Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Human ethology is the study of human behavior. Ethology as a discipline is generally thought of as a sub-category of biology, though psychological theories have been developed based on ethological ideas (e.g. sociobiology, evolutionary psychology, attachment theory, and theories about human universals such as gender differences, incest avoidance, mourning, hierarchy and pursuit of possession).
The term non-human has been used to describe computer programs and robot-like devices that display some human-like characteristics. In both science fiction and in the real world, computer programs and robots have been built to perform tasks that require human-computer interactions in a manner that suggests sentience and compassion.
According to some sociologists and associations, the modern term loner can be used in the context of the belief that human beings are social creatures and that those who do not participate are deviants. [3] [4] [5] However, the term is sometimes depicted culturally as positive, and indicative of a degree of independence and responsibility. [6]
Even compared with other social animals, humans have an unusually high degree of flexibility in their facial expressions. [291] Humans are the only animals known to cry emotional tears. [292] Humans are one of the few animals able to self-recognize in mirror tests [293] and there is also debate over to what extent humans are the only animals ...
Humans in all civilizations are social animals and use their language skills and tool making skills to communicate. These communication skills enable civilizations to grow and allow for the production of art, literature and music, and for the development of technology. All of these are wholly dependent on the human biological specialisms.
Anthropology has traditionally studied the roles of non-human animals in human culture in two opposed ways: as physical resources that humans used; and as symbols or concepts through totemism and animism. More recently, anthropologists have also seen other animals as participants in human social interactions. [2]
Machery argues that while the idea that humans have an "essence" is a very old idea, the idea that all humans have a unified human nature is relatively modern; for a long time, people thought of humans as "us versus them" and thus did not think of human beings as a unified kind.
A 2010 article, "Cognitive load on social response to computers" by E.J. Lee discussed research on how human likeness of a computer interface, individuals' rationality, and cognitive load moderate the extent to which people apply social attributes to computers. The research revealed that participants were more socially attracted to a computer ...