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5. If you rejected the hypothesis, how would you refine and rewrite your hypothesis to
account for your findings and begin again?
SCENARIO D: PALEOANTHROPOLOGY
1. Generate a hypothesis about what causes the observed phenomena in this scenario (the
demise of the Neanderthals).
2. Describe the type or types of data you would ideally collect to test this hypothesis.
record indicators of violence between humans and Neanderthals in the fossil record,
3. Describe what hypothetical data might support the hypothesis—for example, “The
hypothesis would be supported if we found data that indicated _____.”
4. Describe what hypothetical data might reject the hypothesis—for example, “The
hypothesis would be rejected if we found data that indicated _____.”
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5. If you rejected the hypothesis, how would you refine and rewrite your hypothesis to
account for your findings and begin again?
Exercise 5: Data Collection and Interobserver Error (30 to 45 minutes)
For this exercise, you will need to provide students with four different objects to measure (e.g., a
piece of printer paper, a brand-new pencil, a dry-erase marker, and a paper clip). If you have a
small class, you may be able to use the same four objects and pass them around to each student
to measure. If you have a large class (or you want to speed up the activity), you can break your
class into small groups and give each group their own set of objects to measure.
You will also need to provide students with the same measuring implements, such as tape
measures, rulers, or measuring sticks. It is important that you give everyone in the class (or
everyone in each small group) the same measuring tool. For example, if one student is given a
foot-long wooden ruler, everyone should be given the same kind of ruler. This will limit errors
introduced by differences among measuring devices. If you do not have enough of the same
measuring tool for each student, you may have them all share, or you may give each small group
their own measuring tool to use and share.
[Note: The raw data will vary depending on the objects measured, but the general responses
about differences noted and possible causes for them should be as follows.]
STEP 1: Collect the data.
STEP 2: Evaluate and compile the data.
1. What differences do you notice?
2. Choose one object with the greatest difference and explain why you think the difference
exists (remember to consider the objects being measured, the tool being used, and the
people doing the measuring).
Different measurements may result from different factors:
• The object itself might be difficult to measure. For example, if measuring a
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Exercise 6: Data Collection and Evaluation (45 to 60 minutes)
This exercise requires students to collect data in class and to use that data to evaluate the
hypothesis provided. If you have a small class, all the students could work together and be
measured. If you have a large class, the students could be broken into smaller groups of 10 to 15
individuals to complete the activity. Even in a small class, you may want students to work in
smaller groups to conduct the measuring, and then compile all the information for the class as a
whole.
Ideally, students will have tape measures, rulers, or measuring sticks; scrap paper; pencils; and
paper for producing tables (ruled or graph paper would be best). If measuring implements are
not available, students could complete the exercise based on their known height (often found on
driver’s licenses) and shoe size (often found inside the shoe) instead of foot length.
[Note: The raw data for height and foot length will vary depending on the people measured, but
the general conclusions should be as follows.]
STEPS 1, 2, and 3: Collect height and foot length data and tabulate the data.
STEP 4: Interpretation
1. Look for patterns in the data. Describe any patterns you find.
2. Based on the data you collected, is the hypothesis supported or rejected? Why?
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Exercise 7: Ethics Case Study (20 to 30 minutes)
This exercise asks students to apply the AAPA Code of Ethics to a realistic fieldwork scenario.
Ideally, students should work in groups, so they can see that there are often multiple “right”
answers for ethical choices and so they are forced to think about and weigh multiple options.
This best mirrors the complexity of real-world ethical research. If you ask students to work in
groups and to discuss the questions thoroughly, allow extra time for them to consider differing
opinions and to reach consensus. Also, be prepared for situations where groups cannot reach
consensus and consider using this as an opportunity to discuss some of the pitfalls of ethical
guidelines (as compared to hard-and-fast rules).
[Note: The answers provided may not be the only possible answers. They are given as a
representation of the types of comments that may arise in the discussion.]
1. In this situation, the anthropologist is studying fossil materials that are over 2 million
years old. From whom should he obtain informed consent for his work?
The anthropologist may want to consult with local governments and leaders (at the
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2. If he continues to work here for the next 10 years, how often should he reobtain informed
consent? Should this be done at regular time intervals? Or, should it only be done when
something changes (for example, if he moves to a different excavation area at the site)?
3. Each summer, the anthropologist hires local residents to help at the site. He compensates
them with a small wage that is comparable to their local income standards, but much
lower than he would pay similar workers back in the United States. When the field season
ends, he and his financial support leave the community until the next summer. Is he
adequately reciprocating with the local residents, or do you have recommendations for
how he should modify the financial relationship?
4. One summer, the anthropologist returns to the site at the start of a new field season. He
discovers that the same local residents who he hires in the summer have allowed their
cattle to graze on the site over the winter while he was gone. The cattle have trampled
some of the site and permanently damaged the irreplaceable fossil materials. How should
he proceed?
The anthropologist should approach this issue carefully and engage in a
5. The anthropologist is attending the annual conference of the American Association of
Physical Anthropologists (AAPA), and he is chatting with another paleoanthropologist
named Jane who works at a nearby fossil site in eastern Africa. Jane asks if he will share
his fossil data with her, so she can compare the information from the two locations. He is
hesitant to do so. He has devoted his career to the information uncovered at this site, and
he worries that sharing the data with Jane will undermine his authority in the discipline.
How should he proceed?
According to the Code of Ethics, the anthropologist should definitely share any
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6. The anthropologist is very proud of the work his team is doing, and he would like to
share it with a general audience. What formats might he use to spread the word about his
work to the general public? What precautions might he take to make sure the information
is spread accurately? Is there anything else he should keep in mind when sharing the
research with the public?
Any format for conveying information is appropriate here, including writing blog
posts, creating vlog content, recording a podcast or video for public access, creating
ANSWERS TO LAB 1 CRITICAL THINKING QUESTIONS
1. Similar: Both cultural and linguistic anthropology emphasize living people and use some
similar types of data, such as interviews and observations. Different: Linguistic
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2. Similar: Both cultural anthropology and archaeology have a similar range of research
3. Similar: Both archaeology and biological anthropology use similar methods (excavation,
radiometric dating, DNA analysis, etc.) and have some temporal and research issue
4. Depending on the news article, answers to the questions (What is the overall topic and
subfield of biological anthropology covered? What other fields of anthropology or other
disciplines are touched on? What does the article suggest about the broader relevance and
significance of biological anthropology?) will vary considerably.
5. Hypotheses determine what data are collected, so the hypotheses must be considered
before data collection begins.
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7. Nonscientist: A theory is a guess. Scientist: A theory is widely accepted and supported by
8. To avoid interobserver error in future work, you can have all measurements completed by
the same person using the same tool, or have measurements taken by multiple people and
9. Answers will vary depending on the Code of Ethics used in comparison. Some general
patterns include privileging study participants over other stakeholders (funders,
governments, home institutions); protecting study participants—human and nonhuman—
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