Soc 101 - Quiz 2-2026 Vocabulary Flashcards

A complete set of vocabulary flashcards covering key topics for Soc 101 Quiz 2-2026.

Cognitive development

The growth and development of intellectual processes including thinking, reasoning, problem-solving, and understanding across the lifespan.

Micro-sociology

The level of sociological analysis focused on small-scale social interactions, individual actions, and face-to-face dynamics in daily life.

Macro-sociology

The level of sociological analysis focused on large-scale social structures, broad institutions, populations, and overall social systems.

Stages of socialization

The sequential developmental phases across the life course during which individuals learn and internalize cultural values, norms, and roles.

Conformity

The act of matching one's attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors to group norms, standards, or societal expectations.

Perfectionist group

A social group or setting characterized by high demands for flawless performance and strict adherence to organizational or collective standards.

Reference group

A social group that serves as a standard or benchmark for individuals when evaluating their own beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors.

Bounded relationships

Social interactions or connections that exist within specific, limited boundaries or contexts rather than encompassing all aspects of life.

Socialization

The lifelong process through which individuals learn culture, language, norms, and social roles required to function within society.

Social structures

The enduring patterns of social organization, relationships, and institutions that shape and direct human behavior in a society.

Mead's imitation stage

The initial phase in George Herbert Mead's developmental model where young children copy or mimic others without understanding underlying symbolic meanings.

Leadership styles

The distinct approaches and behavioral patterns utilized by leaders to direct and motivate groups, such as authoritarian, democratic, and laissez-faire.

Role strain

The tension or stress experienced when competing demands or conflicting expectations arise within a single social role.

Gender socialization

The process through which individuals learn the cultural norms, behaviors, and expectations associated with their assigned gender.

Three paradigms of social structure

The main theoretical perspectives in sociology used to analyze society: structural functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic interactionism.

Personal space

The physical area immediately surrounding an individual that they maintain during social interactions for comfort and privacy.

Piaget stages of development

Jean Piaget's four stages of cognitive growth in children: sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational.

Erikson's eight stages of development

Erik Erikson's psychosocial model detailing eight stages of human development across the life course, each centered on a distinct psychological crisis.

Functionalistic view of sociology

A theoretical framework that views society as a complex system whose various structures work together to maintain stability and social order.

Groupthink

A social psychological phenomenon where the desire for consensus and harmony within a group leads to flawed or irrational decision-making.

Parenting styles

The primary strategies parents use to raise children, categorized as authoritative, authoritarian, permissive, and uninvolved.

Primary-secondary groups

The sociological distinction between small, close, emotionally intimate groups (primary) and larger, formal, task-focused groups (secondary).

In-group

A social group toward which a member feels a strong sense of belonging, respect, identity, and loyalty.

Total institutional groups

Isolated organizations or environments where members' daily lives are completely regimented and controlled by an authority.