"For a few short years the methods of anthropology had been used to explore social problems; and now, with such increased knowledge as the study of other cultures had given us, we had to tackle the enormous problem of p a world on the verge of social self-consciousness, a world on the verge of a new period in history." (KYPD 3)

The categorization of this quotation as a value stems from its important determination of group behavior. It points the way for a new generation of anthropologists. It challenges them to focus on the larger problems of an emerging worldwide culture which will produce an increased awareness of pressing social issues.

"What we wish to test is no less than the effect of civilization upon a developing human being at the age of puberty. To test it most rigorously we would have to construct various sorts of different civilizations and subject large numbers of adolescent children to these different environments. We would list the influences the effects of which we wished to study. . ."

Unfortunately, such ideal methods of experiment are denied to us when out materials are humanity and the whole fabric of a social order. . ." What method then is open to us who wish to conduct a human experiment but who lack the power either to construct the experimental conditions or to find controlled examples of those conditions here and there throughout our own civilization? The only method is that of the anthropologist, to go to a different civilization and make a study of human beings under different cultural conditions in some other part of the world. For such studies the anthropologist chooses quite simple peoples, primitive peoples, whose society has never attained the complexity of our own." (CAS 6-7)

This quotation is a clear expression of Dr. Mead's personally held scientific value regarding the power of her own discipline in dealing with social problems. She points out various limitations of designing experiments involving human beings and society and concludes that it is not feasible to use ideal controlled methods in social experimentation. She demonstrates a strong belief in the capabilities of her profession.