Introduction to Anthropology – Human Diversity Lecture

These question-and-answer flashcards cover definitions, concepts, subfields, methods, examples, and ethical principles introduced in the lecture on human diversity and anthropology.

What is the broad definition of anthropology provided in the lecture?

The study of humans everywhere, throughout time—encompassing biology, behavior, past, present, change, and variation.

Which three characteristics make anthropology distinct from sociology, psychology, and political science?

Its broad scope (across space and time), focus on variation, and holistic, comparative approach.

What does the concept of holism mean in anthropology?

Studying the whole of the human condition—past, present, and future; biology, society, language, and culture.

How is culture defined in the notes?

Traditions and customs transmitted through learning that guide people’s beliefs and behaviors.

What is adaptation in an anthropological context?

The process by which organisms cope with environmental forces and stresses through biological and cultural means.

Give one cultural and one biological example of adaptation to high altitude.

Cultural: Pressurized airplane cabins with oxygen masks; Biological: Larger barrel chests of native highlanders.

What does the term biocultural perspective refer to?

Analyzing issues by combining biological and cultural viewpoints to understand human growth, behavior, and variation.

Why can’t conclusions about “human nature” come from a single society?

Because sound conclusions require an understanding of both biology and culture across different times and places.

Name the four subfields of general (four-field) anthropology.

Cultural (sociocultural) anthropology, archaeological anthropology, biological (physical) anthropology, and linguistic anthropology.

What is ethnography?

Fieldwork in a specific cultural setting that produces a detailed account of that community or society.

How does ethnology differ from ethnography?

Ethnology synthesizes and compares data from many ethnographies to study sociocultural differences and similarities.

What kinds of material remains do archaeologists study?

Artifacts, garbage, burials, grains, and structural remains.

What is paleoecology in archaeology?

The reconstruction of past ecosystems to understand ancient behavior patterns and lifestyles.

List the five specialties within biological anthropology.

Paleoanthropology, human genetics, human growth and development, human biological plasticity, and primatology.

Which primatologist’s long-term research on chimpanzees was highlighted?

Jane Goodall.

What does linguistic anthropology investigate?

Language diversity through time, space, and society, including the relationship between language and social variation.

What is sociolinguistics?

The study of language in its social context, exploring links between social and linguistic variation.

Which linguistic anthropologist was noted for preserving endangered languages?

Greg Anderson, founder of the Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages.

List four shared concepts that unite the four fields of anthropology.

Culture, ethnocentrism, cultural relativism, diversity, change, and holism (any four of these).

Differentiate between academic and applied anthropology.

Academic anthropology focuses on research and teaching, whereas applied anthropology uses anthropological knowledge to solve contemporary problems.

What is cultural resource management (CRM)?

A branch of applied archaeology that decides what cultural heritage needs saving and preserves information when sites can’t be saved.

Why is anthropology considered both a science and part of the humanities?

It seeks reliable, empirical explanations like a science but also interprets human experience, language, and creativity like the humanities.

How did traditional foci of cultural anthropology and sociology differ?

Anthropology studied non-Western, nonindustrial societies, whereas sociology focused on Western, industrial societies.

What does psychological anthropology study?

Cross-cultural variations in psychological traits and culturally specific syndromes.

State the main goal of the scientific method in anthropology.

To obtain reliable explanations that can predict future occurrences using systematic observation and testing.

List the basic steps of the scientific method mentioned in the lecture.

Observe, hypothesize, predict, test, and repeat until predictions match observations.

In the postpartum-taboo example, what hypothesis was tested?

That delaying marital sex reduces infant mortality when diets are low in protein.

What pattern was found in societies with long postpartum taboos?

They generally had low-protein diets, supporting the adaptive hypothesis.

Why is cultural relativism important in applied anthropology?

It helps practitioners avoid harming communities by understanding practices within their own cultural contexts.

Complete Wade Davis’s quote: "Other cultures are not failed attempts at being you; they are _."

Unique manifestations of the human spirit.