Editing Encephalization quotient (section)

==EQ in paleoneurology==
Behavioral complexity in living animals can to some degree be observed directly, making the predictive power of the encephalization quotient less relevant. It is however central in [[paleoneurology]], where the [[endocast]] of the brain cavity and estimated body weight of an animal is all one has to work from. The behavior of extinct mammals and [[dinosaur]]s is typically investigated using EQ formulas.<ref name=Dinosaur_Paleoneurology/>

Encephalization quotient is also used in estimating evolution of intelligent behavior in human ancestors. This technique can help in mapping the development of behavioral complexities during human evolution. However, this technique is only limited to when there are both cranial and post-cranial remains associated with individual fossils, to allow for brain to body size comparisons.<ref name=pmid16505378>{{cite journal |last1=Rosenberg |first1=K. R. |last2=Zune |first2=L. |last3=Ruff |first3=C. B. |title=Body size, body proportions, and encephalization in a Middle Pleistocene archaic human from northern China |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |date=27 February 2006 |volume=103 |issue=10 |pages=3552–3556 |doi=10.1073/pnas.0508681103 |pmid=16505378 |pmc=1450121 |bibcode=2006PNAS..103.3552R |doi-access=free }}</ref> For example, remains of one [[Middle Pleistocene]] human fossil from [[Jinniushan]] province in northern China has allowed scientists to study the relationship between brain and body size using the Encephalization Quotient.<ref name=pmid16505378/> Researchers obtained an EQ of 4.150 for the Jinniushan fossil, and then compared this value with preceding Middle Pleistocene estimates of EQ at 3.7770. The difference in EQ estimates has been associated with a rapid increase in encephalization in Middle Pleistocene hominins.
Paleo-neurological comparisons between [[Neanderthal]]s and anatomically modern ''Homo sapiens'' (AMHS) via Encephalization quotient often rely on the use of endocasts, but this method has many drawbacks.<ref name=Cairo2011>{{cite journal |last1=Cairό |first1=Osvaldo |title=External measures of cognition |journal=Frontiers in Human Neuroscience |date=2011 |volume=5 |pages=108 |doi=10.3389/fnhum.2011.00108 |pmc=3207484 |pmid=22065955 |doi-access=free }}</ref> For example, endocasts do not provide any information regarding the internal organization of the brain. Furthermore, endocasts are often unclear in terms of the preservation of their boundaries, and it becomes hard to measure where exactly a certain structure starts and ends. If endocasts themselves are not reliable, then the value for brain size used to calculate the EQ could also be unreliable. Additionally, previous studies have suggested that Neanderthals have the same encephalization quotient as modern humans, although their post-crania suggests that they weighed more than modern humans.<ref name=":0">{{cite journal |last1=Schoenemann |first1=P. Thomas |title=Brain Size Scaling and Body Composition in Mammals |journal=Brain, Behavior and Evolution |date=2004 |volume=63 |issue=1 |pages=47–60 |doi=10.1159/000073759 |pmid=14673198 |s2cid=5885808 }}</ref> Because EQ relies on values from both postcrania and crania, the margin for error increases in relying on this proxy in paleo-neurology because of the inherent difficulty in obtaining accurate brain and body mass measurements from the fossil record.