Sociology Exam 1
What are the 5 basic steps of the scientific method?
(1) defining the problem (2) reviewing the literature (3) formulating the hypothesis (4) selecting the research design and then collecting and analyzing data (5) developing the conclusion
Jane Addams
- Founder of the Hull House; settlement house in Chicago - combined intellectual inquiry, social service work and political activism, all with the goal of assisting the underprivileged.
Max Weber
- German sociologist
Harriet Marineau (1802-1876)
- Translated Comte's work - offered insightful observations of the customs and social practices of both her native Britain and the US. - Book: Society in America-- examined religion, politics, child rearing, and immigration in the young nation. W/ special attention on social class distinctions and factors such as gender and race. - wrote the first book on sociological methods - spoke out in favor of the rights of women, emancipation of slaves, and religious tolerance. - conducted research on the nature of female employment.
Karl Marx
- believed that a system of economic, social and political relationships maintained the power and dominance of owners over workers. - argued that the working class should overthrow the existing class system. - emphasized the group identifications and associations that influence an individuals place in society.
Auguste Comte (1798-1857)
- believed that a theoretical science of society and a systematic investigation of behavior were needed to improve society. - coined the term sociology to apply to the science of human behavior. - feared that the excesses of the French Revolution had permanently impaired France's stability.
W.E.B. DuBois
- conducted research that he hoped would assist in the struggle for a racially egalitarian society. - saw importance of religion to society. - focused on religion at community level and on the role of the church in the lives of its members.
Herbert Spencer (1820-1903)
- did not feel compelled to correct or improve society; instead just to better understand it. - used Charles Darwin's study on the Origin of Species to apply the concept of evolution of the species to societies in order to explain how they change, or evolve, over time. - adapted Darwin's evolutionary view of the survival of the fittest to argue that it's natural that some people are rich while others are poor. - suggested that societies are bound to change eventually. and since they do, people are not to be highly critical of present social arrangements or to work actively for social change.
Hawthorne effect
A change in a subject's behavior caused simply by the awareness of being studied
social inequality
A condition in which members of society have differing amounts of wealth, prestige, or power.
interview
A face-to-face or telephone questioning of a respondent to obtain desired information.
Sample
A selection from a larger population that is statistically representative of that population.
Functionalist Perspective
A sociological approach that emphasizes the way in which the parts of a society are structured to maintain its stability.
interactionist perspective
A sociological approach that generalizes about everyday forms of social interaction in order to explain society as a whole.
survey
A study, generally in the form of an interview or questionnaire, that provides researchers with information about how people think and act.
Robert Merton
Argued that society is set up in a way that encourages excessive deviance. Strain Theory.
In ______________________ __________________ 's hierarchy of the sciences, sociology was the "queen," and its practitioners were "scientist-priests."
Auguste Comte
The _____________________ draws on the work of Karl Marx and Frederich Engels in that it often views women's subordination as inherent in capitalist societies.
Feminist perspective
Durkheim suicide study results
Found that whereas England had 67 reported suicides per million, France had 135 per million and Denmark had 227 per million. Discovered that suicide is related to group life. people without religious affiliations had a higher suicide rate then those who were affiliated; and soldiers had a higher rate than civilians. Concluded that the suicide rates of a society reflected the extent to which people were or were not integrated into the group life of the society.
In Society in America, originally published in 1837, English scholar _______________ _____________ examined religion, politics, child rearing, and immigration in the young nation.
Harriet Martineau
The term ___ ___ refers to the unintended influence that observers of experiments can have on their subjects.
Hawthorne effect
_________________________________ adapted Charles Darwin's evolutionary view of the "survival of the fittest" by arguing that it is "natural" that some people are rich while others are poor.
Herbert Spencer
experimental group
In an experiment, the group that is exposed to the treatment, that is, to one version of the independent variable.
control group
In an experiment, the group that is not exposed to the treatment; contrasts with the experimental group and serves as a comparison for evaluating the effect of the treatment.
_______________________, an early female sociologist, cofounded the famous Chicago settlement called the Hull House and also tried to establish a juvenile court system.
Jane Addams
In The Communist Manifesto, _______________ _____________ and ___________________ _____________ argued that the masses of people who have no resources other than their labor (the poletariat) should unite to fight for the overthrow of capitalist societies.
Karl Marx and Frederich Engels
value neutrality
Max Weber's term for objectivity of sociologists in the interpretation of data
strain theory
Merton's theory that deviance occurs when a society does not give all its members equal ability to achieve socially acceptable goals
Median
Middle number
cultural capital
Noneconomic goods, such as family background and education, which are reflected in a knowledge of language and the arts.
Globalization
The worldwide integration of government policies, cultures, social movements, and financial markets through trade and the exchange of ideas.
______ refers to the degree to which a measure or scale truly reflects the phenomenon under study.
Validity
Thinking of society as a living organism in which each part of the organism contributes to its survival is a reflection of which theoretical perspective? a. the functionalist perspective b. the conflict perspective c. the feminist perspective d. the interactionist perspective
a
Through which type of research technique does a sociologist ensure that data are statistically representative of the population being studied? a. sampling b. experiments c. ethnography d. control variables
a
Which sociologist made a major contribution to society through his in-depth studies of urban life, including both Blacks and Whites? a. W.E.B DuBois b. Robert Merton c. Auguste Comte d. Charles Horton Cooley
a
a researcher can obtain a higher response rate by using which type of survey? a. an interview b. a questionnaire c. representative samples d. ethnographic techniques
a
double consciousness
a concept conceived by W.E.B. DuBois to describe the two behavioral scripts, one for moving through the world and the other incorporating the external opinions of prejudiced onlookers, which are constantly maintained by African Americans
ideal type
a construct or model for evaluating specific cases
research design
a detailed plan or method for obtaining data scientifically
Observation
a direct method of gathering information in an orderly way
control variable
a factor that is held constant to test the relative impact of an independent variable
Variable
a measurable trait or characteristic that is subject to change under different conditions
cross-tabulation
a method of presenting and analyzing data involving two or more variables to discover relationships in the data
percentage
a portion of 100
Define theory
a set of statements that seeks to explain problems, actions or behavior.
Hypothesis
a speculative statement about the relationship between two or more variables
Define scientific method
a systematic, organized series of steps that ensures maximum objectivity and consistency in researching a problem
secondary analysis
a variety of research techniques that make use of previously collected and publicly accessible information and data
dramaturgical approach
a view of social interaction in which people are seen as theatrical performers
experiment
an artificially created situation that allows a researcher to manipulate variables
sociological imagination
an awareness of the relationship between an individual and the wider society. It is based on the ability to view our own society as an outsider might, rather than from the perspective of our limited experiences and cultural biases.
operational definition
an explanation of an abstract concept that is specific enough to allow a researcher to assess the concept
Mesosociology
an intermediate level of sociological analysis that focuses on formal organizations and social movements. Smaller than a nation but often larger than group scale
conflict perspective
approach emphasizing the role of conflict, competition, and constraint within a society
mean
average
Emile Durkheim's research on suicide suggested that... a. people with religious affiliations had a higher suicide rate than those who were unaffililiated b. suicide rates seemed to be higher in times of peace than in times of war and revolution c. civilians were more likely to take their lives than soldiers d. suicide is a solitary act, unrelated to group life
b
In the late 19th century, before the term "feminist view" was even coined, the ideas behind this major theoretical approach appeared in the writings of a. Karl Marx b. Ida Wells-Barnett c. Charles Horton Cooley d. Pierre Bourdieu
b
Karl Marx's view of the struggle between social classes inspired the contemporary a. functionalist perspective b. conflict perspective c. interactionist perspective d. dramaturgical approach
b
Max Weber taught his students that they should employ which of the following in their intellectual work? a. anomie b. verstehen c. the sociological imagination d. micro sociology
b
the first step in any sociological research project is to a. collect data b. define the problem c. review previous research d. formulate a hypothesis
b
A correlation exists when A) one variable causes something to occur in another variable. B) two or more variables are causally related. C) a change in one variable coincides with a change in another variable. D) a negative relationship exists between two variables.
c
Emile Durkheim's statistical analysis of suicide was an example of what kind of research technique? a. ethnography b. observation research c. secondary analysis d. experimental research
c
Sociology is... a. very narrow in scope b. concerned with what one individual does or does not do c. the systematic study of social behavior and human groups d. the study of interactions between two individuals at a time
c
an explanation of an abstract concept that is specific enough to allow a researcher to measure the concept is a(n) a. hypothesis b. correlation c. operational definition d. variable
c
C. Wright Mills
coined the term sociological imagination
Quantitative Research
collects and reports data primarily in numerical form
nonverbal communication
communication using body movements, gestures, and facial expressions rather than speech
Macrosociology
concentrates on large scale phenomena or entire civilizations.
Using census data in a way unintended by its initial collectors would be an example of _____ _____
content analysis
Erving Goffman's dramaturgical approach, which postulates that people present certain aspects of their personalities while obscuring other aspects, is a derivative of what major theoretical perspective? a. functionalist perspective b. conflict perspective c. the feminist perspective d. the interactionist approach
d
In order to obtain a random sample, a researcher might A. Administer a questionnaire to every fifth woman who enters a business office B. Examine the attitudes of residents of a city by interviewing every 20th name in the city's telephone book C. Study the attitudes of registered Democratic voters by choosing every 10th name found on a city's list of registered democrats D. Do all of the above
d
In the 1930s, William F. Whyte moved into a low-income Italian neighborhood in Boston. For nearly four years, he was a member of the social circle of "corner boys" that he describes in Street Corner Society. His goal was to gain greater insight into the community established by these men. What type of research technique did Whyte use? a. experiment b. survey c. secondary analysis d. participant observation
d
Robert Merton's contributions to sociology include a. successfully combining theory and research b. producing a theory that is one of the most frequently cited explanations of deviant behavior c. an attempt to bring macro-level and micro-level analyses together d. all of the above
d
The variable hypothesized to cause or influence another is called the a. dependent variable b. hypothetical variable c. correlation variable d. independent variable
d
When sociologists want to study a possible cause-and-effect relationship, they may engage in what kind of research technique? a. ethnography b. survey research c. secondary analysis d. experiment
d
Which of the following thinkers introduced the concept of sociological imagination? a. Emile Durkheim b. Max Weber c. Karl Marx d. C. Wright Mills
d
clinical sociology
dedicated to facilitating change by altering social relationships or restructuring social institutions
In order to obtain data scientifically, researchers need to select a research _________.
design
Emile Durkheim (1858-1917)
developed a highly original theory about the relationship between suicide and and social factors. He was not concerned with the personalities of individual suicide victims, but rather with suicide rates and how they varied from country to country. - shared Comte's belief that sociology should provide direction for social change.
The American Sociological Association's code of __________ requires sociologists to maintain objectivity and integrity and to preserve the confidentiality of their subjects.
ethics
random sample
every member of the population has an equal chance of being selected
Correlation
exists when a change in one variable coincides with a change in the other
If scientist were testing a new type of toothpaste in an experimental setting, they would administer the toothpaste to a(n) _______________ group, but not to a(n) ____________ group.
experimental, control
A(n) _____________ is a speculative statement about the relationship between two or more factors known as variables.
hypothesis
Sociologist Max Weber coined the term ______ ______ in referring to a construct or model that serves as a measuring rod against which actual cases can be evaluated.
ideal type
casual logic
involves the relationship between a condition or variable and a particular consequence, with one leading to the other
dependent variable
its action depends on the influence of the independent variable.
global sociology
level of analysis that makes comparisons among nations, typically using entire societies as units of analysis
The university's role in certifying academic competence and excellence is an example of a ______ function.
manifest
Mode
most frequently occurring score
manifest functions
open, stated, conscious functions; intended and recognized consequences of an aspect of society
Looking at society from the broad spectrum of sexual identity, including heterosexuality, homosexuality, and bisexuality, is called the _______________ theory.
queer
Dysfunction
refers to an element or process of a society that may actually disrupt the social system or reduce its stability
Define Science
refers to the body of knowledge obtained by methods based on systematic observation.
Validity
refers to the degree to which a measure or scale truly reflects the phenomenon under study
Reliability
refers to the extent to which a measure produces consistent results
Anomie
refers to the loss of direction felt in a society when social control of individual behavior becomes ineffective.
Qualitative Research
relies on what is seen in field and naturalistic settings; often focuses on small groups and communities
questionaire
researcher uses a printed or written form to obtain information from a respondent
unlike the typical citizen, the sociologist has a commitment to use the _____ method in studying society
scientific
basic sociology
seeks profound knowledge of fundamental aspects of social phenomena
Pierre Bourdieu
several forms of capital or social currency stem from our membership in different groups
Microsociology
stresses the study of small groups, often through experimental means.
social capital
the networks of relationships among people who live and work in a particular society, enabling that society to function effectively.
Define Sociology
the scientific study of social behavior and human groups. It focuses on social relationships; how those relationships influence people's behavior; and how societies, the sum total of those relationships, develop and change.
code of ethics
the standards of acceptable behavior developed by and for members of a profession
Ethnography
the study of an entire social setting through extended systematic fieldwork
queer theory
the study of society from the perspective of a broad spectrum of sexual identities, including heterosexuality, homosexuality, and bisexuality
define natural science
the study of the physical features of nature and the ways in which they interact and change. Ex. sociology, anthropology, economics, history, psychology.
content analysis
the systematic coding and objective recording of data, guided by some rationale
visual sociology
the use of photographs, film, and video to study society
applied sociology
the use of the discipline of sociology with the specific intent of yielding practical applications for human behavior and organizations
independent variable
the variable hypothesized to cause or influence another
feminist perspective
theoretical perspective that focuses on gender as the most important source of conflict and inequality in social life
Charles Horton Cooley
theorized that the "self" emerges from our ability to assume the point of view of others and imagine how those others see us
Within sociology, a/an __________ is a set of statements that seeks to explain problems, actions, or behavior.
theory
latent functions
unconscious or unintended functions that may reflect hidden purposes of an institution
Verstehen (Weber)
understanding social behavior by putting yourself in the place of others
As part of their commitment to _______ neutrality, investigators have an ethical obligation to accept research findings even when the data run counter to their personal views or to widely accepted beliefs.
value
