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SAP > Anthropology > Flashcards

Anthropology Flashcards

1
Q

Subfields of physical anthropology

A

Biological anthropology
Primatology
Forensic anthropology

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2
Q

Subfields of cultural anthropology

A

Archaeology
Linguistics
Ethnology (studying living cultures)

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3
Q

Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution was based on his study of the diverse groups of _________ found on the Galapagos islands

A

finches

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4
Q

Because each island had a unique environment, Darwin hypothesized that the finches adapted through the process of _________________

A

natural selection

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5
Q

T or F: No 2 members of a species are exactly alike

A

True

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6
Q

Natural selection

A

Members of a species that survive pass on their unique characteristics to their offspring so that over time, successful variations produce a new species

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7
Q

The peppered moth → light moths blended in with the light-coloured trees, but once the trees were darkened by soot, the dark moths were able to camouflage themselves from predators (e.g. birds), live longer and breed more

A

Example of natural selection

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8
Q

Does natural selection mean that species are improving?

A

NO - those best suited to the environment are more likely to survive

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9
Q

K-T extinction event

A

Dinosaurs and 3/4ths of other species went extinct → temperature and oxygen levels dropped

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10
Q

Dinosaurs vs. Shrews

A

Dinosaur:
- Large, cold-blooded reptile
- No parenting skills

Shrew:
- Small, warm-blooded mammal with fur
- Care of young

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11
Q

Features humans share w/ primates (name 4)

A

Opposable thumbs
Large brain
Binocular vision
Dependent offspring
Social nature
Aggressive and territorial

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12
Q

Opposable thumbs allow for _______________ and _______________

A

fine motor control
use of tools

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13
Q

Binocular vision allows for _______________ and _______________

A

depth perception
spotting food sources & predators at far distances

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14
Q

Features unique to humans

A

Bipedalism
Language

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15
Q

An ancient ape-like species whose physical traits represent a transition from ape to human

A

Australopithecus (A. afarensis)

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16
Q

The jaw of an australopithecus is _________ than that of an ape and it walked _________

A

upright

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17
Q

Difference between the feet of a chimp and the feet of australopithecus/human

A

Chimp → grasping foot
Australopithecus/human → bipedal

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18
Q

Australopithecus to homo erectus
2.4 million years ago, a genetic mutation caused ____________ to become weaker
This resulted in smaller ____________________ and gradual recession of the ____________________

A

jaw muscle
zygomatic arches (cheekbones)
sagittal crest

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19
Q

Smaller jaws (australopithecus to homo erectus) led to an increased in ____________________

A

cranial capacity (brain size)

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20
Q

Positive impacts of smaller jaw/larger brain (name 3)

A
  • Tool creation
  • Language development
  • Cooking food
  • Weapons for hunting and defence
  • Symbolic thought (art, religion, culture)
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21
Q

Negative impacts of smaller jaw/larger brain

A

Smaller jaw: Inability to process tough foods, more vulnerable to predators
Larger brain: Requires more calories (20% of caloric intake), increases food demand

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22
Q

How did bipedalism lead to a smaller birth canal?

A

Pelvic bones shifted to provide more stability for upright movement

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23
Q

Positive impacts of bipedalism (name 2)

A

Can scan horizon to avoid predatory attacks
Frees hands to use tools and transport food
Travel long distances

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24
Q

Obstetrical dilemma

A

Larger brain + smaller birth canal = pain

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25
Q

To pass through birth canal, babies were born with…

A

soft skulls and underdeveloped brains (for this reason, young are altricial)

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26
Q

Structures that have lost their original functions but give us clues about our ancestors

A

Vestigial structures

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27
Q

5 vestigial structures

A

appendix
wisdom teeth
male breasts & nipples
coccyx (tailbone)
body hair & erector pili

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28
Q

Original purpose of appendix

A

Help digest a largely herbivorous diet

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29
Q

Why is the appendix now obsolete?

A

Our diet is no longer mainly rough vegetation

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30
Q

Original purpose of wisdom teeth

A

Ancestors needed larger jaws and more teeth to grind a largely raw diet
Lost several teeth due to wear and poor dental hygiene → wisdom teeth to replace lost teeth

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31
Q

Wisdom teeth are now obsolete because
1. They’re trying to grow into a jaw that is too ________
2. We now have __________
3. We now have __________

A

small
cooking (softer foods)
improved dental hygiene

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32
Q

All mammals (male and female) have _______________ and nipples present in early stages of fetal development

In a later stage of fetal development, testosterone in males cause male traits to develop, but the __________ remain

A

mammary glands
nipples

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33
Q

Mammals use tails for balance, communication, and in some primates, as a _________ limb.

As ancestors were learning to ______________, the tail became unnecessary

A

prehensile
walk upright

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34
Q

Erector pili

A

tiny muscle fibers that cause body hair to stand up, causes mammal to appear larger when threatened

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35
Q

Why body hair & erector pili is now obsolete

A

Humans developed other methods to stay warm

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36
Q

Primates share these characteristics with humans (great apes)

A

Tool use
Learn through observation
Develop complex social hierarchies
Form culture

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37
Q

Orangutans (Camp Leakey in Borneo) learn to use tools by ________________

Chimps (Congo) use tools to ___________

Chimps (Uganda) establish dominance hierarchies through ___________ (social connections established through social grooming, hunting, and sharing of meat)

A

observing humans
crack nuts
aggression

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38
Q

One piece of evidence of upright walking → early human footprints found in Tanzania. Why might they have walked upright?

A

Flooded grasslands necessitated wading upright through the water

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39
Q

Humans once only obtained meat by persistence hunting (e.g. the San people of the Kalahari desert). What is persistence hunting?

A

tracking and outrunning an animal

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40
Q

Animals who submit to _______________ (e.g. wolves) were chosen for domestication

A

dominance hierarchies

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41
Q

Hominids are members of the family __________

A

Hominidae

42
Q

Were the young of Australopithecus afarensis altricial or precocial?

A

precocial

43
Q

Ape and human characteristics of Australopithecus afarensis

A

Ape characteristics:
- Small brain
- Strong arms for climbing
- Plant-based diet
Human characteristics:
- Bipedal

44
Q

Which hominid is the handy man?

A

Homo habilis

45
Q

Homo habilis had a slightly larger brain and smaller face + teeth. What was evidence of its larger brain?

A
  • Evidence of tool use
  • Varied diet = more calories to feed big brain
46
Q

Which hominid is the upright man?

A

Homo erectus

47
Q

Homo erectus is the oldest known human to have ____________________

A

modern human-like body proportions

48
Q

How did homo erectus get enough energy to fuel its tall body and large brain?

A
  • Calories from meat, honey and tubers
  • Shorter digestive tract → nutrients absorbed faster
49
Q

Which hominid is the hobbit?

A

Homo floresiensis (very small)

50
Q

Homo floresiensis had stone _____, used ____, and hunted ____________

A

tools
fire
mini-elephants

51
Q

Homo floresiensis is a result of island dwarfism, which is an evolutionary process…

A

that results from long-term isolation on a small island with limited resources and a lack of predators

52
Q

Homo heidelbergensis had short, wide bodies to ________________

A

conserve heat

53
Q

Homo heidelbergensis…
- Had control of ______
- Routinely hunted ___________
- First species to build shelters from _____________

A

fire
large animals
wood and stone

54
Q

Homo neanderthalensis adapted to ______ climates

A

cold

55
Q

How did homo neanderthalensis adapt to cold climates?

A

short, stocky bodies
huge nose for humidifying and warming cold, dry air

56
Q

Which hominid is our closest extinct human relative

A

Homo neanderthalensis

57
Q

What contributed to the extinction of homo neanderthalensis?

A

Competition w/ modern humans

58
Q

Humans’ love of sweet foods is proof of…

A

Our herbivorous past (sweetness correlated to nutritional value in the natural world)

59
Q

___________ are social
Herbivores are ________________

A

meat eaters (hunting meat requires cooperation and sharing of spoils)
solitary and selfish

60
Q

_____________ theory suggests that as our ancestors pursued fish as a food source, they physically adapted

A

Aquatic ape

61
Q

Evidence for aquatic ape theory (name 3)

A

Newborns can swim underwater
Diving reflex → heartbeat slows when face is underwater
Fat under skin = buoyant
Nose shape prevents water from entering lungs when diving
Partial webbing between fingers and toes
Flexible spine
Tears to keep eyes moist

62
Q

Hunting = uncertain
Agriculture and domestication of animals = predictable and secure
How do modern humans seek the hunt in symbolic “kills”?

A

Sports → pseudo-hunting (chasing a ball)
Photography
Collecting → pursuing prey
Jobs → require strategies

63
Q

Cultural anthropologists are interested in _____________ and ______________

A

material culture
behavioural culture

64
Q

Material culture

A

The “stuff” that cultures create (technology, art, shelters)

65
Q

Behavioural systems

A

Ways in which groups are organized (family structures & gender roles, political & economic systems, education)

66
Q

Cultural anthropologists collect information using ____________ and ___________

A

Ethnology
Archaeology

67
Q

Ethnology

A

Study living cultures through participant observation

68
Q

The ethnologist may live for ______________ within the culture (observing, talking w/ people and recording their thoughts and behaviours)

A

a year or more

69
Q

The ethnologist must __________________, __________________ and __________________

A

learn the language, remain objective and not disturb the culture

70
Q

An ethnologist must try to avoid _______________

A

ethnocentrism (judging other cultures based on one’s own cultural experiences)

71
Q

Why did the !Kung mock Richard Lee’s gift (a black ox loaded with fat and meat)?

A

Kung are a foraging culture whose social structure is egalitarian
Mocked Lee because he was threatening their social structure by trying to demonstrate his superiority

72
Q

Archaeology

A

Cultural anthropology of the past (especially prehistoric times) - archaeologists analyze the material culture and the human remains left by ancient cultures

73
Q

Presence of pottery at an archaeological site reveals (name 3):

A
  • Food storage → food surplus (extra) → presence of agriculture
  • Complex society that can support specialization in jobs (potter)
  • Permanent settlement → storing food, pottery is fragile and can’t be easily transported
  • Design and craftsmanship → art → leisure
74
Q

Types of cultures (name 5)

A
  • Foraging
  • Horticultural
  • Pastoral
  • Agricultural
  • Industrial
  • Communication-based
75
Q

Foraging cultures…
- Have a hunting and gathering economy
- Supports a ________ population
- ____________ social structure
- Nomadic

A
  • small
  • egalitarian (everyone’s contributions equally valued)
76
Q

Horticultural cultures
- Cultivation of plants and domestication of animals (_______ years ago)
- “_______________” cultivation
- More settlement + ________________
- Increase in ________________

A
  • 10,000
  • Slash and burn (cut and burn foliage to make way for cultivated land)
  • personal possessions
  • food production
77
Q

Pastoral cultures
- Domestication of ___________ (10,000 years ago, Middle East)
- Use _________________ to sell to get other products
- _______ with herds in different seasons to find fertile pastures

A
  • herd animals
  • meat, milk and wool
  • move
78
Q

Agricultural cultures
- _________ and _________ working of the land to produce food (8,000 years ago)
- Use of manure, fertilizers, irrigation, and plowing animals or machinery
- Generates surplus food to _________ or _________
Increases population → cities → _________________
More complex political organizations, inequalities in wealth and power

A
  • intensive, continuous
  • store, sell
  • work specialization
79
Q

Industrial cultures
- Industrial revolution (_____ century)
- Non-_________ energy powers complex machines
- ___________ produce consumer goods
- Ppl move from the _______________ to the city in search of factory jobs (increase in wealth, health & lifespan)
- Overcrowding and overconsumption
- Economic inequalities → ____________ and ____________ are responses to how wealth should be distributed

A
  • 19th
  • human
  • factories
  • countryside
  • capitalism, communism
80
Q

Communication-based cultures
- Increase in electronically generated data (mid _____ century)
- Mass media provides information to a broad audience

A
  • ## 20th
81
Q

Which types of culture are nomadic?
A. Foraging
B. Horticultural
C. Pastoral
D. Agricultural
E. Industrial
F. Communication-based

A

A. Foraging
C. Pastoral

82
Q

Which type of culture involves the domestication of herd animals?
A. Foraging
B. Horticultural
C. Pastoral
D. Agricultural
E. Industrial
F. Communication-based

A

C. Pastoral

83
Q

Which type of culture involves “slash and burn cultivation”?
A. Foraging
B. Horticultural
C. Pastoral
D. Agricultural
E. Industrial
F. Communication-based

A

B. Horticultural

84
Q

Which type of culture FIRST allowed for more settlement + personal possessions?
A. Foraging
B. Horticultural
C. Pastoral
D. Agricultural
E. Industrial
F. Communication-based

A

B. Horticultural

85
Q

This type of culture burns foliage to fertilize the soil, farms for a few years, then moves on
A. Horticultural
B. Agricultural

A

A. Horticultural

86
Q

This type of culture involves intensive and continuous working of the land to produce food
A. Horticultural
B. Agricultural

A

B. Agricultural

87
Q

In this culture, non-human energy powers complex machines and factories produce consumer goods
A. Foraging
B. Horticultural
C. Pastoral
D. Agricultural
E. Industrial
F. Communication-based

A

E. Industrial

88
Q

Overcrowding and overconsumption became a problem in this culture
A. Foraging
B. Horticultural
C. Pastoral
D. Agricultural
E. Industrial
F. Communication-based

A

E. Industrial

89
Q

Capitalism and communism became responses to how wealth should be distributed in this culture
A. Foraging
B. Horticultural
C. Pastoral
D. Agricultural
E. Industrial
F. Communication-based

A

E. Industrial

90
Q

In a purely oral culture, knowledge is…

A

what you can recall from memory

91
Q

In oral cultures, how did language evolved to aid in the storage of complex information in individual memory?

A
  • diction and syntax became highly rhythmical
  • information encoded in common turns of phrase (e.g. clichés)
92
Q

In oral cultures, a special class of _______________ are responsible for storing cultural knowledge by composing verses and singing/chanting them aloud in public

A

poet-scholars

93
Q

Scriptura continua

A

Early writing mimicked continuous speech → no spaces to separate words
Not yet rules for grammar, so there wasn’t any meaning in the word order

94
Q

In written cultures, why were scribes were hired to record and read aloud?

A

Reading and writing were difficult and required significant cognitive energy

95
Q

1500s development of the printing press made texts widely available. How did that impact culture? Give 2 reasons.

A
  • Emphasis on personal interpretations and individual thought
  • Reading is solitary, separates us from others
  • Info processed in linear fashion –> lead to linear values & rigid organizations (assembly lines, formal schooling, etc)
96
Q

______________ hypothesis: structure of a language influences speakers’ cognitive processes and how they conceptualize their world

A

Sapir-Whorf

97
Q

Give me 4 pieces of evidence that support the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis

A

Colour perception
Cognitive anumeracy
Futureless languages
L’académie française

98
Q

Language & colour perception:
- In ________, several different colours are perceived as one (e.g. “Serandu” = red, orange or pink)

A

Himba

99
Q

Language & cognitive anumeracy:
The __________ people of the Amazon (Brazil) only have 3 terms for quantities. They are unable to count or perceive distinct numbers of items

A

Piraha

100
Q

Futureless languages:
According to Keith Chen, futureless language speakers are 30% more likely to have saved money because…

A

When we speak about the future as distinct from the present, it feels more distant

101
Q

L’académie française is responsible for…

A

maintaining the French language (and thus the French culture) by preventing foreign words from infiltrating the culture

102
Q

In a TED talk about texting, John McWhorter said texting was…

A
  • A new language that mimics natural speech
  • A form of “finger speaking” that is constantly evolving

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