CLEP - Sociology 1-2 Flashcards
Scientific perspective
Stresses acquiring objective empirical (actual) knwoeldge which can be measured from an actual experiance.
Sociological imagination
Term coined by C, Wright Mills
Describes knowledge that expresses both an understanding that personal troubles can often reflect broader social issues and problems a
Expresses the humanistic aspect of the sociological perspective
Theological stage
1st stage in a pattern of development in which scientists look toward the supernatural realm of ideas for an explanation of what they observe
Metaphysical stage
2nd stage in a pattern of development in which scientists begin to look to the real world for an explanation of what they have observed
Positive stage
3rd and Final/definitive stage of pattern of development of all knowledge in which scientists search for general ideas or laws
Deductive theory
Proceeds from general ideas, knowledge, or understanding of the social world from which specific hypotheses are logically deduced and tested
Inductive theory
concrete observations from which general conclusions are inferred through a process of reasoning
Interpretative theory
human beings attach meaning to their lives; includes the perspective of symbolic interaction
Conflict theory
View of the social world that questions how factors such as race, sex, social class, & age are associated with an unequal distribution of socially valued goods & rewards
Structural functionalism
View of society as a social system of interrelated parts & analogous to a living organism where each part contributes to the overall stability of the whole;
society is seen as a complex system whose components work with one another
Conflict paradigm
View of society as being characterized by conflict & inequality
Research methods
Refers both to a strategy or plan for carrying out research & the means of carrying out the strategy
Quantitative methods
Research method that makes use of statistical & other mathematical techniques of quantification or measurement in an effort to describe & interpret observations
Qualitative methods
Research method that relies on personal observation & description of social life in order to explain behavior
Verstehen
Understanding as a means of characterizing & interpreting or explaining through applying reason to specific social situations;
developed by Max Weber
Survey method
Method of observation in which subjects are asked about their opinions, beliefs, or behavior; info is collected directly from the respondents by means of an interview or indirectly by means of a self-administered written form of a questionnaire
Descriptive survey
Captures info about a situation, condition, event, attitude, or opinion at a specific time
Explanatory survey
Captures info in order to test theories & casual or correlational relationships between variables
Independent variable
A variable that influences another variable
Dependent variable
Variable that is influenced by another variable
Correlational relationship
Exists when a change in one variable coincides with, but does not cause, a change in another
Causal relationship
Exists when a change in one variable causes or forces a change in the other
Representative sample
A sample of respondents that accurately reflects the population from which it is drawn
Random sample
A sample where every member of the population has the same chance of being chosen for study
