Sociology Midterm

Sociology

Sociology is like looking at how people live together, work together, and play together.

Sociological Sympathy

This means feeling what someone else feels, like when your friend is sad and you feel sad too.

Sociological Imagination

It's like using your imagination to understand how your own life is connected to the world around you.

Social Facts

These are things everyone in a group follows, like rules at school or the way families celebrate holidays.

Research Ethics

These are like the rules for playing a game fairly, but for people who study how others live and act.

Structural Functionalism

This is like thinking about how all the parts of a toy work together to make it fun to play with.

Data

Data is like the information you gather when you count your toys or write down your favorite colors.

Sociological Theory

These are ideas that help us understand why people do what they do, like thinking about why we share toys.

Conflict Theory

This is like when kids fight over a toy, and it helps us understand why there are arguments and how to share better.

Sociological Research Questions

These are the questions we ask to learn more about how people live and play together, like asking why everyone loves ice cream.

Social Patterns

These are things people do over and over, like bedtime routines or playing certain games at recess

Symbolic Interactionism

This is like when a smile means you're happy or a frown means you're sad. It's about what things mean to us.

Qualitative Research Methods

This is like drawing pictures or telling stories to show how you feel or what you think about something.

Standpoints

This is like seeing things from different places, like looking out from a treehouse or from the ground.

Standpoint Theory

This idea says that people understand things differently based on where they are and what they've experienced, like how tall kids and short kids see things differently.

Quantitative Research Methods

This is like counting how many apples you have or measuring how tall you are.

Public Sociology

This is about sharing what we learn with everyone, like telling your friends about a new game you learned.

Empirical Inquiry

This is like looking closely at the world to see how things really work, like watching ants to see where they go.

Operationalization

This is when you take a big idea and figure out how to measure it, like deciding to count how many times a friend smiles to see if they're happy.

Academic Literature

These are the books and papers that people write to share what they learn, like storybooks but for grown-ups who study things.

Research Questions

These are the questions we ask to find out more about the world, like "Why is the sky blue?"

Human Subjects Research

This is when we study people to learn about how they live, think, or feel, like asking friends about their favorite games.

Research Ethics

These are the rules that help us study things in a fair and kind way, like playing nicely and sharing with others.

Data

Data is the information we collect to understand something better, like counting how many toys you have.

Correlation

This is when two things happen together, like when it rains and you see more puddles.

Peer Review

This is when other people check your work to make sure it's good, like when a teacher looks at your drawing and says "Good job!"

Sociological Theory

These are big ideas that help us understand why people do what they do, like guessing why everyone likes ice cream.

Causation

This is when one thing makes another thing happen, like when you push a ball and it rolls.

Informed Consent

This is when you ask someone if it's okay to study them and they say yes, like asking a friend if you can play with their toy.

Sociological Research Methods

These are the ways we study how people live and act, like watching how friends play or asking them questions.

Spurious

This is when it looks like two things are related, but they really aren't, like thinking wearing a red shirt makes you run faster

Confidentiality

This means keeping someone's information secret and safe, like not telling anyone your friend's secret.

Qualitative Research Methods

These are ways to study things with words and pictures, like telling a story or drawing a picture about your day.

Generalizable

This means what we learn from one group can help us understand other groups too, like if all kids love ice cream, maybe all kids in another place do too.

Vulnerable Populations

These are groups of people who need extra care and protection, like little kids or older people.

Quantitative Research Methods

These are ways to study things with numbers, like counting how many apples are in a basket.

Academic Literature

These are the books and papers that people write to share what they learn, like storybooks but for grown-ups who study things.

Institutional Review Board

This is a group of people who make sure studies are done safely and fairly, like a group of teachers making sure everyone plays nicely.

Negative Correlation

This is when one thing goes up and another thing goes down, like when more rain means fewer kids at the playground.

Positive Correlation

This is when two things go up or down together, like when more sunshine means more kids playing outside.

Research Ethics

These are the rules that help us study things in a fair and kind way, like playing nicely and sharing with others.

The "I" and the "Me"

The "I" is like the part of you that makes choices and does things, like deciding to play with a toy. The "Me" is like the part of you that thinks about what other people might think of you, like wondering if your friend likes your toy.

Self Fulfilling Prophecy

This is when you believe something will happen, and then it happens because you believed it, like thinking you'll win a race and then running really fast because you believe you can win.

Theory of Mind

This is understanding that other people have thoughts and feelings different from yours, like knowing your friend might feel sad even if you feel happy.

Laboratory Experiment

This is like doing a special test in a room where everything is controlled, like a science experiment where you mix different colors to see what happens.

Mirror Neurons

These are special brain cells that help you feel what someone else is feeling, like when you see someone smile and it makes you feel happy too.

Variable

This is something that can change, like the color of your clothes or the number of toys you have.

Looking Glass Self

This is like seeing yourself through other people's eyes, like thinking you are funny because your friends laugh at your jokes.

Experimental Group

This is the group in an experiment that gets the special treatment, like trying a new kind of candy to see if it tastes good.

In-depth Interviews

These are long talks where someone asks a lot of questions to learn about another person, like having a big chat with your grandparent to hear about their life.

Control Group

This is the group in an experiment that doesn't get the special treatment, like eating regular candy while the experimental group tries the new candy.

Coding

This is putting information into categories to understand it better, like sorting your toys into different boxes.

Causal Claims

This is saying that one thing makes another thing happen, like saying eating vegetables makes you strong.

Beliefs

Beliefs are ideas that people think are true, like believing in Santa Claus or that eating vegetables is good for you.

Biosocial Research Methods

These are ways to study how our bodies and our social lives work together, like seeing how playing with friends makes you feel happy and healthy.

Cultural Relativism

This is understanding that different people have different ways of living and that all ways are okay, like how some people eat with chopsticks and others use forks.

Culturally Competent

This means knowing and respecting other people's ways of living, like understanding and celebrating different holidays with your friends.

Culturally Conditioned

This means learning to act in certain ways because of the culture you live in, like saying "please" and "thank you" because it's polite.

Culture

Culture is the way a group of people live, including their traditions, music, food, and language, like the games you play and the songs you sing at home.

Cultural Objects

These are things that have special meaning in a culture, like a wedding ring or a national flag.

Cultural Cognitions

These are the ways people in a culture think and understand the world, like knowing that a thumbs-up means "good job."

Cultural Practices

These are the regular activities and behaviors people do in a culture, like celebrating birthdays or having family dinners.

Cultural Bodies

These are ways that our bodies can show our culture, like wearing traditional clothes or dancing in a special way.

Culture Shock

This is feeling surprised or confused when you see a way of living that is very different from your own, like moving to a new country and finding out they eat different foods.

Culture-as-Rationale Thesis

This idea says that people use their culture to explain why they do things, like saying you wear certain clothes because it's a tradition in your culture.

Culture-as-Value Thesis

This idea says that culture shapes what people think is important or valuable, like believing that family is very important because your culture values it.

Cultured Capacities

These are the skills and abilities you learn from your culture, like knowing how to cook traditional meals.

Cultured Physiques

These are the ways that culture can influence how our bodies look or are taken care of, like certain beauty standards or ways of exercising.

Dual Inheritance Theory

This idea says that we learn from both our genes and our culture, like being born with the ability to learn a language and then learning the specific language of your family.

Embodied

This means having and showing certain qualities or traits in your body, like being graceful because you practice ballet.

Ethnocentrism

This is thinking your own culture is the best and others are not as good, like thinking only your way of eating is right and others are wrong.

Homophily

This means people like to be friends with others who are like them, like playing with kids who enjoy the same games as you do.

Interpersonal Socialization

This is learning how to behave by interacting with others, like learning to share because your parents and friends share with you.

Mass Media

These are ways to share information with a lot of people, like TV, newspapers, and the internet.

Media Socialization

This is learning about the world and how to behave from media, like watching cartoons that teach good manners.

Norms

Norms are the usual ways people behave in a group, like lining up to go inside the classroom.

Self-Socialization

This is when you learn how to behave by yourself, like figuring out how to tie your shoes by practicing.

Social Construct

This is an idea that people agree on and accept, like money having value because everyone agrees it does.

Social Construction

This is the process of people creating and agreeing on social constructs, like how people decide together what behaviors are polite.

Social Learning

This is learning how to behave by watching others, like learning to say "thank you" because you see your parents do it.

Social Media

These are online platforms where people share information and connect, like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.

Social Network Analysis

This is studying how people are connected to each other, like making a map of all your friends and how they know each other.

Symbolic Structure

These are the important symbols and meanings in a culture, like a country's flag or a religious symbol.

Blood Quantum Rule

This is a rule used by some people to determine membership in a Native American tribe based on the amount of Native American ancestry one has. It's akin to suggesting that a certain quantity of Native American blood is necessary for inclusion in the group.

Cisgender

This refers to someone whose gender identity aligns with the sex they were assigned at birth. For example, a person designated female at birth who identifies and lives as a woman.

Computational Sociology

This involves using computers and computational methods to study how people interact and behave in social settings. It can include analyzing social networks, behaviors online, or patterns in large datasets to understand social dynamics.

Conspicuous Consumption

This refers to the practice of purchasing goods or services primarily to display wealth or status, often with the intention of gaining social recognition or admiration. For instance, buying a flashy new item to impress others.

Consumption

This encompasses the act of using or purchasing goods and services. It broadly refers to the utilization of resources to satisfy human needs and desires, such as consuming food, clothing, and entertainment.

Content Analysis

This is a research method that involves systematically analyzing the content of various forms of communication, such as books, movies, or social media posts, to understand their meanings, themes, and impacts on individuals and society.

Controlling Images

These are stereotypes or pervasive ideas used to shape and control public perceptions about specific groups. For example, portraying certain ethnic groups always in a positive or negative light to influence public opinion.

Distinction

This is a characteristic or feature that sets a person or group apart from others. It can include visible markers like clothing or behavior that signal membership in a particular social group or status.

Doing Identity

This refers to the ways individuals actively demonstrate and express their identities through actions, choices, and self-presentation. For example, dressing in a particular style to reflect personal values or affiliations.

Ethnicity

This refers to a shared cultural heritage, including language, customs, traditions, and often a common ancestry. It distinguishes groups of people who identify with each other based on these factors.

Gender Binary

This is the belief that there are only two distinct and opposite genders: male and female. It excludes nonbinary and gender non-conforming identities that fall outside this traditional classification.

Gender

This refers to the socially and culturally constructed roles, behaviors, expressions, and identities that a society considers appropriate for men and women. It encompasses both personal identity and societal expectations.

In-Group Bias

This is the tendency for individuals to favor and show preference towards members of their own social group over those who are perceived as outsiders or members of different groups.

Intersectionality

This is the idea that various aspects of social identity, such as race, gender, class, and sexuality, intersect and overlap to shape individual experiences, opportunities, and social outcomes.

Intersex

This refers to individuals born with variations in sex characteristics that do not fit typical definitions of male or female. It challenges traditional binary concepts of sex and gender.

Minimal Group Paradigm

This is an experimental method used to study intergroup behavior, showing that even minimal and arbitrary group distinctions (e.g., based on a trivial characteristic) can lead to ingroup favoritism and outgroup discrimination.

Nonbinary

This refers to individuals who do not exclusively identify as male or female, or who identify as both, neither, or another gender altogether. Nonbinary identities exist outside the traditional binary classification of gender.