Sociology Chapter 1

Q1.1: The sociological imagination involves __________.

a willingness to view the social world from the perspective of others

Q1.3: If a sample of the population is selected scientifically for a survey, the survey results from that sample will be __________.

representative of the larger population

Q1.3: The term value neutrality means the __________.

research is free of bias

social facts

social factors that exist external to individuals such as tradition, values, laws, religious ideology, and population density

sociology

the systematic study of human society

value neutrality

to be absolutely free of bias in research

Sociology is the scholarly discipline concerned with the systematic study of human society. It is the discipline that attempts to understand the social forces that shape our lives, interests, and personalities. Sociologists, then, work to discover the underlying order of social life and the principles regarding it that explain human behavior.

1.1 summary

The assumptions of the sociological perspective are that (a) individuals are, by their nature, social beings; (b) individuals are socially determined; and (c) individuals create, sustain, and change the social forms within which they conduct their lives.

1.1 summary

The sociological imagination involves (a) a willingness to view the social world from the perspective of others; (b) focusing on the social, economic, and historical circumstances that influence families, groups, and organizations; (c) questioning the structural arrangements that shape social behavior; and (d) seeing the solutions to social problems not in terms of changing problem people but in changing the structure of society.

1.1 summary

Sociology emerged as a science in the late eighteenth century. The development of sociology was dependent on four European intellectuals. Auguste Comte was the founder of sociology. His emphasis was on a rigorous use of the scientific method. Émile Durkheim emphasized social factors that exist external to individuals such as tradition, values, laws, and religion. Karl Marx wrote about the importance of economics in understanding social stratification, power, and ideology. Max Weber, in reaction to Marx, argued that the structure of society comes from political, economic, and cultural spheres, not just the economic sphere as Marx suggested.

1.2 summary

Participant and nonparticipant observation are techniques for obtaining reliable information. Various social organizations such as prisons, hospitals, schools, churches, cults, families, communities, and corporations can be studied and understood through systematic observation.

1.3 summary

Sociological research involves factual, comparative, historical, and theoretical questions.

1.3 summary

Sociologists also use existing sources of data to test their theories.

1.3 summary

Sociologists may use experiments to assess the effects of social factors on human behavior. One of two similar groups—the experimental group—is exposed to an independent variable. If this group later differs from the control group, then the independent variable is known to have produced the effect.

1.3 summary

Sociology depends on reliable data and logical reasoning. Although value neutrality is impossible in the social sciences, bias is minimized by the norms of science.

1.3 summary

Sociology is a science, and the rules of scientific research guide the efforts of sociologists to discover the principles of social organization and the sources of social constraints on human behavior.

1.3 summary

Survey research is a systematic means of gathering data to obtain information about people's behaviors, attitudes, and opinions.

1.3 summary

Sociology is uncomfortable for many people because (a) the behavior of people is not always certain; (b) it involves multiple theoretical perspectives; and (c) it challenges and critically examines long-standing cultural beliefs, institutions, and behaviors.

1.4 summary

false consciousness

A term used by Karl Marx to describe an attitude held by members of a class that does not accurately reflect their objective position

Ex: experiment

Are students' attitudes affected by what they see in a film?

Q1.2: Who believed that positivism, which is the philosophy that knowledge should be based on systematic principles, experiments, and comparisons, could solve social problems?

Auguste Comte

Q1.2: Who is considered the founder of sociology?

Auguste Comte

Ex: survey

Do voting patterns vary bu income level, educational attainment, or religious affiliation?

Q1.2: How did Weber's viewpoint relate to that of Marx?

How did Weber's viewpoint relate to that of Marx?

independent variable

The experimental factor that is manipulated; the variable whose effect is being studied

dependent variable

The measurable effect, outcome, or response in which the research is interested. May or may not be affected by the independent variable

Ex: existing data

What is the poverty rate for all countries in the US?

class consciousness

a belief that one is a member of an economic group whose interests are opposed to people in other such groups

control group

a group of subjects not exposed to the independent variable; the group that does not receive the experimental treatment

sample

a representative part of a population

longitudinal surveys

a research method in which the same people are interviewed repeatedly over a period of time; holds special promise for understanding human behavior

sociological theory

a set of ideas that explains a range of human behavior and a variety of social and societal events

charisma

a special charm or appeal that causes people to feel attracted and excited by someone

false consciousness

believing in ideas that are not in a group's objective interests but rather in the best interests of the capitalist class

Q1.1: Sociologists might say that people relate to society __________.

both as puppets and puppeteers

Q1.3: Hector devises an experiment in which some people will listen to a recording of a transcript of a trial and other people will not. The experiment is designed to determine whether listening to actual trial proceedings will influence attitudes toward a defendant. Both groups will complete a questionnaire. The people who do not listen to the transcript form the __________ group.

control

Q1.4: In sociology, when a question is posed __________.

different sociologists may answer the question in different ways

Q1.3: In a controlled experiment, which group is the one influenced by the independent variable?

experimental group

Q1.2: According to Marx, the working class adopts ideologies that support the interests of the ruling class because the workers have __________.

false consciousness

Q1.1: In explaining poverty, a sociologist is most likely to __________.

focus on how societal institutions such as the educational system perpetuate poverty

Q1.1: The process whereby individuals adapt to, negotiate with, and change social structures is referred to as __________.

human agency

Q1.3: In an experiment, the __________ variable is the presumed cause, and the __________ variable is the presumed effect.

independent; dependent

Q1.1: Which of the following is a key assumption of the sociological perspective?

individuals are by nature social beings.

positivism

knowledge based on systematic observation, experiment, and comparison

Q1.2: Weber said that the __________ is a basic structure that shapes society.

political sphere

class consciousness

recognizing class interests, common oppression, and an understanding of who the oppressors are

nonparticipant observation

the researcher does not become a part of the group that they are studying or participate directly in any activities being observed

Q1.4: Marion signed up for a sociology course partly because she thought it would be less challenging than the technical classes that filled the rest of her schedule. She wanted something that was easy but interesting. But she was distressed after the first few sessions of her sociology class, because __________.

sociology called into question the very social, economic, political, and religious foundations of her life

variable

something that can be changed, such as a characteristic, value, or belief

sociological imagination

the ability to see societal patterns that influence individuals, families, groups, and organizations

social determinism

the assumption that human behavior is explained exclusively by social factors

Q1.4: One feature of sociology that does NOT appeal to some people is that __________.

the behavior of subjects is not always certain

experimental group

the group in an experiment that receives the variable being tested

participant observation

the researcher actually joins the group being studied in order to fully understand their behavior