Sociology 101 Study Guide for Examination #1

Who was Auguste Comte?

a french philosopher, founder of sociology, and applied the scientific method to social life (positivism)

What is Comte’s 3 Stage Theory?

Theological (religion and superstition explain the world), Metaphysical Stage (abstract reasoning, rights, stable societies), and Positivistic Stage (empirical science explains the natural and social world

Who was Emilie Durkheim?

was a French sociologist who founded functionalism and emphasized the importance of social integration, consensus, and the division of labor in maintaining social stability.

What did Karl Marx and Max Weber believed created Social Change?

What is Functionalism?

belief that society is like a structured system: it needs stability

What is Conflict Theory?

the belief that conflict is necessary in order for society to have social change

What is Symbolic Interactionist?

the belief that our relationships and social cues, determines our interactions

What are the seven steps of the Research Method?

1. Selecting a Topic, 2. reviewing the literature, 3. make a hypothesis, 4. create a research design, 5. collect data, 6. analyze data, 7. draw conclusions

What is the Independent Variable?

is the factor that researchers manipulate to test its effect (cause)

What is Qualitative Analysis?

gathers detailed and specific information, such as the role of social class or family background in teenage pregnancy rates.

What is Hypothesis?

a prediction about the relationship between variables that can be tested through research.

What is the Dependent Variable?

is the outcome being measured. (effect)

What is the Quantitative Analysis?

reduces general research data into numerical values, such as percentages or averages.

What is Validity?

the degree to which a measure is accurate and really measures what it claims to measure

What are Reliability?

the consistency with which the same measure produces similar results time after time

What is meant by causation?

a relationship in which one variable is the direct consequence of another

What is Culture?

is a design for living that includes both material and non-material elements which help people make sense of the world.

What is a Culture War?

is a conflict based on opposing cultural values, often between traditional or conservative groups and progressive or liberal groups.

What is Material Culture?

includes the physical and tangible objects of a culture such as food, clothing, buildings, and technology.

What is Non-Material Culture?

includes customs, traditions, and ideas that provide emotional meaning, such as greetings or religious rituals.

What are Norms?

are the unwritten rules of behavior that people in a society are expected to follow.

What are Values?

are concepts that a society believes are desirable, good, and correct, such as honesty and fairness

What is the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis?

is the idea that language shapes the way people think, act, and see the world. the words and expressions available in a language influence what its speakers can understand and how they interpret reality.

What is Culture Shock?

confusion, disorientation, or anxiety that accompanies exposure to an unfamiliar way of life

What is Real Culture?

What is Ideal Culture?

the belief’s values, and norms that people say they hold or follow

What is Socialization?

is the process through which people internalize their culture and learn to participate in society. It happens through interaction with agents of socialization, such as family, education, peer groups, and mass media, and continues throughout the life cycle.

What is the Nature/Nurture Debate?

is a disagreement among scientists about human development. Biologists emphasize heredity and genetics (nature), while sociologists and other social scientists stress learning, culture, and socialization (nurture). Many researchers believe that both heredity and environment work together in shaping human being

What were the four stages of Jean Piaget’s research?

focused on COGNITION and AFFECTIVE DEVELOPMENT. His process of development has four stages. (cognitive skills, affective development, sensorimotor stage, preoperational stage)

What do sociologists feel “makes us human?”

What is the “looking-glass self?’

What are the 3 stages in George Herbert Mead’s model of “taking the role of the other?”