While Studying a Group of Ammonites (An Extinct Lineage of Cephalopods)

question 30

Multiple Choice

While studying a group of ammonites (an extinct lineage of cephalopods) that lived during the Mesozoic, you measure the shell diameter of different fossil ammonite species. The table represents the data you collected for each of six different time periods. To what rule does the data conform? $\begin{array} { | l | l | } \hline \text { Time interval } & \text { Mean shell diameter } ( + / - \text { standard error } ) \\\hline 245 - 214 \text { MYA } & 15 \mathrm {~mm} ( + / - 5 \mathrm {~mm} ) \\\hline 215 - 184 \text { MYA } & 21 \mathrm {~mm} ( + / - 7 \mathrm {~mm} ) \\\hline 185 - 154 \text { MYA } & 36 \mathrm {~mm} ( + / - 12 \mathrm {~mm} ) \\\hline 155 - 124 \text { MYA } & 63 \mathrm {~mm} ( + / - 21 \mathrm {~mm} ) \\\hline 125 - 94 \text { MYA } & 72 \mathrm {~mm} ( + / - 24 \mathrm {~mm} ) \\\hline 95 - 65 \text { MYA } & 84 \mathrm {~mm} ( + / - 28 \mathrm {~mm} ) \\\hline\end{array}$

• A) biogenetic rule
• B) Allen's rule
• C) Cope's rule
• D) Bergmann's rule

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Definitions:

Schema

Schema refers to a cognitive framework or concept that helps organize and interpret information, based on one’s accumulated knowledge and experience.

Attributional Model

A psychological framework that explains how individuals infer causes of behavior, focusing on internal versus external attributions.

External-Unstable Attribution

Attributing one's behavior or outcomes to external, transient factors outside one's control.

Internal-Stable Attribution

The tendency to ascribe the cause of a behavior to an internal, unchanging characteristic of the person involved.