Question

Which of the following best outlines the reason why Alfonso Caramazza suggests that it is important to understand the brain in terms of evolutionary context, as presented in the journal reading entitled 'Wired for Categorization'?

1) Milk and meat, along with other foods that are important for evolutionary survival, are categorized more efficiently than other objects.
2) The connections between the visual cortex and other areas of the brain do not require visual input to form.
3) The connections between the visual cortex to other areas of the brain are developed following the learning of categorization in infants.
4) Since dogs have a separate mental process of categorization than humans, it is important to understand each species brain in terms of their evolutionary ancestors.

Answer 1

Alfonso Caramazza would argue understanding the brain in an evolutionary context is important because evolution has shaped our abilities for survival and reproductive success, influencing thought and behavior.

Step-by-step explanation:

The reason why Alfonso Caramazza suggests it is important to understand the brain in terms of evolutionary context, as presented in the journal reading entitled 'Wired for Categorization', is notably absent from the provided options. However, drawing from the themes present in the material, Caramazza would emphasize the evolutionary context because our brain's structure and functions, such as categorization and inference-making, have been shaped by hundreds of thousands of years of evolution. These evolved abilities facilitate our survival and reproductive success, impacting our natural ways of thinking and behavior. Notably, evolutionary history has led to increased folding (more sulci and gyri) of the cerebral cortex, associated with intelligence and complex social behaviors. This context helps explain the differentiation in the brains of various animals, including the human brain's extraordinary size and complexity compared to other mammals, like our closest evolutionary relative, the chimpanzee.