sociology content quiz 1

what is sociology

the systematic study of society, social interaction, social relationships, and institutions

who is considered the father of sociology

auguste comte

who coined the term sociology

auguste comte

what is sociological imagination

the ability to connect personal experiences with larger social forces and historical events

who developed the sociological imagination

c. wright mills

why is the sociological imagination important

helps explain how personal problems are often connected to broader social issues

personal troubles

problems experienced by individuals that affect only them or a small group

public issues

problems that affect large numbers of people and arise from society’s structure

society

a group of people who share a territory, interact with one another, and share a common culture

culture

the shared knowledge, beliefs, values, customs, language, and material objects passed from one generation to the next

social institution

organized systems that meet societys basic needs(famikly. education, religion, gov’t, economy, healthcare)

social structure

the organized pattern of social relationships and institutions that shape society

social interaction

the process by which people act and react to others

norms

rules and expectations that guide behavior in society

values

shared beliefs about what is good, desirable, and important

beliefs

ideas that people accept as true

sanctions

rewards and punishments used to encourage conformity to social norms

formal sanctions

official rewards or punishments enforced by organizations or laws

informal sanctions

everyday rewards or punishments given by family, friends, or society

status

a persons social position within society

ascribed status

a status assigned at birth or involuntarily assumed

achieved status

a status earned through personal actions effort or choice

role

the behavior expected of someone occupying a particular status

role conflict

conflict between the expectations of two or more different roles

role strain

difficulty meeting multiple expectations within the same role

socialization

lifelong process of learning culture norms values and appropriate behaviors

agents of socialization

family, schools, peers, media, religion, and the workplace

macro sociology

the study of large scale structures institutions and society as a whole

micro sociology

the study of small scale interactions between individuals

positivism

the belief that society can be studied scientifically using observations and evidence

why do sociologists use the scientific method

to study society objectively and systematically

auguste comte

founded sociology and believed society should be studied scientifically-positivism

harriet martineau

early sociologist who translated comte’s work and studied gender inequality and social reform

karl marx

developed conflict theory; believed inequality comes from class conflict

bourgeoisie

the class that owns the means of production

proletariat

the working class that sells its labor

emile durkheim

developed structural functionalism; studied social facts and social solidarity

social facts

external forces that influence individual behavior

mechanical solidarity

social unity based on shared values and similar work in traditional societies

organic solidarity

social unity based on specialization and interdependence in modern societies

max weber

emphasized understanding social action and how beliefs influence behavior

verstehen

understanding social behavior by seeing world from another persons perspective

web du bois

studied race inequality and discrimination in america

double conciousness

seeing oneself through both ones own perspective and the perspective of the dominant society

jane addams

founded hull house and believed sociology should be used to improve society

what are three major sociological perspectives

• structural functionalism

• conflict theory

• symbolic interactionism

structural functionalism

society is made up of interconnected parts that work together to maintain stability

who is associated with structural functionalism

emile durkheim

manifest function

the intended and recognized consequence of an institution or behavior

latent function

the unintended or hidden consequence of an institution or behavior

dysfunction

a consequence that disrupts the stability of society

conflict theory

society is characterized by inequality and competition over power and resources

who is associated with conflict theory

karl marx

according to conflict theory who drives social change

conflict between groups competing for resources and power

symbolic interactionism

focuses on everyday interactions and the meanings people attach to symbols

who is associated with symbolic interactionism

george herbert mead, herbert blumer, max weber

symbol

anything that carries shared meaning within a culture

looking-glass self

charles horton cooley’s idea that people develop their self image through others’ reactions

3 steps of the looking-glass self

1. imagine how others see us

2. imagine how they judge us

3. develop feelings about ourselves

“i” (mead)

the spontaneous, creative part of the self

“me” (mead)

the socialized part of the self shaped by society

definition of the situation

people behave based on how they interpret a situation rather than objective reality

self-fulfilling prophecy

a false belief that influences behavior in a way that makes the belief come true

dramaturgy

erving goffmans idea that social life is like a theatrical performance

front stage

where people perform expected social roles for others

back stage

where people relax and act naturally away from an audience

feminist theory

examines how gender inequality is created and maintained by society

what are the 6 steps of the scientific method

1. ask a question

2. review the literature

3. form a hypothesis

4. collect data

5. analyze data

6. draw conclusions/report findings

deductive approach

starts with a theory, develops a hypothesis, then collects data to test it

inductive approach

starts with observations or data and develops a theory from the findings

quantitative research

research that collects numerical data and analyzes it statistically

goal of quantititative research

measure relationships between variables and identify patterns that can be generalized

qualitative research

research that collects descriptive non-numerical data to better understand peoples experiences and meanings

goal of qualitative research

gain a deeper understanding of social behavior and human experiences

variable

anything that can change or have different values

independent variable

the variable that is changed or manipulated by the researcher

dependent variable

the variable that is measured; it changes because of the independent variable

measurement

determining the value of a variable

reliability

the consistency of a measurement or research results over repeated studies

validity

whether a study actually measures what it claims to measure

population

the entire group a researcher wants to study

sample

a smaller group selected to represent the population

random sample

every member of the population has an equal chance of being selected

why is random sampling important

reduces bias and improves how well the sample represents the population

cause-and-effect relationship

a change in one variable directly causes a change in another variable

correlation

2 variables are related but one does not necessarily cause the other

spurious correlation

a relationship between two variables that appears real but is actually caused by a third variable

why cant correlation prove causation

other variables may explain the relationship

survey

research method that collects info by asking people questions through questionnaires or interviews

questionnaire

a writtens et of questions completed by participants

closed ended questions

questions with fixed answer choices that produce quantitiative data

open ended questions

questions that allow participants to answer in their own words and produce qualitative data

interview

one on one convo where a researcher asks participants questions in greater depth

advantage of interviews

researchers can ask follow up questions and gain detailed responses

disadvantages of interviews

time consuming and more difficult to analyze

field research

collecting data in a participants natural environment

main advantage of field research

observes real behavior in natural settings

main disadvantages of field research

difficult to control variables or establish cause and effect

participant observation

researchers become part of the group they are studying while observing behavior

covert participant observation

participants do not know they are being studied