Anthropology Ch. 1

They ate wild animals, fish, and wild plants.

Before AD 1000 what did the people of Saint Catherine Island eat?

They became sedentary and consumed more corn, which caused dental disease due to high sugar content.

What was the cause for biological change in the indigenous people of Saint Catherine Island afterAD 1000?

We can learn that diets, and therefore human biology, change through time.

What can be learned from studying a population through time?

Study humans from a biological and cultural perspective.

Physical anthropologists seek to:

Every person is a product of evolutionary history and each of us is the product of our own individual life histories.

The two concepts that best explain physical anthropology are that:

All of the above

Physical Anthropologists:

A group of mammals that share traits like forward-facing eyes, fingernails and large brains.
Diverse species that live in various types of environments.

Primates are:

Biological and social

Physical anthropologist study what type of science?

Walking on two feet

Bipedalism in primates means:

social learning

What makes it possible for humans to accumulate an amazing amount of information over long periods of time?

the study of the behavior and material culture of past human societies.

Archeology:

It examines the interaction between biology and culture in shaping human biology.

How is biocultural anthropology different from cultural anthropology?

It was the first evolutionary development that distinguished humans from other animals.

Bipedalism is considered one of the hallmarks of hominid evolution because:

fossilized dinosaur remains.

Physical anthropology as a discipline is NOT concerned with:

united the study of culture, language, and biology within American anthropology.

Franz Boas:

focus their work on skeletal analysis of individuals.

Forensic anthropologist

were hunter-gatherers.

Just before the arrival of the Spanish on Saint Catherine Island, people there:

Social and cultural factors that have affected you.

Environment refers to:

one with poor-quality nutrition.

In the context of physical anthropology a disadvantaged social environment means:

Poor health, reduced height, and shortened life expectancy.

The result of a disadvantaged social environment include?

some physical anthropologists study extinct and living species of primates.

The study of physical anthropology varies in that:

biology, culture, and behavior

What makes us human?

biological and cultural beings.

Anthropology views humans as both:

physical, archaeological,cultural, and linguistic.

The four branches of anthropology are:

Physical anthropology

Which is the study of evolution and variation in humans?

hunting was conducted with lithic tools and cooperative strategies.

To increase humans’ chances of hunting success:

Material culture

Human production of stone or lithic tools is an example of:

relying on the scientific method.

Boas laid the foundation for scientific anthropology by:

false

In the scientific method, theories can be considered "hunches" or guesses.

true

Observations of living primates inform our efforts to understand our evolutionary past

Involves empirical data collection and hypothesis testing.

The scientific method:

is an attempt to explain observations and predict future scientific results

A hypothesis:

A theory is an explanation relying on careful examination and testing of evidence

How is a theory different from a hypothesis?

Culture is a learned behavior transmitted from person to person.

How is culture defined?

forensic anthropology

A family friend tells you that she just completed a summer internship where she helped law enforcement to identify human remains using dental records, x-rays , and other indices of gender, height, and ethnicity. She is most likely to be studying:

all of the above

Science is considered self-correcting because:

Anthropologist study biology within the context of culture and behavior.

You overhear a debate among anthropology graduate students regarding whether or not anthropology should be categorized as a biological or social science. You have learned in your introductory courses that it is both. Why is it both?