Understanding the Social Sciences: Anthropology, Psychology, and Sociology Introduction to HSP: The Study of People

What Are the Social Sciences?

The social sciences are academic disciplines that study human beings and how they interact with one another and the world around them.

What is Anthropology?

the study of humans, human cultures, and human development across time and around the world.

What Do Anthropologists Do?

conduct fieldwork, meaning they spend time observing and interacting with people in the communities they are studying.

Anthropologists are interested in questions such as:

• How have humans evolved?

• Why are cultures different?

• Why do people have different traditions and beliefs?

• How do people adapt to their environments?

• How have humans lived throughout history?

Which question wouldnt an Anthropologist study?

Why do social inequalities exist?

What Is Culture?

Culture is shared knowledge, beliefs, values, behaviours, traditions, language, customs, and practices of a group of people. Culture influences almost every part of our lives.

Culture can influence:

• What foods we eat

• What clothing we wear

• How we communicate

• How we celebrate important events

• How we raise children

• What we believe is right or wrong

• How we understand family

• How we respond to death

• What we consider beautiful

• How we greet other people

Culture is…

Culture is learned, rather than something people are simply born knowing.

A Key Idea in Anthropology

Anthropologists try to understand cultures within their Own cultural context.

This means avoiding the assumption that one culture's way of doing things is automatically the' "normal" way or "correct" way.

Psychology

Psychology is the scientific study of human behaviour and mental processes.

What Do Psychologists Do?

Psychologists study both observable behaviour and mental processes. Psychologists may conduct experiments, surveys, interviews, observations, and other forms of research.

Observable behaviour include:

• Talking

• Laughing

• Crying

• Studying

• Running

• Avoiding someone

• Using a phone

Mental processes include:

• Thinking

• Remembering

• Learning

• Feeling

• Imagining

• Problem-solving

• Making decisions

Psychologists asks questions such as:

• Why do people behave the way they do?

• How does memory work?

• Why do people experience emotions?

• How do people learn?

• What influences personality?

• How does the brain affect behaviour?

• Why do people develop fears?

• How do people make decisions?

• How do relationships affect individuals?

A Key Idea in Psychology

Psychology often focuses on the relationship between biological factors, thoughts, emotions, and behaviour.

Sociology

The study of of society, social relationships, groups, and institutions.

What Is Society?

Society is a concept used to describe the structured relations and institutions among a large community of people which cannot be reduced to a simple collection or aggregation of individuals.

One person might simultaneously be:

• A student

• A child

• A sibling

• A friend

• A teammate

• A member of a religious or cultural community

• A resident of a particular city

• A citizen of a country

• A member of an online community

Social Norms

Social norms are the unwritten rules about how people are expected to behave

For example, in many Canadian settings people are expected to

• Wait their turn in a line

• Say "please" and "thank you"

• Avoid standing extremely close to strangers

• Raise their hand in class

• Wear appropriate clothing in different situations

Sociologists ask questions such as:

• How does society influence our behaviour?

• Why do social groups form?

• How does family influence individuals?

• Why do social inequalities exist?

• How does education affect people's lives?

• How does social media influence society?

• Why do some groups have more power than others?

• How do social norms develop?

• How does society change over time?