Why Is It So Difficult to Pinpoint the Emergence of the Earliest

question 51

Multiple Choice

Why is it so difficult to pinpoint the emergence of the earliest languages?

• A) Written language only appeared about 5,000 years ago.
• B) Modern apes have a rudimentary language, so it must date to at least the divergence of the human and ape lineages.
• C) There are clear structural differences in the brains of people who speak and people who don't, but we have no fossilized evidence of brain structure.
• D) Every culture reports that they have been able to speak since the beginning of time.

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Definitions:

Informed Consent

A process ensuring participants are fully aware of all aspects of a procedure including risks, benefits, and alternatives before agreeing to partake.

Sample

A subset of a population selected for measurement, observation, or questioning to provide statistical information about the whole.

Evolutionary Psychology

A theoretical approach in psychology that applies evolutionary biology concepts to understand human behavior and mental processes.

Cognitive Psychologists

Scientists who study mental processes such as perception, memory, thought, and problem-solving.