Essay on The Importance of Human Evolution - 1794 Words

Introduction The main purpose of this essay is to critically discuss the importance of an understanding of human evolution and the history of psychology for the modern psychologist. The essay aims to critically discuss the study of human evolution which includes some of the species that evolved over the years before we now have our species, the history of psychology and the different prominent figures that are responsible for psychology being the field it is today. Finally, how an understanding of this can aid a modern psychologist. To conclude, this essay will collate previous research done on human evolution, history of psychology and the importance of this for the modern psychologist. Human Evolution Human evolution started with Charles†¦show more content†¦The next major species found after the Australopithecus was the Homo habilis. Around the same time period they came into existence, two other species were present, homo rudolfensis (Alexeev 1986) and homo ergaster (Archaeology Information n.d). The brain size of Homo habilis was about 590-687 cc, unlike the Australopithecus they should evidence of tool usage (Tobias 1987). The homo ergaster species has a brain size of approximately 860cc (Australian museum n.d). They also showed evidence of tool making and there was a possibility of vocalization (). It is evident through this how the species are becoming more and more progressive, from the first species discussed not showing evidence of tool making and their brain size getting larger as each species is evolving. The next set of species is the homo Neanderthalensis; they evolved from a species named homo Heidelbergensis, who were thought to be the first species that acquired protolanguage (de Beaune et al. 2009). Homo Neanderthals had a brain size was about 1100-1400 cc (Holloway, Sherwood and Hof et al 2009). They showed evidence of tool usage; they were able to cope with frequent and dramatic changes in climate/ scenery () This shows that they were more able to adapt to environmental changes than the previous species discussed.() The Neanderthals first showed evidence of burial of the dead with gifts and also care for the elderly; this is an indication of social and cognitive abilities as they were ableShow MoreRelatedHow Organisms Evolved From a Common Ancestors1101 Words   |  5 PagesOne of the most important principles of biology is the main idea of evolution. This theory states, â€Å"that all living organisms have evolved from a common ancestor through natural selection acting on hereditary variation† (Reece, 2011). Many people today, know humans have evolved from a common ancestor; but they do not recognize the importance of it. Everyone should be educated about how organisms evolved because humans have evolved throughout many centuries. 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