socl 2001 final vocab LSU Danielle Thomas

Agency

Our freedom as individuals to think and act as we choose.

Alienation

Loss of control over our creative human capacity to produce, separation from the products we make, and isolation from fellow producers.

Anomie

A weak sense of social solidarity caused by a lack of agreed-upon rules to guide behavior.

Applied sociology

Using sociology to develop practical applications for human behavior and organizations.

Clinical sociology

Using sociology with the intent of altering social relationships or restructuring institutions.

Conflict perspective

A sociological paradigm that focuses on power and the allocation of valued resources in society.

Functionalist perspective

A sociological paradigm viewing society as a living organism whose parts work together for stability.

Globalization

Worldwide integration of government policies, cultures, social movements, and markets.

Interactionist perspective

A sociological paradigm stating that society is created through everyday interactions and shared meanings.

Macrosociology

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

Microsociology

Sociological investigation emphasizing small groups and daily interactions.

Natural science

The systematic study of the physical features of nature and how they interact and change.

Personal sociology

Recognizing the impact of the positions we occupy on how we think and act.

Private troubles

Problems we face in our immediate relationships with particular individuals in our personal lives.

Public issues

Problems experienced as a result of the positions we occupy in the larger social structure.

Social facts

Manners of acting, thinking, and feeling external to the individual that exert coercive power.

Social inequality

A condition in which members of society have differing amounts of wealth, prestige, or power.

Social science

The systematic study of human behavior, interaction, and change.

Society

The structure of relationships within which culture is created and shared through regularized patterns.

Sociological imagination

Recognizing the interdependent relationship between who we are and the social forces shaping our lives.

Sociology

The systematic study of the relationship between the individual and society and of the consequences of difference.

Theory

A set of statements that seeks to explain problems, actions, or behavior.

Thomas theorem

What we perceive as real is real in its consequences.

Causal logic

A relationship exists between variables in which change in one brings about change in the other.

Code of Ethics

Standards of acceptable behavior developed by and for members of a profession.

Content analysis

The systematic coding and objective recording of data, guided by some rationale.

Control group

Subjects who are not introduced to the independent variable by the researcher.

Control variable

A factor held constant to test the relative impact of an independent variable.

Correlation

A relationship between two variables in which a change in one coincides with a change in the other.

Dependent variable

The variable that is subject to the influence of another variable.

Ethnography

The study of an entire social setting through extended, systematic observation.

Experiment

An artificially created situation that allows a researcher to manipulate variables.

Experimental group

The subjects in an experiment who are exposed to an independent variable.

Hawthorne effect

The unintended influence that observers of experiments can have on subjects.

Hypothesis

A testable statement about the relationship between two or more variables.

Independent variable

The variable that causes or influences a change in another variable.

Interview

Face-to-face or telephone questioning to obtain desired information.

Mean

A number calculated by adding values and dividing by the total number of values.

Median

The midpoint that divides a series of values into two equal groups.

Mode

The single most common value in a series of scores.

Observation

A technique in which a researcher gathers information through direct participation or watching a group.

Operational definition

The transformation of an abstract concept into measurable, observable indicators.

Qualitative research

Descriptive research relying on narrative accounts rather than statistics.

Quantitative research

Research that collects and reports data primarily in numerical form.

Questionnaire

A printed or computerized form completed and returned by a respondent.

Random sample

A sample in which every member of a population has an equal chance of selection.

Reliability

The extent to which a measure yields consistent results.

Research design

A detailed plan for obtaining data scientifically.

Sample

A selection from a larger population that statistically represents that population.

Scientific method

Systematic observation of empirical evidence to assess and refine ideas.

Secondary analysis

Research methods using previously collected, publicly available information.

Survey

A predefined series of questions designed to collect information about beliefs or attributes.

Validity

The degree to which a measure accurately reflects the phenomenon studied.

Value neutrality

Weber's term for objectivity in interpreting data.

Variable

A measurable trait or characteristic subject to change under different conditions.

Argot

Specialized language used by members of a group or subculture.

Cognitive culture

Our mental and symbolic representations of reality.

Counterculture

A subculture that deliberately opposes certain aspects of the larger culture.

Cultural lag

The principle that technological innovation happens faster than our ability to adjust to it.

Cultural relativism

Viewing people's behavior from the perspective of their own culture.

Cultural universal

A practice or belief shared by all societies.

Culture

Everything humans create in building relationships with nature and with each other.

Culture shock

Feelings of disorientation or fear when encountering unfamiliar cultural practices.

Diffusion

The process through which a cultural item spreads within or between societies.

Discovery

Revealing a previously unknown aspect of reality.

Dominant ideology

Cultural beliefs and practices that justify existing powerful interests.

Ethnocentrism

Assuming one's own culture is normal or superior.

Folkways

Norms governing everyday behavior with minor consequences for violation.

Formal norm

A norm that is written down and includes strict punishments.

Ideal norms

Guidelines for behavior that people agree should be followed.

Informal norm

A norm generally understood but not formally recorded.

Innovation

Introducing a new idea or object to a culture through discovery or invention.

Invention

Combining existing materials to create something new.

Language

A system of shared symbols such as speech, writing, or gestures.

Laws

Formal norms enforced by the state.

Material culture

Physical modifications of the natural environment.

Mores

Norms deemed highly necessary to the welfare of society.

Norm

A standard of behavior maintained by a society.

Normative culture

The ways we establish, abide by, and enforce principles of conduct.

Nonverbal communication

Using gestures, expressions, and visual images to communicate.

Real norms

Rules of conduct based on people's actual behavior.

Sanction

A reward or penalty for following or violating a social norm.

Sapir-Whorf hypothesis

The idea that the structure and vocabulary of language shape our perception of reality.

Social construction of reality

The ongoing process in which individuals create society through actions and are shaped by it.

Society

The structure of relationships within which culture is created and shared.

Sociobiology

The study of how biology influences human social behavior.

Subculture

A segment of society with distinctive norms and values differing from the larger society.

Technology

Material culture used to convert natural resources into practical tools.

Value

A collective idea of what is considered good, desirable, proper—or bad and undesirable.

Cultural diffusion

Rules generated from actual behavior rather than ideal expectations.

Activity theory

A theory suggesting that elderly people who remain active and socially involved experience a better quality of life.

Ageism

Prejudice and discrimination based on a person's age.

Anticipatory socialization

Socialization in which a person rehearses for future positions, occupations, or relationships.

Degradation ceremony

A humiliating ritual used in some total institutions as part of resocialization.

Disengagement theory

A theory suggesting that society and the aging person mutually withdraw from many social relationships.

Dramaturgical approach

A view of social interaction in which people are seen as actors on a stage performing roles.

Face-work

Efforts to maintain a proper image and avoid public embarrassment.

Gender role

Expectations regarding behaviors and attitudes associated with maleness or femaleness.

Generalized other

The attitudes and expectations of society as a whole that individuals take into account.

Gerontology

The study of the sociological and psychological aspects of aging.