Chapter 1 Flashcards
Introudction to Anthropological fields and the Scientific Method
Anthropology
The field of inquiry that studies human culture and evolutionary aspects of human biology; includes cultural anthropology, archaeology, linguistics, and physical (biological) anthropology.
Cultural Anthropology
The branch of anthropology concerned with the study of human societies and cultures and their development
Ethnographies
Detailed descriptive studies of human societies. In cultural anthropology, and ethnography is traditionally the study of non-western society.
Linguistic Anthropology
Anthropological research based on studying the language of a particular group of people; the study of the role of languages in human society.
- Living languages
- Origins of language
- Uniquely human: syntax and grammar; arbitrary and open-ended; key developmental window; key brain structures; astonishing learning speed
Archaeology
The study of earlier cultures by anthropologiust who specialize in the scientific recov ery, analysis, and interpretation of the matieral remains of past societies.
Physical (biological) Anthropology
The study of human biology within the framework of evolution with an emphasis on the interaction bewteen biology and culture.,
Biocultural Evolution
The mutual interactive evolution of human biology and culture; the concept that biology makes culture possible and that developing culture further influences the direction of biological evolution.
Paleoanthropology
The interdisciplinary approach to the study of earlier hominins - their chronology, physical structure, archeological remains, habitats, and so on.
- Fossilized remains
- Functional anatomy
- Growth/development
Osteology
The study of skeletal material. Human osteology focuses on the interpretation of skeletal remains from archeological sites, skeletal anatomy, bone physiology, and growth and development.
Paleopathology
The branch of osteology that studies the evidence of disease and injury in human skeletal (or occasionally mummified) remains from archeologicla sites.
Forensic Anthropology
An applied anthropoloigical approach focused on the application of osteology and archeology to legal matters. Forensic anthropologists work with coroners and others in identifying and analyzing human remains.
Primatology
The study of the biology and behavior of nonhuman primates (lemurs, lorises, tarsiers, monkeys, and apes)
Hypothesis Formation
- Hypothesis: testable explanation for a set of data.
- Testability: clear predictions that are potentially falsifiable (Karl Popper -> Falsificationism)
- Null Hypothesis: predictions subject to disproof (skepticism)
Inductive Reasoning
Generalization developed from specific data
1. Observation
2. Data
3. Model (hypothesis)
4. Law (principle)
Deductive Reasoning
Predictions developed from generalizations
1. Law (principle)
2. Theory
3. Prediction
Laws
Predict what will happen via repearted experimental observations
Immature Laws
Based on GENERALIZED hypotheses - tentative, testable, and falsifiable statement that describes an observed patter in nature
- If observed patterns are consistently observed, it becomes a law
Theory
- integrated bodies of knowledge developed and refined over time with rigourous testing and scrutiny.
- can’t be tested as a whole idea, but can be tested through series of hypotheses.
- cen be revised if certain apsects are shown to be reliable.
Immature Theories
based on EXPLANATORY hypotheses - tentative, testable, and falsifiable statment that explains some observed phenomenon in nature
- If explanations survive rigourous tests, it becomes a theory
Adequate (Adequacy)
Something is sufficient or good enough to meet a requirement or purpose; the state of being sufficient for a purpose
Parsimony (“Occum’s Razor”)
the principle that when considering multiple explanations for a phenomenon, the simplest explanation that fits the evidence should be preffered.
Reductionism
the idea that complex systems can be understood by breaking them down into simpler parts or by explaining them through the interactions of their parts
