Intro to Challenge and Change in Society - Unit Test #1

Social Science Inquiry Model

Steps for conducting social science investigations.

Closed Questions

Questions with yes or no answers.

Open Questions

Require longer, elaborative responses.

Ethical Research

Collecting data while avoiding bias and ensuring objectivity.

Milgram Experiment

Study measuring obedience to authority figures.

Obedience

Compliance with an authority's commands.

Research Question

Identifies the focus of the inquiry.

Hypothesis

Proposed answer based on preliminary evidence.

Data Gathering

Collecting information through various methods.

Data Analysis

Examining and organizing collected data.

Drawing Conclusions

Assessing research accuracy and communicating results.

Theories

Frameworks to explain and predict observations.

Characteristics of a Theory

Must explain reality and withstand scrutiny.

Good Theory

Concise, precise, testable, and productive.

Anthropological Theories

Explain cultural change through internal and external factors.

Internal Change

Inventions addressing societal needs.

External Change

Diffusion and acculturation between cultures.

Psychological Theories

Describe behaviors and predict future actions.

Sociological Theories

Examine social changes and predict future events.

Participant Observation

Research method involving immersion in a group.

Experiments

Controlled studies to test hypotheses.

Surveys

Questionnaires to gather data from participants.

Ethnography

Comparative cultural analysis through fieldwork.

Longitudinal Studies

Analysis over an extended period.

Quantifiable Results

Data that can be measured and compared.

Social Change

Transformation in society's beliefs and structures.

Agents of Change

Individuals influencing or challenging the status quo.

Status Quo

Existing state of affairs in society.

Social Movement

Collective effort to promote social change.

Cultural Values

Beliefs and norms shaping a society's behavior.

Historical Perspectives

Understanding change through past societal contexts.

Suffrage Movement

Campaign for women's right to vote.

Tipping Point

Moment when an idea gains significant popularity.

Social Epidemic

Rapid spread of ideas or behaviors like a virus.

Law of the Few

Influence of a small group on social change.

Stickiness Factor

Memorable presentation of ideas for effective communication.

Power of Context

Influence of environment on human behavior.

Cognitive Dissonance

Mental discomfort from holding conflicting beliefs.

Technological Change

Impact of technology on societal transformation.

Socialization

Process of internalizing societal norms and values.

Public Support

Community backing for social movements or changes.

Long-View Perspective

Analyzing social change over extended periods.

Resistance to Change

Opposition to new ideas or practices.

Social Scientists

Researchers studying societal dynamics and changes.

Complexity of Change

Multiple factors influencing a single social change.

Historical Change

Evolution of societal norms over time.

Environmental Influence

Effect of surroundings on societal behaviors.

Socialization Agents

Influencers like family, education, and media.

Anthropology

Systematic study of humanity, with the goal of understanding our evolutionary origins, our distinctiveness as a species, and the great diversity in our forms of social existence across the world and through time.

Cultural Relativism

Studying other cultures and values with acceptance and respect.

Ethnology

Studying and comparing past with contemporary cultures.

Ethnography

The in-depth description of a particular culture through extensive field work.

Participant Observation

The effort of an investigator to gain entrance into and social acceptance by a foreign culture so as better to attain a comprehensive understanding of the internal structure of the society.

Biological (Physical) Anthropology

The study of human-environmental adaptation (evolution) within the context of human cultures and behaviours.

Cultural Anthropology

The study of the learned behaviours of groups of people in specific environments.

Archaeology

The study of human past by careful uncovery & examination of material remains in order to interpret the experiences of peoples throughout history.

Linguistic Anthropology

The study of how language influences social life and how people use it for social and cultural purposes.

Ruth Benedict

Anthropologist known for the quote, 'The Purpose of Anthropology is to make the World Safe for Human Differences.'

Alfred L. Kroeber

Anthropologist known for the quote, 'Anthropology is the most humanistic of the sciences and the most scientific of the Humanities.'

Methodology

Rely heavily on fieldwork and the detailed observations.

Archaeologists

Professionals who excavate sites where ancient societies once lived.

Cultural Anthropologists

Professionals who interact with modern social groups in order to better understand them or their distant ancestors.

Fieldwork

Commonly consists of interacting with modern social groups to better understand them or their distant ancestors.

Prehistoric Cultures

Cultures that existed before the invention of writing.

Artifacts

Material remains left behind by cultures that can be interpreted to reconstruct a prehistoric culture's way of life.

Evolution

The process of change in the inherited characteristics of biological populations over successive generations.

Social Existence

The diverse ways in which humans live and interact within societies.

Human Differences

The variations among human beings in terms of culture, behavior, and social structures.

Culture

Is the full range of learned human behaviour patterns; the beliefs, attitudes, values and ideals of a society.

Components of Culture

1) material objects that we might possess or desire, 2) attitudes that are considered acceptable, 3) behaviours that are considered proper.

Characteristics of Culture

Culture is learned, shared with others, shapes how we understand the world, and has patterns.

Ethnocentrism

Term applied to the cultural bias (conscious or unconscious) in which an individual views the world from the perspective of his or her own group, establishing the in-group as the norm and rating all other groups with reference to this ideal.

Consequences of Ethnocentrism

Results in an inability to adequately understand cultures that are different from one's own and value judgments that preference the in-group and assert its inherent superiority.

Cultural Relativism

The antithesis of ethnocentrism, actively countered through education.

Universal Emotions

Emotions that are recognized across different cultures.

Ethnography

Comparative study of two or more cultures by using data taken from research and applying it to a single cultural topic.

Culture Writing

Refers to a type of documentation commonly used by Anthropologists, that uses detailed first hand descriptions based on first hand research.

Holism in Anthropology

The idea that culture can be best understood through the understanding of as many aspects of the culture as possible.

Functionalism

Culture functions to meet the needs of individuals rather than the needs of society as a whole.

Micro Level Orientation

Focuses on individuals' feelings and motives as crucial to understanding the way society functions.

Structuralism

Involves analyzing something (person, society, etc.) by breaking it down into its most basic elements and exploring how these elements are related to each other and to the whole.

Macro Level Orientation

Focuses on the broader structures and systems within society.

Cultural Materialism

Based on the premise that human life is a response to the practical problems of existence that the physical world impacts and sets constraints on human behavior.

Material Conditions

Prioritized as more likely than ideas to be causal in human societies.

Sociology

The study of social life, social change and the social causes and consequences of human behaviour.

Socialization

Process of learning to behave in a way that is acceptable to society.

Values

A person's principles or standards of behaviour.

Norms

A pattern of social behavior typical or expected of a group.

Demographics

Statistical studies of population and particular groups within it.

Pure Sociology

To gain knowledge. Ex. Studying the social structure of disadvantaged communities.

Applied Sociology

Find solutions to social problems. Ex. How to prevent criminality in disadvantaged communities.

Clinical Sociology

The application of theories, research, and interventions to social issues and problems presented by clients.

Primary Groups

Small groups with members hard to replace, who frequently meet face-to-face and share in-depth things together.

Secondary Groups

Impersonal and informal groups where members know minimal personal information.

Deviance

Behaviour that is different from the social norm.

Status

A term used to describe our position in an institution.

Hierarchy

Ranking of authority and power.

Role

A socially expected behavior pattern usually determined by an individual's status in a particular society.

Structural-Functionalism

The theory that societies need certain things to function (education, reproduction, socializing, certain goods).

Conflict Theory

The theory that economic power equals political power and to understand society, one must look at the economy and the great differences in power created by money.