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Compare Brain and Body Sizes
Compare Brain Structures- Slices and Slides
The Neuron- Up Close and Personal
The Question of Intelligence
Links
Glossary
Bibliography
(image thanks to soton.ac.uk/~jrc3/chudler/brainsize.html)
Why do we care about all this comparative neuroanatomy?
Many people are interested in the relationship between body size and brain size. One may expect larger animals to have larger brains, but we want to know more about the relationship for two main reasons:
- First, knowing something about the general relationship may help us learn something interesting about brains, cognition, and intelligence in general;
- Second, if there is a general relationship between body and brain size, then we need to factor it out when talking about brain size and intelligence (or cognition)... For example, cows have bigger brains than most monkeys, but that most likely has more to do with the having larger bodies than large cow intelligence.
There are multiple methods for studying the brain and its relationship to behavioral complexity (hey-- what is the difference between intelligence and behavioral complexity???). Let's take an indepth look at these methods, which include:
- looking at the absolute magnitude of the brain
- measuring brain size versus body size
- measuring cortical folding
- measuring neocortex
- measuring volume of gray matter versus volume of nerve cells
- looking at specific brain structures
First, though, have you thought about what intelligence is anyway? How do scientists talk about it? Go here for a discussion of the relevence of intelligence or click on a button below . . .
Continue this discussion about intelligence and brain size
Huh? Can we start over?
Compare Brain Structures- Slices and Slides The Neuron- Up Close and Personal
The Question of Intelligence
Links
Glossary
Bibliography
(image thanks to soton.ac.uk/~jrc3/chudler/brainsize.html)
Why do we care about all this comparative neuroanatomy?
Many people are interested in the relationship between body size and brain size. One may expect larger animals to have larger brains, but we want to know more about the relationship for two main reasons:
- First, knowing something about the general relationship may help us learn something interesting about brains, cognition, and intelligence in general;
- Second, if there is a general relationship between body and brain size, then we need to factor it out when talking about brain size and intelligence (or cognition)... For example, cows have bigger brains than most monkeys, but that most likely has more to do with the having larger bodies than large cow intelligence.
There are multiple methods for studying the brain and its relationship to behavioral complexity (hey-- what is the difference between intelligence and behavioral complexity???). Let's take an indepth look at these methods, which include:
- looking at the absolute magnitude of the brain
- measuring brain size versus body size
- measuring cortical folding
- measuring neocortex
- measuring volume of gray matter versus volume of nerve cells
- looking at specific brain structures
First, though, have you thought about what intelligence is anyway? How do scientists talk about it? Go here for a discussion of the relevence of intelligence or click on a button below . . .
Continue this discussion about intelligence and brain size
Huh? Can we start over?
The Question of Intelligence
Links
Glossary
Bibliography
(image thanks to soton.ac.uk/~jrc3/chudler/brainsize.html)
Why do we care about all this comparative neuroanatomy?
Many people are interested in the relationship between body size and brain size. One may expect larger animals to have larger brains, but we want to know more about the relationship for two main reasons:
- First, knowing something about the general relationship may help us learn something interesting about brains, cognition, and intelligence in general;
- Second, if there is a general relationship between body and brain size, then we need to factor it out when talking about brain size and intelligence (or cognition)... For example, cows have bigger brains than most monkeys, but that most likely has more to do with the having larger bodies than large cow intelligence.
There are multiple methods for studying the brain and its relationship to behavioral complexity (hey-- what is the difference between intelligence and behavioral complexity???). Let's take an indepth look at these methods, which include:
- looking at the absolute magnitude of the brain
- measuring brain size versus body size
- measuring cortical folding
- measuring neocortex
- measuring volume of gray matter versus volume of nerve cells
- looking at specific brain structures
First, though, have you thought about what intelligence is anyway? How do scientists talk about it? Go here for a discussion of the relevence of intelligence or click on a button below . . .
Continue this discussion about intelligence and brain size
Huh? Can we start over?
Glossary
Bibliography
(image thanks to soton.ac.uk/~jrc3/chudler/brainsize.html)
Why do we care about all this comparative neuroanatomy?
Many people are interested in the relationship between body size and brain size. One may expect larger animals to have larger brains, but we want to know more about the relationship for two main reasons:
- First, knowing something about the general relationship may help us learn something interesting about brains, cognition, and intelligence in general;
- Second, if there is a general relationship between body and brain size, then we need to factor it out when talking about brain size and intelligence (or cognition)... For example, cows have bigger brains than most monkeys, but that most likely has more to do with the having larger bodies than large cow intelligence.
There are multiple methods for studying the brain and its relationship to behavioral complexity (hey-- what is the difference between intelligence and behavioral complexity???). Let's take an indepth look at these methods, which include:
- looking at the absolute magnitude of the brain
- measuring brain size versus body size
- measuring cortical folding
- measuring neocortex
- measuring volume of gray matter versus volume of nerve cells
- looking at specific brain structures
First, though, have you thought about what intelligence is anyway? How do scientists talk about it? Go here for a discussion of the relevence of intelligence or click on a button below . . .
Continue this discussion about intelligence and brain size
Huh? Can we start over?
(image thanks to soton.ac.uk/~jrc3/chudler/brainsize.html)
Why do we care about all this comparative neuroanatomy?
Many people are interested in the relationship between body size and brain size. One may expect larger animals to have larger brains, but we want to know more about the relationship for two main reasons:
- First, knowing something about the general relationship may help us learn something interesting about brains, cognition, and intelligence in general;
- Second, if there is a general relationship between body and brain size, then we need to factor it out when talking about brain size and intelligence (or cognition)... For example, cows have bigger brains than most monkeys, but that most likely has more to do with the having larger bodies than large cow intelligence.
There are multiple methods for studying the brain and its relationship to behavioral complexity (hey-- what is the difference between intelligence and behavioral complexity???). Let's take an indepth look at these methods, which include:
- looking at the absolute magnitude of the brain
- measuring brain size versus body size
- measuring cortical folding
- measuring neocortex
- measuring volume of gray matter versus volume of nerve cells
- looking at specific brain structures
First, though, have you thought about what intelligence is anyway? How do scientists talk about it? Go here for a discussion of the relevence of intelligence or click on a button below . . .
| Continue this discussion about intelligence and brain size |
| Huh? Can we start over? |