Cultural Anthropology Midterm

Front 1

Anthropology is defined as the study of what two aspects of humanity over what two dimensions?

Back 1

Anthropology is the study of human biological and socio culture over time and space

Front 2

What are anthropology’s four fields?

Back 2

Biological (physical)
Cultural (social)
Linguistic
Archaeology (prehistory)

Front 3

What is the distinctive way in which cultural anthropology answers the Socratic imperative?

Back 3

“know thyself” - understanding yourself by understanding other peoples and cultures

Front 4

What is ethnocentrism?

Back 4

Judging another culture by the standards of ones own culture rather than the standards of the other.

Front 5

What is the exact meaning of cultural relativism in cultural anthropology?

Back 5

the idea that each culture must be understood in terms of its own values and beliefs not by standards of another culture * assumes no culture is better than another

Front 6

What great fourteenth century Arab historian is regarded by some anthropologists and sociologists as the founder of their disciplines?

Back 6

Ibn Khaldu

Front 7

What was the main shortcoming of the premodern antecedents to anthropology, with regard to the accounts the provided of foreign cultures? We’re referring here to accounts provided by the Greeks, the Romans, the Ancient Chinese, and the medieval Arabs.

Back 7

All tended to a) be ethnocentric and/or self-legitimating, b) be not systematically comparative across cultures, and c) not pay attention to the development of methods for research. Be able to explain these points
a) trying to justify their own cultures as the best by comparing them to “lesser” cultures
b) they just compared their own cultures to one other without looking at the broader scope of cultures and how all cultures differ
c)”arm chair” research. Informal methods, no systematic way of comparing.

Front 8

When and where were the first cultural-anthropological/ethnological societies founded?

Back 8

France and London 1800’s

Front 9

As in 19th century cultural evolutionism, what is the name for view that all cultures pass through the same set of “stages” from simple to complex?

Back 9

Progressive evolutionism

Front 10

According to 19th century cultural evolutionists, what were the stages through which all societies were thought to pass?

Back 10

“unilinear evolutionism” savagery, barbarism, civilization

Front 11

What intellectual achievements did nineteenth century cultural evolutionism contribute to?

Back 11

a) Cultural variation was recognized not to be determined by biology; b) “psychic unity” : the idea that all humans have a similar psychic potential. Be able to explain these notions!
a) idea the culture traits are acquired and learned not biologically determined
b) cultural traits

Front 12

What biological discovery in the late nineteenth century boosted European scientists’ belief in the above notion that all things, including societies, evolve from simple to complex

Back 12

The cell. Be able to explain why was this was thought important for understanding human societies.
Human cell was building block of humans so they thought that societies must be parallel with that idea. The cell is the simplest form of anything and it gets more complex as the cells work together. The cell is the builiding blcok for the human body and as cells come to gether they become more complex over time, and space, just as cultures will eventually progress over time and space.

Front 13

During the first phase of western colonial expansion in the sixteenth century, what question raged among European conquistadors (conquerers) as regards indigenous South Americans?

Back 13

Are they humans?
Do they have souls?

Front 14

According to Sigmund Freud, are infants naturally sociable from the start of life?

Back 14

No. they are egocentric and they learn to be sociable once they realize their own well being depends on their reltions with others around them, making them sociable.

Front 15

Recent research has suggested that infants are “naturally sociable” from the start of life. We saw how this is the case in relation to what three infant behaviors

Back 15

a) the infant’s responsiveness to vocal stimulation, b) the infant’s responsiveness to face-like forms and eyes; and c) attachment behavior. Be able to explain each of these!
a) respond a lot more to human vocalization than arbitrary sounds indicating their natural sociability with humans. Build inventory of basic building blocks of sounds- recognize and distinguish language- shows childs natural disposition to interact with their attentiveness to vocalization
b) same as voice. They seek out shapes of faces, not arbitrary objects. With attentiveness to face demonstrates the same dispostion to interact with humans naturally.
c) demonstrates need to relate to another being. Responsiveness to feelings of others demonstrates. Distinguishing between familiar people and strangers.

Front 16

What are the three ways in which the infant’s responsiveness to vocal stimulation shows a natural sociability:

Back 16

a) the brain’s reaction to vocal sounds is entirely different from that of non-human sounds
b) the child begins to identify sound barriers of phonemes by one month of age
c) the child has a natural disposition to synchronization and rudimentary social interaction

Front 17

By what age do children first begin to pay attention to the sound boundaries between sounds like “pa” and “ba.”

Back 17

Three-four months

Front 18

The infant’s reaction to a certain kind of visual stimuli shows that it is naturally sociable from birth. What is that visual thing to which the child responds so distinctively?

Back 18

care-givers face

Front 19

What is protocommunication?

Back 19

The synchronization of child-caregiver interactions in early infancy , with its features of turn-taking, attentiveness, and responsivness to the feelings of others. Be able to explain what this means!
Baby-talk.
Turn taking – so child sees pattern and rhythm of speech
Designed to grab the attention of the child and teach them how language works
Shows how a child is naturally sociable

Front 20

What is the nature of a child’s “attachment behavior” during the first two to three months of life?

Back 20

Indiscriminate sociability
Child does not distinguish between relationships
Child not yet using its understanding or distinction of people as a basis for understanding relationships

Front 21

What is a “hierarchy of preferences” in infant attachment behavior and when does it begin?

Back 21

3-7 months
chooses and distinguishes between relationships with people familiar and people far
reserves strongest emotions for people they are familiar with

Front 22

. What is the “strange situation” experiment and what do psychologists use it to explore?

Back 22

The child plays with mother
The child plays with mother and stranger
The child plays with only stranger
Here emotion is shown by the child by the mother leaving the situation and being left alone with the stranger. Depends on age, demonstrates attachment at 7 months to care giver
explored at what age the child becomes dependent and attached to certain people and figures in their lives

Front 23

When compared to other societies, what’s distinctive about Western children’s sleeping patterns in early infancy?

Back 23

They sleep apart from the mother at a very young age

Front 24

How does attachment change in middle childhood?

Back 24

The child is capable of symbolic reasoning, by using social knowledge that surrounds them
Begins to build social references and builds identification with significant others that extends beyond present people. Creates an abstract symbolic relation for whatever they identify with. Social identification begins.

Front 25

What type of incisors and canines did early hominids have and what does this say about how they ate and evolved?

Back 25

Weak incisors indicated that they were not eating meat, and thereof opportunistic omnivores

Front 26

Early humans development of base camps allowed what change in our ancestors’ gender relations and socialization?

Back 26

It allowed for a division of labor between males and females in family units and an extension of the period of child socialization. Be able to explain why this was significant!
Extention of infant dependency and facilitation of socialization of infants, therefore develepoing a more social brain

Front 27

What four brain changes occurred among human ancestors in response to social living and communication?

Back 27

1) expansion in brain size; 2) lateral specialization and/or development of cortical folds; 3) development of language processing centers like the Broca and Wernicke’s area; and 4) great nerve cell efficiency (mylenization). Be able to explain what each of these means!
1)Brain size in relation to body- increases in internal complication
2) left and right sides, increases surfaces areas- internal complication of the brain
3)language oriented language processing centers Broca’s area: aids vocalization Wernicke’s are- coordination/integration of sensory information with meanings
4) brain became more complex accelerate human biology

Front 28

How many sound vocalizations do chimps make?

Back 28

25

Front 29

Most chimp vocalizations are about two types of “subjects”: what are these

Back 29

Internal states:happy fear
General emotional statements about the environment

Front 30

. Chimp vocalization is not language because, among other things, it is not conventional. What does this mean?

Back 30

They have sounds to express emotions but they do not make meaningful statements as they are expressions as response to the environment

Front 31

What is a “closed” system of communication?

Back 31

A system of communication in which different units of meaning cannot be strung into longer strings of meaning. Be able to explain what this means.
Instinctual, further demonstrates the fact that this type of communication isn’t a language but a way of communication

Front 32

What are phonemes?

Back 32

The smallest classes of sounds recognized in a language making a difference in meaning

Front 33

In a normal minute of steady speech, about how many phonemes are produced?

Back 33

900

Front 34

Roughly how many phonemes are there in all of the languages spoken in the world?

Back 34

125-130

Front 35

What is a morpheme?

Back 35

Smallest unit of meaning recognized in a language

Front 36

What is syntax?

Back 36

The rules for stringing words together to create another meaning through word order

Front 37

What is categorical speech perception?

Back 37

The cognitive ability to distinguish the basic building blocks of sound used in a languge. From the perspective of infant cognition, why is this capacity so interesting?
Happens in the first weeks of life child able to distinguish language of their own culture of which the care giver is speaking

Front 38

At what age does a child begin to distinguish the most basic phonemes in her language?

Back 38

First weeks of life

Front 39

At what age do children begin to “babble?” What are young children doing with babble?

Back 39

six months.
Spontaneous production of phonemes

Front 40

At what age do children typically begin to say their first words?

Back 40

8-9 months

Front 41

At what age do children begin to make their first 2 word sentences?

Back 41

18 months

Front 42

What is the Whorf hypothesis?

Back 42

Language is not a neutral medium but it is a critical determinant of the form thought takes and the way we perceive “reality”

Front 43

Explain the difference between pidgin and creole, and give examples of locations where they are spoken.

Back 43

Pidgin is rudimentary in structure, and is used as a supplemental contact language between different language speakers (the South Pacific, PNG), while creole is more elaborated and has its own native speakers (Haiti, Louisiana, Ecuador, Suriname). Be able to explain what this means!
Pidgin blends elements of two languages used for trade. Simplified version of two languages used as tool
Creole new language, more complex with grammar and vocab with native speakers

Front 44

What was the Brown and Lenneberg experiment with color chips, and what did it reveal about the “Whorf-effect” influence of language on memory?

Back 44

The experiment was one in which subjects were shown 24 color chips for five second inspeaction periods, and then shown an array of 120 color chips, and asked to pick out the original colors. The texts showed that where a time delay was introduced, the presence of a color-term in the language spoken by the test subject allowed for better memory recall. This showed that memory relies not just on visual images, but on coded language, and that language here helps memory tasks. Be able to explain why this illustrates a very real “Whorf effect.”
Thought is not independent of language shown because memory works through a different media you can code some memores in language you can also code memories in visual images. Associate the color with a visucal memory AND a linguistic memory

Front 45

In what two areas of linguistic experience might we expect to see rather pronounced “Whorf effects?”

Back 45

Language use in the mind, as as in the use of language for memory, and language use in social interaction/social reality, as in the way language socialization shapes one’s identity and perception of social relations. Be able to explain what this means!

Front 46

What is the “generic masculine?

Back 46

rule that says in those instances when one is talking about people where the sample includes both genders one refers to and individual with a masculine pronoun

Front 47

What is gender pejoration?

Back 47

Terems referring to girls or women which at first have a neutral or positive connoatation tend to over time acqure a negative connotation usually related to a negative characteristic women morality or sexuality

Front 48

Give three English-language examples of gender pejoration

Back 48

Broad nymph, spinster, tart, mistress

Front 49

What is baby talk?

Back 49

A language register: a specialized speech style associated with a certain social group or relationship

Front 50

Name three of the “special input features” that psychologists in the 1970s identified as characteristic of “baby talk.”

Back 50

1. grammatical and vocab simpilization
2. slowed down, repetition, clarification
3. turn taking, proto conversation

Front 51

Broadly speaking, the historical appearance of baby talk in societies around the world is correlated with what far-reaching change in human socialization?

Back 51

Individio centric societies

Front 52

Name two or three “messages” about social reality that baby-talk conveys to young children?

Back 52

A) individual self importance/individualism because the child is made the focus of undivided attention; b) intimacy as requiring equality, as competence differentials make caregivers uncomfortable; and c) that intimate, intense activity alternates with long periods of isolation. Be able to explain the significance of these!

Front 53

Where do the Kaluli live and what kinds of homes did they once have?

Back 53

Mountains of new Guinea
Long Houses

Front 54

According to their own understandings of infants, why don’t the Kaluli baby talk?

Back 54

Don’t baby talk because child cant grasp what your saying. But child is constantly watching people and observing people. Bathed in interaction with people around them

Front 55

In societies or subcultures where baby-talk is not used, what language socialization techniques are used to help children acquire language?

Back 55

Multi-party interactions – learn by interaction not watching
Modeling – learn by watching the mother speaks for the child demonstrating proper social interation

Front 56

In child language socialization, what is modeling?

Back 56

learn by watching the mother speaks for the father modeling proper social interactions with superior figures

Front 57

What is sociocentrism?

Back 57

A society where one identifies with something greater than oneself. Teaches one to see a major part of who you are by integrating yourself into a larger whole

Front 58

What is individuocentrism

Back 58

Perception of onself in society that emphasizes you are a unique individual

Front 59

What language socialization technique do middle class Japanese use today and how is it “gendered?”

Back 59

baby talk only mothers baby talk

Front 60

What is a “rite of passage?” Give some examples of rites of passage from Western societies. What’s been the trend in rites of passage in the West?

Back 60

Ceremony that indicates transition from adolecnse to adulthood
Bat mitzvah
Quiniera
Confirmation debutant ball
Tendency in western society to down grade socio-centric rituals and in doing so emphasized individual uniqueness

Front 61

Some psychologists emphasize that adolescence is a time of learning independence and individual uniqueness. But it’s also a time for what doing what else?

Back 61

Developing an identity to a broader scope. Identifying with a group as well.

Front 62

How did Khmer immigrants to Massachusetts differ from their counterparts in New York and Washington?

Back 62

The inability

Front 63

What early socialization practices did Khmer-American parents use to teach children to recognize their proper place in society?

Back 63

Distancing of the father he represents the broader social world of the family. Demands politeness from children
Escalates to you don’t do anything to dishonor your family socio-centric

Front 64

Among Khmer Americans, how do childrearing practices in infancy reflect the particular individuocentric beliefs of the parents?

Back 64

They observe the child because the child is itself a unique individual because the child is “re-born”. Looking for cues that can tell you what was the childs character

Front 65

What was the traditional role of wat (Buddhist temple) for Khmer? And what caused the limitation of its role in eastern Massachusetts?

Back 65

Center of social life and education for khmer males. It is also where the monkhood took place. The limitation was space constraints, accessibility and lack of monks

Front 66

Smith-Hefner documents the way that adolescent boys and girls are socialized in Khmer-American society. What apparent gender differences are noted in the ways that Khmer-American adolescents are socialized?

Back 66

Boys are given more freedom than girls
Double standard of purity of women
Girs restricted in activities due to the double standard.

Front 67

Explain the specifics of wealth transfer that occurs at Khmer weddings as it concerns the bride’s and groom’s families?

Back 67

Bridewealth is given to the brides family out of respect because the girl being married is very valiable to the family. She cooks cleans, and takes care of younger children so the money is compensating for the families loss of the role of the bride.

Front 68

What unusual restriction do the Etoro of New Guinea place on heterosexual relations and what is one of its consequences for male sexuality?

Back 68

Heterosexual sex is prohibited severely for over 200 days of the year.

Front 69

What is the “incest taboo?”

Back 69

an incest taboo is a social prohibition on sexual relations with anyone considered close kin

Front 70

What’s universal and what’s variable about the incest taboo?

Back 70

Universal: the idea that sexual relations between close kins is prohibited but the standard that determines close kin varies

Front 71

What is the main difference between endogamy and exogamy?

Back 71

Endogamy is marriage within ones community
Exogamy is marriage outside of ones community

Front 72

What are the four characteristics we associate with marriage.

Back 72

Universal
Socially sanctioned sexual and economic union
Between two or more people
That accords mutual rights to the marital partners as well as legitimate offspring

Front 73

What is the difference between polygyny and polyandry?

Back 73

Polygyny: one male multiple wives
Polyandry: one wife with multiple husbands

Front 74

Roughly what percentage of polygamous societies practice polygyny and what percentage polyandry?

Back 74

3/4 practice polygamy and the majority practice polygyny

Front 75

As described in Barbara Miller, what is a “stem household” and where is it commonly found found?

Back 75

East Asia
Female moves into the males household and living with his parents for the purpose of being the care takers of the parents.

Front 76

Referring to the in-class movie N!ai, what were !Kung people’s primary subsistence strategies before the Europeans came? When answering, use the anthropological terms that describe their production system, with attention to gender division of labor and sharing

Back 76

Foraging and hunting and gathering people they shared everything and the men were hunters and the women were gatherers.

Front 77

Using specific example from N!ai: A Story of a !Kung Woman, indicate where in the individuo-centric to socio-centric spectrum do the !Kung as a society best fit?

Back 77

Before the europeans came they were a very socio-centric society where they shared everything and considered themselves part of a greater community and clan

Front 78

What is the difference between gender and sexuality?

Back 78

Gender is culturally influenced, human sexualized human identiy male female, or third gender…
Sexuality is more biological, aspects of human gender identity that have to do with sexual interaction

Front 79

What is the most basic difference in gender organization found around the world? Hint: numbers recognized! (Be able to explain).

Back 79

Some societies only recognize two genders while others recognize and accept up to five

Front 80

What is the most striking feature about gender among the Bugis of Indonesia?

Back 80

they recognize five different genders