Human Variation & Race (Seventh Post)

Human Variation & Race

1. The environmental stress I chose is high altitude. This environmental stress negatively impacts the survival humans, because of its alternating daily extreme climate that often range from hot days to freezing nights and winds are often strong and humidity low, resulting in rapid dehydration. In addition, the air pressure is lower which puts a strain on our bodies.

2. Four ways in which humans have adapted to the stress of high altitude, is:
Short term: Our quick response to high elevation is, an increase in breathing and heart rate, which could as much as double, even while not in motion. Pulse rate and blood pressure go up sharply as our hearts pump harder to get more oxygen to the cells.

Facultative: An example are the Tibetans, who inhale more air with each breath and breathe more rapidly. Tibetans have better oxygenation at birth, enlarged lung volumes throughout life, and a higher capacity for exercise." Additionally, there is an increase in the oxygen carrying blood cells.

Developmental: There is massive modification in the oxygen transport system of the blood, especially molecular changes in the structure and functions hemoglobin. This adaptation is associated with better developmental patterns such as high birth weight, increased lung volumes, increased breathing, and higher resting metabolism.

Cultural: Usually there is the inability to do normal physical activities, such as climbing a short flight of stairs without fatigue. Some solution we have developed are oxygen tanks or some people take medications to help deal with the dizziness or shortness of breath.

3. The benefits of studying human variation from this perspective across environmental clines, is that we can focus on specific climates and conditions and study those adaptions and then compare them to other conditions.  Information from explorations like this can be useful to help us in ways, because we can discover aspects a=that could be used in another way. For example "On returning to sea level after successful acclimatization to high altitude, the body usually has more red blood cells and greater lung expansion capability than needed. Since this provides athletes in endurance sports with a competitive advantage, the U.S. maintains an Olympic training center in the mountains of Colorado. Several other nations also train their athletes at high altitude for this reason. However, the physiological changes that result in increased fitness are short term at low altitude. In a matter of weeks, the body returns to a normal fitness level. "

4. I would use race to understand the variation of the adaptions in #2, by looking at the races that live in high climates, and have for thousands or years, like the Tibetans, Andeans, and Ethiopians. Each of these cultures have adapted in different ways.

The study of environmental influences on adaptions is a better way to understand human variation than by the use of race, because the environment is what leads to adaptions, not race.

Sources:

http://anthro.palomar.edu/adapt/adapt_3.htm

Language Experiment (Sixth Post)

Language Experiment

Part 1: No Verbal, Written, or Sign Language
       I found this experiment to be quite difficult pretty early on. I felt silly, like I was playing a game, and I also grew quite frustrated, not knowing how to communicate something that required words. We are so used to talking non-stop, that when we can not, it just feels ridiculous. When my partner was confused I wanted to just tell her what I meant, but I could not.
       My partner in the conversation also had a difficult time, because it was basically a one-sided conversation. They could not really ask anything other than yes or no questions, because how could I really respond to anything else? They made this realization and the format of the conversation changed, the topics were limited and uninteresting. They found the whole situation very confusing and unsure of how to continue the conversation. I can imagine, for my partner, it was like speaking to someone who slightly understood your language but could not speak it at all. This made it a challenge to keep the conversation going for the whole fifteen minutes.
       If my partner and I represent two different cultures meeting for the first time, my partner, who is able to speak has the advantage of communicating complex ideas. The speaking culture would have an irritated attitude towards the culture, me, that does not use symbolic language. In our culture if a person has a disability that effects their ability to speak or even an individual who has a different first language, those of us who can speak well and with ease, tend to speak to the individual in a slow and sometimes disrespectful manor. It can be frustrating for both sides. Another example is in high school I sat next to a girl in Art who was deaf. We always smiled at each other and I could just tell she was a nice person. I had to speak throughout her interpreter, however, as I do not know any sign language, and this was quite frustrating to me. I wanted to get to know her, but since I could not actually ask her the questions, there was a disconnect. I felt like I just could not truly get to know her. 

Part 2: Verbal communication ONLY, no expressions/gestures
       This experiment was difficult to keep a straight face. I could not help but want to laugh several different times, knowing I must look crazy. We did last the whole fifteen minutes, but not without difficulty. In addition, I, like many others, like to use my hands when I talk to put emphasis on items and also to show emotion through facial expressions, which helps define the feeling behind what is being said.
       My partner thought I looked robotic. Speaking in monotone, it was extremely difficult for them to interpret the true meaning behind what was being said. This, again, led to confusion and frustration for her. While it was easier to communicate, it was boring and felt unimportant.
       This experiment really showed me how crucial non-speech language is in communicating. Our tone and facial expression play a huge role in expressing how we feel. We take these for granted, and when those are taken away, meaning can completely be misinterpreted. In a way, this part of the experiment is like texting. When you are texting there is no way of telling the emotion or tone of the message sent. In order for the our message to get across effectively, there needs to be emphasis and emotion involved.I really had to work harder to let my words speak for themselves.
       There are definitely people who have a difficult time reading body language or even your tone. For example, children have a hard time understanding sarcasm. I love being sarcastic, but when I am around children they never seem to understand, and just take what I am saying literally. I then have to explain I was only joking. The adaptive benefit to possessing the ability to read body language is that it allows people to read how someone is feeling, whether they are uncomfortable in a certain setting, or are sad. Really it helps us read their emotions. Some environmental conditions where there might be a benefit to not reading body language is for people who are reserved and quiet. If you ignore their shy behavior and just talk to them you will see they just do not like to be the first one to speak or reach out, but are just as nice. By looking past that, you won't view them as standoffish.