Introduction to Sociology – Final Exam Study Guide

This flashcard set provides key vocabulary definitions to help students review important concepts in sociology for their final exam.

Sociology

The study of society and social behavior.

Social location

The social and cultural context that influences an individual's opportunities and outcomes.

System-blame

An approach that attributes social problems to larger social structures.

Victim-blame

An approach that attributes social problems to individual flaws or failures.

Research population

The entire group of individuals that a researcher is interested in studying.

Research sample

A subset of the research population selected for the study.

Correlation

A relationship or connection between two variables.

Causality

The relationship between cause and effect.

Culture

The shared beliefs, values, norms, and practices of a group.

Subculture

A smaller cultural group within a larger culture that has distinct values or norms.

Counterculture

A cultural group whose beliefs and behaviors are in direct opposition to the dominant culture.

Cultural relativism

The practice of understanding a culture on its own terms without judgment.

Feral children

Children who have been isolated from human contact and have not been socialized.

Looking-glass self theory

Cooley's theory that a person's self grows out of society's interpersonal interactions and the perceptions of others.

Role-taking theory

Mead's theory that emphasizes understanding others' perspectives to develop social roles.

Social structure

The organized pattern of social relationships and social institutions that together compose society.

Ascribed status

A social status that is assigned at birth or assumes involuntarily later in life.

Achieved status

A social status that an individual attains through their actions and choices.

Role conflict

The tension experienced when the demands of different roles clash.

Crime

An act that violates a law and is punishable by the state.

Global stratification

The hierarchical arrangement of individuals and groups based on wealth, resources, and power on a global scale.

Demography

The statistical study of populations, including the structure, distribution, and trends in population change.

Gender inequality

The unequal treatment or perceptions of individuals based on their gender.

Feminism

A movement for advocating women's rights and interests.