Unit 1 ~ Part 1 Flashcards
The law of few
the structure of our social network and how messages are passed through word of mouth
The stickiness factor
You can change the presentation of a message to make it more contagious and sticker
The power of context
Idea that the environment in which the message or idea is delivered can have a huge impact on weather enough people adopt and spread to create the epidemic
Explain how trends start using the three Rules for Epidemics: the law of the few (‘20/80’ rule); the stickiness factor; The power of context
According to Gladwell, there are three variables that determine whether and when the tipping point for a product, idea, or phenomenon will be achieved: The Law of the Few, the Stickiness Factor, and the Power of Context.
Identify the seven steps of the inquiry model
question, literature review, hypothesis, research, analyze, conclude, communicate
Develop a Research Question (step #1) Explain
Begin with a topic or area of personal interest surrounding human behaviour and/or interaction. Determine a suitable question around which to base your study or inquiry.
Background Literature Review ( Step #2) Explain
Examine or evaluate a range of reasonable answers to the research question. Review reliable literature published by other researchers to obtain insight on your topic.
Develop a Hypothesis (Step #3) Explain
Develop a valid statement about the topic based on information gathered up to this point. Hypotheses should be developed based on preliminary research, not only a ‘hunch’.
Gather Data ( Step #4) Explain
Collect information; compile tables and charts containing factual information and statistics. Prepare and conduct any of the following data collection measures:
Case studies
Case studies are an in depth observation of an individual, situation or group over a period of time. By studying one case in depth, a lot of detail can be discovered, and hypotheses about similar situations can be developed. Researchers can then use these hypotheses to do further study with other individuals, groups, or cultures.
EXPERIMENTS
EXPERIMENTS are a test conducted in a controlled environment in order to determine how one factor is related to another. For example – could one factor be caused by another? What happens if one factor is changed? How does this one change appear to affect other factors? An experiment must have:
Control
Controlling outside variables to ensure identical conditions in both the treatment (experiment) group and the control group
Randomization
Randomization - Individuals are randomly assigned (by chance) to an experimental group. This is the most reliable method of creating homogeneous groups, without any biases or judgments.
Replication
You must be able to replicate the experiment with a lot of individuals to increase confidence in your results (testing on a very small sample size is not reliable)
OBSERVATION
OBSERVATION involves studying the behaviour of people in relation to your subject matter. There are 3 types:
Unstructured observation
studying people without a predetermined idea of what to look for. Example, Sit in a cafeteria and note what people say and do, be open to anything that may occur.
Structured observation
Structured observation – involves planning in advance what will be observed and noted, and keeping lists of things to look for. Can also use content analysis, where you watch or view something (piece of writing/TV show/song lyric) and use a checklist to look for certain things.
Participant observation
Participant observation – used mostly by anthropologists and is when a researcher lives among the culture being studied
SAMPLE SURVEYS
SAMPLE SURVEYS are a series of questions designed to obtain information about the thoughts or behaviours of a limited number of people who represent a larger group. Questions are developed in advance. Often questionnaires are multiple choice so results can be analyzed quickly. The sample should be large enough to be sure you have a cross-section (a range of people representing different aspects of the population: age, sex, occupation, ethnicity, education level, region, culture, income, etc.)
INTERVIEWS
INTERVIEWS are conversations where the interviewer asks the interviewee (subject) questions, which are generally recorded either through notes or audio recording. It is important to prepare thoroughly for interviews, including preparing follow-up questions to encourage a detailed response. Avoid ‘yes’ or ‘no’ questions.
Assess the Hypothesis & Analyze the Data ( step #5) explain
Collected data is not useful unless it is organized and analyzed in a manner that helps test the hypothesis and answer the question asked. When analyzing data, be sure to:
Organize the data in a clear manner by compiling the data into a chart, creating a graph to observe trends or converting numbers into percentages.
Analyze the data in terms of how it supports, or fails to support the hypothesis
Draw Conclusions ( step #6) explain
Make conclusions to determine if the data supports the hypothesis. Conclusions can be divided into four categories:
The evidence supports the hypothesis
There is some evidence in support of the hypothesis
The evidence does not support the hypothesis
The evidence supports an alternate hypothesis
communication results Step #7
Use concise, authoritative language. Assess the strengths and limitations of your research. Consider future questions to explore.
Cognitive dissonance: how it can lead to individuals changing their behaviours/examples
Cognitive dissonance is an unpleasant state that arises when an individual holds beliefs, attitudes, or behaviors that are at odds with one another (Aronson, 2012; Skillings & Dobbins, 1991). Cognitive dissonance causes feelings of anxiety and individuals are motivated to move themselves out of this state of dissonance. Cognitive dissonance is a fairly common occurrence in people’s daily lives, resulting from thoughts as simple as “I know it is dangerous to text and drive” and “I text and drive when I’m in a hurry.”
People utilize many strategies to minimize their feelings of cognitive dissonance such as rationalization, denial, and minimization. For example, they might rationalize smoking by recognizing it is bad, but also noting they had a stressful week. In regard to stereotypic beliefs, individuals often experience feelings of cognitive dissonance. For example, a belief common among individuals in the United States is that our country is a meritocracy in which individuals get what they deserve based on their hard work (Crandall et al., 2001; Sears & Henry, 2003). This ingrained belief arouses dissonance when White individuals, for example, come across evidence to the contrary, showing that people of color do work hard but are still disproportionally lacking in positions of power and economic wealth in the United States. Not surprisingly, individuals utilize several strategies to minimize these feelings of dissonance and discomfort. By recognizing the feelings of discomfort and anxiety associated with cognitive dissonance, students can become more open to discussing stereotyping and prejudice.
anthropology
Anthropology
* The study of humanity and what it means to be human
* Modern anthropology divided into four sub-disciplines:
* Physical anthropology
* Linguistic anthropology
* Archaeology
* Cultural anthropology
- Physical anthropology
- The study of human- environmental adaptation
- Physical variation and survival
- Charles Darwin
- Linguistic anthropology
- The study of how people communicate and formulate language
- Noam Chomsky: “language is a basic instinct”
- Archaeology
- The study of the past through material left behind
- “Artifacts”
- Cultural anthropology
- The study of how people develop and use culture as a tool
- Culture is a focus in this course
Anthropology: the scientific study of humans, including their origins; behaviour; and physical, social, and cultural development. Research methods include ethnography and participant observation.
sociology
Sociology
* Sociology examines the underlying patterns in human behaviour and our relationships with one another
* Sociology looks at anything involving more than one person - large scale or small scale
Micro-sociology: the study of small groups and individuals within a society
Questions in micro-sociology:
- What effect does the present of police in schools and communitys have on the personal development and life paths of block and nation boys who grew up om inner-city neighborhoods? Sociologist victor rios addresses this question in his celebrated book, punished: policing the lives of black and latino boys
- How do sexuality and gender intersect in the development of identity among boys in the context of high school? This question is the centre of sociologist C.J. Pascoe’s widely popular book, dude, you’re a fag: masculinity and sexuality in high school
Social institution
* Five major social institutions:
* Family
* Government
* Economy
* Education
* Religion
Sociology looks at
* Intimate family relationships
* Hostile mobs
* Organized crime
* Religious traditions
* Divisions of race, gender and social class
* Shared beliefs of the common culture
Sociology and norms
* Norms: the unwritten rules of behaviour that are considered typical in a group or society.
Sociologists believe that norms govern our lives by giving us implicit and explicit guidance on what to think and believe, how to behave, and how to interact with others.
(Crossman, 2019)
Sociology research methods
* Statistical data
* Interpret historical documents
* Analyze census data
* Conduct large surveys
Notable sociologist
* Patricia Hills Collins (b. 1948)
* Theorist and researcher in the areas of feminism and race
Popularized the concept of intersectionality: emphasizes the intersecting nature of race, class, gender, and sexuality as systems of oppression
Sociology’s potential
* Insights into problems and possibilities in contemporary society
* Sociological investigations help develop new theories:
* Social policy
* Social programs
* Laws… etc.
psychology
Psychology
* Psychologists study and understand mental processes, brain functions, and behaviour
* Many branches of psychology
* Strong connections to the medical sciences, social sciences, and education (Boyack, Klavans, & Borner, 2005).
Branches of psychology
* Clinical
* Understand, prevent, and alleviate psychologically-caused distress or dysfunction
* Ex: therapy
- Experimental
- Uses scientific methods to collect data and perform research
- Famous psychological experiments
- Little Albert
- The Monster study
- The Milgram experiment
- The Bystander experiment
- The Stanford Prison experiment
Psychology and social change
* Transformation of an individual’s beliefs, attitudes, behaviours, and the effect of these changes on society/groups
* How/why do individuals change, believe certain ideas, participate in social movements, etc.
* Why did so many seemingly normal German men and women collaborate with the Nazis in WWII?
