
anthropology	The scientific study of humans, including their origins’ behaviour; and physical. Social and cultural development
Cognitive consistency	The tendency of individuals to seek out stimuli that are consistent with their beliefs and attitudes and to limit exposure to those are inconsistent.
Cognitive dissonance	The state of having inconsistent thoughts, beliefs, and attitudes
Collectivist society	A society in which individuals are dependent on the group, and personal needs are secondary to group needs
Command class	Those who have authority in society
Confirmation bias	The tendency among people to favour information that confirms their beliefs and preconceptions about an issue regardless of the validity of the information
diffusion	The spread of a cultural trait from one society to another through social contact
ethnocentrism	The belief that one’s own culture, nation, or ethnic group is superior to all others
hypothesis	A tentative assumption made from know facts as the basis for investigation
Individualist society	A society that values autonomy, freedom, and competition, as well as personal rights and freedoms
Intercultural contact	Exchanges between different cultures
macrosociology	A sociological approach that analyzes social systems on a larger scale
microsociology	The study of small groups and individuals within a society
norms	Expectations of appropriate conduct that serve as the basis of all social interactions
Obey class	Those without authority in society
Participant observation	The careful watching of a group; in some cases living in their culture
psychology	The scientific study of the human mind, mental states, and human behaviour
Qualitative data	Subjective information expressed in words or actions
Quantitative data	Information that is measured numerically
Social change	Transformations in the beliefs, social interactions, practices, organization, and structures of society
Social dynamics	The factors that determine social change
Social paradigm shift	When a new set of ideals, beliefs, and values become strong enough to affect and change the way individuals see and perceive reality
Social statics	The requirements necessary to maintain and achieve social order
sociology	The scientific study of human social behaviour, including individuals, groups, and societies
Status quo	The general state of affairs or condition of a group, culture, or society
conscious mind	The active and awake mind –decisions are thought about and made here
Unconscious mind	The active and awake mind –decisions are thought about and made here
The Id	A part of the mind that seeks to meet basic physical needs and desires (food, sex, sleep, etc.) \n
The Superego	A part of the mind that seeks to meet our most ideal standards, such as morality, social acceptability, etc
The Ego	A part of the mind which acts as the balance between Id and Super Ego
Neurotic	A state of mental disorder, usually the result of an unresolved conflict/issue from earlier in life (childhood) \n
Stimulus/Response	An event that stimulates sense(s) and the response that follows \n
Institution	Organizations or establishments in society \n
Hierarchy	Ranking, sometimes connected with power or preference
Role	A position in society that comes with a perceived status and a set of values/expectations \n
Role Conflict	Experiencing opposing or conflicting demands of two or more roles \n
Values	A set of rules or ideals that tell us what is good/bad, desirable/undesirable \n
Deviance	Behaviour that is not considered “normal”
Dysfunctional	Not/Not completely functioning
Assimilationist	The practice or ideology of assimilation -the absorption of minorities by majorities
School of thought	a particular way of thinking, typically one disputed by the speaker
Institution	a society or organization founded for a religious, educational, social, or similar purpose
Binary Opposite	pair of related terms or concepts that are opposite in meaning
Materialism	a tendency to consider material possessions and physical comfort as more important than spiritual values
Determinism	the doctrine that all events, including human action, are ultimately determined by causes external to the will. Some philosophers have taken determinism to imply that individual human beings have no free will and cannot be held morally responsible for their actions.
Infrastructure	the basic physical and organizational structures and facilities (e.g. buildings, roads, power supplies) needed for the operation of a society or enterprise

Unit 1 Challenge and Change Key Terms