Deck 3: Fieldwork: How Are Data Gathered

Question 1

Which of the following situations is considered a suitable fieldwork setting for an anthropologist?

A) business office
B) research laboratory
C) tribal village
D) all are suitable

Answer 1

all are suitable

Question 2

The formal rules that guide anthropological behavior toward informants is called the American Anthropological Association Code of

A) Fieldwork.
B) Responsibility.
C) Ethics.
D) Behavior.

Answer 2

Ethics.

Question 3

The AAA Code of Ethics allows anthropologists to misrepresent themselves to their informants

A) only if it is the only way to obtain data.
B) never.
C) occasionally in small matters.
D) if the data is of importance to national security.

Answer 3

never.

Question 4

The AAA Code of Ethics holds that an anthropologist's primary ethical responsibility is toward the

A) discipline of anthropology.
B) institution that provided funding.
C) colleagues who work on the project.
D) people with whom they work.

Question 5

The theoretical models preferred by Roberta Edwards Lenkeit include the

A) humanistic and cultural ecology models.
B) cultural ecology and functionalist models.
C) functionalist and postmodern models.
D) postmodern and humanistic models.

Question 6

Which anthropologists are associated with the functionalist theoretical models?

A) Bronislaw Malinowski and A. R. Radcliffe-Brown
B) A. R. Radcliffe-Brown and Ruth Benedict
C) Roberta Edwards Lenkeit and Enrique Salazar
D) Margaret Mead and Franz Boas

Question 7

Theoretical models in anthropology are

A) models of ideal culture.
B) devices for explaining and understanding cultures.
C) approaches to fieldwork that uncovers actual cultural behavior.
D) modes of analysis that can't be proven.

Question 8

The function of theoretical models in anthropology is to

A) define a research objective and approach to study.
B) explain various aspects of the cultures being studied.
C) aid the researcher in writing research proposals.
D) obtain funding.

Question 9

Ken Erickson's participant observation in the slaughterhouse showed that the cause of the worker's strike was that workers

A) had poor English skills.
B) wanted better pay.
C) wanted more respect.
D) wanted safer work conditions.

Question 10

An anthropologist that includes her thoughts about what she sees as well as quotations from her informants is presenting what type of ethnography?

A) Reactive.
B) Reflexive.
C) Classical.
D) Objective.

Question 11

An example of a reflexive ethnographic statement would be:

A) "all married women call their husbands 'marido'."
B) "all adult males participated in the ritual while adult women were excluded."
C) "my informant told me about his own experiences performing the ritual and how frightened he was."
D) "I was unable to watch the entire ritual because I was overcome with nausea as I watched them eat it."

Question 12

The preparation of a budget for fieldwork can be difficult because it requires

A) knowledge of the study culture's language.
B) an accountant working with the anthropologist.
C) extensive computer skills.
D) working with fluctuating currency exchange rates.

Question 13

Which of the following would LEAST contribute to a fieldworker's experience of culture shock?

A) difficulty with the language
B) confusion resulting from people's gestures
C) worry about having enough money
D) feelings of helplessness in social situations

Question 14

Which of the following is a major challenge associated with fieldwork?

A) recording interviews
B) statistical analysis of data
C) culture shock
D) conflicting theoretical models

Question 15

The "honeymoon" phase in anthropological fieldwork can be described as a

A) period of the inhabitants accommodating the fieldworker.
B) time of relaxation within the culture being studied.
C) period of intense culture shock.
D) period of excitement after years of training.

Question 16

All of the following are aspects of culture shock EXCEPT

A) depression.
B) anger.
C) excitement.
D) disorientation.

Question 17

Culture shock is the

A) sudden experience of disorientation when entering a new community.
B) feeling of disapproval regarding the customs of other cultures.
C) feelings of helplessness from many small intercultural frustrations.
D) experience of fainting when exposed to strange customs.

Question 18

R.Lincoln Keiser, who studied the Vicelords of Chicago, experienced culture shock that centered on his

A) helplessness.
B) anger.
C) homesickness.
D) depression.

Question 19

An anthropologist doing fieldwork strives to achieve the role of

A) friend and teacher.
B) key informant.
C) privileged stranger.
D) participant observer.

Question 20

Tourists often escape feelings of culture shock because they

A) have a guide to explain the cultural difference they encounter.
B) travel with a group from their own culture.
C) prepare ahead for their trip by reading about local customs.
D) have an interpreter, a guide, and hotel reservations.

Question 21

The process by which an anthropologist develops a harmonious relationship with people in the field is called

A) establishing rapport.
B) formal interviewing.
C) participant observation.
D) informal interviewing.

Question 22

Roberta Edwards Lenkeit writes that her culture shock was primarily due to prolonged

A) worry about her daughter.
B) homesickness.
C) feelings of helplessness.
D) problems with the language.

Question 23

What did Napolean Chagnon do to gain respect and establish rapport with the Yanomamo?

A) He learned to swear in their language.
B) He dressed the way they did.
C) He cut loose their canoes.
D) He provided everyone with a large feast.

Question 24

You have entered a new school and you begin trying to connect with the people you have just met.In anthropological fieldwork, this strategy is called

A) participant observation
B) acculturation.
C) establishing rapport.
D) enculturation.

Question 25

Anthropologists would be most likely to use random sampling techniques when in what type of group?

A) corporate culture
B) neighborhood
C) school
D) city

Question 26

A key informant is selected using a

A) judgment sample.
B) random sample.
C) stratified random sample.
D) random stratified sample.

Question 27

The primary advantage of formal interviews is that they yield data that

A) are real rather than ideal.
B) reflect personal attitudes.
C) are comparable and quantifiable.
D) have been gathered under controlled settings.

Question 28

The field method that focuses on kin relationships is known as the

A) life history method.
B) formal interview method.
C) informal interview method.
D) genealogical method.

Question 29

Which of the following is a disadvantage of the formal interview process?

A) Each interview is conducted at a different time.
B) Informants are likely to reveal actual rather than ideal culture.
C) Specific questions may obscure important issues.
D) Comparable data is gathered.

Question 30

All of the following are part of the informal interview EXCEPT

A) structured questions.
B) conversation style dialog.
C) conversation in an opportunistic setting.
D) when the interviewee controls the flow of the conversation.

Question 31

Photographs are an important source of data because they

A) accurately capture cultural belief systems.
B) capture unique events and behavior that can be used as analytical tools.
C) allow the anthropologist to capture images during forbidden rituals.
D) ethical issues are not relevant.

Question 32

Ethnographer Joe Sanchez has been living in a Balinese neighborhood for three weeks, and he is beginning to feel angry because informants miss appointments.We would say that Joe is experiencing

A) life shock.
B) the end of the honeymoon phase of fieldwork.
C) the beginning of the analytical phase of fieldwork.
D) the problems of using a judgment sample.

Question 33

Comparing life histories of several individuals will

A) provide information about culture change.
B) clarify the etic view of informants.
C) identify the important kin relationships within the culture.
D) make it difficult to quantify data.

Question 34

The analysis of fieldwork data is

A) a continuous process that begins in the field.
B) initiated after mastering the local language.
C) a process that begins after returning from the field setting.
D) started after consulting with other anthropologists.

Question 35

The reporting of fieldwork information may be in the form of

A) an ethnography.
B) a paper read at a professional meeting.
C) an article written for a journal.
D) all of the above

Question 36

While conducting fieldwork, most anthropologists will avoid random sampling because

A) anthropologists have found that judgment samples save time.
B) a small sample is sufficient.
C) random sampling is time consuming.
D) random sampling seldom reveals the full range of cultural behavior.

Question 37

Anthropologist John Collier was an advocate of using photography as a fieldwork tool because it

A) was inexpensive.
B) provided images that are universally understood.
C) created instant rapport with informants.
D) kept informants from giving misinformation.

Question 38

The initial move in most string figures is called

A) the basic position.
B) opening
C) a Navaho loop.
D) twisting the loop.

Question 39

The main categories of string figures, as outlined by Carolyn Jayne, include

A) patterns and tricks.
B) patterns and exchanges.
C) exchanges and tricks.
D) catches and tricks.

Question 40

List and briefly describe four common difficulties encountered by anthropologists in the field.

Question 41

Describe four symptoms of culture shock.

Question 42

What is the major focus of reflexive ethnography?

Question 43

Identify one ethical position included in the American Anthropological Association Code of Ethics and how it would apply to the fieldwork of _________.(The instructor names an ethnographer.)

Question 44

Describe three aspects of being in another culture that can contribute to culture shock.

Question 45

Define culture shock, and describe two aspects of the field experience that contributed to Lenkeit's culture shock.

Question 46

Contrast formal and informal interviewing.

Question 47

Contrast culture shock and life shock.

Question 48

Contrast reflexive ethnography and classical ethnography.

Question 49

Contrast the random sample and judgment sample methods of fieldwork.

Question 50

Describe how key informants are selected.

Question 51

Discuss the field methods employed by anthropologists and the problems associated with each.Cite specific examples from your readings to illustrate each method.

Question 52

Discuss some of the difficulties that the anthropologist may encounter in the field while doing participant observation.Cite examples from assigned readings to illustrate each difficulty discussed.

Question 53

Compare and contrast the fieldwork methods and problems encountered by Lenkeit and _________.(The instructor selects an ethnographer from other course materials.)

Question 54

Evaluate the appropriate use of two types of ethnographic interviewing, and suggest ways to determine the validity of the data gathered by each method.Which interview method(s) did ______ use? [The instructor fills in a name from course materials.]

Question 55

Discuss the importance and limitations of participant observation in fieldwork.Cite examples from at least two assigned readings to support your discussion.

Question 56

Compare, contrast, and evaluate the following techniques for gathering fieldwork data: participant observation, life history, photography, formal interviewing, informal interviewing, and genealogical method.

Question 57

Describe and critique techniques that may be used to establish rapport with a group that you are going to study.