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123 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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anthropology
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the study of humankind in all times and places
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holistic perspective
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a fundamental principle of anthropology, that the various parts of human culture and biology must be viewed in the broadest possible context in order to understand their interconnections and interdependence
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culture-bound
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theories about the world and reality based on the assumptions and values of one's own culture
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applied anthropology
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the use of anthropological knowledge and methods to solve practical problems, often for a specific client
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physical anthropology
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also known as biological anthropology. the systematic study of humans as biological organisms
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molecular anthropology
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a branch of biological anthropology that uses genetic and biochemical techniques to test hypotheses about human evolution, adaptation, and variation.
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paleoanthropology
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the study of the origins and predecessors of the present human species
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biocultural
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focusing on the interaction of biology and culture
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primatology
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the study of living and fossil primates
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forensic anthropology
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subfield of applied physical anthropology that specializes in the identification of human skeletal remains for legal purposes
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archaeology
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the study of human cultures through the recovery and analysis of material remains and environmental data
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cultural resource management
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a branch of archaeology that is concerned with survey and/or excavation of archaelogical and historical remains threatened by construction or development and policy surrounding protection of cultural resources
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linguistic anthropology
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the study of human languages
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cultural anthropology
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the study of customary patterns in human behavior, thought, and feelings. It focuses on humans as culture-producing and culture-reproducing creatures. aka social or sociocultural anthropology
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culture
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the (often unconscious) standards by which societies- structured groups of people-operate. These standards are socially learned, rather than acquired through biological inheritance.
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ethnography
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a detailed description of a particular culture primarily based on fieldwork
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fieldwork
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the term anthropologists use for on-location research
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participant observation
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in ethnography, the technique of learning a people's culture through social participation and personal observation within the community being studied
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ethnology
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the study and analysis of different cultures from a comparative or historical point of view, utilizing ethnographic accounts and developing anthropological theories that help explain why certain important differences or similarities occur among groups
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medical anthropology
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a specialization in anthropology that brings theoretical and applies approaches from cultural and biological anthropology to the study of human health and disease.
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empirical
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based on observations of the world rather than on intuition or faith
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hypothesis
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a tentative explanation of the relation between certain phenomena
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theory
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in science, an explanation of natural phenomena, supported by a reliable body of data
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globalization
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worldwide interconnectedness, evidenced in global movements of natural resources, trade goods, human labor, finance capital, information, and infection diseases
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primates
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the group of mammals that include lemurs, lorises, tarsiers, monkeys, apes, and humans
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mammals
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the class of vertebrae animals distinguished by bodies covered with fur, self-regulating temperature, and in females milk-producing mammary glands
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species
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the smallest working unit in the system of classification. among living organisms, species are populations or groups of populations capable of interbreeding and producing fertile viable offspring
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genus, genera
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in the system of plant and animal classification, a group of like species
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taxonomy
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the science of classification
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analogies
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in biology, structures possessed by different organisms that are superficially similar due to similar function; without sharing a common development pathway or structure
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homologies
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in biology, structures possessed by two different organisms that arise in similar fashion and pass through similar stages during embryonic development though they may possess different functions
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natural selection
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the evolutionary process through which factors in the environment exert pressure, favoring some individuals over others to produce the next generation
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genes
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portions of DNA molecules that direct the synthesis of specific proteins
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law of segregation
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the Mendelian principle that variants of genes for a particular trait retain their separate identities through the generations
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law of independent assortment
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the Mendelian principle that genes controlling different traits are inherited independently of one another
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chromosomes
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in the cell nucleus, the structures visible during cellular division containing long strands of DNA combined with a protein
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DNA
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deoxyribonucleic acid. the genetic material consisting of a complex molecule whose base structure directs the synthesis of proteins
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alleles
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alternate forms of a single gene
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genome
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the complete structure sequence of DNA for a species
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mitosis
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a kind of cell division that produces new cells having exactly the same number of chromosome pairs, and hence copies of genes, as the parent cell
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meiosis
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a kind of cell diving that produces the sex cells, each of which has half the number of chromosomes found in other cells of the organism.
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homozygous
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refers to a chromosome pair that bears identical alleles for a single gene
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heterozygous
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refers to a chromosome pair that bears different alleles for a single gene
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genotype
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the alleles possessed for a particular trait
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phenotype
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the observable or testable appearance of an organism that may or may not reflect a particular genotype due to the variable expression of dominant and recessive alleles
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dominance
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the ability of one allele for a trait to mask the presence of another allele
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recessive
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an allele for a trait whose expression is masked by the presence of a dominant allele
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hemoglobin
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the protein that carries oxygen in the red blood cells
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polygenetic inheritance
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when two or more genes contribute to the phenotypic expression of single character
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population
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in biology, a group of similar individuals that can and do interbreed
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gene pool
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all the genetic variants possessed by members of a population
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evolution
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changes in allele frequencies in population. also known as microevolution
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mutation
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chance alteration of genetic material that produces new variation
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genetic drift
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chance fluctuation of allele frequencies in the gene pool of a populationf
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founder effects
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a particular form of genetic drift deriving from a small founding population not possessing all the alleles present in the original population
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gene flow
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the introduction of alleles from the gene pool of one population into that of another
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adaptation
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a series of beneficial adjustments to the environment
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sickle-cell anemia
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an inherited form of anemia caused by a mutation in the hemoglobin protein that causes the red blood cells to a assume a sickle shape
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clines
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gradual changes in the frequency of an allele or trait over space
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nocturnal
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active at night and at rest during the day
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arboreal
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living in the trees
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diurnal
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active during the day and at rest at night
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binocular vision
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vision with increased depth perception from two eyes set next to each other allowing their visual fields to overlap
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stereoscopic vision
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complete three-dimensional vision (or depth perception) from binocular vision and nerve connections that run from each eye to both sides of the brain allowing nerve cells to integrate the images derived from each eye
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opposable
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able to bring the thumb or big toe in contact with the tips of the other digits on the same hand or foot in order to grasp objects
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prosimians
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a subdivision within the primate order that includes lemurs, lorises, and tarsiers
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anthropoids
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a subdivision within the primate order that includes New World Monkeys, Old World Monkeys, and apes (including humans).
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prehensile
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having the ability to grasp
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brachiation
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using the arms to move from branch to branch, with the body hanging suspended beneath the arms
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community
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a unit of primate social organization composed of fifty or more individuals who inhabit a large geographical area together.
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dominance hierarchies
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an observed ranking system in primate societies ordering individuals from high (alpha) to low standing corresponding to predictable behavioral interactions including domination
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grooming
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the ritual cleaning of another animal's skin and fur to remove parasites and other matter
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ovulation
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moment when an egg released from the ovaries into the womb is receptive for fertilization
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tool
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an object used to facilitate some task or activity
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prehistory
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a conventional term used to refer to the period of time before the appearance of written records. does not deny the existence of history, merely of written history
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artifact
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any object fashioned or altered by humans
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material culture
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the durable aspects of culture such as tools, structures, and art
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fossil
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the preserved remains of plants and animals that lived in the past
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soil marks
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stains that show up on the surface of recently plowed fields that reveal an archaeological site
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middens
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a refuse or garbage disposal area in an archeological site
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grid system
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a system for recording data in three dimensions from an archaeological excavation
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datum point
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the starting, or reference, point for a grid system
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flotation
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an archeological technique employed to recover very tiny objects by immersion of soil samples in water to separate heavy from light particles
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stratified
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layered; said of archeological sites where the remains lie in layers, one upon another
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coprolites
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preserved fecal material providing evidence of the diet and health of past organisms
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endocast
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a cast of the inside of a skull; helps determine the size and shape of the brain
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polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
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a technique for amplifying or creating multiple copies of fragments of DNA so that it can be studied in the laboratory
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bioarchaeology
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the archeological study of human remains emphasizing the preservation of cultural and social processes in the skeleton
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relative dating
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in archaeology and paleoanthropology, designating an event, object, or fossil as being older or younger than another.
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absolute or chronometric dating
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in archaeology and paleoanthropology, dates for archaeological materials based on solar years, centuries, or other units of absolute time
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macroevolution
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evolution above the species level
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speciation
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the process of forming new species
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cladogenesis
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speciation through a branching mechanism whereby an ancestral population gives rise to two or more descendant populations
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anagenesis
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a sustained directional shift in a population's average characteristics
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punctuated equilibria
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a model of macroevolutionary change that suggests evolution occurs via long periods of stability or stasis punctuated by periods of rapid change
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continental drift
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according to the theory of plate tectonics, the movement of continents embedded in underlying plates on the earth's surface in relation to one another over the history of life on earth
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bipedalism
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a special form of locomotion on two feet found in humans and their ancestors
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Australopithecus
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the genus including several species of early bipeds from southern and eastern Africa living between about 4.3 and 1.1 million years ago, one of whom was directly ancestral to humans
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robust australopithecines
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several species within the genus australopithecus, who lived from 2.5 and 1.1 million years ago in eastern and southern Africa; known for the rugged nature of their chewing apparatus (large back teeth, large chewing muscles, and bony ridge on their skull tops for the insertion of these large muscles).`
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gracile australopithecines
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members of the genus Australopithecus possessing a more lightly built chewing apparatus; likely had a diet that included more meat than that of the robust australopithecines
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Oldowan
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the first stone tool industry, beginning between 2.6 and 2.5 million years ago
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Lower Paleolithic
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Old Stone Age beginning with the earliest Oldowan tools spanning from about 2.6 million to 250,000 or 200,000 years ago
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Homo habilis
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"handy man." the first fossil members of the genus Homo appearing 2.5 million years ago, with larger brains and smaller faces that australopithecines
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Homo erectus
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"upright man." a species within the genus Homo first appearing just after 2 million years ago in Africa and ultimately spreading throughout the old world
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Neandertals
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a distinct group within the genus Homo inhabiting Europe and Southwest Asia from approximately 125,000 to 30,000 years ago
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Mousterian
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the tool industry of the Neandertals and their contemporaries of Europe, Southwest Asia, and northern Africa from 125,000 to 40,000 years ago
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Upper Paleolithic
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The last part (40,000 to 10,000 years ago) of the Old Stone Age, featuring tool industries characterized by long slim blades and an explosion of creative symbolic forms.
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multiregional hypothesis
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the hypothesis that modern humans originated through a process of simultaneous local transition from Homo erectus to Homo sapiens throughout the inhabited world
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recent African origins hypothesis
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the hypothesis that all modern people are derived from one single population of archaic H. sapiens from Africa who migrated out of Africa after 100,000 years ago, replacing all other archaic forms due to their superior cultural capabilities. also called the Eve or out of Africa hypothesis
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culture
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A society's shared and socially transmitted ideas, values, and perceptions, which are used to make sense of experience and generate behavior and are reflected in that behavior
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enculturation
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the process by which a society's culture is transmitted from one generation to the next and individuals become members of their society
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society
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an organized group or groups of interdependent people who generally share a common territory, language, and culture and who act together for collective survival and well-being
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gender
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the cultural elaborations and meanings assigned to the biological differentiation between the sexes
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subculture
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a distinctive set of standards and behavior patterns by which a group within a large society operates
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ethnic group
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people who collectively and publicly identify themselves as a distinct group based on various cultural features such as shared ancestry and common origin, language, customs, and traditional beliefs.
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ethnicity
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this term, rooted in the Greek word ethnikos ("nation") and related to ethnos ("custom") is the expression of the set of cultural ideas held by an ethnic group
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pluralistic society
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a society in which two or more ethnic groups or nationalities are politically organized into one territorial state but maintain their cultural differences
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symbols
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signs, sounds, gestures, and other things that are arbitrarily linked to something else and represent it in a meaningful way
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social structure
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the rule-governed relationships- with all their rights and obligations- that hold members of a society together. this includes households, families, associations, and power relations, including politics.
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infrastructure
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the economic foundation of a society, including its subsistence practices, and the tools and other material equipment used to make a living
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superstructure
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a society's shared sense of identity and worldview. the collective body of ideas, beliefs, and values by which a group of people makes sense of the world- its shape, challenges, and opportunities- and their place in it. This includes religion and national ideology
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ethnocentrism
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the belief that the ways of one's own culture are the only proper ones
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cultural relativism
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the idea that one must suspend judgment of other people's practices in order to understand them in their own cultural terms
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