Chapter 1: What Is Physical Anthropology

Question 1

Mya

Answer 1

“Million years ago”

Question 2

Emperical

Answer 2

Based on (systematically collected) observation on experiments

Question 3

Anatomical Evidence

Answer 3

Evidence drawn from dissections

Question 4

What Cultural Anthropology studies

Answer 4

Present day & recent past societies in non-Western settings

Variation in behavior and culture

Question 5

YBP

Answer 5

“Years before present”

Question 6

Material culture

Answer 6

The part of culture that is expressed as objects humans use to manipulate the environment (hammers, plumbing, computers, etc)

We are currently dependent upon material culture

Question 7

Science

Answer 7

Comes from Latin word for ‘knowledge’

Self-correcting process that provides new discoveries connecting our lives with the world we live in

Question 8

Hunting

Answer 8

Social behavior.

When animals organize to pursue (animals for) food.

Humans distinctive in tool use/distance travel during hunting

Question 9

Sociolinguistics

Answer 9

The science of investigating languages’ social contexts

Question 10

What linguistic anthropology studies

Answer 10

The structure and development of language from society to society; interaction between language and culture

Sometimes includes non-human animal populations/communities

Question 11

Nonhoning Canine

Answer 11

Upper canine (tooth) that is not sharpened against the lower third premolar.

Question 12

Genome

Answer 12

The complete set of genetic information (chromosomal and mitochondrial DNA) for an organism or species that represents all of the inheritable traits

Question 13

Primates

Answer 13

A group of mammals in the order Primates that have complex behavior, varied forms of locomotion, and a unique suite of traits (e.g. Large brains, forward facing eyes, fingernails, reduced snouts)

Question 14

Scientific Law

Answer 14

Statement of fact describing natural phenomena

Question 15

Biocultural Approach (to scientific study)

Answer 15

Involves the interrelationship between culture and biology/what humans have inherited genetically

Question 16

Scientific Method

Answer 16

Empirical research method in which data is gathered from: observing a phenomena, forming a hypothesis, testing it, and making conclusions to validate or modify it

Question 17

Culture

Answer 17

Learned behavior that is transmitted from person to person; language, religion, ways of doing things, making tools, sharing gestures

Other animals may have culture, too

Question 18

Theory

Answer 18

An explanation (grounded in evidence/incontrovertible facts) as to why a natural phenomena takes place; More than just a stab at an explanation

Question 19

Arboreal

Answer 19

Describes animals that live in trees

Question 20

Terrestrial

Answer 20

Describes animals that live on land (not in trees or in water)

Question 21

What Archaeologists study

Answer 21

The process behind past human behavior (like why people lived where they did, why they shifted from hunting/gathering to argriculture,etc)

Studied by examining pre-written history/remains and artifacts

Question 22

Artifacts

Answer 22

Material objects from past cultures (like weapons or ceramics)

Question 23

Biology (in anthropology context)

Answer 23

Physical anatomy, genetics, physiology etc of how humans are made up and human ecology (how people interact with the environment), at times, in comparison with other primates or other humans whose fossils we study

Question 24

Bipedalism

Answer 24

Walking on two feet

Question 25

Anthropology

Answer 25

The study of human kind (all peoples over all time periods)

Scientific study of human cultural and biological variation and evolution; what it means to be human

Question 26

Hypotheses

Answer 26

Testable statements that potentially explain observed phenomena AND predict future phenomena

Question 27

What physical (biological) anthropologists study

Answer 27

All aspects of present and past human biology

Includes evolution and human variation

Forensic anthropology is a subspecialty

Question 28

Variation

Answer 28

How humans/animals are alike and different and how those are driven

Based on populations, not individuals

Question 29

Social Learning

Answer 29

Capacity to learn from other humans (enables gathering of knowledge across generations)

Question 30

Morphology

Answer 30

Physical shape and appearance

Question 31

Data

Answer 31

Evidence gathered to answer a question, solve problems, or fill in gaps in scientific knowledge

Question 32

Hominin

Answer 32

Humans and humanlike ancestors

Question 33

Language

Answer 33

A set of spoken or written symbols that refers to things 9people, places, concepts) other than themselves

Question 34

Branches of Anthropology

Answer 34

Cultural Anthropology
Linguistic Anthropology
Physical Anthropology aka biological anthropology
Archaeology

Question 35

Human’s (6) Distinctive Attributes

Answer 35

Emerged around 10,000 years ago:
bipedalism
Nonhoning chewing
Complex material culture/tool use
Speech
Dependence on domesticated foods/agriculture