ANTH 101 Flashcards
What is the definition of Anthropology?
The study of human kind
What are all of the Sub Disciplines of Anthropology?
Cultural, Physical, Archaeology, Linguistic and Applied
Ex: Sanliurfa, Turkey (example of all of the sub disciplines of anthropology) is the area where it is predicted human kind began and all of its societies.
What is the definition of culture?
The total way of life of a society
What are the five defining traits of culture?
- Culture is learned, not genetic
- It is mostly adaptive
- It is integrated, meaning change in one area creates change in all areas
- Constantly changing
- Tacit, meaning it is not formally taught but shared
What is biological determinism?
Behaviour that you are born with and cannot be changed
What is the 1928 Alberta Sterilization Act?
It prevented people from reproducing their unfit genes in society by method of sterilization. First Nations women were sterilized more than any other people. It was repealed in 1972.
What is Epigenetic?
The environment you are born in can change your behaviour
What is ethnocentrism?
The belief that one’s own way of doing things is the only correct way
What is Ethnocide?
Killing of a culture
What is FGM/FGC and why is it significant?
Female Genital Mutilation or Female Genital Cutting refers to the sewing up or mutilation of a girls vagina. In many cases this is done to protect a girl’s virtue and to keep her pure until marriage.
What is Infibulation?
The sewing up of the vagina opening. This is performed in many cultures as a way of ensuring girls remain pure until marriage. When a girl bleeds from being cut back open on her wedding night it is thought as honourable. If a girl is not cut back open or appears to not be a virgin she is killed. This form of FGM can save girls lives.
What is Cultural Relativism?
The understanding that cultures differ and must be viewed objectively in their own context.
What is Absolute Cultural Relativism?
When cultural relativism is taken too far and human rights issues are ignored.
What is an Allele?
The piece of DNA that carries a trait.
What is the difference between dominant and recessive alleles?
Dominant alleles are expressed if present. Recessive alleles are carried but not expressed unless in homozygous form. Ex. aa
What is a genotype?
The total genetic information of an organism including the recessive alleles
What is a phenotype?
The portion of genetic information that is expressed physically and observed (Ex. Brown hair, blue eyes)
What is Polygeny?
Many genes being responsible for one trait
What is pleiotropy?
One gene affecting more than one trait
What is Norm of Reaction?
A table or graph that displays the possible phenotypic outcomes for a genotype in different environments.
What is evolution?
The change in frequency of alleles in a population through time
What were the three building blocks of evolutionary thought?
Transformational evolution (change), Uniformitarianism (time), Competition (pressure)
What is Natural Selection?
The outcome of processes that alter the frequency of alleles over time in a population
What are the three principles of natural selection?
- Variation
- Heritability
- Differential Reproductive Success
What is mutation?
the alteration of DNA that results in new alleles
What is gene flow?
the movement of genes from one population to another
What is Genetic drift?
Random changes in genetic make up due to chance or accidents
What is speciation?
The appearance of a new species
What is geographical isolation?
When a species or sub species is contained to one area and there is no interference by forces which might alter their state of being.
What is a species?
Populations in a specific niche that are reproductively isolated. They normally reproduce to create viable, fertile young.
What is clinal variation?
When a trait gradually appears or disappears over a geographic area
What is discontinuous variation?
Traits appear in patches with little or no gradation between areas.
What is Gloger’s rule?
More heavily pigmented skin is found in more humid environments (closer to the equator)
What can human variation be caused by?
Natural selection, environment, individual development, cultural and ethnic practices
What is adaptation?
Genetic changes that increase favourable genes in population long term
What is balancing selection?
Results in heterozygous traits being more adaptive than homozygous. (ex. Sickle Cell Anemia)
What is Acclimatization?
Short term physiological changes to adjust to changes in environment (ex. shivering, tanning)
What is Bergmann’s rule?
Body size depends on temperature of environment. (Ex. tall people, high temperatures)
What is Allen’s rule?
Length of limbs depends on temperature
What are the five examples of Human adaptation?
Body size and shape, skin colour, sickle cell anemia, susceptibility to infectious diseases, Lactase deficiency
What is ethnicity?
culture, language, clothing, foods, history, religion, geography
What are the six problems with defining the concept of race?
- Difficulty in defining “races”
- Arbitrary boundaries imposed on clinal variation
- Falsely links phenotype, abilities and worth or ability to achieve civilization
- Misuse of the concept of species
- Racism creates and reinforces inequality
- Racism leads to stereotyping, human rights abuses and discrimination
What is an ascribed status?
a social status based on phenotype given at birth (ex. Nuremberg laws)
What is Primatology?
The study of the behaviour, evolution, distribution and classification of non-human primate species
What is Hominoidea?
Apes and Humans
What is a Strepsirhind primate?
Wet nose primate (Ex. Lemurs)
What is a Hapiorhini
Dry noses
What is a Tarsifromes?
Looks like a lemur but has a dry nose
What is Platyrrhini?
New World Anthropoids (Mexico)
What is Catarrhini?
Old world anthropoids (Baboons, etc.)
What are the six primate hallmarks?
- Mammals have hairy bodies, produce milk to offspring and have placentas
- Arboreal adaptation (tree dwelling)
- Omnivorous/ Generalized, reduced dentition
- Large, complex brain relative to body size
- Vision replaces smell as primary sense
- Social structure in life
What are the Arboreal adaptations that primates carry?
- rotating forelimbs and retention of clavicle
- prehensile
- pentadactyly
- opposable thumbs and they have nails
- dermal ridges on grasping surfaces
- plantigrade locomotion (palms)
What is the Great Ape Project? (GAP)
The Great Ape Project aims to secure basic human rights for Gorilla’s and other apes due to their complex culture.
What are the Palaeocene primates?
Occur right after the extinction of the dinosaurs. Mammals begin to adapt to new environment due to lack of predators (Ex. grow in size)
What are Eocene primates?
Occurred 55-38 MYA, the earliest primates and anthropoids. Lemurs are stranded on Madagascar at this time.
What is an anthropoid?
Ancestor to apes, monkeys and humans.
What is the Oligocene?
38-23 MYA, Emergence of hominoids
What is the Miocene?
23-5 MYA, Homin/Hominid line splits from Hominoid line. Humans begin to walk up right
What are the four hominin evolutionary trends?
- Habitual bipedalism
- Dentition/Jaw changes
- Expanding and complex brain
- Appearance of tools and increasing cultural complexity
What is an australopith?
Early hominids; Ardipithecus, Paranthropus, Australopithecus. They have fairly small cranial capacity, smaller canines (which indicates new diet and lack of male conflict)
What is an evolutionary mosaic?
Blend of old traits and new traits
What is the difference between the robust and the gracile species of Australopiths?
Robust have crest on the head, gracile have smooth head with no crest. The crest is used for attaching muscle that would have been used for extreme chewing.