Final answer:
Yes, Homo erectus is correlated with a substantial increase in brain size in human evolution due to factors like dietary changes, the use of fire, and climate change, leading to progressive encephalization.
Step-by-step explanation:
The appearance of Homo erectus is indeed associated with a major increase in brain size within our evolutionary lineage, which is an observation supported by fossil evidence. This species exhibited a progressive increase in cranial capacity from about 550 cubic centimeters (cc) to 1,250 cc. The explanations for this encephalization are varied but include the expensive tissue hypothesis, which suggests that as our digestive system became less demanding energetically due to shifts in diet—such as the introduction of cooked meat—the excess energy could then fuel brain growth. Additionally, the development of new technologies and cultural adaptations, the use of fire, changes in dietary habits, and adaptations in response to climate change also played significant roles in the increase in brain size. Further, through natural selection, larger brains may have conferred survival advantages in the face of increasingly complex social structures and environmental challenges.