Anthropology Test Review

Flashcards for Anthropology Exam Review

Physical Anthropology

Examining bone and stone remains of ancient ancestors, studying primates, and physical differences/similarities of existing human populations.

Cultural Anthropology

Learning about origins and cultures of different races and peoples, studying history/structure of language, examining human use of language, and studying physical remains of past cultures.

Heart of Anthropology

The commonalities among humans worldwide, the variations among humans worldwide, why those variations/commonalities exist, how humanity changes through time, and where humanity has been and what that shows us about where humanity is.

Human Characteristics

Bipedalism, relatively large brains, relatively small teeth, modern language, and complex culture.

Cultural Differences

Conceptions of what is appropriate in a given situation, which can vary greatly between cultures.

Anatomical Modernity

Being automatically indistinguishable from modern living populations.

Behavioral Modernity

Behaving in a way that is indistinguishable from modern, living populations.

Colonialism

Early anthro rooting in the efforts of western civilization to better understand the lands it was colonizing, often problematic due to racism.

Antiquarianism

Predated archaeology, involving an obsession with large-scale artifacts.

Scientism

An attempt to filter out one's own cultural preconceptions when thinking about or documenting other cultures, combating ethnocentrism.

Holism

The recognition that all parts of a human culture are more or less interdependent.

Evolution Components

Replication, variation, and selection; central to Darwin's theory.

Primatology

Observation of animals in natural environments, consideration of behavior-environment interplay, search for behavior patterns/variations.

Paleoanthropology

Studies the human species and its relatives in the ancient past, focusing on early proto-human species (hominids).

Archaeology

Studies physical remains of past cultures through excavation and reconstruction.

Primate Origins

From the Palaeocene epoch, showing small body size and teeth indicating an insectivorous diet.

Basic Primate Traits

Wide range of body size, large eyes (3D vision), lack of snout emphasis, large brain case, heterodont teeth, nails rather than claws.

Prosimians

A primate suborder that includes the lemurs, lorises, galagos, and tarsiers.

Old World Monkey

Narrow nose with nostrils facing down, dental formula of 2.1.2.3, lack of prehensile tail, both arboreal and terrestrial lifestyle.

New World Monkey

Wide nose, dental formula of 2.1.3.3, most have a prehensile tail, completely arboreal lifestyle.

Apes Evolution

Evolved from the middle Oligocene epoch in Africa (~30 million years ago) into genus Homo.

Omnivores

Animals that eat both plants and meat.

Insectivores

Animals that mainly eat insects.

Folivores

Animals that feed on leaves.

Frugivores

Animals that feed on fruit.

Locomotion Types

Brachiation, vertical clinging and leaping, arboreal quadrupedalism, terrestrial quadrupedalism, and bipedalism.

Bipedalism Traits

Relatively long/strong legs, S-shaped spinal column, wide pelvis, parallel big toe, inward-angled thighs, arches in foot.

Loners (Social organization)

Nocturnal primates that live alone

Harems

Groups with one male and many females

Sir Mortimor Wheeler

Said that chronology is the backbone of archaeology.

Earliest Hominid

A large primate that walks upright; all humans trace back to Africa.

Bipedalism Advantages/Disadvantages

Efficient walking, carrying ability, improved scouting, body cooled better, but climbing/speed/agility lacked.

Aquatic Ape theory

A debunked and unsupported theory based on the false idea that monkeys spent time in the water and breath by standing upright.

Australopithecus Traits

Bipedal, brain slightly larger than expected, canine reduction, different body sizes between sexes, moderate height/weight.

Homo Habilis Traits

Very large brain, light facial structure, no sagittal crest, fully modern hand dexterity/opposable thumbs.

Homo Erectus Traits

Very large brain, very small teeth, large body size, heavier reliance on tools, complex stone tools, wide geographical distribution.

Neanderthal Traits

Heavy build, heat-conserving body, large cranial capacity, heavily stressed teeth/bones (body used as a tool), simple stone tools.

Social Grooming Theory (Dunbar)

Suggests human language evolved as a more efficient form of social bonding, replacing physical grooming.

Donald Model of Consciousness

Outlines the evolution of human cognition in stages, emphasizing culture and external memory systems in shaping consciousness.

Mithen Model of Consciousness

Human cognitive evolution progressed through integration of previously separate domains of intelligence; based on modular cognitive evolution.

Childhood (Life Stage)

Motor control, personality formation, taking on responsibilities.

Sexual Maturity (Life Stage)

Potential to become a parent, learning rules of sexual behavior.

Adulthood (Life Stage)

Economic security, marriage, raising children.

Old Age (Life Stage)

Relief of some responsibilities, assignment of others (e.g., inheritance decisions).

Sensory-Motor Stage (Piaget)

Child learns motor control and identifies herself as an individual.

Preoperational Stage (Piaget)

Child acquires functional language (by ~3 years old) but doesn't fully appreciate deep symbols.

Concrete Operational Stage (Piaget)

Child acquires logical understanding of physical properties and ability to think from other perspectives.

Formal Operational Stage (Piaget)

Child acquires adult reasoning and can generate deeply symbolic metaphors.

Diffusion

Movement of cultural information from one population to another.

Assimilation

Inclusion/absorption of one culture into another dominant one.

Margaret Mead Theory

Gender roles are not necessarily created by biology but by societal influences.

Ruth Benedict Theory

Culture is “personality writ large.” Study of cultural relativism.

Derek Freeman

Explored a synthesis of biology and cultural anthropology.

Cultural Relativism Theory

People from different cultures can have relationships that acknowledge, respect, and understand each other's lives.

Absolute Cultural Relativism

Everything within a culture must and should not be questioned by outsiders; extreme example: Nazi justification of the Holocaust.

Critical Cultural Relativism

Creates questions about cultural practices in terms of who is accepting them and why; recognizes power relationships.

Functional Theory

Culture as an interrelated whole, not isolated traits; examines how cultural phases interrelate and affect the system.

Structural Functionalism

Focus on social structure; society is a system of relationships maintaining itself through cybernetic feedback.

Cultural Materialism (Marx & Engels)

Societies go through stages (tribalism, feudalism, capitalism, communism) based on a materialist perspective.

Levels of Social Systems (Cultural Materialism)

Infrastructure, structure, and superstructure.

Feminist Anthropology

Seeks to reduce male bias in research, hiring, knowledge production, and scholarly production.

Postmodernism (Anthropology)

Attacks on ethnography are based on the belief that there is no true objectivity.

Shallow Symbolism (Non-Human)

Messages are simple, short, literal.

Deep Symbolism (Human)

Emphasize individuality, deeper meaning, contextualized.

Sociolinguistics

Focuses on variation (slang) and dialectology (dialects); emphasis on norms, expectations, context, and how language is used.

Edward Sapir

The ways in which language and culture influence each other and classified the indigenous languages of the Americas

The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis

Language not only labels our reality, but also shapes our cultural reality. If there isn’t a word for something, it isn’t talked about and does not exist in the cultural consciousness

Historical Linguistics

To describe and account for observed changes in particular languages to reconstruct the pre history of languages and to determine their relatedness, grouping them into language families (comparative linguistics)

Structural Linguistics

Language is based off signs - the Signified, the signifier.

Religion

the supernatural world and its inhabitants, How to properly revere and/or interact with the supernatural world and its inhabitants, what's proper behavior for life in the material world and the souls fate after death

Functions of Religion

Religions provide explanations for the unknown, Religions reinforce social unity, reminding people of their cultural commonalities rather than their differences, Religions provide psychological comfort by offering consolation for injustice

A Christian Explanation on Race

Human diversity is a wonderful thing according to christians, Through no two humans are the same each person has value and worth, Every person reflects the image of God in a slightly different way