Theories Questions Scales Data and Models Anthropological Research Research begins with an idea or question about something From the literature Derived from a theory or model From a discovery of a pattern in the data ID: 677348
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Slide1
Anthropological Research
Theories, Questions, Scales, Data, and Models Slide2
Anthropological Research
Research begins with an idea or question about something:
From the literature
Derived from a theory or model
From a discovery of a pattern in the data
The purpose of research is to evaluate the support for that ideaSlide3
Theories in Anthropology
Linked sets of statements about how people behave and why, e.g.
Zipf’s
Law of the Minimum – people minimize their effort
Cultural Ecology – people behave in ways that harmonize with their
environment
Behavioral Ecology – natural selection shapes our behaviorSlide4
Kinds of Theories in Anthropology
Biology
(population genetics)
Environment/Ecology
(exogenous)
Demography (endogenous)
Culture (innovation, diffusion, migration, interaction, stratification)
Psychology (individual
needs/wants/ strategic action)Slide5
Who Questions
Who has power?
Who has wealth?
Who
is related to whom?
Who were the first
agriculturalists?
Who were the first
Americans/ Australians?Slide6
What Questions
What do people call their kin?
What are the rules for dividing shares?
What kind of houses do they build?
What was this artifact used for?
What disturbances have altered the site?Slide7
When Questions
When did the first humans emerge?
When did agriculture begin?
When did Western influences become important?
When was the New World colonized?Slide8
Where Questions
Where do people
live, work,
p
lay?
Where are various activities performed?
Where are people buried?Slide9
Why Questions
Why do people believe in . . . ?
Why do people do . . . ?
Why was agriculture invented?
Why are pots decorated
?
Why did states emerge?Slide10
How Questions
How
was
Australia
colonized?
How did the
Indo European
language spread?
How did human culture emerge?
How do people classify . . .?
How does globalization affect local culture?Slide11
Scale
Global view – big picture processes
Temporal view – periods, phases
Regional view – social networks, territories
Local view
– neighborhood
Site/Village view – structure,
context
Individual view – life history, typesSlide12
Global View
Climate, soils, topography, ecological zones, isolation, ocean currents
Data on cultures,
nations – demography, economy, ideology
Broad patterns between global characteristics and cultureSlide13
Temporal View
Archaeological
time/space
charts spanning millennia
Historical timelines spanning centuries
Generational data
Life history dataSlide14
Regional View
Environmental variability at regional level – rivers, mountains, vegetation, ecological communities
Locations of sites/villages
Characteristics of sites/villagesSlide15
Site/Village View
Site neighborhood
Location
of
structures, features, artifact clusters
Household composition
VariabilitySlide16
Household View
Location (within
village/site)
Pattern of structures
,
features, and activity areas
Comparison with other householdsSlide17
Individual View
Physiology, genetic makeup, skeletal characteristics
Life history
Statuses and roles
Decision making
Belief systemSlide18
Individual (Artifact) View
Group (classification)
Composition
Properties
– size, shape, color, quality, wear, breakage, material,
Style
vs.
FunctionSlide19
Models
A model uses a theory to develop expectations about what kinds of patterns we will find in the data
Models use theories
and operational arguments to tell us what is important in the data
Statistics can help evaluate the fit between model and dataSlide20
Evaluation
Must
check reasoning from theory to model
Must check operational
arguments and proxy measures
Must check data gathering process
Must
check role of formation processesSlide21
Quantitative Approaches
Estimation
and
Confirmation
Sampling
Parametric vs. Non-parametric
Response (Dependent) vs. Explanatory (Independent) variables (causal models)
Descriptive
Data
Reduction, Pattern Recognition (Exploratory Data Analysis)Slide22
Kinds of Data
Scales of measurement – nominal, ordinal, interval, ratio (dichotomy)
Discrete vs. Continuous
Composition/Assemblage
(Percentages
)