A
The study of humans as group members
Anthropology
The study of past cultures and societies through the examination and analysis of their material remains
Archeological Anthropology
a description of the studied culture from the perspective of an observer or outsider
Etic
Now discredited idea that offspring were a 50/50 combination mix of maternal and paternal traits which fails to account for how variation is maintained
Blending Inheritance
traits shared between organisms which are similar due to convergent evolution rather than a common descent (e.g. wing of bird and wing of bat)
Analogous characters
Studying human cultures through the integration of multiple perspectives encompassing the historical, environmental, and cultural foundations of behavior
Holism
The study of human evolution and physical variation, both present and past
Physical/Biological Anthropology
Evidence that is verifiable by observation or experience instead of relying primarily on logic or theory
Empirical
one or more forms of a gene (ex. Green or yellow in reference to pea plants)
Allele
homologous traits that appear early in the evolution of a lineage (e.g. grasping hands with opposable thumbs in all primates) which are useful for looking at the traits of a common ancestor
Ancestral characters
Judging another cultures based on standards and customs of one's own culture being held as the most important and correct and as the standard by which all other cultures should be measured
Ethnocentrism
the idea that we should seek to understand another person’s beliefs and behaviors from the perspective of their own culture and not our own
Cultural Relativism
an explanation of an observed natural phenomenon. A scientific hypothesis should be testable using data that can be rigorously and repeatably collected
Hypothesis
indicates the genes carried by an individual (ex. AA homozygote is the genotype of yellow peas). Represents the combination of alleles for a given gene.
Genotype
homologous traits that appear later in the evolutionary lineage (e.g. y-5 molar in humans and other great apes ) which are useful for looking at divergences in groups of organisms from the common ancestor
Derived characters
The study of cultures and societies of human beings and their recent past, studying livings cultures and present their observation in ethnography
Cultural Anthropology
a type of observation in which the anthropologist observes while participating in the same activities in which her informants are engaged
Participant Observation
a scientific hypothesis that has not yet been rejected as the best explanation for a natural phenomenon after repeated and rigorous scientific testing. A theory can only be disproven, so it stands as our best guess until we discover otherwise, reject it and come up with a new explanation.
Scientific Theory
observable characteristics of an organism (ex. Yellow color is a phenotypic trait of pea plants with genotype AA or Aa). The physical expression of the genotype, and it can be influenced by the environment.
Phenotype
two lobed molars with four cusps characteristic of old world monkeys
Bilophodont molars
The study of language, especially how language is structured, evolution of language, and the social and cultural contexts of language
Linguistic Anthropology
a description of the studied culture from the perspective of a member of the culture or insider
Emic
establishes Native American descendent tribes as the authority over Native American artifacts and skeletal remains housed in institutions (e.g. public museums and universities) which receive federal funding and allows for the repatriation of artifacts and skeletal remains back to the tribe.
N.A.G.P.R.A. “Native American Grave Protection and Repatriation Act.”
an evolutionary tree indicating relatedness and divergence of taxonomic groups; a hypothesis of evolutionary relationships among organisms
Phylogeny
you transform their (primates’) behavior by making them tolerate your presence.
Habituation