Chapter 2

Macrotheory

looks at large-scale social structures such as societies and institutions.

Microtheory

focuses on small-scale interactions such as relationships and group behavior.

Early Positivism

The idea that society can be studied scientifically.

Conflict Paradigm

views society as based on power struggles.

Symbolic Interactionism

focuses on how people create meanings through social interactions.

Ethnomethodology

studies how people make sense of everyday life.

Structural Functionalism

views society as a system where different parts work together.

Feminist Paradigm

examines gender inequalities and their impact on society.

Critical Race Theory

explores how race and racism affect social structures.

Laws

universal principles that explain social behaviors.

Theory

provides a general explanation of how things work.

Axioms

self-evident truths that don’t need further proof.

Propositions

statements that link concepts in a theory.

Hypothesis

a testable statement about relationships between variables.

Traditional Model of Science

involves theory, hypothesis formation, and testing through research.

Deductive Reasoning

starts with a theory, forms a hypothesis, and tests it with data.

Inductive Reasoning

starts with data, identifies patterns, and develops a theory.