HSP3U Anthropology Test Review

Flashcards for Anthropology Test Review

Anthropology

The scientific study of humans, including their origins, behaviour, and physical, social, and cultural development.

Paleoanthropology

Study of bones and stone remains of our ancient ancestors from millions of years ago.

Primatology

Study of anatomy, behavior, social structure, and the genetic evolution of primates in their efforts to understand human biology and behavior.

Human Variation

Adaptation of human traits that are socially constructed.

Hominin

Human or human ancestor.

Radiometric Dating

Determining the age of a product based on measuring the amount of radioactive material it has.

Bipedalism

Habitually walking on two legs.

Fieldwork

Primary research techniques taking the researcher outside of the library and laboratory and into the ‘field’ or the culture he or she is studying.

Ethnography

The systematic study of people and cultures. its a descriptive work produced from such research.

Emic Approach

Examining inside of a culture.

Etic Approach

Examining outside of a culture.

Netnography

Studies virtual environment, online behaviors, social behaviors as well as the perceive and symbolic meanings and other cultural information

Unstructured Interview

An open, flexible interview with no fixed questions. It helps explore new ideas and gain a deeper understanding during fieldwork.

Pros:

• Flexible and adaptable to the interviewee's responses.
• Allows for in-depth exploration of topics.
• Builds rapport and trust with the interviewee.

Cons:

• Can be time-consuming.
• Data analysis can be challenging due to the unstructured nature of the data.
• Requires skilled interviewers to guide the conversation effectively.

Semi-Structured Interview

An interview with some prepared questions but flexible enough to explore personal views and follow interesting answers.

Pros:

• time efficient

• prepare questions in advnace

• qualitative data

• flexible- personal view exposed

Cons:

• Only good one chance

• easily stray from topic

Structured Interview

An interview with a fixed set of questions asked the same way to all participants.

Pros:

• Easy to analyze data due to standardized format.
• Minimizes interviewer bias.
• Efficient for collecting large amounts of data.

Cons:

• Lacks flexibility and depth.
• May not capture the nuances of individual experiences.
• Can feel impersonal to the interviewee.

Participant Observation

Anthropologists actively take part in the daily life and activities of the community they are studying, while carefully watching and recording what happens.

Culture

A system of ideas values behaviours and attitudes of a society commonly shared by most members of a society which distinguishes one group of people from another.

Hunter Gatherers

Relied on foraging and hunting for food; they were nomadic and did not rely on agriculture. Used mobility as a survival strategy.

Civilizations

Are the rise of agriculture, surplus food leading to diverse array of professions.

Cultural Materialism

Focuses on how things like the environment, food, and tools shape culture. It says that cultural habits last only if they help society survive and produce what it needs.

Cultural Relativism

The idea that we should understand each culture by its own rules and values, not by comparing it to other cultures. It teaches us not to think any culture is better than another and to avoid quick judgments.

Feminist Anthropology

Looks at how women’s experiences are included in studies. It shows that gender roles come from culture, not biology, and studies how gender connects with race, class, and other parts of identity.

Functional Theory

Says that every part of a culture, like beliefs or customs, has a job to do. These parts help meet people’s needs and keep the whole society working well and stable.

Postmodernism

Says there is no one true way to know the world because what we believe is made by society. It believes researchers can’t be fully neutral because they are part of the culture they study. Postmodernists think about how their own views affect their work.

Birutė Galdikas

Contributed to primatology by studying non-human primates including orangutans and orangutan sign language abilities and cognition

Charles Darwin

Developer of the theory of evolution: species can change over time, new species come from pre-existing species, and all species, including humans, share a common ancestor. Credited for his work on natural selection: the process in which organisms suited to their environment tend to reproduce and survive better than those not suited. Author of The Origin of Species

Edward Sapir

Developed the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis.

Jane Goodall

Primatologist who studied chimpanzees. Examined similarities between chimpanzee behavior and human behavior. Pioneered new research practices, such as giving chimps names instead of numbers and engaging in long-term immersive observation

Margaret Mead

Associated with cultural determinism and famous for ethnographic work: Coming of Age in Samoa

Marvin Harris

Founded cultural materialism

Noam Chomsky

Associated with universal grammar, Language Acquisition Device (LAD), and The Chomsky hierarchy.

Richard Lee

Engaged in extensive fieldwork among the !Kung San (also known as Bushmen) whose findings supported the “original affluent society” thesis.

Sherry Ortner

A feminist anthropologist who developed the theory “Cultural Construction of Gender,” deconstructing male dominance, misogyny, and patriarchy worldwide.

The Leakeys

Contributed to evidence that humans evolved from Africa, adding proof to Darwin’s Theory of Evolution. Clarified human timelines by finding “Turkana Boy,” a nearly complete skeleton of a young Homo erectus

Assimilation

Groups with different heritages are absorbed into the dominant culture of a society

Acculturation

Minority group in a society adopts the main cultures way of life but keeps unique cultural markers of their own. (Food, customs, language, etc.)

Diffusion

The cultural influence between individuals and groups. (Food, languages, clothing, customs, philosophies, religion, and technology)

Multiculturalism

Belief that all cultures are equal. Can be a policy that promotes and protects diversity in a culture by honoring multiple ethnicities, languages, religions. And cultural customs

Historical Linguistics

Compare similarities and differences of language structure so they can understand how language structure so they can understand how languages are related and how people migrate in the past

Structural Linguistics

how sounds are put together to make meaning

Sociolinguistics

How people use language within their culture to express status and context

Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis

Speakers of different languages necessarily think and behave differently. The theory that language not only labels reality but also shapes our cultural reality.

Language of Thought Hypothesis

Mental representations have a linguistic structure or that thought takes place within a mental language. (Thoughts are sentences in the head)

Environmental Determinism

Belief that the physical environment explains human cultures and behaviors

Environmental Possibilism

Physical environment neither suggests nor determines what people will attempt but it may limit what people can profitably achieve

Technological Diffusion

The adoration by one culture of a technology invented by another culture

Socialization

the process by which we learn and internalize societal rules and behaviors influenced by culture

Enculturation

the part of socialization where youngsters specifically learn and adopt their culture’s ways and manners.

Parental Ethnotheories

parental cultural belief systems

Archaeology

study of human societies through what they have left behind as their material remains

Cultural Determination

culture primary factor for shaping someone's behavior values and beliefs

Broca's area

translating thoughts and ideas into spoken words speech production an articulation this is known as receptive

Wernicke’s

responsible for comprehending language this is known for being expressive

Forensic Anthropology

anthropological methods 2 legal investigations focusing on the analysis of human remain and the context to identify individuals and determine the circumstances of death