Biological Anthropology Practice Flashcards

A set of vocabulary flashcards covering the definition of anthropology, its four main subdisciplines, the subfields and concepts of biological anthropology, and the scientific method.

Anthropology

The study of humankind, encompassing all people and all times.

Four Subdisciplines of Anthropology

Cultural Anthropology, Archaeology, Linguistic Anthropology, and Biological/Physical Anthropology.

Cultural Anthropology

The study of living societies using cultural relativism and participant observation, often resulting in an ethnography.

Archaeology

The study of humankind focusing on material culture such as tools, seeds, shelters, and pottery, using excavation and sieving methods.

Linguistic Anthropology

The study of human language in context and the history of languages, acknowledging that only humans have complex symbolic language.

Sapir-Whorf hypothesis

A concept in linguistic anthropology concerning linguistic relativity.

Biological Anthropology

The study of human evolution and human biocultural variation, also known as Physical Anthropology.

Franz Boas

The founder of American Anthropology who established a holistic perspective, studied the Inuit in the Arctic, and researched the plasticity of human biology.

Paleoanthropology

The subfield of biological anthropology that focuses on human ancestors from the distant past and their evolution.

Primatology

The subfield of biological anthropology that studies the anatomy, behavior, ecology, and genetics of living and extinct nonhuman primates.

Human Biology

A subfield of biological anthropology that examines how the body is impacted by environment, nutrition, and culture.

Molecular Anthropology

A subfield of biological anthropology that uses molecular techniques to compare populations.

Forensic Anthropology

The application of anthropology and osteology techniques to legal and criminal investigations.

Bioarchaeology

The study of human remains recovered from an archaeological context.

Bipedalism

One of the six key attributes that differentiate humans from other animals, referring to walking on two feet.

Nonhoning chewing

A key human attribute related to the anatomy of the teeth and chewing mechanism that lacks the honing complex found in other primates.

Empirical

A characteristic of science meaning it is based on observation, evidence, and the gathering of data.

Hypothesis

A scientific statement that addresses a narrow set of phenomena.

Theory

An explanation that addresses a wide range of phenomena and is considered reliable if it stands the test of time and is supported by many lines of evidence.

Law

A prediction about what will happen given certain conditions, though it does not explain how or why it happens.

Indigenous knowledge systems

Knowledge systems based on empirical observations of the environment passed down over generations.