Sociology Exam 1 chapter 1,2 & 3

Anomie

"Normlessness"; term used to describe the alienation and loss of purpose that result from weaker social bonds and an increased pace of change

Chapter 1 A certain high school student is wearing "cool" clothing and is considered "cool." What would a symbolic interactionist say about this situation?

- Coolness is a construction rather than a objective fact - The coolness of the student and the clothing are connected in a casual cycle

False Consciousness

A denial of the truth on the part of the oppressed when they fail to recognize that the interests of the ruling class are embedded in the dominant ideology

Dysfunction

A disturbance to or undesirable consequence of some aspect of the social system

Chapter 2 Auto ethnography

A form of participant observation where the feelings and actions of the researcher become a focal point of the ethnographic study

Chapter 2 Paradigm Shift

A major change in basic assumptions of a particular scientific discipline

Chapter 2 Participant observation

A methodology associated with ethnography whereby the researcher both observes and becomes a member in a social setting

Chapter 2 Ethnography

A naturalistic method based on studying people in their own environment in order to understand the meanings they attribute to their activities; also, the written work that results from the study

Structural Functionalism

A paradigm based on the assumption that society is a unified whole that functions because of the contributions of its separate structures

Symbolic Interactionism

A paradigm that sees interaction and meaning as central to society and assumes that meanings are not inherent but are created through interaction

Conflict Theory

A paradigm that sees social conflict as the basis of society and social change and that emphasizes a materialist view of society, a critical view of the status quo, and a dynamic model of historical change

Chapter 2 Rapport

A positive relationship often characterized by mutual trust or sympathy

Chapter 2 Scientific Method

A procedure for acquiring knowledge that emphasizes collecting concrete data through observation and experimentation

Sociological Imagination

A quality of the mind that allows us to understand the relationship between our individual circumstances and larger social forces

Chapter 2 Causation

A relationship between variables in which a change in one directly produces a change in the other

Chapter 2 Correlation

A relationship between variables in which they change together, and may or may not be causal

Culture Shock

A sense of disorientation that occurs when entering a radically new social or cultural environment

Paradigms

A set of assumptions, theories, and perspectives that make up a way of understanding social reality

Structure

A social institution that is relatively stable over time and that meets the needs of society by performing functions necessary to maintain social order and stability

Ideology

A system of beliefs, attitudes, and values that directs a society and reproduces the status quo of the bourgeoisie

Chapter 3 Which kind of norm is so deeply ingrained that the very thought of breaking it brings feelings of disgust or horror?

A taboo

Sociological Perspective

A way of looking at the world through a sociological lens

Theories

Abstract propositions that explain the social world and make predictions about the future

Chapter 2 A sociologist uses a survey to study the attitudes of adults in the United States concerning premarital sex among teenagers. In this study, the target population consists of all ________ and the group that is asked the survey questions is called the ________.

Adults in the United States; sample

Dramaturgy

An approach pioneered by Erving Goffman in which social life is analyzed in terms of its similarities to theatrical performance

Chapter 3 Which of the following is an example of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis?

An indigenous people have no equivalent words for planet, earth, or world. They do not view the macro picture of multiple planets

Chapter 2 Grounded theory

An inductive method of generating theory from data by creating categories in which to place data and then looking for relationships among categories (page 46)

Collective Effervescence

An intense energy in shared events where people feel swept up in something larger than themselves

Means of Production

Anything that can create wealth: money, property, factories, and other types of businesses, and the infrastructure necessary to run them

Beginner's Mind

Approaching the world without preconceptions in order to see things in a new way

What basic idea associates George Herbert Mead with symbolic interactionism?

Assigned meanings as social processes requiring the interaction of many individuals

Chapter 1 Which social theorist coined the term "sociology"?

Auguste Comte

Chapter 1 Which social theorist sought to bring the scientific method to the discipline of sociology?

Auguste Comte

Empirical

Based on scientific experimentation or observation

What quality of a sociologist is brought out by the exercise called "Beginner's Mind," which is discussed in the chapter?

Being open and receptive to new experiences helps us understand what we do not already know.

Chapter 3 Which of the following is an example of something that would be part of a person's symbolic culture?

Belonging to a political party

Chapter 3 How is a subculture different from a counterculture?

Both are distinct from mainstream culture, but a counterculture actively opposes important aspects of the mainstream

Chapter 3 How are norms enforced in everyday settings?

By Sanctions

Chapter 3 Values and norms are often contested by various groups in society. Dominant culture tends to represent and protect the values, norms, and interests of the most powerful groups in society.

Conflict theory

Chapter 3 The increased use of Facebook, Twitter, and other social media by terrorist organizations in other countries to recruit new members is an example of what cultural phenomenon?

Cultural diffusion

Chapter 3 The ability to understand another culture in terms of that culture's own norms and values, without reference to any other culture's standards, is called:

Cultural relativism

Chapter 3 What is the definition of "culture"?

Culture is the entire way of life of a group of people, and it acts as a lens through which we view the world

Chapter 3 Clashes over values in the United States, especially as represented by liberals and conservatives in the mass media, have been termed:

Culture wars

Which of the following concepts is central to postmodernism?

Deconstruction

Chapter 2 You are conducting research on violence in the media. If you are trying to decide whether "violence" includes words as well as actions, in what part of the research process are you engaged?

Defining the variables

What did Max Weber believe people would experience more of as the dehumanizing features of bureaucratic processes became increasingly prevalent in society?

Disenchantment

Chapter 2 According to the scientific method, what are the steps in research, and in what order should they be completed?

Form a hypothesis, define variables, choose research method, collect data

Which sociological perspective explores how society is structured and maintains order?

Functionalist

Chapter 3 Most large retailers such as Target, H&M, and Old Navy carry similar clothing styles, and thus there is not extreme variation in what most Americans wear. Which sociological concept best explains this phenomenon?

Hegemony

Chapter 2 Reflexivity

How the identity and activities of the researcher influence what is going on in the field setting

Auguste Comte is credited with coining the term "sociology," largely through the development of a theory of human thinking called positivism. What does positivism attempt to do?

Identify laws that describe the behavior of a reality

Chapter 2 A simple random sample is defined as a sample:

In which every member of the population has a chance of being included

Dialectial Model

Karl Marx's model of historical change, whereby two extreme positions come into conflict and create some new outcome

Chapter 1 Functions associated with Robert Merton's Theory of Social Cohesion--

Latent and Manifest

Chapter 2 A closed-ended question is one that:

Limits the possible responses

Joe wants to know how changes in North Carolina state laws have related to foster care rates over the last twenty years. Which level of analysis might Joe be likely to use in his research?

Macro

In the field of education, teaching students to solve math problems is an example of what kind of function?

Manifest

Chapter 3 Designer labels on purses and athletic logos on shirts are both examples of:

Material Culture

Iron Cage

Max Weber's pessimistic description of modern life, in which we are caught in bureaucratic structures that control our lives through rigid rules and rationalization

What style of theorizing integrates empirical data gathered via specific research projects with larger-scale theories about social structure?

Midrange Theory

Everyday Actor

One who has the practical knowledge needed to get through daily life

Bourgeoisie

Owners; the class of modern capitalists who own the means of production and employ wage laborers

Chapter 2 Which of the following research techniques focuses on gaining an insider's perspective of the everyday lives of subjects under investigation, often dispelling stereotypes about the group being investigated?

Participant observation

Chapter 2 If you observe a group in order to determine its norms, values, rules, and meanings, then what kind of research are you doing?

Qualitative

Social Imagination (C. Wright Mills)

Quality of mind that allows us to understand the relationship between out particular situation in life and what is happening at a social level

Chapter 2 Quantitative Research

Research that translates the social world into numbers that can be treated mathematically; this type of research often tries to find cause-and-effect relationships

Chapter 2 Qualitative Research

Research that works with non-numerical data such as texts, field notes, interview transcripts, photographs, and tape recordings; this type of research more often tries to understand how people make sense of their world

Chapter 2 Which of the following is a DISADVANTAGE of using existing sources of data for research?

Researchers often seek answers to questions the data does not directly address.

What is it that Howard Becker defines as the study of people "doing things together"?

Sociology

Kai needed a doctor, and his friend told him that Dr. Madeira was "very good." Kai scheduled an appointment with him the next day. Which perspective would explore how Kai defined the meaning of the term "good?"

Symbolic Interactionism

Chapter 3 Signs, gestures, and language, as well as values and norms, are all part of (blank). (blank) are specific types of norms that formally codify what is permissible or forbidden, while (blank) often include severe repercussions and public condemnation. The most powerful of all norms are (blank).

Symbolic culture; Laws; mores; Taboos

Values and norms are social constructions that may vary over time and in different contexts; meaning is created, maintained, and changed through ongoing social interaction.

Symbolic interactionism

Chapter 3 According to the textbook, which counterculture group does the FBI consider as one of the greatest threats to law enforcement in the United States?

The "militia movement"

Chapter 2 Spurious Correlation

The appearance of causation produced by an intervening variable

Rationalization

The application of economic logic to human activity; the use of formal rules and regulations in order to maximize efficiency without consideration of subjective or individual concerns

Social Darwinism

The application of the theory of evolution and the notion of "survival of the fittest" to the study of society

In regard to social classes, what sharp distinction did Karl Marx draw between the proletariat (laborers) and the bourgeoisie (owners) in a society?

The control and ownership of the means of production

Solidarity

The degree of integration or unity within a particular society; the extent to which individuals feel connected to other members of their group

Chapter 2 Representativeness

The degree to which a particular studied group is similar to, or represents, any part of the larger society

Social Sciences

The disciplines that use the scientific method to examine the social world, in contrast to the natural sciences, which examine the physical world

Chapter 3 Culture

The entire way of life of a group of people (including both material and symbolic elements) that acts as a lens through which one views the world and that is passed from one generation to the next

Latent Functions

The less obvious, perhaps unintended functions of a social structure

Microsociology

The level of analysis that studies face-to-face and small-group interactions in order to understand how they affect the larger patterns and structures of society

Macrosociology

The level of analysis that studies large-scale social structures in order to determine how they affect the lives of groups and individuals

Manifest Functions

The obvious, intended functions of a social structure for the social system

Anthihesis

The opposition to the existing arrangements in a dialectical model

Chapter 2 Thick Description

The presentation of detailed data on interactions and meaning within a cultural context, from the perspective of its members

Chapter 3 Culture Relativism

The principle of understanding other cultures on their own terms, rather than judging or evaluating according to one's own culture

Chapter 3 Ethnocentrism

The principle of using one's own culture as a means or standard by which to evaluate another group or individual, leading to the view that cultures other than one's own are abnormal or inferior

Class Consciousness

The recognition of social inequality on the part of the oppressed, leading to revolutionary action

Alienation

The sense of dissatisfaction the modern worker feels as a result of producing goods that are owned and controlled by someone else

Chapter 2 What is the scientific method?

The standard procedure for acquiring and verifying empirical knowledge

Enthnomethodology

The study of "folk methods" and background knowledge that sustains a shared sense of reality in everyday interactions

Positivism

The theory that sense perceptions are the only valid source of knowledge

Postivism

The theory that sense perceptions are the only valid source of knowledge

Mechanical Solidarity

The type of social bonds present in modern societies, based on difference, interdependence, and individual rights

Organic Solidarity

The type of social bonds present in premodern, agrarian societies, in which shared traditions and beliefs created a sense of social cohesion

Chapter 2 Which of the following is an advantage of using interviews as a research method?

They reveal attitudes and beliefs not accessible by any other means

Chapter 3 Why do ethnocentric people tend to view other cultures as abnormal?

They use their own culture as a standard of judgment

Chapter 3 True or false- Culture is the human equivalent of instinct in animals.

True

Chapter 3 How is culture transmitted and internalized?

We learn values and beliefs slowly and incrementally

Proletariat

Workers; those who have no means of production of their own and so are reduced to selling their labor power in order to live