Human Variation & Race

Environmental Stresses:

Humans maintain an average body temperature of around 98.6 degrees fahrenheit, but individual differences can cause our body temperature to be one degree higher or lower than the average. The human body has a temperature regulating system which allows us to adapt to climate changes and maintain a normal body temperature. However, in extremely cold climates, humans are susceptible to developing hypothermia. The human body begins the hypothermia process when our internal temperature drops to around 94 degrees fahrenheit. From this point, our body temperature will continue to drop substantially unless we receive the help we need to warm our bodies back to normal temperature. The longer our bodies are exposed to this harsh cold, and the longer we wait (or are forced to wait) to warm our bodies, the higher the likelihood of the situation to end in death. This environmental stress effects human survival negatively because our bodies are not equipped for extremely cold conditions. 

Adaptations:

Short Term- An example of a short term adaptation that humans resort too as an effort to quickly warm our bodies in cold climates is shivering and shaking. Shivering and shaking cause muscle movement, which causes heat flow in the body. Shivering also causes muscles to spasm which results in more heat for our vital organs. Although shivering and shaking may work to keep our bodies warm for a short period of time in relatively cold conditions, it will not provide enough internal heat to prevent our bodies from developing hypothermia in extreme cold conditions.

Faculative- Our bodies often take a physiological approach to keep heat from escaping in cold weather conditions. This process is referred to as vasoconstriction, in which our blood vessels close to the skin's surface narrow thus decreasing peripheral blood flow. Vasoconstriction can be dangerous if the temperature is below freezing, as it can result in frost bite. As an act to prevent frost bite, our bodies respond through vasodilation which increases blood flow to our skin. In the extreme cold climate, our bodies usually alternate between vasoconstriction and vasodilation as an effort to preserve itself and maintain internal warmth.

Developmental- Those who live in cold climates tend to have more body mass, particularly around their core. By maintaining more body fat and thus a higher weight, people living in arctic climates are able to maintain a healthy body temperature. As long as the vital organs are covered and protected by layers of excess fat, people are able to withstand living in these harsh conditions.

Cultural- People also use their culture to be able to survive the cold climate. They do so by eating more fatty, high calorie foods. When humans consume these foods rich in calories and fat, their metabolic rate increases substantially causing their bodies to produce heat. We also adapt through cultural aspects by wearing heavy clothing. One living in the cold climate may wear thick apparel made from animal fur and hide.

Benefits:

Studying human variation from this perspective is beneficial for us. We can benefit by learning how people who live in extreme climates are able to adapt and remain healthy. This is also beneficial because it helps us to understand the struggles of those living in these environments and how to help them. Every person will adapt differently to each type of climate, and some will take longer than others to be comfortable living through these challenges, but in the end, everyone of us are able to adapt to these extremes.

Information from these explorations can be very useful to us. These explorations help to educate us on the dangers associated with extreme climates. They show us the clothing we would need to protect our bodies from harm, and inform us of a change in diet that could save our lives. An example of how this information can be used in a productive way is by showing us which foods and clothes can help to provide the necessities maintain a healthy body temperature, which allows us to have the knowledge regarding which animals to raise or which foods and materials to purchase.

Race:

Race is not an effective way to understand the variation of the adaptions from question two. It is not possible to determine how one would adapt to environmental challenges based upon race, just as one cannot say that a dog is vicious just because of its breed. The study of environmental influences on adaptation is a better way to understand human variation because this method of study includes bodily reactions, and cultural reactions to the climate. If adaptation were based on race, no one would ever adapt to harsh conditions, as all human skin is equally thick. The only true way of studying human variation is through bodily reaction, genes, and culture.

Language & Communication

Part 1:
     I found this experiment to be both difficult and simple. It was simple in the sense that it did not require a lot of knowledge or research on the subject. However, it did require patients, critical thinking and listening, and comprehension skills from my partners. Needless to say, i found this experiment to be very entertaining and different from experiments i have conducted previously, where as my partners thought it to be somewhat fun, but frustrating.

     The impressions of my partners varied depending upon the hand motions, facial expressions, and other body language i chose to use. While conducting my experiment, i found it would often take multiple attempts and changes in my body language to get my partners to fully understand what i was trying to communicate. My partners did alter their way of communicating with me, but only slightly by using more hand motions and speaking slowly with larger mouths.

     If my partners and i were two separate cultures meeting for the first time, the culture who communicated vocally and through writing would have the advantage. This is because with out vocal and written language, understanding and advancement is difficult to achieve. The attitudes of the speaking culture may be harsh toward the culture that does not use symbolic language. People of the speaking culture would probably assume that the other culture are uneducated. They may also feel superior because they have the "upper-hand" (so to speak) in developing new things.

     Some individuals in our culture who have difficulty communicating through means of spoken language are the mute and the deaf. The deaf often have trouble communicating via spoken language because they lack the ability to hear the pronunciation of words and letters. Mutes can hear and likely understand the pronunciation of words, but cannot communicate with us vocally. Those of us who have been privileged enough to be able to speak, and to hear often find it difficult to communicate with these individuals. We will try things such as slowing the pace of our speech or emphasizing the letters in the word with hopes that the deaf can read lips. Another way we communicate with the deaf and the mute is through written language which is probably the easiest way for us and for the mute, but still challenging for the deaf.

Part 2:
     I was unable to last the entire fifteen minutes of the experiment using only vocal communication. When I speak, I use a lot of body language and hand motions to add emphasis and understanding to my side of the conversation. This was very difficult for me as well because I wear my emotions on my face meaning i use a lot of facial expressions, so not being able to use them while i was talking was extremely challenging. I felt robotic.

     I found
that it was very difficult for my partners to be able to understand the context of what i was saying. It was also more difficult to keep my partners engaged in the conversation because a conversation without any physical aspect is very boring, and can be taken out of context. For example, my partners were unable to tell whether I was trying to be mean (yes, I actually have to try to be mean..I'm too nice) or just being sarcastic. This actually added humor to the experiment because i could barely do this without showing any sense of emotion or movement.

     Non- speech language techniques are very important to our ability to communicate effectively. Unspoken language helps to provide emphasis and clarity to what the speaker is trying to accomplish in his or her conversation. Physical embellishments in spoken language are also important because just plain old speech can be tedious to listen to and may be misunderstood.

     Yes, there are people who have difficulty reading body language. Some people may mistake certain types of body language for the party providing to be rude, or funny when that is really not the case. Some people may think the speaker is just flopping their limbs around because they do not pick up on body language at all. Being able to read body language is definitely a benefit. This is because body language tells us so much about the context of the conversation. For example, If someone says "hi, how are you?" but keeps walking instead of stopping to talk and finish the conversation, they likely are in a rush. I do not feel there is an environment where not being able to read body language is beneficial. I think being able to read body language is always beneficial because body language tells you a lot about someones personality or mood.