sociology terms chapter 1

scientific method

a carefully planned research process with the goal of generating observations and data that can be verified by others

sociological perspective

a conceptual framework for thinking about explaining how human activities are organized and/or how people relate to one another and respond to their surroundings

disenchantment

a great spiritual void accompanied by a crisis of meaning in which the natural world becomes less mysterious and revered and becomes the object of human control and manipulation

latent function

a part's UNanticipated, UNrecognized, and UNintended effects

manifest dystfunctions

a part's anticipated disruptions to an existing social order

manifest functions

a part's anticipated, recognized, or intended effects in maintaining social order

sociological imagination

a perspective that allows us to consider how outside forces, especially the time in history and society (place) in which we live, shape our life story or biography

Hawthorne effect

a phenomenon in which research subjects alter their behavior simply because they are being observed

hypothesis

a prediction about the relationship between the independent and dependent variable

self-administered survey

a set of questions that respondents read and answer on their own

issue

a societal matter that affects many people and that can only be explained by larger social forces that transcend the individuals affected

mechanical solidarity

a system of social ties based on uniform thinking and behavior

organic solidarity

a system of social ties such that for the most part people relate to others in terms of their specialized roles in the division of labor and as customers

social action

actions people take in response to others

class conflict

an antagonism growing out of the opposing interests held by exploiting and exploited classes

variable

any behavior or characteristic that consists of more than one category

symbol

any kind of object or idea to which people assign a name, meaning, or value

social forces

are anything human created that influence, pressure, or push people to interact, behave, or think in specified ways

color line

barrier supported by customs and laws separating nonwhites from whites

biography

consists of all the events from day to day interactions from birth to death that make up a person's life

nonparticipant observation

consists of detached watching and listening: researcher only observes and does not become part of a group

secondary sources or archival data

data that has been collected for a purpose not related to the research study

anomic

describes a state in which the ties attaching the individual to the group are disrupted due to dramatic changes in circumstances

fatalistic

describes a state in which the ties attaching the individual to the group are so oppressive that there is no hope of release

egoistic

describes a state in which the ties attaching the individual to the others in the society are weak

altruistic

describes a state in which the ties attaching the individuals to the groups are such that a person's sense of self cannot be separated from the group

social interaction

everyday encounters in which people communicate, interpret, and respond to each other's words and actions

sympathetic knowledge

firsthand knowledge gained by living and working among those being studied

social statistics

forces that hold societies together and give them endurance over time

positivism

holds that valid knowledge about the world can be derived only from using the scientific method

troubles

indicate individual problems, or difficulties, that are attributed to personal shortcomings related to motivation, attitude, ability, character, or bad judgement

human activity

involves all the things people do with, or to, one another and what they think and do as a result of others' influence

research design

involves deciding who or what to study and the method of gathering data

case studies

objective accounts intended to educate readers about a person, group, or situation

self-awareness

occurs when a person is able to observe and evaluate the self from another's viewpoint

ideologies

seemingly commonsense views justifying the existing state of affairs

validity

standard by which operational definitions are assessed that focus on the extent to which a measure accurately represents what is intended to measure

reliable

standard for assessing an operational definition that emphasizes the ability of a measure to yield consistent results

dependent variable

the behavior to be explained or predicted

control variables

the constant so researchers can focus on just the relationship between the independent and dependent variable

function

the contribution a part makes to maintain the stability of an existing social order

generalizability

the extent to which findings can be applied to a larger population beyond those studied

social dynamics

the forces that cause societies to change

conflict

the major force that drives social change

bourgeoisie

the owners of means of production

operationalized

the researcher must give clear, precise instructions about how they observed and measured them

means of production

the resources such as lands, tools, equipment, factories, transportation, and labor that are essential to the production and distribution of goods and services

sociology

the scientific study of human activity in society

negotiated order

the sum of existing expectations and newly negotiated ones

solidarity

the system of social ties that acts as a cement bonding people to one another and to the wider society

latent dystfunctions

the unanticipated disruptions to the existing social order

independent variable

the variable that explains or predicts the dependent variable

research method

the various techniques that sociologists and other investigators use to formulate and answer meaningful questions and to collect, analyze, and interpret data

content analysis

they identify themes, sometimes counting the number of times something occurs or specifying categories in which to place observations

proletariat

those individuals who sell their labor to the bourgeoisie

participant observation

when researchers engage, join the group, and interact directly with those they are studying