Chapter 1 - Thinking of Social Problems

Question 1

sociological imagination

Answer 1

The ability to see the connections between our personal lives and the social world in which we live.

Question 2

objective element of a social problem

Answer 2

Awareness of social conditions through one’s own life experiences and through reports in the media.

Question 3

subjective element of a social problem

Answer 3

The belief that a particular social condition is harmful to society, or to a segment of society, and that it should and can be changed.

Question 4

independent variable

Answer 4

The variable that is expected to explain change in the dependent variable.

Question 5

Field research

Answer 5

Research that involves observing and studying social behavior in settings in which it occurs naturally

Question 6

Norms

Answer 6

Socially defined rules of behavior, including folkways, mores, and laws.

Question 7

Sample

Answer 7

A portion of the population, selected to be representative so that the information from the sample can be generalized to a larger population.

Question 8

Beliefs

Answer 8

Definitions and explanations about what is assumed to be true.

Question 9

Roles

Answer 9

The set of rights, obligations, and expectations associated with a status.

Question 10

Symbol

Answer 10

Something that represents something else.

Question 11

theory

Answer 11

A set of interrelated propositions or principles designed to answer a question or explain a particular phenomenon.

Question 12

Experiments

Answer 12

Research methods that involve manipulating the independent variable to determine how it affects the dependent variable.

Question 13

alienation

Answer 13

A sense of powerlessness and meaninglessness in people’s lives.

Question 14

Social movement

Answer 14

An organized group of individuals with a common purpose to either promote or resist social change through collective action.

Question 15

Primary groups

Answer 15

Usually small numbers of individuals characterized by intimate and informal interaction.

Question 16

Variable

Answer 16

Any measurable event, characteristic, or property that varies or is subject to change.

Question 17

Values

Answer 17

Social agreements about what is considered good and bad, right and wrong, desirable and undesirable.

Question 18

Structure

Answer 18

The way society is organized including institutions, social groups, statuses, and roles.

Question 19

Secondary groups

Answer 19

Involving small or large numbers of individuals, groups that are task-oriented and are characterized by impersonal and formal interaction.

Question 20

Latent functions

Answer 20

Consequences that are unintended and often hidden.

Question 21

institution

Answer 21

An established and enduring pattern of social relationships.

Question 22

achieved status

Answer 22

A status that society assigns to an individual on the basis of factors over which the individual has some control (e.g., high school graduate).

Question 23

Manifest functions

Answer 23

Consequences that are intended and commonly recognized.

Question 24

social problem

Answer 24

A social condition that a segment of society views as harmful to members of society and in need of remedy.

Question 25

social group

Answer 25

Two or more people who have a common identity, interact, and form a social relationship.

Question 26

ascribed status

Answer 26

A status that society assigns to an individual on the basis of factors over which the individual has no control (e.g., race).

Question 27

status

Answer 27

A position that a person occupies within a social group.

Question 28

anomie

Answer 28

A state of normlessness in which norms and values are weak or unclear.

Question 29

culture

Answer 29

The meanings and ways of life that characterize a society, including beliefs, values, norms, sanctions, and symbols.

Question 30

Survey research

Answer 30

A research method that involves eliciting information from respondents through questions.

Question 31

dependent variable

Answer 31

The variable that the researcher wants to explain; the variable of interest.

Question 32

hypothesis

Answer 32

A prediction or educated guess about how one variable is related to another variable.

Question 33

sanctions

Answer 33

Social consequences for conforming to or violating norms.