Final answer:
Margaret Mead studied cultural anthropology under Franz Boas and contributed to the study of cultural relativism, focusing on gender roles and adolescence. Her fieldwork in New Guinea and pioneering use of visual media significantly influenced psychological anthropology.
Step-by-step explanation:
Margaret Mead studied under Franz Boas at Columbia University and became one of the most prominent cultural anthropologists of her time. Under Boas's mentorship, who emphasized the importance of conducting ethnographical fieldwork, Mead focused on understanding the phenomenon of cultural relativism, particularly in the realms of gender and adolescence. Her fieldwork in New Guinea led to the publication of seminal works such as 'Sex and Temperament in Three Primitive Societies', where Mead explored the variations in gender roles among different societies, challenging the prevalent notion that gendered behaviors were purely biologically determined. Mead was also an early pioneer in using visual media within anthropology, as evidenced by her film 'Trance and Dance in Bali'. Her work significantly contributed to the study of cultural diversity and the formation of psychological anthropology, a subfield that investigates the complex interplay between culture and the human psyche.