Cultural Anthropology - Chapter 3 questions

What is a culture shock?

A feeling of uneasiness, loneliness, and anxiety that occurs when a person shifts from one culture to a different one.

What's another name for a group interview?

A focus group.

What are field notes?

Daily logs, personal journals, descriptions of events, and notes about those notes.

What is the advantage of multidisciplinary research?

It provides the perspectives of many professionals with different fields of expertise.

What is the protection of human subjects?

Many countries require that researchers follow official guidelines when doing research that involves people.

What is a site?

The place where the research takes place.

What do you look for when analyzing qualitative data?

Themes and patterns.

What is gap analysies?

They're desk studies.

What does an anthropologist need to consider about what he/she chooses to observe?

Where to be; what to observe; when to observe; who to observe.

What are two urgent issues regarding cultural anthropology research?

1. Fieldwork ethics. 2. Safety during fieldwork.

Why did Franz Boas reject life history as a research method?

Because he thought participants might lie or exaggerate.

Who were the Haversham people and how did they react to ***?

Began talking to *** and referring to him as a big brown pretty talking man.

What types of data do most cultural anthropologists collect?

Both quantitative and qualitative data.

Who was the father of participant observation?

Bronislaw Malinowski.

An anthropologist's equipment includes:

Camera, tape recorder, video recorder, even a vehicle, and valuable material goods including stainless steel lives, cigarettes, flashlights, canned food, and medicines.

What affects how the local people will perceive and welcome anthropologists?

Class, race, gender, and age.

Give some examples of the kinds of time periods used for data collection in a time allocation study?

Continuous, at fixed intervals, or on a random basis.

What are two key steps when establishing a fieldwork project?

Deciding on the particular location or locations for the research. The second is to find a place to live.

Most anthropologists combine what types of research approaches and what types of data?

Deductive and inductive approaches and quantitative and qualitative data.

Do unstructured interviews result in more emic or etic data?

Emic.

Describe some of the experiences of people who do fieldwork in cultural anthropology?

Exciting, frustrating, boring, and sometimes dangerous.

Anthropologists using deductive methods are less likely to collect quantitative data than those using inductive methods.

False.

What's the first step in conducting a research project?

Finding a topic.

What was the major adjustment for a Chinese anthropologist?

Food differences. American food never gave him a full feeling.

What may anthropologists have to do with regard to health preparation when conducting research away from home?

Get immunization against contagious diseases such as yellow fever.

What is fieldwork?

Going to the field which is wherever people and cultures are to learn about couture through direct observation.

How does an anthropologist differ from the people he/she studies?

He/she is more wealthy and powerful.

What are tropes?

Key themes found when analyzing qualitative data.

Who was Tony Whitehead and what did he study?

Learned how race and status interact. He is an African American from a low income family. Being of a similar race and class as the rural Jamaicans with whom he was doing research, he assumed that he would quickly build rapport because of a shard heritage.

Who took steps toward learning about people and their culture through direct observation and interactions with more than just a few individuals out of context?

Lewis Henry Morgan.

What are some different types of research methods?

Life histories, time allocation studies, texts, archival and historical sources, multiple research methods and team projects.

Many fieldworkers rely on help from what?

Local interpreters throughout their study or at least in its early stages.

What methodological innovation helped to address new issues regarding the study of modern, large, and rapidly changing cultures?

Multisited Research.

Whitness ?????

On role assignments range from the anthropologist being considered a god or ancestral spirit to being reviled as a representative of a colonialist past or neocolonialist present.

What is a more accurate term for participant observation?

Participant observation and talking.

Does qualitative or quantitative data consist of numerical information?

Quantitative.

Does quantitative or qualitative research analysis typically require the use of statistics?

Quantitative.

A primary goal of cultural anthropologists was to what?

Record as much as possible of a people's language, songs, rituals, and social life because many cultures were disappearing.

What does "Etic" refer to?

Refers to data collected according to researcher's questions and categories with the goal of being able to test a hypothesis.

What does "Emic" refer to?

Refers to data collected that reflect what insiders say and understand about their culture and insiders' categories of thinking

What is the Hawthorne effect?

Research bias that occurs when participants change their behavior to conform to the perceived expectations of the researcher. The Hawthorne effect was discovered in the 1930s in a study of a factory in the US. During the study, research participants altered their behavior in ways they though would please the researcher.

The second step is in conducting a research project?

Secure funding to carry out the research.

What must a prospective researcher do before going to the field?

Select a research topic and prepare for the fieldwork itself.

What is a favela?

Shantytown.

What did Lanita Jacobs-Huey do?

She conducted multisited fieldwork in order to learn about the language and culture of hair styles among African American women. She chose a range of sites throughout the US and in London, England, in order to expllore the man facets of the far-from simple topic of hair: beauty salons, regional and international hair expos and training seminars, bible study.

Why have cultural anthropologists devised new research methods?

So they can study larger-scale cultures, global local connections and rapid cultural change.

What group of people is more likely to welcome the participation of a friendly adult in their daily lives and respond to questions openly while others are more reserved?

Some children and adolescents.

What is an important component of participant observation?

Talking to people and asking them questions.

Why was Project Camelot controversial?

The U.S. government employed anthropologists to study political leaders and event in South America without revealing its purpose.

What is vernandah anthropology?

The anthropologist would send our for natives to come to his verandah for interviewing.

What are mixed methods?

The combined use of qualitative and quantitative methods to collect and analyze data on people's individual experiences as well as data about the community and regional and global levels to provide a more comprehensive view.

What happens as the researcher spends more time living among the people?

The more time a researcher spends living with participants, the more likely it becomes that the people will live their normal lives and act in their normal ways.

Giving gifts to people involved in the research can help the project proceed, but gifts should be culturally and ethically appropriate. Learning the local rules of exchange is important.

True.

Do you need to transcribe audio recordings gathered fro research purposes?

Yes, either fully or partially.

What type of research method involves having participants keep daily time logs or diaries?

A time allocation study.

What is Kula?

A trading network linking many islands through which men maintain long standing partnerships involving the exchange of everyday goods such as food as well as highly valued necklace and armlets.

What is rapport?

A trusting relationship between a researcher and the study population.

The host government may require what if a research project involves international travel?

A visa and an application for permission to conduct research.

What does AAA stand for?

American Anthropological Association.

What is Informed consent?

An aspect of research ethics requiring that the researcher inform the research participants of intent, scope and possible effects of the study and seek their agreement to be in the study.

Who pioneered the use of archival and historical studies?

Ann Stoler.

What helped a Jewish anthropologist establish rapport?

Being the same religion as the residents.

These thinkers visited the places they wrote about and had direct experience with the people whose customs they discussed.

False.

Name a researcher who used text studies?

Franz Boas.

What may prevent male researchers form gaining access to a full range of activities?

Gender segregation.

Where do most cultural anthropologists do fieldwork?

In small, relatively isolated cultures and they thought they could study everything about such cultures following the principle of holism.

What kind of information can be found in archival data?

Information about land ownership, agricultural production, religious practices, and political activities.

What was one of Malinowski's major contributions to anthropology?

Information about the argonauts of the western pacific.

What are some factors that affect a researcher's role?

Religion, dress, and personality.

What is holism?

The view that one must study all aspects of a culture in order to understand it. Holism is related to the theoretical perspective of functionalism that recognizes the complex interactions of all aspects of culture.

What is the goal of fieldwork?

To collect information, or data, about the research topic. In cultural anthropology variations exist about what kinds of data to emphasize and the best ways to collect data.

What is critical before a researcher who is unfamiliar with the local language goes into the field?

Intensive language training in needed.

What types of data collection techniques to anthropologists use with regard to talking to people?

Interviews, questionnaires.

In the early stages of research, what is the primary goal?

Establish rapport with key leaders or decision makers in the community who may serve as gatekeepers.

An American anthropologist found she lacked skills in what?

Her unfamiliarity with the local language caused her the most serious adjustment problems. She says, "Even dogs understood more than I did."

What is multisited research?

It's fieldwork conducted on a topic in more than one location.

What is a literature review?

It's the formal term for reading studies on the subject and then assessing their strengths and gapes.

Why do people have difficulty understanding why a person would come to study them?

1 - Because they don't know about universities and research and cultural anthropology. 2 - Because their life seems routine to them, so they don't know why someone would be interested in studying them.

What are two processes involved in participant observation

1 - Participating or being part of the people's lives and 2 - at the same time, carefully observing the people.

What are false role assignments?

...

Who are the Euro American White?

...

How has ethnography changed in recent years?

1. It now treats local cultures as being connected with larger regional and global structures and forces. 2. It now tends to focus on one topic of interest and avoid a more holistic approach. 3. It now study Western, industrialized cultures as well as other cultures.

What are some of the problems associated with using photographs, audio, and video recordings?

1. People may be suspicious about the equipment (e.g., machines that record voices). 2. There may be ethical issues to consider about protecting people's identities.

What is the inductive approach to research?

A form of research that proceeds without a hypothesis and involves gathering data through unstructured informal observation, conversation, and other methods.

What is the deductive approach to research?

A form of research that starts from a research question or hypothesis and then involves collecting relevant data through observations, interviews, and other methods.

What is a questionnaire?

A formal research instrument with pre-determined questions asked in a face-to-face setting, by mail, by email, or by telephone.

What are multiple research methods and team projects?

A mix of several methods for research to collect all of the data necessary to fully understand a topic.

Reverse culture shock may occur when?

A person returns home after being in a different culture for a long time.

What is a pilot study?

A preliminary study to refine questions and methods for a later, more in-depth study.

What is a life history?

A qualitative in-depth description of a person's life as told to the researcher.

What is a time allocation study?

A quantitative method that collects data on how people spend their time each day. Uses standard time units and codes to represent what people do during each time segment.

What is participant observation?

A research method for learning about culture that involves living in a culture for an extended period while gathering data.

What is a text study?

A study in which the researcher analyzing texts written by participants.

What is an interview?

A technique for gathering verbal data through questions or guided conversation.

Depending on the project's location, preparation for the field may involve buying specialized equipment such as what?

A tent, warm clothing, waterproof clothing, and sturdy boots.

What preparations are needed for research in a remote area?

A well stocked medical kit and basic fist aid training are essential. Research equipment and supplies are another important aspect of preparation. Cameras, video recorders, tape recorders, and laptop computers are now basic field equipment.

Who was Diane Freedman?

A woman who conducted research in rural Romania. Given the pervasiveness of antisemitism there, she was reluctant to tell the villagers that she was Jewish and also reluctant to lie. Early in her stay she attended the village church. The priest asked what her religion was. She opted for honesty and found to her relief that being Jewish had no negative effects on her research.

What does the AAA code of ethics state?

An anthropologist primary responsibility is to ensure the safety of the people participating in the research. Cultural anthropology does not condone covert (hidden) or undercover research.

What is the least structured type of interview?

An open-ended interview in which the respondent takes the lead in setting the direction of the conversation, determining the topics, and choosing how much time to devote to a particular topic.

What fact tends to make it easier for anthropologists to gain rapport with people their age than with children or the aged?

Anthropologist are typically young to middle-aged adults, so they more easily relate to other adults of similar age.

Why do unmarried female researchers face more difficulties then young unmarried men or older women (married or single)?

Because people in most cultures believe a young unmarried woman should not move about freely without a male escort to attend certain events or be in certain places.

What is the difference between a structures and an unstructured interview question?

Structured questions are close-ended (yes/no or single word response or single sentence answers). Unstructured questions are open-ended (have long, extended answers).

Which type of time allocation observation schedule is the most time-consuming?

Continuous. The number of people observed must be limited because it is so time-consuming.

What type of researcher is more likely to collect etic data, and what type of researcher is more likely to collect emit data.

Cultural materialists collect etic data; interpretivists collect emic data.

Who does culture shock happen to?

Culture shock happens to many cultural anthropologist no matter how much they have tried to prepare themselves for fieldwork. It also happens to students who study abroad, Peace Corps volunteers, and others who spend a long time living in another culture.

What is ethnography?

Detailed description of a living culture based on personal observation and study.

What is the method most cultural anthropologists now use to gather data?

Doing fieldwork.

Facts about Morgan:

He lived in Rochester, New York, near the Iroquois territory. He became well acquainted with many of the Iroquois and gained insights into their everyday lives. Morgan showed that Iroquois behavior and beliefs make sense if an outsider spends time learning about them, in context and through direct interactions and experience. His writings changed the prevailing Euro-American perception of the Iroquois and other Native American tribes as dangerous savages.

Who was Mathhews Hamabata?

He was a Japanese Amercian who did fieldwork in Japan learned about the complexities of gift giving among Japanese business families. He developed a close relationship with one family, the Itoos, and helped their daughter apply for admission to universities in the United States.

What was a major turning point in the study of archeology?

Fieldwork combined with participant observation.

What is restudy?

Fieldwork conducted in a previously researched community.

What is the anthropology of memory?

Fieldwork using living people as participants who describe what they do and do not remember about the past.

Malinwski was able to learn what?

He was able to learn about Trobriand culture in context rather than through secondhand reports. By learning the local language, he could talk with the people without the use of interpreters and thus gain a much more accurate understanding of their culture.

What factors may limit the anthropologist's participation in certain domains or activities?

Gender, age, and micro cultural factors.

Facts about Malinowski:

He is credited with inventing a new approach to learning about culture while he was in the Trobriand Islands in the South Pacific during World War 1. He resided in a tent alongside the local people, participating in their activities and living, as much as possible, as one of them. He also learned to understand and speak their language.

What may happen when an anthropologist sleeps?

He/She may miss important things such as rituals or a moonlight hunting expedition.

What is armchair anthropology?

How early cultural anthropologists conducted research by sitting at home in their library and reading reports about other cultures written by travelers, missionaries and explorers.

Where might simple tasks be difficult and one's sense of self efficacy undermined?

In a new culture.

Why was the Vietnam War controversial with regard to anthropology?

It brought to the forefront questions about government interests in ethnographic information, the role of anthropologists during wartime, and the protection of the people with whom anthropologists conduct research.

Why does a work role help an anthropologist when performing research?

It helps gain people's trust and respect.

What is a group interview?

It is an interview involving several people at once.

What does being a participant mean?

It means that the researcher adopts the lifestyle of the people being studied, living in the same kind of housing, eating similar food, wearing similar clothing, learning the language, ad participating in the daily rounds of activities and in special events.

Although vernandah anthropology was an improvement on armchair anthropology it still involved what?

It still involved distance between the anthropologist and people's everyday experiences and it meant that the anthropologist was learning about an entire culture from just a few select informants.

What was Project Camelot?

It was a plan of the U.S. government to influence political leadership in South America to strengthen U.S. interests.

What is Women of Value, Men of Renown?

It's a book written by Weiner that provides an account of women's trading and prestige activities as well as how they are linked to those of men.

What does an Institutional review board do?

Monitors research to make sure that it conforms to ethical principles.

Give an example of a life history?

Nisa: The Life and Times of a !Kung Woman

Can one person be representative of an entire culture?

No.

Does everyone agree with Franz Boas's rejection of life history?

No.

What is qualitative data?

Nonnumeric information such as recordings of myths and conversations and filming events.

What is quantitative data?

Numeric information, such as the amount of land in relation to the population or the numbers of people with particular health problems.

What two kinds of data do you need to ensure a well-rounded picture of a culture?

Observations of what people actually do and verbal data about what they say they do and think.

Who are gatekeepers?

People who formally or informally control access to the group or community.

What derives from both men's and women's exchange networks?

Power and prestige.

What kinds of problems can culture shock cause?

Problems with food, language barriers, and loneliness.

What does the inductive approach in cultural anthropology emphasizes?

Qualitative data.

Does qualitative or quantitative data consist of prose-based material?

Qualitative.

What is Annette Weiner known for?

She traveled to the Trobri and islands to study wood carving. She settled in a village near the place Malinowski had done his research and immediately began making starling observations. She decided to change her research project to investigate women's exchange patterns.

What was unique about Laura Nader's thoughts about what anthropologists should study?

She urged that anthropologists to do research about powerful people such as members of the business elite, political leaders, and government officials.

What are rapid research methods?

Short-cut methods.

What are archival and historical studies?

Studies that rely on information contained in archives and institutions such as libraries, churches, and museums.

How do anthropologists keep track of their field work data?

Take field notes, make audio recordings, and take photographs and make videos.

Studying the Internet behaviors of people is an example of what type of research?

Text studies.

What's a basic dilemma when conducting a research study?

The ethical principle that anthropologists cannot do undercover research. For example while studying what goes on in the factory, you must get people's permission for your study. This is not always easy.

Name a psychological aspect of culture shock?

The feeling of reduced competence as a cultural actor. At home, the anthropologist is highly competent, carrying out everyday task such as shopping, talking with people, and mailing a package, without thinking. He/she may not be successful doing these things in a strange culture.

What are desk studies?

They are also literature reviews.

Obtaining written consent from research participants is reasonable and feasible in many anthropological research projects.

True.

Today few if any such seemingly isolated cultures remain due to globalization and mass communication including the internet.

True.

Gaining rapport involves what?

Trust on the part of the study population. That trust depends on how the researcher presents herself or himself.

Which is faster and more complete? Transcribing conversations or using audio or video recordings?

Using audio and video recordings.

Do anthropologists usually choose to do life histories or usual or unusual people as representatives of their culture?

Usual, typical, and average people.

Who was Liza Dalby?

White American who lived with the geishas of Kyoto Japan and trained to be a geisha. This research would have been impossible for a man to do.

What are some examples of the focus of participant observation?

Who sleeps with whom? Who lives with whom? Who interacts with whom? Who are leaders and who are followers? What work do people do? How do people organize themselves?

What kings of texts can be used as data in text studies?

Written or oral stories, myths, plays, sayings, speeches, jokes, transcriptions of everyday conversations, and material on the Internet and social media outlets.

Do quantitative research approaches typically use more participants than qualitative approaches?

Yes.

What's the problem with relying solely on audio and video recordings or photographs?

You can't take notes at the same time, so you miss things.