BSU Intro to Sociology test 1

Sociological Perspective/Imagination

The awareness of the relationship between individual behavior and experience and the wider culture.

Durkheim’s Study of Suicide

Researches suicide rate differences in Catholic and Protestant communities influenced by socio-religious forces.

Macro/Microsociology

Macro sociology focuses on large-scale social processes, while micro sociology focuses on smaller, local interactions.

Structural Functionalism

A macro-level theory that posits social structures exist to promote solidarity and stability.

Social Conflict

A perspective that emphasizes inequality in society, generating conflict that leads to social change.

Symbolic Interactionism

A micro-level theory that views society as the product of everyday interactions of individuals.

Survey

A method of collecting data through a series of questions about behaviors and opinions.

Participant Observation

A data collection method where a researcher takes on the role of those being studied.

Ethnography

An in-depth research method involving immersion into the natural setting of a community.

Quantitative/Qualitative

Quantitative data involves numerical values, while qualitative data focuses on characteristics and observations.

Independent/Dependent Variables

Independent variables cause changes in dependent variables.

Spurious Correlation

A false relationship where two variables appear to be related but are not causally linked.

Culture Shock

Disorientation or frustration experienced when encountering a new culture.

The Body of the Nacirema Article

An article that explores the rituals and beliefs of the Nacirema people, highlighting the peculiarities of American culture and how we view our practices as normal, but others may not.

Q’ero tribe story

“capturing the sun” because its hard to describe things that are not comprehendable to others. He cannot put into words what hes seen in New York when he returns to the mountians of Peru.

Cultural Universal

Patterns or traits that are common to all societies.

Sapir-Whorf Thesis

The idea that the way people understand the world is shaped by their language.

Subculture

A smaller culture within a larger culture.

Counterculture

A culture that actively opposes the dominant culture.

Functionalist theory on society

Collective conscience: common beliefs, morals, and attitudes

Mechanical shifts to organic via industrialization

Mechanical is small scale organic rely and depend on others

Conflict theory on society

Proletariat are laborers Bourgeoise own production. Disconnected from work and false consciousness

Status

The social position an individual occupies.

Ascribed Status

A social status a person is born into.

Achieved Status

A social status gained through personal effort.

Master status

Most important or most recognized of your statuses

Role

job within a status

Role conflict

A situation where a person faces competing demands from different roles associated with their various statuses.

Role strain

A situation where a person experiences difficulty in fulfilling the demands of a single role associated with a status.

Social construction of reality

Idea that people creatively shape reality through social interactions

Thomas Theorem

The principle that if people define situations as real, they are real in their consequences,

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

An idea that when acted upon, becomes true.

Looking-Glass Self

The self-concept based on how we believe others perceive us.

Breaching Experiments

Experiments that involve breaking social norms to observe reactions.

Goffman’s three forms of self preservation

Authentic = How you truly are

Ideal = How you act in public or wish to be seen

Tactical = How you present yourself to manipulate others' perceptions.

Scientific Sociology

What? Specific concept you’re looking at and questioning.

Interpretative sociology

Why. Meaning people give to their social world, Meaning v. Action

Critical sociology

Problems, criticising the “fixed/natural” order of the world

Ethics in reasearch, Stanford Prison Experiment

A psychological study conducted in 1971 by Philip Zimbardo that examined the effects of perceived power and authority in a simulated prison environment, revealing how situational forces can influence behavior. Demand Characteristics.

Q’ero Tribe Story

The Q’ero tribe describes their experience of 'capturing the sun' to symbolize the difficulty of articulating profound concepts that elude comprehension by others. This reflects their perception of experiences in the modern world, such as a return from New York to the Andes, representing a clash between vastly different cultural experiences and the challenge of communicating these differences effectively.

Symbols in Culture

Symbols are objects or images that hold meaning for people within the same culture (e.g., the bald eagle in American culture).

Language in Culture

Language is a structured system of communication used to convey thoughts and ideas.

Values in Culture

Values are the shared beliefs about what is considered good, right, and desirable in a culture, which can vary based on age, race, or sex.

Beliefs in Culture

Beliefs are the statements or ideas that individuals hold to be true within their cultural context.

Preindustrial Societies

Characterized by hunter-gatherer lifestyles, relying on wild animals and gathering uncultivated plants; includes pastoral and horticultural societies focused on domestication of animals and cultivating crops.

Industrial Societies

Emerging in the 1700s and 1800s, marked by steam power production, manufacturing capabilities that reduced production time and increased volume, leading to urban centers and changes in wealth distribution.

Post-Industrial Societies

Current U.S. society focuses on the production of information and services rather than manufacturing goods.

Role of Technology in Social Advancement

As societies advance, their technologies improve, facilitating greater social progress.

Social Change

An increase in individual awareness of societal roles, which can be leveraged for social improvement.