential event pertaining to his theories. I wonder if some of his theories would have been developed had he not went on this long trip. He probably would have gone on to become a priest, and maybe not have contributed as much to psychology and science. I also thought it was odd that he was sick every day that they were at sea; I wonder how much that hindered his ability to record and write about more of what he saw. Another concept I found interesting was catastrophism. The fact that someone had to write something in order to make clear that God was supreme alongside what scientists were discovering at the time, shows how great of importance people placed on this during that time. Even though I believe God is behind everything as well, I do know that science has something to do with it as well. Darwin also kept God in mind while writing his theory, due to his faith. A third thing I thought was cool was that he believed emotional expressions were a result of evolution. His reasoning for this was that if this was true, then emotional expressions would be the same all over—which led him to conduct the first cross-cultural study based on expressions. The item I found least interesting in this chapter was Francis Galton’s “Nature of Intelligence.” I thought it was silly that he wondered whether human intelligence was inherited; I feel like there would not be enough statistical data to support this claim. There are too many people (and cases) in the world to be able to collect enough data.

This chapter relates to other chapters in that there are more psychologists with more theories and studies to learn about. The chapter also discussed how church authority still had an influence during this time and sometimes attempted to manipulate which scientific information and theories reached the public. I would like to learn more about Darwin’s voyage at sea as well as his adventures in the Galapagos Islands. I feel like this was the most interesting item to read about in this chapter, and there was just not enough information for me.