SOC 101 Exam 1

sociology

study of human society & social behavior, looks at range of institutions, compares past & present, looks at individual in relationship to external forces, broad

Asch experiment

visual perception experiment, participants choose which line length matches, everyone gives wrong answer & 1 actual participant follows group answer last, 75% went along with group & chose wrong answer

restroom culture

no changing tables in male restrooms, men dont bring their daughters in their restrooms, “men more dangerous/women more nuturing”

C.W. Mils

experiences between individuals based on larger historical forces (place in space/time), make the familiar strange & strange familiar (experience new things/understand different cultures)

teen depression correlation with smart phone/social media

cant stop due to:

• distraction

• fomo

• physical comparisons

• competition for likes

• everyone seems to have more fun than you

correlation

change in one thing may not be caused by change in another, things happening at same time that may/may not be casual

causation

change in one thing directly changes another

hypothesis

educated guess

variables

2+ things that may be related to each other & examined in experiment, x leads to/changes y

independent variable

x axis, can have multiple

dependent variable

y axis, depends on independent variables, can only have 1

operationalization

assign precise definition for measuring a concept before study begins so study can be replicated, helps with/leads to reliability, important for validity, ask specific question

reliability

research can be done by someone else with same variables & get similar results

research methods

1. experiments

2. surveys

3. interviews

4. participant observation

5. nonparticipant observation

experiments

formal tests of variables & effects in setting where all aspects of situation are controlled, cant hurt people, deception is necessary, experimental & control group

experimental group

receives experimental treatment

control group

receives placebo

Harlow experiment

monkey goes to cloth mother with no food/milk instead of wire mother with food/milk, shows species need for contact comfort (especially children)

Milgram experiment

teacher volunteer shocks student with increasing volts when answers are wrong, flet guilty & stressed to follow experimenter’s directions, shows level of conformity to leaders

Zimbardo experiment

college participants acted as prisoners/guards, turned violent after few days (all believed they were in real jail), guards acted cruel & gave punishments, prisoners emotionally distressed, 2 week experiment cut short to 6 days, shows certain situations/roles can change how people naturally act

surveys

questionnaires for sample of respondents from target population, most popular research method

pros:

• cheap

• fast

• easy

• reach many respondents

cons:

• dont know reasoning

• not precise

  • answers can be skewed/lied about

population universe

represents entirety of people referring to/making generalization about

random sample

each person has equal change of being selected to participate in study

interviews

conversations to gather info via questions

pros:

• personal interaction

• ask follow up questions

• read body language

cons:

• hard to generalize/quantify

• time consuming

participant observation

researcher observes & becomes member in social setting

pros:

• uncover meanings people attach to social actions

• spend time in community for long time

• integrate into daily life

• observe everyday life unfolding without intrusion

cons:

• time consuming

• gain trust & access in community

  • learn local norms & behaviors

Sudhir Vekatesh

gang leader for a day, tried to break violent stereotype, people join gang to live (money for themselves & kids), seen as protectors

Laud Humphreys

tearoom trade, studied gay men having affairs in public restrooms, acted as watch queen for door (cough is signal for stranger/police & participants foot tap), took field notes with portable tape recorder

cons:

• told police about fake market research to get addresses after remembering license plates from club

• disguised himself 1 yr later when interviewing men at their homes with university health survey

  • ruined actual health research (not random sample, sampled 50 men for own purposes)

  • found 54% marries, 38% not homosexual, most catholic

• possible blackmail

• criminal investigation

• anyone can connect information from book to actual person

pros:

• revealed unrealistic lives of married men with good jobs

• challenged social norms (humanized homosexual men)

• cant openly study gay people at the time (social norms & illegal, many closeted)

  • participants wouldnt have been open to being studied

  • able to observe real behavior

• kept names/information confidential

• enhance social justice for gay community

• increase awareness

• persuade police to stop arresting members engaged in victimless crimes

nonparticipant observation

study from afar, observation & note taking, not part of community

pros:

• nonobtrusive

sociological theory

explain what happens as societies go from traditional to modern society (agriculture to industrial), industrial revolution caused changes in Europe & US

Emile Durkheim

structural functionalism, argues mechanical solidarity in premodern societies (understand feelings) & organic solidarity in modern societies (impersonal/too many ppl)

• premodern societies: collective conscience (same views)

  • modern society: interdependence, complex division of labor (class division), shared morals/values not essential, ex: food production chain

anomie

chaos/lawless due to no smooth transition, alienation/loss of purpose from weaker social bonds & increased pace of change

Karl Marx

critiques capitalism & supports socialism, class division creates alienation & is driving force in modern society, focused on material conditions in society (economy), want workers to themselves as oppressed to fight back, hopeful for future, predicts capitalism is final stage of communism/socialism is between capitalism & communism

socialism

capitalism with safety nets

false consciousness (hegemony)

workers dont see themselves as class but as individuals, think they need to work harder to be better but system is wrong, need to see themselves as class to fight back

Max Weber

pessimistic about future, rationalization is driving force in modern society, leads to iron cage & irrationality of rationality

iron cage

rational but not desirable, Weber’s pessimistic description of modern life caught in bureaucratic structures that control lives through rigid rules/rationalization

disenchantment

efficiency replaces morality & tradition, everything measured/expected/controlled, lack of spontaneity/surprise, everything is same

Thomas Theorem

messages we get about ourselves/others, use symbols as form of communication & language, symbolic interactionism theory, quickly guess someones status (ex: first class on plane → assume rich)

dramaturgy

performative lives, presentation of self & impression management, trying to control image of ourselves

looking glass self

Goffman & Cooley, notion that self develops through perception of others evaluations/appraisals of us, adjust interactions accordingly

status

something you hold

ascribed status

born with

achieved status

earned

master status

overrides all other statuses

role

something you play

role conflict

2 separate roles conflict

role strain

conflict within 1 role

Claire breakfast club

princess, detention for skipping class to go shopping

• stuck up rich girl

• dresses nice

• dropped off in BMW

• sushi for lunch

Bender breakfast club

criminal

• tries looking big/intimidating in front of everyone

  • breaks down when talking about family (physically/emotionally abused & neglected at home)

  • principal yells at him in closet & he backs down/stays quiet

  • didnt choose to fight with andrew

• harasses other students

• walks to detention (neglected by family)

• doesnt bring lunch

  • makes fun of others lunches (easier than admitting bad background)

Allison breakfast club

basket case, detention for fun

• wears dark clothing/dark appearance, bangs cover face, oversized coat

• odd behavior & extremely quiet (keeps to herself)

• tries to get attention with noise

• bread with cereal & pixie sticks for lunch

Brian breakfast club

nerd, detention for bringing gun to school

• wears nice clothing & put together (looks more mature)

• negotiator/always corrects others (smart)

• parents expect him to always study/be best (pressure)

  • failed shop class & tried to kill himself

• dropped off in station wagon

• sandwich with crusts off for lunch

  • prepped by mom

  • high attention from family

Andrew breakfast club

jock, detention for bullying kid

• dad pressured him to be mean/bully kid

• dropped off in working class bronco

Saints

8 white upper middle class, everyone thinks they are good

• put up good front in school

  • involved in student body & sports

  • get good grades but cheat on homework

  • teachers inflate grades due to preconceived notion they will be successful

• strategically skip class to do bad things

• have cars to travel far from hometown

• harass cafe customers & destroy property

  • get away with it by buying a lot of food

• move cones/construction signs after a turn (help driver after run into pothole/barricade)

• vandalism

• drive recklessly

  • drink & drive

  • chicken (passenger crawls out of window into driver seat during speeding)

• prank police (ask for directions & take off)

• able to get away with things

  • talk smooth/respectfully

  • only stopped by police 2x in 2 yrs (warning & fined/released)

exception: Jerry, only one that didnt graduate hs on time, talked back to teachers/didnt follow plans to cut class, parents got divorced, never described as troublemaker

Roughnecks

6 lower class white boys, known for doing bad things

• C average in school, do homework, good attendance

• lightly drink in alleyways

• get into fights

• police always arrest/harass for no reason

  • viewed cops as corrupt

  • dont try being respectful bc cops have predetermined stereotype

  • each Roughneck arrested at least once in 2 yrs