Exam #1 Flashcards
Sociology
study of human society and social behavior, from mass culture to small groups and interactions
Microsociology
examines small group interactions to see how they impact larger institutions in society
Macrosociology
examines large-scale social structures to determine how they impact groups and individuals
Thomas Theorum
what people believe to be true is true in it’s consequences (a child acting scared because they think there is a monster in the dark)
Sociological Imagination
Who?
Mills
studying the world by connecting individuals to larger social, cultural, political, and economic forces
Troubles
occur within an individual and the range of his immediate relation with others
unemployment
Issues
matters that transcend the environment of the individual
a city with high unemployment
Heterogeneity
the variety of differences within a social group
The invisible hand
who?
Adam Smith
idea that any individual who intends only his gain is led by an invisible hand to promote the public interest
What is the Tragedy of the Commons?
short-term self-interest leads to tragedy for all
The Nested Model from bottom up
self, interaction, roles, group, social inequality, social institutions, culture, society
Agency
our individual choices
Social Structure
politics, economy, religion, education, law, family, medicine, science, sports, etc
Culture
the meanings, values, morals, language, and the norms of a groups of people
Social Facts
Mills
Mills
products of human interaction with persuasive or coercive power that exists eternally
Structural functionalism
who?
a sociological theory that views society as a complex system where parts work together to maintain stability. How does this thing hold together?
Emile Durkheim
Conflict theory
who?
who benefits?
Every society has some type of inequality which drives conflict
Karl Marx
Symbolic Interaction
who?
How is this thing created?
People act on the basis of meanings and come from people interactions with others and themselves
Charles Cooley
Mind
Who?
ability to interact with ourselves using symbolic language
George Herbert Mead
Social facts
Durkheim
Durkheim
cultural norms, values, and social structures that influence individuals
What are the 4 social forces (facts) ?
Who?
Durkheim
Social solidarity: social connections are necessary for a functioning society and a fulfilling life
Mechanical Solidarity: people held together by similarities and likeness
Collective Conscience: refers to the common beliefs and sentiments of the entire society
Organic Solidarity: people held together by differences and interdependence on one another
Bourgeoisie definition
those who have control over the forces of production
Proletariat definition
those who do not have access to the forces of production, force to sell labor to make ends meet
Definition of the Situation
reaffirms + meaning = action based on meaning
Mead’s three stages of social self
- Preparatory stage (imitation)
- Play stage (acting out roles during play time
- Game stage (taking on social roles)
What are the 8 research methods?
- Research cycle
- Variable
- Induction and deduction
- Samples and populations
- Four major methods and qualitative + quantitative data
- Causality v. correlation
- Research ethics - The Belmont Report
- Milgram
7 Steps of the Research cycle
- Identity problem / ask a question
- Conduct a literature review
- Form a hypothesis, definitions to variables
- Choose a research design or method
- Collect data
- Analyze data
- Disseminate findings
Dependent Variable
influenced by change, by the independent variable
Independent Variable
consistent, influences the dependent variable
Hypothesis
a statement involving the relationship between two or more variables
Inductive
specific observations to a general conclusion
Deductive
a general principle applied to reach a specific observation
Random is defined as
eliminating every possibility of bias other than chance
What are the four major methods?
Are they qualitative or quantitative
- Surveys (qn)
- Interviews (ql)
- Participation observation (ql)
- Experiments (both)
Open ended question
free response
Close ended question
multiple choice
Causality
helps to determine and distinguish between correlation, causation, and spurious causation
Ways to test causality (3)
- Association: must have predictable and consistent relationship
- Time order: the independent variable must come before the dependent variable
- Non-Spuriousness: the relation is real, meaning it is ONLY the independent variable causing the deponent variable
Spuriousness
the relationship is not a real relationship
ex: drownings and ice cream sales
only connected due to summer
Probability sampling
each person in population must have equal chance of being selected, no bias
Principle of form-resistance correlations
if question wording/meaning is kept constant, differences over time, across educational levels and most other careful comparisons are not seriously affected by question wording
The Shirer Thesis
Germans have a basic character flaw making them susceptible to obey authority without question
Negative reinforcement
getting punished for doing something wrong
Positive reinforcement
getting rewarded for doing something right
