The Marvelous Learning Animal

The Marvelous Learning Animal PDF Author: Arthur W. Staats
Publisher: Prometheus Books
ISBN: 1616145986
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 499

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Book Description
What makes us human? In recent decades, researchers have focused on innate tendencies and inherited traits as explanations for human behavior, especially in light of groundbreaking human genome research. The author thinks this trend is misleading. As he shows in great detail in this engaging, thought-provoking, and highly informative book, what makes our species unique is our marvelous ability to learn, which is an ability that no other primate possesses. In his exploration of human progress, the author reveals that the immensity of human learning has not been fully understood or examined. Evolution has endowed us with extremely versatile bodies and a brain comprised of one hundred billion neurons, which makes us especially suited for a wide range of sophisticated learning. Already in childhood, human beings begin learning complex repertoires—language, sports, value systems, music, science, rules of behavior, and many other aspects of culture. These repertoires build on one another in special ways, and our brains develop in response to the learning experiences we receive from those around us and from what we read and hear and see. When humans gather in society, the cumulative effect of building learning upon learning is enormous. The author presents a new way of understanding humanness—in the behavioral nature of the human body, in the unique human way of learning, in child development, in personality, and in abnormal behavior. With all this, and his years of basic and applied research, he develops a new theory of human evolution and a new vision of the human being. This book offers up a unified concept that not only provides new ways of understanding human behavior and solving human problems but also lays the foundations for opening new areas of science.

The Marvelous Learning Animal

The Marvelous Learning Animal PDF Author: Arthur W. Staats
Publisher: Prometheus Books
ISBN: 1616145986
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 499

Get Book

Book Description
What makes us human? In recent decades, researchers have focused on innate tendencies and inherited traits as explanations for human behavior, especially in light of groundbreaking human genome research. The author thinks this trend is misleading. As he shows in great detail in this engaging, thought-provoking, and highly informative book, what makes our species unique is our marvelous ability to learn, which is an ability that no other primate possesses. In his exploration of human progress, the author reveals that the immensity of human learning has not been fully understood or examined. Evolution has endowed us with extremely versatile bodies and a brain comprised of one hundred billion neurons, which makes us especially suited for a wide range of sophisticated learning. Already in childhood, human beings begin learning complex repertoires—language, sports, value systems, music, science, rules of behavior, and many other aspects of culture. These repertoires build on one another in special ways, and our brains develop in response to the learning experiences we receive from those around us and from what we read and hear and see. When humans gather in society, the cumulative effect of building learning upon learning is enormous. The author presents a new way of understanding humanness—in the behavioral nature of the human body, in the unique human way of learning, in child development, in personality, and in abnormal behavior. With all this, and his years of basic and applied research, he develops a new theory of human evolution and a new vision of the human being. This book offers up a unified concept that not only provides new ways of understanding human behavior and solving human problems but also lays the foundations for opening new areas of science.

The Burgess Bird Book for Children

The Burgess Bird Book for Children PDF Author: Thornton W. Burgess
Publisher: Courier Corporation
ISBN: 0486121631
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 274

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Book Description
Downy the Woodpecker, Spooky the Screech Owl, and other winged creatures tell Peter Cottontail about their migration patterns, calls, nesting habits, and more in this blend of fact and fiction. 32 black-and-white illustrations.

Big Book of Amazing Animals

Big Book of Amazing Animals PDF Author: Esther Reisberg
Publisher: Big Books
ISBN: 9781628856804
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 224

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Book Description
Find out.... Which animal smells like popcorn, how animals communicate, which animal makes its own sunblock, how you can work with animals, which animals can go their whole lives without drinking water, fun facts about bees, bugs, and other creepy-crawlies... and much, much more in the Big Book of Amazing Animals. It also includes Search & Find pages, mazes, word searches, and other fun activities. Impress family and friends with your knowledge of animals.

Animal Wise

Animal Wise PDF Author: Virginia Morell
Publisher: Crown Publishing Group (NY)
ISBN: 0307461440
Category : Animal behavior
Languages : en
Pages : 306

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Book Description
Explores the frontiers of research on animal cognition and emotion, offering a surprising examination into the hearts and minds of wild and domesticated animals.

Social Learning In Animals

Social Learning In Animals PDF Author: Cecilia M. Heyes
Publisher: Elsevier
ISBN: 0080541313
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 433

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Book Description
The increasing realization among behaviorists and psychologists is that many animals learn by observation as members of social systems. Such settings contribute to the formation of culture. This book combines the knowledge of two groups of scientists with different backgrounds to establish a working consensus for future research. The book is divided into two major sections, with contributions by a well-known, international, and interdisciplinary team which integrates these growing areas of inquiry. Integrates the broad range of scientific approaches being used in the studies of social learning and imitation, and society and culture Provides an introduction to this field of study as well as a starting point for the more experienced researcher Chapters are succinct reviews of innovative discoveries and progress made during the past decade Includes statements of varied theoretical perspectives on controversial topics Authoritative contributions by an international team of leading researchers

Social Learning and Innovation in Contemporary Hunter-Gatherers

Social Learning and Innovation in Contemporary Hunter-Gatherers PDF Author: Hideaki Terashima
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 4431559973
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 314

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Book Description
This is the first book to examine social learning and innovation in hunter–gatherers from around the world. More is known about social learning in chimpanzees and nonhuman primates than is known about social learning in hunter–gatherers, a way of life that characterized most of human history. The book describes diverse patterns of learning and teaching behaviors in contemporary hunter–gatherers from the perspectives of cultural anthropology, ecological anthropology, biological anthropology, and developmental psychology. The book addresses several theoretical issues including the learning hypothesis which suggests that the fate of Homo sapiens and Neanderthals in the last glacial period might have been due to the differences in learning ability. It has been unequivocally claimed that social learning is intrinsically important for human beings; however, the characteristics of human learning remain under a dense fog despite innumerable studies with children from urban–industrial cultures. Controversy continues on problems such as: do hunter–gatherers teach? If so, what types of teaching occur, who does it, how often, under what contexts, and so on. The book explores the most basic and intrinsic aspects of social learning as well as the foundation of innovative activities in everyday activities of contemporary hunter–gatherer people across the earth. The book examines how hunter-gatherer core values, such as gender and age egalitarianism and extensive sharing of food and childcare are transmitted and acquired by children. Chapters are grouped into five sections: 1) theoretical perspectives of learning in hunter–gatherers, 2) modes and processes of social learning in hunter–gatherers, 3) innovation and cumulative culture, 4) play and other cultural contexts of social learning and innovation, 5) biological contexts of learning and innovation. Ideas and concepts based on the data gathered through an intensive fieldwork by the authors will give much insight into the mechanisms and meanings of learning and education in modern humans.

Animal Wisdom

Animal Wisdom PDF Author: Linda Bender
Publisher: North Atlantic Books
ISBN: 1583947868
Category : Pets
Languages : en
Pages : 201

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Book Description
Scientific and spiritual, Animal Wisdom thoughtfully explores “the ways in which animals, if we will but watch them and listen to them, can help us to live our lives more fully”—Jane Goodall How is it that pets are able to travel thousands of miles through unknown territory to reunite with their beloved humans? How can dogs detect cancer with up to a 98 percent accuracy rate, and foresee epileptic or diabetic seizures in their owners? How do animals seem to know an earthquake is coming long before the world's best seismologists? In Animal Wisdom, veterinarian and animal advocate Linda Bender offers a wealth of amazing stories and research-based evidence indicating animals have deeply perceptive—even extrasensory—abilities. She shows us that animals are extremely perceptive, intuitive, and psychic and provides step-by-step practices for honing your natural ability to communicate with them, so that you too can learn to understand their urgent messages about peace, happiness, and the future of the planet. Animal Wisdom is for animal lovers and anyone who seeks a deeper, more spiritual connection to these beautiful creatures.

They Just Know

They Just Know PDF Author: Robin Yardi
Publisher: Arbordale Publishing
ISBN: 162855634X
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 19

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Book Description
How do some young animals know what to do and how to do it? Does someone teach a caterpillar what to eat? Who gives a baby shark swimming lessons? Sometimes young animals learn things from their parents, but other times… they just know! Explore animal instincts through engaging text and fanciful illustrations.

Special Wonders of the Wild Kingdom

Special Wonders of the Wild Kingdom PDF Author: Buddy Davis
Publisher: Master Books
ISBN: 9780890512548
Category : Animals
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Children and adults both will delight in this illustrated guide to animals of the wild. Filled with spectacular photographs, and "creature classifications" -- great for any home or school library. Book jacket.

The Evolution Underground: Burrows, Bunkers, and the Marvelous Subterranean World Beneath our Feet

The Evolution Underground: Burrows, Bunkers, and the Marvelous Subterranean World Beneath our Feet PDF Author: Anthony J. Martin
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1681773759
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 400

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Book Description
What is the best way to survive when the going gets tough? Hiding underground. From penguins to dinosaurs, trilobites, and humans, Anthony Martin reveals the subterranean secret of survival. Humans have “gone underground” for survival for thousands of years, from underground cities in Turkey to Cold War–era bunkers. But our burrowing roots go back to the very beginnings of animal life on earth. Without burrowing, the planet would be very different today. Many animal lineages alive now—including our own—only survived a cataclysmic meteorite strike 65 million years ago because they went underground. On a grander scale, the chemistry of the planet itself had already been transformed many millions of years earlier by the first animal burrows, which altered whole ecosystems. Every day we walk on an earth filled with an under-ground wilderness teeming with life. Most of this life stays hidden, yet these animals and their subterranean homes are ubiquitous, ranging from the deep sea to mountains, from the equator to the poles. Burrows are a refuge from predators, a safe home for raising young, or a tool to ambush prey. Burrows also protect animals against all types of natural disasters: fires, droughts, storms, meteorites, global warmings—and coolings. In a book filled with spectacularly diverse fauna, acclaimed paleontologist and ichnologist Anthony Martin reveals this fascinating, hidden world that will continue to influence and transform life on this planet.