Social Sciences and Concepts Review

Flashcards based on lecture notes covering major concepts, disciplines, and theories in the social sciences.

What does anthropology study?

Anthropology studies humans and cultures, often across different societies.

What does psychology study?

Psychology studies an individual's thoughts, emotions, and behaviour.

What does sociology study?

Sociology studies groups, relationships, and how society affects people.

What is a school of thought?

A group of ideas about how something should be understood or studied.

What is cultural diffusion?

When cultural ideas or practices spread from one society to another.

What does learning theory explain?

It explains how people learn behaviours through experiences and observation.

What standard is used to judge another culture in ethnocentrism?

Your own culture.

What role does the ego play in personality?

It is the part of personality that deals with reality and makes decisions.

What is the central concept of cultural materialism?

The idea that a society's environment and resources influence its culture.

What does structuralism study?

The underlying patterns and structures that shape society and culture.

What is the core idea of behaviourism?

The idea that behaviour is learned through experiences and the environment.

What does microsociology focus on studying?

Small-scale interactions between individuals or small groups.

What do social dynamics study?

How people and groups interact and change over time.

What causes cognitive dissonance?

Having conflicting beliefs or behaviours.

What is Ethnography

is Studying and describing a culture by observing its people

What is linguistics?

The scientific study of language.

What happens during acculturation?

People adopt parts of another culture while keeping parts of their own.

How does archaeology study past societies?

Through physical remains and artifacts.

What is confirmation bias?

Looking for information that supports what you already believe.

What is social statics?

The study of how society stays stable and organized.

What is intercultural contact?

Interaction between people from different cultures.

How does psychoanalytic theory explain human behaviour?

Through unconscious thoughts, emotions, and experiences.

What is the cyclical theory of change?

The idea that societies go through repeating cycles of growth, decline, and renewal.

What is reinforcement in behavioural theory?

A consequence that makes a behaviour more likely to happen again.

What is the main focus of individualism?

Independence and personal goals.

What is the main focus of collectivism?

The needs and goals of the group, family, or community.

What does conflict theory focus on?

Inequality and competition between social groups, especially over power and resources.

What does feminism focus on specifically?

Gender inequality and the unequal treatment of women and other genders.

What causes a paradigm shift?

New evidence or ideas that cause people to change the way they understand something.

What happens during paradigm paralysis?

People refuse or struggle to change their existing way of thinking.

Archaeology

The study of past societies through physical remains and artifacts.

Psychoanalytic Theory

Explains behaviour through unconscious thoughts, emotions, and experiences.

What is Conflict Theory

The idea that social change comes from competition and inequality between groups.