"Culture" is one of the most commonly used and important terms in anthropology. It is defined by Oregon State University as the learned patterns of behavior that enable a group to adapt to its particular surroundings. Culture consists of the beliefs, customs, knowledge and technology belonging to a particular social or ethnic group.
"Ethnocentrism" is another term commonly used by anthropologists. It refers to the judging of other cultures by a group's own standards. This often consists of judging another culture or society by our own assumptions that we take for granted. Ethnocentrism is often linked to ethnic bias, particularly the beliefs and assumptions of the dominant, white European male viewpoint. Anthropologists are very aware of ethnocentrism in their research and the problems associated with these taken-for-granted assumptions. Anthropologists therefore aim to show the whole range of differences between cultures and attempt not to orient their findings from a certain cultural perspective.
"Ethnography" is a methodology used by anthropologists. It refers to the recording and analysis of a culture, usually based on a participant observation; for example in a study carried out over an extended period of time with the members of a culture. To do this, an anthropologist personally visit or live with a culture or social group to become fully immersed in their way of life. This observation then provides anthropologists with a detailed, written account of a people, place or institutio.
"Evolution" is another term used in anthropology. In biological terms, it refers to the the way that human populations and other living creatures have genetically adapted to changing environments by descent through mutation or natural selection. Evolution is also used by anthropologists to denote the internal cultural changes that occur within a particular social group over a period of time.