ANTH 260 Physical Anthropology Lab. Kristin Safi

Transcription

1 ANTH 260 Physical Anthropology Lab Kristin Safi

2 Lab Info VUCB 226 Lab Hours: Section 1: TU 1:25-3:55 Section 2: TH 1:25-3:55 Contact Info: Office hours TU/TH 12:30-1:25, RMMC 207

3 Lab Course Outline Goal: Learn and apply scientific methodology Design and conduct two research projects on topics within physical anthropology Conduct study as a group, then work in teams to write research report

4 Grading Criteria Four components of research report Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion Grade based on your portion of each write up, though overall report must be cohesive 2 lab reports = 30% of your ANTH260 grade

5 How Do We Know What We Know?

6 How Do We Know What We Know? Knowledge= physical world + ideas Physical world = things we can see, touch, measure, etc Ideas about those properties Both parts must be explicit

7 Building Knowledge What questions are we interested in asking? Ecology (studying interrelationships between living things in an environment) Are universal practices cross-culturally valid?

8 What can we learn by investigating the biological and cultural aspects that make us distinctly human? How can we explain our behavioral tendencies using biological information? E.g., Hormone production, genetic makeup, environmental stimulus

9 Role of Science in a Social Science Seeks reliable explanations for phenomena Employ epistemological standards: values or ideas that are evaluated empirically

10 What is Science? Science: the discovery, creation, accumulation, and refinement of knowledge. The process of generating statements that are falsifiable Goal is to build explanations of the world in a way that can be falsified Science is theory-laden

11 Explanatory Terms Theory: explanation of observed natural phenomena, supported by a reliable body of data Hypothesis: tentative explanation of the relation between certain phenomena Empirical: based upon observation or experience

12 A Theory Must Be... Robust: capable of making new predictions based not suggested by the original formulation Withstand new information Parsimonious: able to make sense in light of other theories Simplest explanation between available theories more likely to be correct

13 Theories are a model of the world (way to understand) Must distinguish between ideational (how we think about the world) and empirical (phenomena we observe) Link between them is the degree to which science functions (rather than other explanations, such as religion)

14 Scientific Method Ask research question Construct hypothesis Gather data Analyze Interpret Draw implications from conclusions Repeat process

15 Scientific Method Used To... Make falsifiable propositions about the world Test propositions by collecting data (series of observations) that would refute proposition Does not generate absolute knowledge (or Truth ) Iterative process

16 Explanation Choose the theory that holds the greatest promise for success Specify hypothesis that applies the theory to the puzzle Identify alternative hypotheses Refute alternative hypotheses Strengthen the proposed hypotheses by showing that is has additional testable implications

17 Fact: an observed phenomenon that is indisputably the case Observation: systematic and rigorous collection of facts Data: systematic collection of related facts, used to support or refute theories

18 Publishing Results Write up research article and submit for peerreviewed publication Results must be robust (i.e., can be replicated by others) and new knowledge accepted by peers

19 Course Lab Study Steps Research Study I 1. Literature review Lab Report 1. Introduction 2. Formulate hypothesis 3. Design research study 3. Methods 4. Data Collection 5. Data Analysis 6. Interpretation/Synthesis 5. Results 6. Discussion

20 Social v. Natural Sciences Social phenomena rarely have only one cause (multicausal) Different causes may have similar consequences (equifiniality)

21 Establishing a Question Hypothesis: Sleep deprivations leads to compound memory loss How do we collect data to test this hypothesis? What are some variables to consider?

22 Establishing a Question Hypothesis: Caffeine intake by pregnant women causes low birth weights. How do we collect data to test this hypothesis? What are some variables to consider?

23 Establishing a Question Hypothesis: Diseases introduced by Europeans killed millions of Native Americans in the Mississippi River Valley long before Europeans made it into the interior. How do we collect data to test this hypothesis? What are some variables to consider?

24 Establishing a Question Hypothesis: Humans are adapted to a hunter-gatherer lifestyle. Adopting the paleodiet reduces diseases of affluence (coronary disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, hypertension, cancer, etc). How do we collect data to test this hypothesis? What are some variables to consider?

25 Establishing a Question Hypothesis: Paleoindians over-hunted megafauna during the Pleistocene, resulting in megafauna mass extinction. How do we collect data to test this hypothesis? What are some variables to consider?

26 Literature Reviews First step in understanding what research has already been done Scholar.google.com

27 Biomarkers A measurable substance in an organism whose presence is indicative of some phenomenon such as disease, infection, or environmental exposure

28 Cortisol What is cortisol? What are its effects on the human body? What stimulates cortisol?

29 Assignment Perform a literature review on studies involving cortisol and stress. Use only peer-reviewed sources. Next week bring in a list of three citations and be prepared to briefly summarize the studies you find. Your summary should include: The article s research hypothesis Variables used in the study Population investigated