Key theories and propositions Flashcards
Relative age effect
the relatively older individuals are, compared to their peers, more often selected for the best sport team
Durkheim’s integration-suicide theory
the more cohesive the group, the more strongly people in that group conform to the norm which prohibits suicide, and the lower the suicide rate in that group
Social learning theory
In the social learning theory it is stated that learning from others is motivated by the idea to get a more accurate picture of reality
Social control theory
according to the social control theory, people adhere to social norms, because deviations from social norms can be answered by social sanctions
P. social control theory
The higher people’s expected social sanctions in a group in case of norm-deviance, and the higher their expected social approval in case of norm-compliance, the more likely they conform to the social norms of that group
P. Strength-of-weak-ties
weak ties more often create bridges to other communities than do strong ties
P. Loss-of-community
over time, people have become less-strongly embedded in communities
P. Network closure-norms
the degree of closure in a certain network has a positive effect on the conformity to the social norms of that network
P. Tie strength-trust
the more positive the relationship between ego and alter, the more they trust each other
P. Network closure-trust
the higher the degree of closure in the network shared by ego and alter, the more ego and alter trust each other
P. Social ties-generalized trust
the more social interactions people have with friends, family members and other community members, the stronger their generalized trust
P. Network cohesion-health
the higher someone’s network cohesion, the better their health and well-being
P. Network health-health
the better the health and well-being of people’s network ties, the better their own health and well-being
Structural opportunity theory
argues that group segregation arises as a result of (unequal) meeting opportunities between members of different groups
Homophily theory
states that people prefer those who are the same as themselves
Third party theory
relationships are not made in a social vacuum: there are other actors (hence, the label ‘third’ party) that interfere with the relationship between two persons
Social identity theory
assumes that people strive to maintain or enhance their self-esteem, that, in other words, they strive for a positive self-concept
Group threat theory
the more actual competition between groups, the weaker the intergroup cohesion
P. Human capital-job outcomes
The higher people’s human capital, the better their labour market position
P. Tie strength-job information
weaker ties have more useful, less redundant job-information than strong ties
P. Strength-of-strong-ties
a single strong tie is more important in getting a job than a single weak tie
P. Brokerage-job outcomes
people who have a brokerage position in the social network of an organization, have more favourable job outcomes
P. Social resources-job outcomes
the more people’s social resources, the better their labour market position
Statistical discrimination theory
argues that discrimination arises from poor information that employers have when it comes to the candidates’ knowledge and skills.
P. Discrimination-job outcomes
the more strongly the groups to which people belong are discriminated against in the labour market, the worse their labour market position
P. Career ambitions-job outcomes
the higher people’s career ambitions, and the more strongly these ambitions are approved in their environment, the better their labour market position
P. Immigrant integration
with increasing length of stay of an ethnic minority group in a certain country, this ethnic minority group becomes more integrated
P. Immigrant assimilation
over time the ethnic minority and majority groups become indistinguishable, fully ‘assimilated’, and eventually ethnic group affiliation is no longer a meaningful social categorization
Selective integration theory
the three dimensions of integration (cultural, social and economic) may work out rather independently, and this may even be true for indicators that belong to the same dimension
Integration spillover effect
sometimes, there are interdependencies between certain integration dimensions, in which case stronger integration in one dimension (or indicators thereof) goes hand-in-hand with other dimensions (or indicators)
Human capital theory
precisely because education is a ‘resource’, ‘capital’ and it is such an important determinant for getting a (good) job in the labour market, people deliberately make investments in their educational resources.
Trickle-down theory
The trickle-down theory argues that descriptive norms can change due to dynamics between group distinction and imitation
