Comprehensive Social Sciences: Anthropology, Psychology, and Sociology Key Concepts

Social Science

The broad study of humanity and behaviour

Components of Social Sciences

Empirical evidence (observations) + social scientists (individuals doing social science research)

Anthropology

Study of humans, past and present

Sociology

Study of human social groups and societies

Psychology

Study of mental processes and behaviours of people

Biology in Anthropology

Traits such as bipedalism, the ability to gather food, think, and use parts of our body allows us to be human

Culture

The ability to survive and usage of complex language to share experiences

Natural Selection

More organisms are produced than can survive, leading to competition for resources and mates

Charles Darwin

Proposed descent with modification; evolution happens through natural selection

Sub-Culture

Smaller group within a society that shares distinct values, beliefs, or lifestyles

Functional Theory

Every part of a culture exists because it serves a purpose or function that helps people meet their basic needs

Ethnocentrism

Tendency to judge another culture by the standards and values of another culture

Cultural Relativism

Understanding a culture based on its own terms rather than being ethnocentric

Rites of Passage

Ceremonies that mark an individual's transition from one social group to another

Separation (Rites of Passage)

An individual is separated from their previous status, group, or social position

Transition (Rites of Passage)

A period where an individual is between their past self and new self

Incorporation (Rites of Passage)

An individual is reintroduced into the community and has gained a new status

Margaret Mead

Field of Study: Sexual behaviour, changes in culture over time

Franz Boas

Field of Study: Physical anthropology, linguistics, and cultural anthropology

Louis & Mary Leakey

Field of Study: Archaeology that suggests evolution stems from Africa

Jane Goodall

Field of Study: Social Behaviours between animals

Noam Chomsky

Field of Study: Cognitive psychology, intellectual culture

Cultural Anthropology

Focuses on cultural differences and how they shape human behaviour

Cognitive Psychology

Study of mental processes such as perception, memory, and reasoning

Social Behaviour

Interactions among individuals, often within a group context

Evolution

The process through which species adapt over time through natural selection

Cognitive Function

The mental processes involved in gaining knowledge and comprehension

Behavioural Psychology

Focuses on human behaviour and learning, suggesting that the environment shapes human behaviour.

Ivan Pavlov

Theorist known for Classical Conditioning, demonstrated with dogs that salivated at stimuli associated with food.

Classical Conditioning

A learning process that occurs when two stimuli are repeatedly paired.

Stage 1 of Classical Conditioning

The unconditioned stimulus produces an unconditioned response in an organism.

Stage 2 of Classical Conditioning

A neutral stimulus is paired with an unconditioned stimulus and becomes the conditioned stimulus.

Stage 3 of Classical Conditioning

Conditioned stimulus has been associated with the unconditioned stimulus to create a new conditioned response.

John B. Watson

Theorist known for applying Classical Conditioning in humans, demonstrated with Little Albert.

Little Albert Experiment

John B. Watson's experiment where a boy was conditioned to fear a white rat through loud noises.

B.F. Skinner

Theorist known for studying learned behaviour through reinforcement.

Skinner Box

A controlled environment used by B.F. Skinner to study animal behaviour through reinforcement.

Unconditioned Stimulus

Any trigger/event that produces an emotional reaction without prior conditioning.

Unconditioned Response

The natural reaction of an organism to an unconditioned stimulus.

Conditioned Stimulus

A previously neutral stimulus that, after being paired with an unconditioned stimulus, elicits a conditioned response.

Conditioned Response

The learned response to a previously neutral stimulus that has become a conditioned stimulus.

Reinforcement

The process of encouraging or establishing a pattern of behaviour through rewards.

Child Development

A field of psychology that focuses on the growth and changes in children.

Care of the Elderly

A field of psychology that focuses on the psychological and emotional needs of older adults.

Fields of Psychology

Various specializations within psychology that focus on different aspects of human behaviour and mental processes.

Comparative Age of Psychology

Psychology is a relatively new science compared to biology, chemistry, and physics.

Good behaviour

Is rewarded, while bad behaviour may cause stimuli such as the floor to be electrified to get rid of bad behaviours.

Psychodynamic Psychology

Focuses on life experiences and connections between the conscious and unconscious mind.

Sigmund Freud

Developed Free Association (Talk Therapy) to uncover hidden feelings and memories.

Carl Jung

Introduced Archetypes, which are universal behaviours and personalities in the collective unconscious.

Karen Horney

Emphasized social roles in shaping personality and mental health, not just the unconscious mind.

Erik Erikson

Known for Psychosexual Stages.

Humanistic Psychology

Focuses on the individual as the best source of their own help and learning.

Abraham Maslow

Developed the Hierarchy of Needs, a psychological theory of human motivation.

Self-Actualization

The process of fulfilling one's full potential.

Viktor Frankl

Proposed Logotherapy, emphasizing that meaning and purpose in life is our primary drive.

Carl Rogers

Developed Person-Centered Therapy, allowing clients to lead therapy sessions.

Jean Piaget

Identified Stages of Cognitive Development.

Albert Bandura

Conducted the Bobo Doll Experiment, showing that behaviours can be learned by observing others.

Elizabeth Loftus

Research on False/Repressed Memories, demonstrating how suggestive techniques can implant false memories.

Marcosociology

Wide perspective concerned with studying society as a whole.

Microsociology

Narrow perspective focused on individual or small group interactions in society.

Conflict Theory

Focuses on the inequalities of different groups in society competing for resources.

Symbolic Interactionism

Looks at how individuals influence society through personal experiences.

Gender Conflict Theory

Focuses on sex and gender issues, highlighting women's disadvantages in society.

Structural Functionalism

Examines how different parts of society contribute to meeting societal needs.

Anomie

The breakdown of social norms that regulate behaviour.

Bystander Effect

Individuals are less likely to help a victim in an emergency when others are present.

Conformity

Adjusting behaviour/thinking to follow the rules of the group.

Obedience

Acting in direct response to a command from an authority figure.

Groupthink

Mode of thinking where the desire for harmony overrides realistic appraisal of alternatives.

Auguste Comte

Founder of sociology, known for Positivism and studying social order and progress.

Emile Durkheim

Pioneered structural functionalism and studied social unity and stability.

Karl Marx

Focused on class struggles and the exploitation of labor in capitalist societies.

Wright-Mills

Analyzed political power dynamics and the concentration of power in democratic societies.

Dorothy Smith

Developed Feminist Standpoint Theory, emphasizing male bias in traditional sociology.

George Herbert Mead

Studied social psychology and the development of self through language and play.

Charles Cooley

Explored the development of self-esteem and identity through social groups.

Max Weber

Examined the rise of capitalism and its relationship with religious ideas.