SOC 1 - EXAM 1: Sociological Imagination, Research Methods, and Cultural Society Overview Listen as a podcast Add to calendar

Sociological Imagination

The tendency for most people in everyday life is to think about problems as individual issues.

Micro Issues

Individual level thinking.

Macro Issues

Structural issues.

Auguste Comte

Coined the term sociology.

Positivism

To gain knowledge of the social world with certainty.

Karl Marx

The way to understand society is through conflict (social classist).

Social Facts

Bigger than individual will or decision making.

Max Weber

Verstehen: Human understanding and motivation is important.

Quantitative Research

Based on numbers.

Qualitative Research

Based on descriptions and stories, or narratives.

Functionalism

Society is made up of interconnected parts that work together.

Manifest Functions

Obvious functions.

Latent Functions

Unintentional functions.

Conflict Theory

Society is characterized by competition over scarce resources.

Symbolic Interaction

Society is created through everyday interactions.

Research Process

Question, literature review, hypothesis, collect data, analyze, report.

Variable

Measurement of a concept.

Independent Variable (IV)

The cause in a cause-effect relationship.

Dependent Variable (DV)

The effect in a cause-effect relationship.

Reliability

A reliable measure is constant over time.

Validity

The accuracy of a measure in capturing the concept.

Survey

We use questions to collect information.

Interviews

One-on-one conversations that allow for follow-up questions.

Field Research

In-depth examination of a social phenomenon.

Experimental Group

Receives actual stimulus in an experiment.

Controlled Group

Receives a neutral stimulus in an experiment.

Informed Consent

Participants are informed of what to expect and willingly agree.

Ethnocentrism

Judging others by one's own cultural standards.

Cultural Relativism

Understanding practices within their cultural context.

Culture Shock

Disorientation entering a new culture.

Socialization

A lifelong process where we learn social norms and expectations.

Agents of Socialization

Family, peers, school, workplace, religion, government.