ANT 2000 Lecture 5: Discussion 1 Answered: "Ape Genius" Film and Social Hierarchy

• School: University of Florida
• Department: Anthropology
• Course: ANT 2000
• Professor: Lisa Duffy

Document Summary

Question 1: the pbs film ape genius represented the surprising intelligence and undermined capabilities that apes have, but emphasizes that they are not as technologically advanced as humans are. My group discussed the fact that apes do not have strong impulse control, which deeply hinders their ability to control their temper. A group member mentioned that they do not think apes could overcome these obstacles that are holding them back from progressing to the level of humans unless there was a circumstance in which they needed to for survival. We all agreed on the idea that if apes ate more meat, it would stimulate brain growth. I personally believe that from a psychological perspective, apes have smaller brains that humans, which indicates smaller frontal lobes. Frontal lobes control impulses, and since apes cannot manage their anger and frustration as well as humans, they will not ever be able to fully complete a task while level-headed.