Examine+one+evolutionary+explanation+of+behaviour.+(Helene)

Helene Grauer: Explain one evolutionary explanation of behavior

The biological level of analysis is that the environment presents challenges to each individual -so, those who adapt best to the environment will have a greater chance of surviving, having children, and passing on their genes

EXPERIMENT Professor Tetsuro Matsuzawa did a study on spatial memory in young chimps -three pairs of chimps were taught to recognize the numerals 1-9 on a computer monitor -humans and chimps were seated in front of the monitor where the numerals flashed up briefly in a random sequence -the numbers were then replaced with blank squares -the participants had to remember which numeral appeared in which location, and touch the squares in the appropriate sequence

humans made many errors, and their accuracy decreased as the numbers were replaced with blank squares more quickly chimps showed remarkable memory

Psychologists think that it is a necessary adaptation for chimps so they can remember food resources and predators in the rainforest. However, for humans, agricultue developed and so that skill was no longer necessary for human survival -it appears that the memory skills of both chimps and humans have adapted to become most suitable for the respective environments in which they each live