knb comments on Neuroscience basics for LessWrongians - Less Wrong

84 Post author: ChrisHallquist 26 July 2012 05:10AM

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Comment author: aaronde 23 July 2012 06:56:20PM 15 points [-]

Another reason given for why human intelligence must be simple, is that we've only had time for a few complex evolutionary adaptations since we split off from other primates. Chimps clearly aren't particularly adapted to, say, doing math, so our ability to do math must come from a combination of some kind of General Intelligence, which can be applied to all kinds of tasks (what Eliezer called "the master trick"), and maybe a few specific adaptations.

But it recently occurred to me that, even if the human brain hasn't had time to gain a lot of complex functions since splitting from chips, it's entirely possible that the chimp brain has lost a lot of complex functions. My guess would be that our ancestors started becoming anomalously intelligent a long time ago, and only the human line has continued to get smarter, while all our relatives have "reverted to the mean", so to speak.

Could anyone with more knowledge on the subject tell me whether this is reasonable? Even if it's pure conjecture, it seems like the mere possibility would nullify that particular argument for human intelligence being simple / general.

Comment author: knb 27 July 2012 07:44:35AM *  4 points [-]

Another reason given for why human intelligence must be simple, is that we've only had time for a few complex evolutionary adaptations since we split off from other primates. Chimps clearly aren't particularly adapted to, say, doing math, so our ability to do math must come from a combination of some kind of General Intelligence, which can be applied to all kinds of tasks (what Eliezer called "the master trick"), and maybe a few specific adaptations.

I don't think we should assume that the vast difference between human and primate achievement is caused by a vast difference in human and primate general intelligence. There are vast differences in achievement between human groups, but only fairly modest intelligence differences. Some ape experts estimated the IQ of chimps as above 75.

Chimps have been known to use some surprisingly advanced technologies, almost comparable to the more primitive human groups (like Tasmanian Aborigines). Sometimes, chimps notice other chimps doing these things and copy them, but they don't teach these new techniques to each other in any comprehensive way. This strikes me as the main advantage humans have, rather than raw mental firepower.

It seems likely to me that the main biological adaptation that made humans so much more successful at learning was not general intelligence, but rather a more advanced theory of mind and communication skills that followed from it. I'm sure general intelligence improvements played a role, but my guess is g was secondary to social learning.

Comment author: mhowardthomas 31 July 2012 09:30:45PM 3 points [-]

Michael Tomasello posits precisely this theory in The Cultural Origins of Human Cognition. He emphasizes (1) the human ability to understand intention made possible by, (2) imitation versus the non-human primate mode of emulation, and (3) the ensuing ratchet effect of cultural knowledge through discourse and artifact. I think the theory of mind to which you refer is developed out of imitation, see Tomasello's discussion.