Studying Society Flashcards
Society
A group of people who have common interests and a distinctive culture
culture
the whole way of life of a group of people passed from one generation to the next
law
A set of written rules regulating what may or may not be done by members of society
norm
an informal rule that guides our behaviour in a particular situation
role
patterns of behaviour expected of people in different situations
values
the beliefs held by a person or a social group that help to build a set of norms
social science
the systematic study of society and human relationships within society
social policy
important decisions made by the government that aim to improve the conditions of people living in their society
quantitative data
information that is presented as numbers which can be analysed using statistical methods
qualitative data
information in the former of text or images, that is rich in detail and description
social stratification
the way different groups in society are placed in different levels
social class
people having the same social status measured by such things as occupation and income
ethnicity
the classification of people into groups that share the same culture, history and identity
gender
the social and cultural differences between the sexes - between femininity and masculinity
strata
bands or layers showing particular characteristics which are different from those above or below
status
the honour or prestige attached to a person’s position in society
CONSTRAINT
Not being able to do what you want; being restricted or limited
SOCIALISATION
The lifelong process of learning the skills, customs, attitudes, norms and values of your culture
SOCIAL CONTROL
The process by which people are persuaded to obey the rules and conform
CONFORMITY
Doing what is expected and behaving in a way that is in agreement with norms
FAMILY
A group of 2 or more persons associated by birth, cohabitation, marriage or adoption
CANALISATION
Being channelled in a particular direction
FORMAL CURRICULUM
What students learn in their timetabled lessons e.g., Maths and English
HIDDEN CURRICULUM
The ways in which the organisation of teaching, school regulations and routines shape pupil attitude and behaviour, that is, what students learn at school, not taught in lessons
SANCTION
Agreed reward for positive actions or penalty for negative actions
LEGISLATURE
The section of the government responsible for making laws
JUDICIARY
The section of the government that has the power to apply the law, that is, the court system; including judges
POVERTY
Means being poor (can be defined in many different ways)
WELFARE STATE
The government taking responsibility for the health and financial wellbeing of the population
RELATIVE POVERTY
A situation in which someone cannot afford to possess the kind of things or participate in the kind of activities considered by members of society to be a normal part of life
PRESSURE GROUP
A group, usually concerned with a single issue, that applies pressure to try to bring about change
MORAL PANIC
When media coverage of an issue leads to exaggerated public concern
MEDIA AMPLIFICATION
Blowing things out of proportion by over-reporting in the media
SOCIAL SURVEY
A collection of information about members of a population. Can be carried out on the street, at home, in an organisation (school, workplace etc), by mail, by telephone, online.
PRIMARY DATA
Data collected for the first time by the researcher for a particular piece of research
QUESTIONNAIRE
A set of questions used to gather information
SECONDARY DATA
Data that exists prior to and independent from the researcher’s own research
OFFICIAL STATISTICS
OFFICIAL STATISTICS A set of statistics generated from data gathered by the government or other official organisations. Often used as secondary data in social research
RESPONDENT
Someone who is providing the data for your research
SAMPLE
The group of people who have been selected for your study
SAMPLING FRAME
A complete list from which your sample is selected
REPRESENTATIVE
Your sample is not biased but the people are typical of those in the larger group
GENERALISATIONS
Feeling confident that your findings will reflect the views of everyone else who could have been asked
ETHNOGRAPHY
Looking at the whole way of life of a group, usually by using a variety of the methods of data collection
TRIANGULATION
Checking the accuracy of data collected through one method (e.g., a questionnaire) by comparing it with data collected using another method (e.g., observation)
