Chapter 9 study guide

1. What is the definition of culture?

Culture is a set of learned behaviors and ideas that are characteristic of a
society.
2. Does every society have a culture?
Yes.
3. How is a society defined?
A group of people who occupy a particular territory and speak a common
language.
4. How is a personal habit NOT part of that persons culture?
It is something only one person does, not a whole culture.
5. For a thought or action to be considered cultural it must be what?
It is commonly shared by a population or group of individuals.
6. Can you think of any personal habits or thoughts that are not a reflection of your
culture?
Mayonnaise on cold pizza!
7. What is a subculture?
Commonly held customs among a group of people within a society
8. What is the source of new culture?
Something that is learned and shared in a population.
9. In addition to being a shared, what else must a trait be?
Learned
10. Give an example of a trait that is learned in your culture?
How to tie your shoes.

11. What is symbolic communication? Is this learned?

Symbolic communication is a word that can represent something,
regardless of whether or not that thing is there.
12. What does it mean to be ethnocentric?
A person who judges cultures solely based on the attitudes and actions of
his own.
13. What behaviors from other cultures do you consider inappropriate? Why?
Eating dog meat in China is inappropriate because dogs are pets and not
a food source.
14. How does ethnocentrism hinder the understanding of other cultures?
It keeps us from understanding our own culture which prevents us from
understanding the cultures of others.
15. Are Western cultures superior? Why or why not?
No, Western cultures are not. They may have more influence on the world
around them, but their culture is relative to other cultures in the world.
Western culture is not superior if you are from another culture.
16. What is cultural relativism?
Cultural relativism is the attitude that a societys customs should be
described objectively and understood in the context of that societys
problems and opportunities.
17. Should one adhere to cultural relativism in regards to slavery, genocide, child
marriages, or torture? Why or why not?
Anthropologists should also be objective and accurate when describing
and understanding a society, but that does not mean that they cannot
make moral judgments, only that they should be tolerant unless there is
reason to believe otherwise.
18. How can individual variation within a culture skew an outsiders perception of
culture?
Individual variation can skew an outsiders perception by showing several
different ways of dealing with a common problem or issue within a society.

19. How can an anthropologist discern between individual variation and cultural
characteristics?
One can discern between individual variation and cultural characteristics
by viewing a broad group of people and seeing the general trends of how
that group behaves and the limits that group puts on themselves.
20. What are cultural norms?
Cultural norms are standards or rules about what of generally accepted
behavior.
21. What are the two basic types of cultural constraints? Give examples of both.
Direct and indirect.
Direct = Being arrested for walking around naked.
Indirect = Choosing not to speak the state language, but not being
understood because of it and being forced to speak the state language.
22. Do you feel your behavior is shaped by cultural norms? Why or why not?
Yes. Cultural norms give us all an idea of what is acceptable and what
isnt and it affects the way everyone handles situations.
23. What are ideal cultural patterns?
These are patterns which are the reinforced through cultural constraints;
they are the idealized version of what people expect, but not what they
always do.
24. What are the two ways an anthropologist can discover cultural patterns?
Two ways to discover cultural patterns are direct observation and
interviewing knowledgeable people.
25. What are maladaptive customs? Examples
They are customs that diminish the chances of survival and reproduction
of a society. These customs could include men viewing women as unclean
and therefore reducing their population.

26. What are adaptive customs? Examples.

These are customs that increase a populations survival and reproductive
rates. Customs like these would include such as a long postpartum sex
taboo.
27. If one behavior is considered adaptive in one society, is it considered adaptive in
another?
No, what is adaptive in one society may not be adaptive in another.
28. How is culture integrated?
This means that cultural traits are not randomly assorted, but consistent
with one another.
29. What are the three reasons for culture to be integrated?
Culture is generally adaptive. It may have something to do with
psychological reasons. It may have be cause by rational decision making.
30. Does culture change?
Yes. People are always trying to find better ways of doing things.
31. What prompts cultural change?
Change is often caused by changes in the external environment,.
32. What is participant observation?
This is when an anthropologist lives with, observes and perhaps even
participates among the people they are studying.
33. What is fieldwork?
This is firsthand experience done by an anthropologist, but may also
include conducting a census or a survey.
34. What is an ethnography?
A description and analysis of the society studied.

35. What role do informants play in research?

Informants are people knowledgeable and understands the information an
anthropologist needs.
36. Are all informants reliable?
No. Not all informants have the same knowledge or give the right
information.
37. What are some of the ethical obligations listed in your text that are the
responsibility of an anthropologist? Do you agree?
One of the most important ethical obligations is protecting the interests of
the people they study.
38. What is HRAF? SCCS?
HRAF = Human Relations Area Files
SCCS = Standard Cross-Cultural Sample
These are published samples of a society based on no hypothetical
model.
39. What is ethnohistory?
An ethnohistory consists of studies based on materials about a single
society at more than one point in time.
40. What is the goal of theory in cultural anthropology?
The goal of theory is to explain variation in cultural patterns.