SYG Exam 1 vocab

sociology

a social science that studies human societies, their interactions, and the processes that preserve and change them

August Comte

coined phrase "sociology"; believed in the scientific improvement of society and human condition

Social Darwinism

introduces biological concepts such as natural selection and inheritance into sociological theory

structural functional analysis

needed for a social system to survive
-structures
-relations to the environment
-fixing boundaries
-recruiting & controlling members

conflict sociology

the study of the way that distinct groups compete for resources; dominant institutions repress weaker groups

Max Weber

German sociologist that regarded the development of rational social orders as humanity's greatest achievement

Gerhard Lenski

Proposed that dominance of one group over another arises because people have a desire to control goods and services

Marion Levy

theorized that underdeveloped nations would inevitably develop institutions such as those of advanced nations

political sociology

the study of political groups, leadership, and power within society

James S. Coleman

1st sociologist since Parsons to build a comprehensive social theory

symbolic interaction

the mind and "self" are derived from social experience and personal interactions

Ethnomethodology

how ordinary people perceive the social world

sociometry

collects and tabulates info on group interactions

sociological curiosity

the desire to seek out the social context/connections between individual and broader social experiences

social structure

the constellation of social institutions, economic systems, and cultural values that individuals find themselves situated in

public sociology

connecting personal stories to the center of sociological inquiry to make it alive for the individual

intersectional lens

focuses on how the lived experience of particular groups reflects the combo of class, racial, and gender experiences

Peter Berger

famous sociologist that coined sociological perspective

sociological perspective

see general social patterns in the behavior of particular individuals (unique view of society thru manifest/latent functions)

manifest function

foresee social consequences

latent function

social consequences we can't predict

gentrification

the restoration of run-down urban areas by the middle class (resulting in the displacement of lower-income people)

sociological imagination

understand connection between biography and larger social/historical context

Karl Marx

wrote extensively about class struggle/conflict

perspective/paradigm

a set of fundamental assumptions that guides thinking

meaning making

assigning everything meaning

definition of situation

you can have a preconceived notion of something and you can modify it after you experience it

looking-glass self

basing your sense of self on how you believe society perceives you

subjective reality

what you perceive to be real

objective reality

what is actually real

externalization

create institutions and rules that govern interaction

objectification

see arrangements as not having a human connection

reification

viewing an abstract, immaterial concept as if it were a concrete thing

internalization

process by which a norm becomes a part of an individual's personality, thereby conditioning the individual to conform to society's expectations

scientific sociology

systematic observation of social behavior (using empirical evidence)

interpretive sociology

the study of society that focuses on the meanings people attach to their social world

critical sociology

focuses on the need for social change

human agency

the ability to make choices

Verstehen (Weber)

understanding social behavior by putting yourself in the place of others (empathy)

science

a logical system that derives knowledge from systematic observation

concepts

abstract ideas representing some aspect of the world, somewhat simplified form

variables

concepts whose values change from case to case

measuring variables

means by which the value of a variable is determined

operationalization

process of specifying how something is to be measured

reliability

quality of consistent measurement

validity

quality of measuring precisely what one intends to measure

religiosity

level of significance of religion to a person or society

correlation

two or more variables change together

cause and effect

independent variable causes change in dependent variable

1. correlation must exist= variables change

2. independent variable must precede dependent in time

3. must be no evidence that a 3rd variable is responsible for a spurious correlation between the two original variables

4. must have no observer

experiments

highly controlled conditions

in-depth interviews

trying to get rich details

focus groups

designed to get people together to discuss

field studies

participant observation

direct observation

researcher goes where the action is

Great Rewiring

when childhood moved into the virtual world as opposed to the real world

free play

unsupervised and spontaneous play where mistakes are not costly

attunement

strategies to connect and fit in

conformity bias

How can I fit in?

prestige bias

gravitate towards reputable things

Goldilocks effect

connect to others on our time frame

Pilot in cockpit

focus on phone, “I’m busy”

Turing test

determines whether a program can deceive a person into thinking they are talking to another person

culture

all artifacts of people, both material and nonmaterial

material: things made and used

nonmaterial: ideas, values, and beliefs

culture shock

going away from your culture and being mentally and/or emotionally disheveled by the norms

ethnocentricism

the idea that your country is the best

cultural relativism

acknowledging that different cultures have different norms

sequential structure

do this before that

ex) HW before play

society

a group of people in a given territory guided by their culture

symbols

objects that share a particular meaning

language

system of symbols for communicating

Sapir-Whorf hypothesis

language shapes our sense of reality

values

culturally defined guidelines for actions

norms

rules by which society guides the behavior of its members

shame

public disapproval and humiliation

ideal culture

the way things should be; social patterns mandated by values/norms

real culture

the way things actually are; social patterns only approximate expectations

subcultures

groups whose cultural patterns set them apart from wider society

countercultures

groups whose cultural patterns are at great odds with wider society

socialization

process by which individuals develop human potential and learn ways of thinking, feeling, and acting that enable them to be part of their culture

personality

person’s fairly consistent patterns of thinking, feeling, and acting

sociobiology

elements of society have a genetic root (nature)

social behaviorism

most of who and what we are as a species is learned, social in nature (nurture)

social self

develops from social interaction and focuses on inward thinking processes

duality of self

Self as subject (“I”) = impulse

Self as object (“Me”) = self-conciousness

reinforcement

circumstances under which we are sanctioned

social comparison

comparing oneself to other student

expectancy effects

teachers expect certain things of students based on ethnicity, gender, background, etc

anticapatory socialization

the process by which people learn the values, behaviors, and norms of a group they want to join

traditional societies

high degree of shared meanings or cultural scenarios

total institutions

a setting in which people are isolated from society and controlled by staff

resocialization

radical altering of a person’s personality

deep dyadic we-ness

interpersonal bond w/ mutual awareness and interdependencies

ideational we-ness

emphasize shared ideas/beliefs

spontaneous we-ness

in the moment and unplanned

primary groups

intimate (friends, family, romantic partners)

secondary groups

interaction superficial, task-functional

aggregate

people clustered together that is not associated as a group

category

particular characteristics in common but don’t interact

ex) red hair, brown eyes

reference category

used for evaluation and decision making

thick community

integrated web of activity that creates relatively high levels of social capital