SAP Exam - Key Terms Flashcards
(64 cards)
Anthropology
Scientific study of humans including their origins, behaviour, and physical/social/cultural development
4 subfields: biological/physical, archaeological, linguistic, cultural
Psychology
The scientific study of behavior and mental processes.
Sociology
Scientific study of human social life, groups, and society
Social Science
-Study of people, their activities, and relationship
-Aims to understand human society, culture, actions, attitudes, and behaviour
-Uses research inquiry model
Physical/Biological Anthropology
Studies where humans as a species come from, human evolution, and what makes humans unique
Subfields: paleoanthropology and primatology, human variation
Cultural Anthropology
-Study of human societies, cultures, and their development
Bipedalism
Ethnocentric
Believing that one’s own culture is superior to all others
Ethnocentrism
The practice of judging another culture solely by the values and standards of one’s own culture
Ethnography
The detailed, descriptive study of a single culture (based on observations/interactions with its members)
Kinship
-(Anthropology) System of social relationships based on family ties whether biological or social(marriage/adoption)
-Importance: understanding how human societies are structured, how individuals interact with each other, and how cultural norms/practices are transmitted
Reflexivity
-Being aware of how an anthropologist’s background, perspectives, and experiences shape their interpretations of the culture/society they are studying
-This self-awareness helps anthropologists produce more thoughtful, ethical, accurate research
-Importance: encourages anthropologists to critically examine their own role, biases, and influence within the research process
Linguistics
Studies human languages and how language affects/expresses culture
Subfields:
-Historical: compare the similarities/differences of languagee structures to understand how languages are related and how people migrated in the past
-Structural: study of how sounds are put together to make meaning (Noam Chomsky)
-Socio: study of how people use language within their culture to express status and context
Archaeology
Understanding past human cultures through the examination of historical/prehistorical physical remains and artifacts
Ethnology
Focuses on the systematic study of people and cultures from a comparative perspective
Cultural Relativism
-Franz Boas
-Anthropologists can’t compare 2 cultures because each culture has its own internal rules that must be accepted
-Everyone sees others through the lens of their own culture
Cultural Materialism
-Marvin Harris
-Materials/conditions within the environment(climate, food, supply, geography) influence how a culture develops, creating the ideas and ideology of a culture
-Cultural Materialists believe society develops on a trial-and-error basis - If institutions aren’t beneficial they’ll no longer exist
According to Harris, culture develops in 3 stages:
1. The Infrastructure - society’s material resources(tech/population/available land)
2. The Structure - society’s systems and institutions
3. The Superstructure - society’s ideas, values, symbols, and religion
Postmodernism
-Jean-Francois Lyotard
-Theory that critiques modernism
-In the context of social sciences it primarily challenges the idea of objective truth, favouring relative/subjective interpretations
NO OBJECTIVE TRUTH
Paleoanthropology
-Study of human ancestors based on evidence from the distant evolutionary past.
-Studies bone and stone remains of our ancient ancestors from millions of years ago
Primatology
-Studies the anatomy/behaviours of living primates
-Ethical considerations: ensure survival of all species, promote conservation and respect local animal population, prioritize animal welfare
Human Variation
-Biological anthropology
-Charles Darwin
-Study of the physical differences and similarities of existing human populations.
-Anthropologists studying human variation aim to find out how and why human beings are different and try to understand these differences from an evolutionary perspective.
Ego/Id/Superego
Ego:
Id:
Superego:
Classical Conditioning**
-Ivan Pavlov (research on dogs)
BEFORE CONDITIONING:
Food (unconditioned stimulus) → dog’s salivation (unconditioned response)
Tone (neutral stimulus) → no salivation (no response)
-DURING CONDITIONING
Tone (neutral stimulus) + food (unconditioned response) = salivation (unconditioned response)
AFTER CONDITIONING
Tone (conditioned response) → salivation (conditioned response)
Operant Conditioning**
-B.F. Skinner (Rats-skinner box)
-Using rewards and punishments to encourage/discourage behaviour
Positive Reinforcement - Adding something pleasant to increase a behavior
Negative Reinforcement - Removing something unpleasant to increase a behavior
Positive Punishment - Adding something unpleasant to decrease a behavior
Negative Punishment - Removing something pleasant to decrease a behavior