Categories of Culture Quiz

Study Notes

Material Culture: Encompasses physical or tangible objects used and shared within society, including items like houses, churches, tools, artworks, and toys.
Non-Material Culture: Includes abstract ideas and ways of thinking, such as language, behaviors, beliefs, and values.

Values: Shared ideas, norms, and principles guiding societal standards of right, wrong, good, and bad.
Beliefs: Perceptions regarded as accepted realities by society.
Norms: Shared rules determining acceptable behavior, further categorized into:
- Folkways: Habits and conventions distinguishing polite from rude behaviors.
- Mores: Ethical standards and moral obligations defining right from wrong.
- Laws: Norms that are officially enacted and enforced.
Symbols: Objects or signs that carry meanings and represent ideas.
Language: A system of symbols used for verbal and non-verbal communication.

Shared and Contested: Culture can vary significantly among different groups, leading to diverse practices and interpretations.
Patterned and Integrated: Culture consists of interconnected patterns and structures.
Learned and Transmitted: Acquired through enculturation, the process by which individuals learn their culture.
Dynamic: Always evolving as practitioners create and recreate their cultural practices.
Flexible: Capable of adapting to changes while retaining core elements.
Adaptive: Inventions enable humans to adjust to their environment effectively.

Hunting and Gathering: The oldest survival method involving nomadic lifestyles where men hunt and women gather food.
Horticultural Societies: Use basic hand tools to cultivate crops and trade food surpluses with other societies.
Pastoral Societies: Raise livestock for food and transportation, developing primarily in dry regions.
Agricultural Societies: Marked by the Neolithic Revolution, where farming tools and techniques (plow, wheel) were invented to support complex social structures.
Industrial Societies: Utilize advanced energy sources for machinery leading to urbanization, factory work, and technological innovations.
Post-Industrial Societies: Focus on service-based economies and communication technologies, requiring higher education levels for workforce participation.

Homo Habilis: Known as the "handy man," noted for tool production capabilities.
Evolution of Traits: Biological and cultural evolution explains the development of species characteristics and societal complexity driven by environmental changes.