Exam 1 Flashcards
Who described the dual thinking by differentiating between the “I” and “me”?
George Herbert Mead
“Me”
Object of thought
“I”
Subject of thought
Theory of Mind
The recognition that other minds exist, followed by the realization that we can try and imagine others mental states
Mirroring Neurons
Cells in the brain that fire in identical ways if we are observing or performing an action (don’t differentiate between the self and others)
Self-concept
Understanding of who we are based on personality traits, physical characteristics, ancestry, etc. (Charles Holton Cooley)
Looking Glass Self
Self that emerges as a result of seeing ourselves as we think others see us. EX: Parents impress self image onto children
Research Subject
Person who agrees to take part in a research project
Social Psychology
Study of the interface between the individual and society
Generalized Others
Imagined members of specific social groups (incorporate these others into our looking glass self)
Self-fulfilling prophecy
Phenomenon in which what people believes is true becomes true even if it wasn’t
Self-narrative
Our reality (not a “true” story–we don’t perfectly remember every single interaction we have ever had)
Culture
Entire way of life for a group of people
Socialization
The lifelong learning process by which we become members of our cultures
Culturally competent
Ability to understand and navigate our cultures with ease
Social construct
An influential and shared interpretation of reality that will vary across time and space
Social construction
The process by which we layer objects with ideas, fold concepts into one another, and build connections between them
Signifiers
Things that stand for other things (EX: Louis Vuitton Logo = Wealthy)
Categories
Subsets of things we believe are sufficiently similar to one another to be considered the same (EX: Vegetables)
Binaries
Categories we see as opposite or otherwise in opposition (Love & Hate)
Sequences
Ideas arranged into a specific chronological order (Born, Live, Die)
Associations
Ideas that have nothing special in common except that they are connected by a third idea (Rain & Flowers = Spring)
Hierarchies
Ideas placed into ranked relationships (Bachelors, Masters, PhD)
Symbolic Structure
A constellation of social constructs connected and opposed to one another in overlapping networks of meaning (American Culture = English, Flags, Burgers)
Cultural objects
Natural items given symbolic meaning (Stop sign)
Cultural Cognitions
Shared ideas and values (Red means stop)
Cultural Practices
Habits or routines that people frequently perform (Stopping at a stop sign)
Cultural Bodies
Culturally influenced capacities that include physiological responses (moving foot to brake at stop sign)
Social learning
The transmission of knowledge and practices from one individual to another
Cultural Beliefs
Ideas about what is true and false
Cultural Values
Notions as to what is right and wrong
Cultural Norms
Shared expectations for behavior
Resocialization
The unlearning of old beliefs in favor new ones (converting religions)
Interpersonal socialization
Efforts of others to help us become culturally competent
Subcultures
Subgroups within society that have distinct cultural ideas, objects, practices, and boddies (Hobbies/Activities)
Self-Socialization
Active efforts we make to ensure we’re competent members of our cultures
Social ties
The connections between us and other people
Social Networks
Webs of ties that link us to each other and the other people
Homophily
Our tendency to connect with others who are similar to us
Media Socialization
Includes all cultural competence we gain through our exposure to media
Culture as a value thesis
The idea that we’re socialized into culturally specific moralities that guide feelings about what is right and wrong
Culture as rationale thesis
The idea that we are socialized into culturally specific arguments with which we can justify why we feel something is right or wrong
Hidden curriculum
A set of values and behaviors that we are indirectly taught in school
Distinction
Active efforts to affirm identity categories and place ourselves and others into their subcategories
Positive Distinction
The claim that members in your own group are superior to members in other groups
In group bias
Preferential treatment of members of our own group, and mistreatment of others
Minimal group paradigm
The tendency of people to form groups and actively distinguish themselves from others for the most trivial of reasons (Tajfel)
Social Identity theory
People are inclined to form social groups and incorporate membership into their identities
Psychological Wage
A noneconomic good given to one group as a measure of superiority over other groups (W.E.B Du Bois)
One Drop Rule
Anyone with any trace of Black ancestry should be considered black
Blood Quantum Rule
A law limiting legal recognition of American Indians to those who have at least a certain level of documented indigenous activity
Ethnicity
Identity based on collective measures of a shared history and distinctive culture
Doing Identity
the active performance of social identities
Conspicuous Consumption
Spending elaborately on gods/services with sole purpose of displaying ones wealth (Thorstein Veblen)
Status Elite
People who carry many positively regarded social identities
Intersectionality
Recognition that our lives are shaped by multiple interacting identities
Social Interaction
Moments we share with other people
Social Rules
Culturally specific norms, policies, and laws that guide our behavior
Folkways
Loosely enforced social norms
Mores
Tightly enforced norms that carry moral significance
Taboos
Social prohibitions so strong that the thought of violating them can be sickening
Social Sanctions
Reactions by others aimed at promoting conformity
Account
An excuse that explains our rule breaking but also affirms that the rule is good and right
Symbolic Interactionism
The theory that social interaction depends on the social construction of reality
Dramaturgy
The practice of looking at social life as a series of performances in which we’re actors on a metaphorical stage
Impression Management
Efforts to control how we’re perceived by others
Face
A version of ourselves that we want to project in a specific way
Front Stage
A public space in which we are aware of having an audience
Back Stage
Private or Semi private spaces in which we can relax or rehearse
Interpersonal Discrimination
Prejudicial behavior displayed by individuals
Field Experiment
A type of experiment that involves a test of a hypothesis outside the laboratory
Enthnomethodology
Research aimed at revealing the underlying shared logic that is the foundation of social interactions
Breaching
Purposefully breaking a social rule in order to test how others respond
