KA 300 page psych document (pages 251-end!)

prejudice

A negative attitude toward an entire category of people, often an ethnic or racial minority.

Discrimination

unjustifiable negative behavior toward a group and its members

organizations

institutions designed for a specific purpose, and try to achieve maximum efficiency

utilitarian organization

An organization where people are paid/rewarded for their efforts

normative organizations

Organizations motivated based on morally relevant goals (ex. MADD)

coercive organizations

organization in which members do not have a choice in joining

Bureaucracy

rational system of political organization, administration, discipline, and control

bureaucratization

The process by which a group, organization, or social movement becomes increasingly bureaucratic.

Iron rule of oligarchy

the theory that an organization is ruled by a few elites rather than through collaboration

Oligarchy

a small group of people having control of a country, organization, or institution.

McDonalization of Society

the process by which ordinary aspects of life are rationalized and efficiency comes to rule them, including such things as food preparation

max weber

Father of sociology. Argued that in a capitalist society inequalities would lead to conflict, but that there would be more than one source of conflict. Argued that there were several factors that moderated people's reaction to inequality.

division of labor

Division of work into a number of separate tasks to be performed by different workers

trained incapacity

the tendency of workers in a bureaucracy to become so specialized that they develop blind spots and fail to notice obvious problems

Hierarchy of Organization

each position is under supervision of higher authority. Not all people of an organization are equal

goal displacement

a condition that occurs when a decision-making group loses sight of its original goal and a new, less important goal emerges

written rules and regulations

specify the rights and duties associated with each position or status in the organization and procedures required for each task

impersonality

the removal of personal feelings from a professional situation

Employment based on technical qualifications

hiring is based on technical qualifications rather than on favoritism, and performance is measured against specific standards

Peter Principle

every employee in hierarchy keeps getting promoted until they reach level of incompetence

foraging

Behavior associated with recognizing, searching for, capturing, and consuming food.

solitary foraging

when animals find, capture and consume their prey alone

group foraging

when animals find, capture and consume prey in the presence of other individuals

nonverbal communication

communication using body movements, gestures, and facial expressions rather than speech

verbal communication

expressing ideas to others by using spoken words

autocommunication

An animal communicating or giving information to itself. Ex: Bat making sending sound waves to tell itself where it is.

mating ritual

an elaborate act or dance that takes place to attract a mate in order for sexual reproduction to occur

Anthromorphism

attributing human characteristics to an animal or inanimate object (Personification)

Pheromones

Chemical signals released by an animal that communicate information and affect the behavior of other animals of the same species.

somatosensory communication

touch and movement - mating dances, food location, pair bonding, body language, etc

Seismic communication

Movement of bug in spider's web to find food

mimicry

Ability of an animal to look like another more harmful animal

random mating

no selective mating in which animals chose mate depending on phenotype

assortative mating

the type of mating that occurs when an organism selects a mating partner that resembles itself

Hardy-Weinberg Principle

principle that allele frequencies in a population will remain constant unless one or more factors cause the frequencies to change

dis-assortative mating

opposite of assortative mating -situation where individuals with individuals with different or diverse traits mate with higher frequency than with random mating

inclusive fitness

The sum of an individual's own reproductive success plus the effects the organism has on the reproductive success of related others.

game theory

Evaluates alternate strategies when outcome depends not only on each individual's strategy but also that of others.

Evolutionary game theory

those with best fit to environment will survive and pass on to offspring, and those genes will become more common in successive generations.

Availability of resources

a measure indicating the presence of and access to resources essential for the individual's well-being

Macrosociology

Sociological investigation that concentrates on large-scale phenomena or entire civilizations.

Microsociology

Sociological investigation that stresses the study of small groups, often through experimental means.

functionalism comes from

comes from macrosociology -looks at society as a whole and how institutions that make up the society adapt to keep society stable and functioning

conflict theory

a theoretical framework in which society is viewed as composed of groups that are competing for scarce resources

Symbolic Interactionism

a micro-level theory in which shared meanings, orientations, and assumptions form the basic motivations behind people's actions

institution

a long-lasting pattern of organization in a community

conservative view

institutions are natural by-products of human nature

progressive view

institutions are artificial creations that need to be redesigned if they are not helpful.

Views of institutions

conservative and progressive

hidden curriculum

the informal and unofficial aspects of culture that children are taught in school

teacher expectancy effect

The impact that a teacher's expectations about a student's performance may have on the student's actual achievements.

nuclear family

Mother, father and children living as a unit

urbanization

An increase in the percentage and in the number of people living in urban settlements.

religiosity

the importance of religion in a person's life

ecclesia

A dominant religious organization that includes most members of society, is recognized as the national or official religion, and tolerates no other religions

churches

established religious bodies in a larger society

sects

religious movements that break away from orthodoxy

cults

groups of people who share intense admiration or adoration of a particular person or principle

modernization

the transformation of traditional societies into industrial societies

secularization

indifference to or rejection of religion or religious consideration

fundamentalism

reaction to secularization, go back to strict religious beliefs.

government

The institution through which a society makes and enforces its public policies

democracy

A political system in which the supreme power lies in a body of citizens who can elect people to represent them

Dictatorship

A form of government in which the leader has absolute power and authority.

communism

a form of socialism that abolishes private ownership

monarchy

A government ruled by a king or queen

capitalism

An economic system based on private ownership of capital

socialism

A system in which society, usually in the form of the government, owns and controls the means of production.

medicalization

the process by which problems or issues not traditionally seen as medical come to be framed as such

functionalist

everyone is required to have responsibility in society

sick role

societal expectations about the attitudes and behavior of a person viewed as being ill

delivery of health care

refers to the mechanisms by which a society provides health care to individuals

Illness experience

Process of being ill and how people cope with illness. Can change a person's self identity

social epidemiology

the study of how health and disease are distributed throughout a society's population

Epidemiology

Branch of medical science concerned with the incidence, distribution, and control of diseases that affect large numbers of people.

functionalism

system of thinking based on ideas of Emile Durkheim that look at society from large-scale perspective, and how each part helps keep society stable

Emile Durkheim

Believed in functionalism and the scientific method; saw society as a set of independent parts that maintain a system but each separate part has a function

Structural Functionalism

a conceptual framework positing that each element of society serves a particular function to keep the entire system in equilibrium

structural functionalism

a conceptual framework positing that each element of society serves a particular function to keep the entire system in equilibrium

institutions

structures, patterns, and mechanisms for establishing norms, rules, order, and cooperation in world politics

social facts

ways of thinking and acting formed by society that existed before any one individual and will still exist after any individual is dead

manifest functions

the recognized and intended consequences of any social pattern

latent functions

the unrecognized and unintended consequences of any social pattern

social dysfunction

a process that has undesirable consequences, and may actually reduce the stability of society

small societies

held together by similarities but only work for small ones ... evolves into large society

large societies

individuals become interdependent on each other as everyone is specialized in different roles. Forced mutual independence

in functionalism

a change to production/distribution/coordination will force others to adapt to maintain stable state society.

Conflict Theory

a theoretical framework in which society is viewed as composed of groups that are competing for scarce resources

feudalism

A system of government based on landowners and tenants

Bourgeoisie

rich

Proletariat

poor working class

class consciousness

A belief that you are a member of an economic group whose interests are opposed to people in other such groups

antithesis

reaction to the thesis, the push-back from those unhappy with the status quo

thesis

existing generally accepted state

Thesis + Antithesis

can't coexist peacefully

thesis causes

formation of the reaction -antithesis

Thesis + Antithesis =

compromise -a synthesis of the two by creating a new state. Would eventually become new thesis

Ludwig Gumplowicz

Proposed that society is shaped by war and conquest, and that cultural and ethnic conflicts lead to certain groups becoming dominant over other groups.

Max Weber

Father of sociology. Argued that in a capitalist society inequalities would lead to conflict, but that there would be more than one source of conflict. Argued that there were several factors that moderated people's reaction to inequality.

class

person's economic position in a society, based on birth and individual achievement