Exam 1 Flashcards
Anthropology
The science of human kind; study of human culture and biological variation both past and present
Variation
Change or difference
Holistic
Characterized by comprehension of the parts of something as intimately interconnected and explicable only by reference to the whole
Materialism / Essentialism
Things exist, no rankings / A perfect version of things exist
Cultural Anthropology
Original form of anthropology; focuses on culture (shared beliefs that generate behavior)
Archaeology
Reconstruction of past human behavior from material remains; includes both pre-historic and historical anthropology
Linguistic Anthropology
Study of the relation between culture and language
Biological Anthropology
Covers biological evolutionary changes in modern and pre-modern hominids; a bio cultural approach centered on the interaction between biology and culture
Paleoanthropology
Subfield of biological anthropology; study of hominids and evolution
Primatology
Subfield of biological anthropology; nonhuman primates (monkeys + apes)
Osteology
Subfield of biological anthropology; skeletal morphology, variation
Odontology
Subfield of biological anthropology; dental variation
Bioarchaeology
Subfield of biological anthropology; ancient health, variation
Forensic Anthropology
Subfield of biological anthropology; use of anthropology in legal matters
Epistemology
The branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of knowledge and what constitutes a true belief
Science
The intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure and behavior of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment
Data
Factual observations used to support or refute a statement
Hypothesis
Provisional statement about a cause and effect relationship
Test
A logical attempt to invalidate a hypothetical statement using data
Theory
Any hypothesis that had been tested and has not been refuted
Paradigm
A view in a large subject; shifts
Species
A group of living organisms containing similar individuals capable of exchanging genes or interbreeding