SOC 101 Review exam 1

sociology

the scientific study of human social relations, groups, and societies

sociological imagination

the ability to grasp the relationship between individual lives and the larger social forces that help to shape them

social embeddedness

the perspective that economic, political, and other forms of human behavior are fundamentally shaped by social relations

agency

the ability of individuals and groups to exercise free will and to influence social change on a small or large scale

structure

patterned social arrangements that have an effect on agency

auguste Comte

• founder of sociology

• believe that the scientific study of society could help manage society and social change

Emile Durkheim

• established what sociologists would study

• sociologists would focus on social solidarity and social change

Karl Marx

• Father of conflict perspective

• class conflict

• came up with bourgeoisie

critical thinking

the ability to evaluate claims by using reason and evidence

what are the 6 rules of critical thinking?

1. be willing to ask any question

2. think logically and be clear

3. back arguments with evidence

4. consider assumptions and biases

5. avoid anecdotal evidence

6. be willing to admit when you are wrong

social conflict perspective

• a theory that seeks to explain social organization and change in terms of conflict that is built into social relations

• when oner class of people uses their power to control access to resources over another class

symbolic interactionism

a microsocial perspective that believes that individual self and society as a whole are products of social interactions based on symbols

structural functionalism

• theory that explains social organization and change in terms of the roles performed by different social structures, phenomena, and institutions

• society is made up of distinct, interrelated parts that each serve a function to overall society

manifest function

function of something that is obvious or intended

latent function

functions that are not recognized or expected

Max Weber

• believed that an adequate explanation of the social world takes into account the meaning of what people do and say

• predicts that society would organize itself into bureaucracies, creating an iron cage

W.E.B. DuBois

• introduced the study of class, race, and identity to sociology

• first African American to earn phd from Harvard

• Double consciousness: being aware of the norms and values of two cultures in which you belong EX: Indian American

who is involved in functionalism?

• Durkheim

who is involved in conflict perspective?

• Marx

who is involved in symbolic interactionism?

• Goffman

What are max weber’s thoughts on organization and bureaucracies?

He believed bureaucracy was the most efficient way to set up an organisation, administration and organizations

quantitative data

data that measure a numerical value

qualitative data

data that measures a non-numerical value

what is the difference between a theory and a hypothesis in sociology

• A hypothesis is a proposed explanation for a phenomenon

• A theory is a hypothesis for natural phenomena that is well-supported by the data.

How do critical and interpretive research differ from the typical scientific method?

1. Objectives

2. Approach

3. Subjectivity

4. Generalizability

field study

data is collected in a natural setting, such as a community or organization, rather than in a controlled laboratory environment

participant observation

• commonly used in sociology

• researcher immerses themselves in a social setting and observes/interacts with participants

secondary data analysis

analyzing existing data that was collected by someone else for a different purpose

experiments

testing hypotheses to understand social phenomena

What are the types of research in sociology?

1. experiments

2. participant observation

3. secondary data analysis

4. field study

correlational relationship

• associations between two variables without causation

causal relationship

• cause-and-effect connection between two or more variables

• changes in one variable directly influence another variable

culture

the beliefs, norms, behaviors, and products common to the members of a particular group that bring meaning to their world

subculture

culture that exist together with dominant culture but differ in some important respects

what are the 4 elements of culture?

1. symbols

2. language

3. values

4. norms

symbols

• any gesture, sign, object, signal, or word that has a shared understanding in a given society

• people use symbols to understand their social world and adjust their behavior

language

a symbolic system, of verbal, nonverbal, and written representations that are vehicles for conveying meaning

values

the abstract and general standards in society that define ideal principles, such as the difference between right and wrong

norms

accepted social behaviors and beliefs that govern behavior

material culture

physical objects that are created, embraced, or consumed by society help shape people’s lives

nonmaterial culture

abstract creation of human culture, including language, ideas about behavior, and social practices

beliefs

a particular idea that people accept as true

what are the types of norms?

1. folkways

2. mores

3. taboos

folkway

fairly weak norms that are from the past, the violation of which is not big deal

EX: covering your mouth when you cough

more

strongly held norm, violation of which seriously offends the standards of acceptable conduct

EX: lying or stealing

taboo

violation of this arm is considered serious and unthinkable

EX: infidelity, murder

ideal culture

values, norms, and behaviors that people in society try to emulate

real culture

values, norms, and behaviors that people in society actually exhibit

cultural inconsistancy

contradictions between real and ideal culture

globalization

the process of international integration arising from the interchange of world views, products, ideas, mutual sharing, and other cultural aspects

what are the 3 factors that drive global culture?

1. travel

2. economics

3. media

global culture

a type of culture, some would say US culture, that has spread across the world in the form of mass media and restaurants that unify the cultures of various countries

how does travel drive globalization?

Travel drives globalization by facilitating the movement of people, goods, and ideas across borders. It promotes cultural exchange, economic integration, and the spread of ideas.

how does economics drive globalization?

• increase customer base

• cheaper goods made elsewhere

• better products made elsewhere

shallow integration

one country makes and exports a product

deep integration

many part of product made in many nations

how does media drive globalization?

• cultural exchange

• multiple flows of information

high culture

arts and other cultural products that are held in high esteem by society

pop culture

arts and other cultural products that are shared by the masses

what is the difference between pop culture and high culture?

high culture is more refined and sophisticated while pop culture is more normal and everyday, it’s less fancy

Which one, pop or high culture does the book argue is going global?

pop culture/mass media

etic perspective

the perspective of the outside observer

emic perspective

perspective of the insider, the one belonging to the cultural group

Cultural relativism

worldview where practices of a society only make sense to that society

socialization

the process by which people learn the culture of their society

erving goffman

• presentation of self

Presentation of self

people play different roles to manage the impressions of others

what is the psychological theory of behaviorism?

a psychological perspective that emphasizes the effect of direct rewards and punishments on human behavior

what is the psychological theory of social learning?

people learn through observing the rewards and punishments that come from other’s behavior, causes them to adapt their own behavior

role theory

the ability to take the roles of others in interactions to help guide behavior

looking-glass self

concept that our self image developed from how we interpret other people’s view of us

agents of socialization posted in review

1. family

2. school

3. peers

4. religion

5. work

6. media

theory of cognitive development

an individual’s ability to make logical decisions increases as the person grows older

primary group

smaller groups characterized by intense emotional ties, intimacy, and commitment

EX: best friends and significant other, immediate family

secondary group

larger groups that are less personal and characterized by fleeting relationships

reference group

groups that provide standards for judging our attitudes or behaviors

How do you know when a primary or secondary group is a reference group?

if that group provides standards for you attitudes or behaviors

What four factors influence group dynamics

1. size

2. authority

3. conformity

4. expected outcomes

dyad

group of two

triad

group of 3

social closure

ability of a group to strategically and consciously exclude outsiders from the group

alliance

subgroup that forms between group’s members, enabling them to dominate the group in their own interest

What are the two leadership styles from the lecture?

transformational and transactional

transformational leadership

leader who instills a sense of mission or higher purpose in the members of a group

transactional leadership

leader who focuses on supervision, organizations, and group performance, creates compliance through rewards and punishment

power

the ability to mobilize resources and achieve a goal despite the resistance of others

What types of power have we discussed in lecture?

1. legitimate authority

2. positional power

3. personal power

legitimate authority

a type of power that is recognized as rightful by those over whom it is exercised

positional power

a person’s power is determined by their position in a group

personal power

a person with the ability to persuade rather than relying on the position of power or ability to command

which type of leadership is personal power associated with?

transformational

which type of leadership is positional power associated with?

transactional

which type of leadership is legitimate authority associated with?

transactional

Asch’s conformity theory

people will alter their behaviors and attitudes to conform to the behaviors and attitudes of the group

groupthink

where members of a group ignore ways of thinking and plans of action that go against a perceived group consensus

EX: 1984 by George Orwell

conformity

obedience to authority

ordinary people will conform to orders given by someone in a position of power or authority, especially when the person in authority is understood to take responsibility for the action

what are the types of capital that has been discussed?

economic, cultural, social

economic capital

money/material that can be used to access valued goods and service

cultural capital

values and traditions that can be used to accomplish goals or access goods and services