SOC Quiz 1 - RED

Human behavior is shaped by…

interactions and all that is produced by them

what are we interested in?

Observing, understanding, and predicting those patterns in behavior that emerge through interactions

sociology

the scientific study of social life, social change, and the social causes and consequences of human behavior

what can two things can humans do that animals can’t do together?

cooperate together flexibly and in large numbers

imagination

the capacity to form and manipulate symbols in our minds - allows humans to flexibly cooperate in large groups

emergence

small things forming big things with different properties

social structures

the aggregate of patterned social arrangements in society that are both emergent from and determinant of the actions of individuals

society

a group of people who live within a defined territory and who share a culture

generalization

a conclusion drawn from sociological research that is meant to apply to broad categories of people;e but for which many exceptions will always exist

life chances

the degree to which people succeed in life in such areas such as education, income, and health

sociological imagination

the ability to appreciate the structural basis for individual problems

Auguste Comte

argued that society could be studied positively (scientifically)

Macrosociologists

focus on the big picture, (social structure, social institutions)

Microsociologists

focus on sociology that examines social interactions in small settings

social order

a stable state of society in which the existing social structure is accepted and maintained by its members

norms

shared standards of acceptable behavior within a group

socialization

learning societies rules, norms, and values, and the need to cooperate

sanction

a reward or punishment used to enforce conformity to a role expectation

Anomie

normlessness, a state in which social norms are unclear

institutions

a stable pattern of roles and norms organized around a shared value orientation and back by sanctions

structural functionalism

the view that social institutions are important for their contributions to social stability

What ideas are connected with Emile Durkheim?

mechanical solidarity (pre-modern) vs. organic solidarity (modern)

mechanical solidarity

solidarity from collective consciousness

organic solidarity

lack of similarity

interests

a motivational orientation that directs attention, energy, and action toward specific social object, activities, or goals

power

the ability to exercise ones will over others

conflict theorists

view society as composed of groups with different interests arousing from their placement in the social structure

social hierarchy

a system where people or groups are ranked by varying levels of power and status

social classes

groupings of people into hierarchical categories

class

economic position

social interaction

the ways in which people act with other people and react to how other people are interacting

gestures

movements of the heads, arms, hands, and other parts of the body mean to convey ideas or emotions nonverbally

symbols

things that stand for something else and that often evoke various reactions and emotions

definition of the situation

the meaning people assign to a setting, which then governs how the act; “if men define situations as real, then they are real in their consequences”

social construction

the process by which repeated interaction turns shared meanings into something people treat as objective reality

symbolic interactionism

a micro perspective in sociology that focuses on the meanings people gain from social interaction

sociology is a method of…

investigation; a way of systematically collecting and analyzing empirical observations

sociology is a body of…

knowledge; an organized literature, a set of theories, and results derived from prior scientific analyses

six steps of the scientific method

observation/question, research topic area, hypothesis, test with experiment, analyze data, report conclusions

falsifiability

the possibility of identifying and outcome of a test/observation that conflicts with predictions deduced from hypothesis

models

determine the type of questions we ask; simplified representations of phenomena that help us understand and predict the world

variable

any characteristic that varies among units of analysis

independent variables

variables we think can affect another variable

dependent variables

variables that are influenced by an independent variable

sample

a subset of a population

generalizability

refers to the degree to which the results of a study can be applied to a larger population

random sample

everyone in the population has an equal chance of being included

quantitative data

observations are values on measured variables, enabling assessment of relationships via counting or statistics

qualitative data

observations that preserve their original context and meaning

field research

gathering primary data from a natural environment

participant observation

researchers join people and participate in a groups routine activities for the purpose of observing them within that context

interview

a purposeful, spoken conversation where a researcher asks participant questions to gather data about human life