ANT 230 Study Guide - Quiz Guide: Linguistic Anthropology, Biological Anthropology, Scientific Method
9 Sep 2019
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~ Chapter One Summary & Review ~
Summary of Main Topics
o The major subfields of anthropology are:
o Cultural Anthropology
o Linguistic Anthropology
o Archaeology
o Physical Anthropology
o Physical anthropology is a discipline that seeks to explain how and when human being evolved.
o This requires a detailed examination of the primate, and particularly hominin, fossil record.
▪ Another major topic of physical anthropology is human biological variation, its
genetic basis, and its adaptive significance.
• In addition, physical anthropologists study the behavior and biology of
nonhuman primates, partly as a method of understanding humans, but also
because nonhuman primates are important in their own right.
o Because physical anthropology is a scientific approach to the investigation of all aspects of human
evolution, variation, and adaptation, research in this field is based on the scientific method.
o The scientific method is a system of inquiry that involved the development of hypotheses to
explain some phenomenon.
▪ To determine the validity of hypotheses, scientists develop research designs aimed
at collecting information (data) and testing the data to see if they support the
hypothesis.
• If the hypothesis is not supported by the data, then it may be rejected or
modified or refined over time and further tested.
o These additional tests frequently use new technologies that have
been developed since the original hypothesis was proposed.
▪ If a hypothesis stands up to repeated testing, then it may
eventually be accepted as a theory or part of a theory.
Critical Thinking Questions
o Given that you’ve only just been introduced to the field of physical anthropology, why do you think
subjects such as anatomy, genetics, nonhuman primate behavior, and human evolution are integrated
into a discussion of what it means to be human?
o Anatomy, genetics, nonhuman primate behavior, human evolution, and similar subjects are
interwoven in human biology; anatomy is literally the physical pieces that make up people,
genetics is how biological human information is passed from parent to offspring; primates
are our very close relatives and their behavior likely reflects our distant ancestors’ behavior,
thus giving us insight into what we came from and how we developed into the modern
version of our species; and human evolution is the explanation for why humans are the way
they are.
o Do you see a connection between hominin footprints that are almost 4 million years old and human
footprints left on the moon in 1969?
o Like the famous footprints preserved in Tanzania for 4 million years, anthropologists 4
million years from now will definitely study the famous footprints left on the moon by the
Apollo 11 astronauts.
▪ If so, do you think this relationship is important?
• This connection is important because it shows modern anthropologists
where we came from versus the incredible things we’ve accomplished. In
the future, another connection will be made between walking on the moon
and the even greater things mankind could achieve in the future.
o What does the fact that there are human footprints on the moon
say about human adaptation? Consider both biological and cultural
adaptation.
