Chapter 1 Flashcards
What are the four subdisciplines of anthropology?
biological (or physical) anthropology, linguistic anthropology, cultural anthropology, and archaeology
Anthropologists’ early interest in Native North Americans
is an important historical reason for the development of four-field anthropology in the U.S.
How are the four subfields of U.S. anthropology unified?
Each subfield studies human variation through time and space.
Cultural anthropologists carry out their fieldwork in
all kinds of societies.
Ethnography is the
fieldwork component of cultural anthropology.
Archaeologists studying sunken ships off the coast of Florida or analyzing the content of modern garbage are examples of how
archaeologists study the culture of historical and even living peoples.
What is anthropology?
the study of humans around the world and through time
Which of the following best describes biological anthropology?
the study of human biological diversity
Primatology is a specialty within
biological anthropology.
Linguistic anthropology
includes sociolinguistics, descriptive linguistics, and the study of the biological basis for speech.
Applied anthropology
encompasses any use of the knowledge and/or techniques of its four subfields to identify, assess, and solve practical problems.
Anthropology is a science, yet it has been suggested that anthropology is among the most humanistic of all academic fields. This is because
of its fundamental respect for human diversity.
A holistic and comparative perspective
most characterizes anthropology when compared to other disciplines that study humans.
Humans can adapt to their surroundings through both biological and cultural means.
true
Adaptation refers to the processes by which organisms cope with environmental forces and stresses, such as those posed by climate and topography.
true
Archaeologists study only prehistoric communities.
false
What is the process by which children learn a particular cultural tradition?
enculturation
The presence of more efficient respiratory systems to extract oxygen from the air among human populations living at high elevations is an example of which form of adaptation?
long-term physiological adaptation
Over time, humans have become increasingly dependent on which of the following in order to cope with the range of environments they have occupied in time and space?
cultural means of adaptation
Anthropologists study only non-Western cultures.
false
