Reading...
Play button
Play button
Use LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys to navigate between flashcards;
Use UP and DOWN arrow keys to flip the card;
H to show hint;
A reads text to speech;
199 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
|
Biological Anthropology
|
the subfield of anthropology that studies humans as a biological species
|
|
|
Physical Anthropology
|
the traditional name for biological anthropology
|
|
|
Species
|
a group of organisms that can produce fertile offspring among themselves but not with members of other groups
|
|
|
Cultural Anthropology
|
the subfield of anthropology that focuses on human cultural behavior and cultural systems and the variation in cultural expression among human groups
|
|
|
Culture
|
ideas and behaviors that are learned and transmitted. Nongenetic means of adaptation
|
|
|
Linguistic Anthropology
|
the subfield of anthropology that describes the characteristics of human language and studies the relationships between languages and the cultures that speak them.
|
|
|
Archaeology
|
the subfield of anthropology that studies the human cultural past and reconstructs past cultural systems
|
|
|
Artifact
|
any object that has been consciously manufactures
|
|
|
Anthropology
|
the holistic, scientific study of humankind
|
|
|
Holistic
|
assuming an interrelationship among the parts of a subject
|
|
|
Cultural relativity
|
studying another culture from its point of view without imposing our own cultural values
|
|
|
Science
|
the method of inquiry that required the generation, testing, and acceptance or rejection of hypotheses
|
|
|
Scientific Method
|
the process of conducting scientific inquiry
|
|
|
Hypotheses
|
proposed explanations for natural phenomena
|
|
|
Induction
|
the process of developing a general explanation from specific observations
|
|
|
Deduction
|
suggesting specific data that would be found if a hypothesis were true
|
|
|
Theory
|
a general idea that explains a large set of factual patterns
|
|
|
Belief systems
|
ideas that are taken on faith and cannot be scientifically tested
|
|
|
Indigenous
|
native, refers to a group of people with a long history in a particular area
|
|
|
Pseudoscience
|
scientifically testable ideas that are taken on faith without scientific evidence to support them or even when tested and shown to be false
|
|
|
Evolution
|
in biology, the idea that species change over time and have a common ancestry
|
|
|
Fossils
|
remains of life forms of the past
|
|
|
Inheritance of acquired characteristics
|
the incorrect idea that traits acquired during an organism’s lifetime can be passed on to its offspring
|
|
|
Natural selection
|
evolutionary change based on the differential reproductive success of individuals within a species
|
|
|
Genes
|
techinally, those portions of the DNA molecule that code for the production of specific proteins
|
|
|
Alleles
|
variants of a gene that code for different expressions of a trait
|
|
|
Dominant
|
the allele that is expressed in a gene pair of unlike alleles
|
|
|
Recessive
|
an allele that is only expressed if present in a like gene pair
|
|
|
Phenotype
|
the chemical or physical results of the genetic code
|
|
|
Codominant
|
when both alleles of a gene pair are expressed in the phenotype
|
|
|
Genotypes
|
the alleles possessed by an organism
|
|
|
Homozygous
|
having two of the same allele in a gene pair
|
|
|
Heterozygous
|
having two different alleles in a gene pair
|
|
|
Asexually
|
reproducing without sex, by fissioning or budding
|
|
|
Gametes
|
the cells of reproduction, which contain only half the chromosomes of a normal cell
|
|
|
Mutation
|
any spontaneous change in the genetic code
|
|
|
Adapted
|
when an organism has physical traits and behaviors that allow it to survive in a particular environment
|
|
|
Descent with modification
|
an old term for what we now call biological evolution
|
|
|
Ecology
|
the science that studies the network of relationships within environmental systems
|
|
|
Niche
|
the environment of an organism and its adaptive response to that environment
|
|
|
Habitat
|
the place occupied by a species; the species “address”
|
|
|
Ecosystem
|
a specific set of environmental relationships. A unit of study within ecology
|
|
|
Proteins
|
molecules that make cells and carry out cellular functions
|
|
|
Amino acids
|
the chief components of proteins
|
|
|
DNA
|
the molecule that carries the genetic code
|
|
|
RNA
|
the molecule that, in two forms, translates and transcribes the genetic code into proteins
|
|
|
Strata
|
layers; here, the layers of rock and soil under the surface of the earth.
|
|
|
Stratigraphy
|
the study of the earth’s strata
|
|
|
Artificial selection
|
selection for reproductive success in plants and animals that is directed by humans. Also called “selective breeding”
|
|
|
Gene pool
|
all the alleles in a population
|
|
|
Chromosome
|
strands of DNA in the nucleus of a cell
|
|
|
Gene Flow
|
the exchange of genes among populations through interbreeding
|
|
|
Genetic drift
|
genetic change based on random changes within a species’ gene pool; includes fission and the founder effects, and gamete sampling
|
|
|
Fission
|
here, the splitting up of a population to form new populations
|
|
|
Founder effect
|
genetic differences between populations produced by the fact that genetically different individuals established (founded) the populations
|
|
|
Gamete Sampling
|
the genetic change caused when genes are passed to new generations in frequencies unlike those of the parental generation
|
|
|
Speculation
|
the evolution of a new species
|
|
|
Macromutation
|
a mutation with extensive and important phenotypic results
|
|
|
Taxonomy
|
a classification using nested sets of categories of increasing specificity
|
|
|
Hominids
|
modern human beings and our ancestors, defined as the primates who walk upright
|
|
|
Paleontology
|
the study of past like forms, using fossil remains and their geological contexts
|
|
|
Cladistics
|
a classification system based on order of evolutionary branching rather than on present similarities and differences
|
|
|
Brachiating
|
moving using arm-over-arm swinging
|
|
|
Quadrupedal
|
walking on all fours
|
|
|
Bipedal
|
walking on two legs
|
|
|
Dependency
|
here, the period after birth during which offspring require the care of adults to survive
|
|
|
Dominance hierarchy
|
social ranking based on individual differences
|
|
|
Grooming
|
cleaning the fur of another animal, which promotes social cohesion
|
|
|
Arboreal
|
adapted to like in the trees
|
|
|
Prognathism
|
the jutting forward of the lower face and jaw area
|
|
|
Savannas
|
the open grasslands of the tropics
|
|
|
Hand axe
|
a bifacial, all purpose stone tool, shaped somewhat like an axe head
|
|
|
Bifacial
|
a stone tool that has been worked on both sides
|
|
|
Pleistocene
|
the geological time period, from 1.6 million to 10,000 years ago, characterized by a series of glacial advances and retreats
|
|
|
Glaciers
|
massive sheets of ice that expand and move
|
|
|
Haft
|
to attach a wooden handle or shaft to a stone or bone point
|
|
|
Subspecies
|
physically distinguishable populations within a species, the concept is falling from use
|
|
|
Races
|
in biology, the same as subspecies. In culture, categories that classify and account for human diversity
|
|
|
Cline
|
a geographic continuum the variation of a trait
|
|
|
Semispecies
|
populations of a species that are completely isolated from one another but have not yet become truly separate species
|
|
|
Polymorphisms
|
variations in phenotype traits that are the results of genetic variation
|
|
|
Melanin
|
the pigment largely responsible for human skin color
|
|
|
Melanocytes
|
specialized skin cells that produce the pigment melanin
|
|
|
Racism
|
judging an individual solely on his or her assigned racial affiliation, based on the assumption that all members of a race possess specific characteristics. Prejudice and discrimination based on such a belief
|
|
|
Diffusion
|
the movement of cultural ideas and artifacts among societies. Cultural borrowing
|
|
|
Reification
|
translating a complex set of phenomena into a single entity such as a number
|
|
|
Symbol
|
something that stands for something else, with no necessary link between the symbol and its meaning
|
|
|
Artifact
|
any object consciously manufactured. Usually refers to human made objects but now includes those made by other primates
|
|
|
Ecofact
|
an unmodified natural object used as a tool
|
|
|
Protocultural
|
a behavior having most but not all of the characteristics of a cultural behavior
|
|
|
R-Complex
|
a primitive portion of the brain involved in self-preservation behaviors such as mating, aggressiveness, and territoriality
|
|
|
Limbic System
|
a portion of the brain involved in emotions such as fear, rage, and care for the young
|
|
|
Neocortex
|
a portion of the brain involved in conscious thought, spatial reasoning, and sensory perception
|
|
|
Worldview
|
the collective interpretation of and response to the natural and cultural environments in which a group of people lives. Their assumption about those environments and values derived from those assumptions
|
|
|
Codify
|
to arrange systematically. To put into words
|
|
|
Monotheistic
|
refers to a religious system that recognizes a single supernatural being
|
|
|
Ovulation
|
the period when an egg cell matures and is capable of being fertilized
|
|
|
Estrus
|
in nonhuman mammals, the period of female fertility of the signals indicating this condition
|
|
|
Olfactory
|
referring to the sense of smell
|
|
|
Sexual dimorphism
|
physical differences between the sexes of a species not related to reproductive functions
|
|
|
Apocrine glands
|
specialized sweat glands that secrete an odorous substance thought to be related to sexual stimulation
|
|
|
Pheromones
|
a chemical substance secreted by an animal that conveys information and stimulates behavioral responses
|
|
|
Gender
|
the culturally defined categories and characteristics of men and women
|
|
|
Folk Taxonomy
|
a system of classification based on the relationships among cultural categories for important items and ideas
|
|
|
Marriage
|
a set of cultural rules for bringing men and women together to create a family unit and for defining their behavior toward on another, their children, and society
|
|
|
Nuclear family
|
the family unit made up of parents and their children
|
|
|
Incest taboo
|
a cultural rule that prohibits sexual intercourse of marriage between person defined as being too closely related
|
|
|
Subsistence pattern
|
how a society acquires its food
|
|
|
Hunter-Gatherer
|
a subsistence pattern that relies on naturally occurring sources for food
|
|
|
Foraging
|
another name for the hunter-gatherer subsistence pattern
|
|
|
Social stratification
|
the presence of acknowledge differences in social status, political influence, and wealth among the people within a society
|
|
|
Egalitarianism
|
the practice of not recognizing, and even eliminating differences in social status and wealth
|
|
|
Polytheism
|
a religious system that recognizes multiple supernatural beings
|
|
|
Postpartum Sex taboo
|
the practice of prohibiting sex for a certain period of time after a woman gives birth for purposes of limiting the birthrate
|
|
|
Infanticide
|
the killing of infants
|
|
|
Bands
|
small autonomous groups, usually associated with foraging societies
|
|
|
Nomadic
|
refers to societies that move from one place in search of resources or in response to seasonal fluctuations
|
|
|
Division of Labor
|
the apportioning of a society’s jobs to specific individuals for example, designating men’s and women’s job roles
|
|
|
Labor specialization
|
when certain jobs are performed by particular individuals
|
|
|
Monogamy
|
a marriage unit made up of one husband and one wife
|
|
|
Polygyny
|
a marriage unit made up of one husband and multiple wives
|
|
|
Intensive foraging
|
hunting and gathering in an environment that provides a very wide range of food resources
|
|
|
Horticulture
|
farming using human labor and simple tools
|
|
|
Pastoralism
|
the subsistence pattern characterized by an emphasis on herding animals
|
|
|
Agriculture
|
farming using animal or mechanical labor and o=complex technologies
|
|
|
Sedentary
|
a human settlement pattern in which people largely star in one place year round, although some members of the population may still be mobile in the search for food and raw materials
|
|
|
Civilization
|
a culture with an agricultural surplus, social stratification, labor specialization, a formal government, rule by power, monumental construction projects, and system of record keeping
|
|
|
Industrialism
|
sometimes recognized as a subsistence pattern; characterized by a focus on mechanical sources of energy and good production by a small percentage of the population
|
|
|
Money
|
a symbolic representation of wealth. Used for exchange in place of actual products or services
|
|
|
Generalized reciprocity
|
giving with no expectation of equivalent return
|
|
|
Balanced reciprocity
|
giving with expectation of equivalent return
|
|
|
Markey system
|
when money is used for exchange in place of goods and services; it operates on a supply and demand basis with profit motive for suppliers
|
|
|
Redistribution
|
the central collection of surplus goods and their dispersal to people in need of them
|
|
|
Rank
|
refers to a society that strives for equal distribution of goods and services through the use of recognized, often temporary, status differences
|
|
|
Class
|
a system of socioeconomic stratification in which the strata are open and a person may move to a different stratum
|
|
|
Caste
|
a system of socioeconomic stratification in which strata are closed and a person’s membership is determined at birth
|
|
|
Ethnocentrism
|
making value judgments about another culture from the perspective of one’s own cultural system
|
|
|
Kinship
|
Your membership in a family and your relationship to other members of that family. May refer to biolofical ties, but in anthropology usually refers to cultural ties modeled on biological ones
|
|
|
Polygamy
|
a marriage system that allows multiple spouses
|
|
|
Polygyny
|
a marriage system with one husband and multiple wives
|
|
|
Polyandry
|
a marriage system with one wife and multiple husbands
|
|
|
Extended family
|
nuclear family linked by blood, generally ones that inhabit the same location
|
|
|
Descent line
|
nuclear families that are connected ober time
|
|
|
Bilateral
|
a kinship system in which an individual is a member of both parents’ decesnt lines
|
|
|
Unilineal
|
a kinship system in which an individual is a member of only one paren’s descent line
|
|
|
Exogamy
|
marriage outside of a specified unit of people
|
|
|
Endogamy
|
marriage within a specified unit of people
|
|
|
Parallel cousins
|
the children of your father’s brothers or mother’s sisters
|
|
|
Cross cousins
|
the children of your father’s sisters or mother’s brother
|
|
|
Age sets
|
a social unit made up of persons of approximately the same age
|
|
|
Men’s associations
|
a social unit made up of a society’s men. Common in highland New Guinea
|
|
|
Political organization
|
the secual, nonkinship means of organizing the interactions within a society and between one society and others
|
|
|
Tribe
|
a political organization with no central leagers but in which the subunits may make collective decision about the entire group
|
|
|
Cheifdom
|
a political organization made up of groups of interacting units, each of which has a chief or leader
|
|
|
State
|
a political organization with one central authority governing all the individual units
|
|
|
Historical archaeology
|
the archaeology of a society that has written records
|
|
|
Ethnographic analogy
|
interpreting archaeological data through the observation of analogous activities in existing societies
|
|
|
Forensic Anthropology
|
a subfield of anthropology applies to legal matters. Usually involved in identifying skeletal remains and assessing the time and cause of death
|
|
|
Experimental archaeology
|
the process of understanding ancient skills and technologies by reproducing them
|
|
|
Test pit
|
an exploratory, usually small excavation made to establish the presence or absence of an archaeological site
|
|
|
Relative dating
|
dating that indicates the age of one item in comparison to another
|
|
|
Absolute dating
|
dating that gives specific age, year, or range of years for an object or a site
|
|
|
Radiometric
|
refers to the dcay rate of a radioactive substance
|
|
|
Carbon dating
|
a radiometric dating technique using the decay rate of a radioactive form of carbon found in organic remains
|
|
|
Potassium/Argon dating
|
a radiometric dating technique using the rate at which radioactive potassium, found in volcanic rock, decays into stable argon gas
|
|
|
Bulb of percussion
|
a convex surface on a flake caused by the force used to split the flake off. Rarely found in a natural break
|
|
|
Pressure flake
|
taking a flake off a core by pushing a wood, bone, or antler tool against the stone
|
|
|
Microliths
|
small stone flakes, usually udes as part of a larger tool such as a sickle
|
|
|
Language
|
human communication by means of shared symbols
|
|
|
Displacement
|
the ability to communicate about things and idea no immediate in space or time
|
|
|
Duality
|
Here, the two levels of human language: units of sound and units of meaning that those units of sounds are combined to create
|
|
|
Phoneme
|
a unit of sound in a language
|
|
|
Morpheme
|
a unit of meaning in a language
|
|
|
Productivity
|
here, the ability of human languages to generate limitless numbers of meanings
|
|
|
Arbitrary
|
here, the fact that the features of human languages bear no direct relation to their meanings but are agreed-on symbols
|
|
|
Descriptive Linguistics
|
the study of the structures of language in general and of the specific variations among languages
|
|
|
Syntax
|
rules of work order in a language
|
|
|
Endocasts
|
natural or human-made casts of the inside of a skill. The cast reflects the surface of the brain and allows us to study the brains of even extinct species
|
|
|
Historical Linguistics
|
the branch of linguistics that attempts to classify and construct a family tree of languages and to reconstruct extinct languages
|
|
|
Cognates
|
two words that are similar in two or more languages as a result of common descent
|
|
|
Ethnosemantics
|
the study of the meanings of words, especially as they relate to folk taxonomies
|
|
|
Sociolinguistics
|
the study of language in its social contexts
|
|
|
Religion a system
|
of ideas and rules for behavior based on supernatural explanations
|
|
|
Legal Systems
|
a set of secular rules governing the behavior of individuals and institutions within a society
|
|
|
Animism
|
the possession of supernatural powers by people, animals, places, or objects
|
|
|
Shaman
|
a part-time supernaturally chosen religious specialist who can manipulate the supernatural
|
|
|
Priest
|
a full-time, trained religious specialist who can interpret the supernatural and petition the supernatural on behalf of humans
|
|
|
Magic
|
the use of ritual and paraphernalia to compel or manipulate the supernatural to act in desired ways
|
|
|
Sorcery
|
medical acts with evil intent
|
|
|
Witchcraft
|
traditionally, evil acts performed by individuals who possess inherent powers. We now recognize white (good) witchcraft
|
|
|
Co-wife resentment
|
tension among the wives of polygynous societies, often caused by the differing statuses of those wives
|
|
|
Endocannibalism
|
the eating of human flesh from members of one’s own society
|
|
|
Altruism
|
acting to benefit others while disregarding one’s own welfare
|
|
|
Biological Determinism
|
the idea that human behaviors have a biological basis with minimal influence from culture
|
|
|
Cultural Determinism
|
the idea that human behaviors are almost totally the result of learned cultural information, with few or no instinctive responses
|
|
|
Kin Selection
|
promoting the passing on of one’s genes by aiding the survival or reproduction of one’s close kin
|
|
|
Sociobiology
|
the scientific study that examines evolutionary explanations for social behaviors within species
|
|
|
Evolutionary Psychology
|
A synonym for sociobiology
|
|
|
Behavioral Ecology
|
a synonym for sociobiology
|
