Sociology Ch 1

survey

- most widely used of all research methods - subjects respond to series of statements or questions on a questionnaire or interview

Realibility- consistency in measurement Validity- measuring exactly what you intend to measure

2 parts of operationalizing a variable

An expression of Gods will

According to Comte, during the Middle Ages most people in Europe thought of society as

Metaphysical stage

According to Comte, societies in which stage of development begin to see society as a natural, rather than supernatural, phenomenon?

Lower level of social integration

According to Durkheim, a category of people with a higher suicide rate usually has a

Middle income nations

Almost all of Latin America and Asia falls within the category of

Population

Any set of people or events from which the sample is selected and to which the study results will generalize

Theory

By linking specific facts together to give us meaning, we create a

In times of social crisis

C. Wright Mills pointed out that sociological awareness tends to be more widespread

Theological stage

Comte described the earliest human societies as being at the ________ stage of societal development.

Theological - medieval Europe dominated by church Metaphysical- Age of Enlightenment Scientific- modern society guided by physics, chemistry, sociology

Comte saw sociology as a product of three historical stages. Name and describe them

Social conflict

Critical sociology can be linked to the ________ theory.

Focuses on inequality Rejects the principle of objectivity, claiming that all research is political Is linked to social conflict theory

Critical sociology uses research to bring about social change:

value-free research

Dedication to finding truth as it is rather than as we think it should be

reduce inequality

For Karl Marx, the point of studying society was

Experiments Surveys Participant observation Existing sources

Four methods of sociological investigation

Whether she lives in a poor or rich country

From a sociological perspective, patterns of childbearing around the world suggest that the number of children born to a woman reflects

Marginality

Greater________ (being an outsider, not part of the dominant cateogry) is related to begter ability to use sociological perspective

Sample

Group of people or events drawn from a population

The human body

Herbert Spencer described human society as having much in common with

Metaphysical

Hobbe's idea that society reflects a selfish human nature illustrates the thinking common to Comte's ______ stage of societal development

- aids in assessment of the truth of common sense - helps in evaluation of the opportunities and constraints of everyday life - empowers people to be active participants in society - helps people live in a diverse world

How does sociology shape personal development

If prisons themselves create violence

In his study of prison behavior, Philip Zimbardo was trying to learn

Macro-level

In the structural functional approach, what is the level of analysis

Meaning Reality Qualitative data

Intepretive sociology focuses on

People construct reality in their everyday lives Weber's Verstehen is learning how people understand their world Linked to symbolic-interaction theory

Interpretive sociology focuses on the meaning people attach to behavior:

Social interaction

Interpretive sociology is linked to the ________ theory.

sociological imagination

Mills called sociological perspective the __________ which transforms personal troubles into public issues

Tries to establish cause and effect Demands that researchers try to be objective Loosely linked to structural functional theory

Positivist sociology uses the logic of science:

experiment

Research method for investigating cause and effect under highly controlled conditions

Action Objective reality Quantitative data

Scientific sociology focuses on

General patterns in the behavior of particular people

Sociologists look for

How society actually operates

Sociology differs from earlier philosophy by focusing on

Variable operationalization

Specifying exactly what is to be measured before assigning variable value

Verstehen or "understanding"

Studying the meaning people attach to their everyday lives is the search for

Research method

Systematic plan for doing research

participant observation

Systematically observe people while joining them in their routine activities

True

T or F: Human behavior is both complex and partly spontaneous

True

T or F: Marginality, crisis, and rapis change enhance fhe ability to see sociologically.

T

T or F: People of color most readily make use of the sociological perspective

True

T or F: Positive Sociology favors quantitative data

True

T or F: Society shapes how we think, feel and act.

True

T or F: Sociological perspective sees the general in the particular

T

T or F: Symbolic interaction approach sees society as a shared, dynamic constructed reality developed through interaction.

True

T or F: The sociological perspective - is used by government agencies when developing laws and regulations - helps us understand the barriers and opportunities in our lives - is an advantage in many fields of work that involve working with people

Social conflict approach

The ______ sees society as an area of inequality that generates conflict and change.

sociological perspective

The ________ reveals the power of society to shape individual lives.

symbolic interaction approach

The ________ views society as an ongoing process of everyday interactions of individuals using symbolic communications.

social integration (Durkheim)

The extent to which individuals experience a sense of belonging to a group and obligation to its members.

The experiment

The method of sociological research best suited to identifying cause-and-effect relationships is

Durkheim

The pioneering sociologist who studied patterns of suicide in Europe was

Max Weber

The sociologist who called on his colleagues to be value free was

Social Imagination

The theory of _______ by Mills states: Society, not the people, is the main cause of social problems Social problems are turned into public issues to mitigate change

August Comte and Karl Marx

Two of sociology's early founders were

Verstehen

Weber came up with the word _______ for understanding

Social structure promotes the operation of society as a whole rejected Society is structured in ways to benefit a few at the expense of the majority

What are the key elements of the social conflict approach

Social structure - any relatively stable pattern of social behavior Social function - (Merton) consequences of a social pattern for society as a whole (manifest vs latent)

What are the key elements of the structural functional approach

Structural- functional Social conflict Symbolic interaction

What are the three main theoretical approaches

Society is a system of social inequalities based on class (Marx), gender, and race. Society operates to benefit some categories and harm others. Social inequality causes conflict that leads to social change.

What image of society does the social conflict approach have

Society is a system of interrelated parts that are relatively stable. Each part works to keep society operating orderly. Members generally agree about what is right and what is wrong.

What image of society does the structural functional approach have

Observe what people do Share in their world of meaning Appreciate why they act as they do

What is the role of an interpretive sociologist

Macro level

What level of analysis is the social conflict approach

Micro level

What level of analysis is the symbolic interaction approach

New industrial economy Explosive growth of cities Political changes (Hobbes and Smith)

What was going on in 18th and 19th century europe

Karl Marx

Which early sociologist claimed that his goal was not to simply understand society but to change it

The rise of an industrial economy Growth of cities New political ideas

Which rapid social change stimulated the development of the discipline of sociology

Max Weber

Which sociologist is credited with calling attention to the meaning people attach to their behavior

A concept

Which term refers to "a mental construct that represents some part of the world"?

structural-functional approach

Which theoretical approach is closest to that taken by early sociologists August Comte and Emile Durkheim?

Structural functional and social conflict

Which theoretical approaches are at the macro level

Weber and Mead

Who are the main theorists in the symbolic interaction approach

Marx and DuBois

Who are the main theorists of social conflict approach

Comte Durkheim Spencer

Who are the main theorists of the structural functional approach

August Comte

Who coined the term "sociology" in 1838

Robert Merton

Who was the US sociologist who pointed out the difference between the manifest functions and the latent functions of social patterns

Where we live shapes the lives we lead All societies are increasingly interconnected through technology, economics, and integration Many social problems that we face in the US are more serious elsewhere Thinking globally helps us learn more about ourselves

Why is a global perspective important

Positivism

______ was Comte's approach to knowledge based on positive facts (Science) as opposed to mere speculation.

Critical sociology

_______ focuses on the need for social change and asks moral and political questions. It emphasizes sociologists social activism in pursuit of greater social equality.

theoretical approach

a basic image of society that guides thinking and research

macro-level orientation

a broad focus on social structures that shape society as a whole

micro-level analysis

a close-up focus on social interaction in specific situations

Variable

a concept whose value changes from case to case

Science

a logical system that bases knowledge on direct, systematic observation

concept

a mental construct that represents some part of the world in a simplified form ex: social class

Measurement

a procedure for determining the value of a variable in a specific case

cause and effect

a relationship in which change in one variable (the independent variable) causes change in another (the dependent variable)

Correlation

a relationship in which two (or more) variables change together

Hypothesis

a statement of a possible relationship between two or more variables

Theory

a statement of how and why specific facts are related

social dysfunction

any social pattern that may disrupt the operation of society

empirical evidence

information we can verify with our senses

society

people who live in a definable community and who share a culture

Objectivity

personal neutrality in conducting research

manifest functions

the recognized and intended consequences of any social pattern

positivist sociology

the study of society based on scientific observation of social behavior

interpretive sociology

the study of society that focuses on the meanings people attach to their social world

global perspective

the study of the larger world and our society's place in it

Sociology

the systematic study of human society

latent functions

the unrecognized and unintended consequences of any social pattern

Value-relevant research

topics the researcher cares about