Chapter 3 . cultural evolution . MAIN IDEA: cultures evolve with time, they are never SET and can always change . ECOLOGICAL & GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION EGALITARIAN gender roles are more common where food is plentiful and easily acquired . L> one source of cultural variation is the geographical environment . Different environments afford different subsistence patterns , this can lead to different cultural practices . L> cooglogical environment also affects how the societies ore are structured & the values people adopt. CEG: cultural variation in gender roles.) PROXIMATE & DISTAL CAUSES : Inspite of the Incan empire being the largest & most advanced state in the Americas, the Spaniards were able to take over their empire. Small differences can have large effects. Minor ecological variations can eventually lead to dramaticaly different cultures, especially as they unfold over time . PROXIMATE CAUSES: causes that have PROXIMATE CAUSE a direct and immediate relationship with their effects . The spaniards had the political organiz ion that drews on the experiences of thousands of years of written history , along with ocean-going ships that enabled them to reach the Americas . They had steel weapons & houses , Which bested their store dubs , slingshots & quila armours . Additionally , Incan empire was suffering from the smallpox epidemic, spread by the spaniards, killing a lot of the population. PAUSE EFFECT DISTAL CAUSES : initial differences that lead to effects over long time periods, often through indirect relationships. INFLUENCE OF GEOGRAPHY ON WAYS OF THINKING IN CHINA . Rice farming is extremely labour intensive & requires a lot of cooperation . On the otherhand , wheat farming does not require much coordination as it is less labour intensive. This affects culture - people from rice forming counties value interdependence, more to krant towards nepotism & more engaged in holistic reasoning. DISTAL CAUSES also, living in close proximity of animals, exposed westernen to diseases earlier :. strengthen- Ing immune system. special plant & animal species formed as a basis for agriculture . prove specialized workforce improved tool making CAUSE EFFECT agriculture = surplus of enabled westerress to dedicate more time towards other things (eg : tools .) food + convinient as opposed to hunting EVOKED V.S TRANSMITTED CULTURE 1 1 Refers to the idea that ALL people, regardless of where they've from have a biologically based repertoire of behaviours that are accessible to them and these behaviors one engaged for appropriate situation. EG > Capacity to act intimidating when oneself/ offspring is threatened is Universally prosent , however , only evoked when threat is present. -> 1 The act of adapting certain cultural practices though social kening / modeling behavior from those who live near us. Though also geographic che leam more from people near up - ) Unlike evoked culture transmitted culture can travel with people when they move to new environments . - - another EG of evoked cultural difference is cross-cultural variation in habits of conformity. one explanation for this is the