Exam - Social Sciences and Anthropology.

Question 1

What are the Social Sciences and what are they interested in?

Answer 1

• The social sciences are Anthropology, Psychology and Sociology.
• They are interested in the human behavior and thought as they study through observation and experiments.

Question 2

What is the definition and contents of Anthropology?

Answer 2

• Is the study of human beings as species and as members of different cultures.
• Discover who we are as human beings.
• There are 2 branches: cultural and physical.

Question 3

What is the definition and contents of Physical Anthropology?

Answer 3

• The study of human beings’ biology, evolution, physical variation, and behaviors.

Question 4

What is the definition and contents of Cultural Anthropology?

Answer 4

• Study how people who share a common cultural system organize and shape the physical and social world around them, and are in turn shaped by those ideas, behaviors (then and now).

Question 5

What is the definition and contents of Psychology?

Answer 5

• Is the study of human mental processes and behavior.
• There are 2 types of psychology: Theoretical and clinical.

Question 6

What is Theoretical Psychology?

Answer 6

Try to understand the rules that govern humans thinking and behavior (mental processes and overt actions).

Question 7

What is Clinical Psychology?

Answer 7

Use their understanding of mental processes and overt actions to study emotions in order to help those who have psychological problems.

Question 8

What is the definition and contents of Sociology?

Answer 8

• The study of people in groups and within social structures; it looks at the relationships between people.

Question 9

What is the inquiry model/process?

Answer 9

Is the investigating of human thought and behavior.

Question 10

What are the steps in the inquiry model/process?

Answer 10

Identifying a problem or question, develop a hypothesis, gathering data, analyze the data and draw conclusions.

Question 11

What is the “identifying a problem or question” step in the inquiry model/process?

Answer 11

• The first step is to put your problem into the form of a question that needs answering.

Question 12

What is the “develop a hypothesis” step in the inquiry model/process?

Answer 12

• A possible solution to the problem.
• Serves to narrow the focus of your research; eliminates unnecessary and irrelevant research/info, time and energy.
• Will determine what tests need to be done and what info needs to be gathered.

Question 13

What is the “gathering data” step in the inquiry model/process?

Answer 13

• You need to determine how you are going to obtain your data and information.
• A method of research needs to be selected; it MUST be appropriate to the question/hypothesis.
• ## Possible research methods: case studies, sample surveys, experiments, interviews, observation.

Question 14

What is the “analyze the data” step in the inquiry model/process?

Answer 14

• Organize, interpret, analyze.
• Data can consist of quantitative data (numbers, statistics, structured observation, notes, etc) and qualitative data (observation notes, interviews, transcripts).
• There are 3 steps to analyzing data.

Question 15

What are the 3 steps to analyzing data?

Answer 15

• Separate data into 2 categories: relevant and irrelevant data.
• Organize data into a way that makes it clear (divide info that supports/refutes the hypothesis, convert #’s into %, put data in graphs, etc).
• Analyze data in terms of how it supports the hypothesis, how it fails to, or does neither.

Question 16

What is the “draw conclusions” step in the inquiry model/process?

Answer 16

• A conclusion is the answer to the question initally asked.
• Conclusions can be divided into 4 categories: the evidence supports the hypothesis, there is some evidence to support the hypothesis, does not support the hypothesis and evidence supports an alternative hypothesis.

Question 17

What is Bias?

Answer 17

• Favor of a particular position.
• A question where the subject (the person answering the question) is pushed to answer a certain way.

Question 18

What are 3 factors that must be present in all social science studies?

Answer 18

• Objectivity: findings cannot be colored by personal opinions of the researcher.
• Relevant: findings must relate directly to the problem.
• Valid: all results must be accurate and reliable.

Question 19

What are the research methods?

Answer 19

• A variety of methods for collecting data.
• Also known as case studies, experiment, sample surveys, interview and observation.

Question 20

What are “case studies” in the research methods?

Answer 20

Study of a specific subject (Ex. a person, group, place, event, organization, etc).

Question 21

What are “experiments” in the research methods?

Answer 21

Designed to test hypotheses under controlled conditions.

Question 22

What are “sample surveys” in the research methods?

Answer 22

Collecting data from members of a population to inference about an entire population of information obtained from sample or subset.

Question 23

What are “interviews” in the research methods?

Answer 23

A conversation for gathering information.

Question 24

What are “observation” in the research methods?

Answer 24

Where researchers observe participants’ ongoing behavior in a natural situation.

Question 25

What research methods would each of the social scientists be more likely to use?

Answer 25

The research method is chosen is determined by the question or problem and the area is study (some questions are better suited for particular methods, while others can be applied to all five).

Question 26

What are the 5 key Physical Anthropologists covered in this unit?

Answer 26

Charles Darwin, Mary/Louis Leakey, Raymond Dart, Donald Johanson and Jane Goodall.

Question 27

What are Charles Darwin’s contributions?

Answer 27

Theory of evolution through the process of natural selection: the process through which populations of living organisms adapt and change.

Question 28

What are the Leakey’s contributions?

Answer 28

Found stone tools in Olduvai and elsewhere, found several extinct vertebrates, including the 25-million-year-old Pronconsul primate (found in Kenya and Tanzania).

Question 29

What are Raymond Dart’s contributions?

Answer 29

Discovery of the first fossil ever found of Australopithecus africanus, an extinct hominin closely related to humans.

Question 30

What are Donald Johanson contributions?

Answer 30

Discovery of “Lucy,” one of the most complete skeletons of Australopithecus afarensis known, in the Afar region of Ethiopia.

Question 31

What are Jane Goodall contributions?

Answer 31

She worked in Tarzania, this anthropologist compared chimpanzees with humans.

Question 32

What ways does physical anthropology and genetics relate to the nature vs nurture debate?

Answer 32

• Physcial Anthropology: both nature and nurture influences the affects of human beings and their culture (anthropology).
• Genetics: Nature means innate biological factors (namely genetics), and nurture encompasses the environmental factors that impact who we are.

Question 33

What is evolution?

Answer 33

Evolution of species and organisms from then and now.

Question 34

What are hominids?

Answer 34

The group consisting of modern humans, extinct human species and all our immediate ancestors.

Question 35

What are the similarties and differences between humans and primates?

Answer 35

• Similarties: share all the same bones, they share the same arrangement of internal organs, intelligence, males are 5-10% larger than females and are more muscular (like humans).
• Differences: differences in cognitive abilities, significantly larger brain, humans are not covered in thick hair, and our anatomy differs to support bipedalism, or walking on two legs.

Question 36

What are the chracteristics of the various species of hominids?

Answer 36

Hominids are bipedalism, big brains, behavioral characteristics such as specialized tool use and erect posture.

Question 37

Who is “Lucy”?

Answer 37

A 40% complete skeleton of Australopithecus afarensis.

Question 38

What is enthnocentrism?

Answer 38

• The opinion that one’s own way of life is natural or correct.
• Measuring or judging one’s own culture against another culture.

Question 39

What is a subculture?

Answer 39

Values and norms distinct in a subgroup within a larger society.

Question 40

What is a culture?

Answer 40

The shared way of thinking and behaving of a group of people.

Question 41

Who are the cultural anthropologists?

Answer 41

Franz Boas, Margaret Mead, Ruth Benedict, Mary and Louis Leaky, Jane Goodall, and Herbert Spencer.

Question 42

What are Franz Boas’s contributions?

Answer 42

Cultural relativism, which states there are no absolutes among cultures; the beliefs and practices of a culture can be examined only within the confines of that particular culture.

Question 43

What are Margaret Mead’s contributions?

Answer 43

Theory that gender roles are created by societal influences.

Question 44

What are Ruth Benedict’s contributions?

Answer 44

Best known for her “patterns of culture” theory (show that each culture has its own moral imperatives that can be understood only if one studies that culture as a whole).

Question 45

What are Herbert Spencer’s contributions?

Answer 45

Theory of social Darwinism (an evolutionary perspective on social order and social change).

Question 46

What is Ethnology?*

Answer 46

The study of humans as cultural beings.

Question 47

Who studied the Arapesh, Mundagmour, Tchambuil?

Answer 47

Margaret Mead.

Question 48

In what ways does Cultural Anthropology and Culture relate to nature and nurture?