Ch. 3
Cultural Universal
A common practice or belief shared by all societies
norm
As established standard of behavior maintained by a society
What is the term used when one seeks to understand another culture from its perspective, rather than dismissing it as "strange" or "exotic"
Cultural relativism
People's need for food, shelter, and clothing is an example of what George Murdock referred to as
Cultural universals
_________ consists of everything humans create in establishing our relationships to nature and with each other
Culture
What term do sociologists use to refer to the process by which a cultural item spreads from group to group or society to society
Diffusion
Which of the following terms describes the set of cultural beliefs and practices that help maintain powerful social, economic, and political interest
Dominant ideology
Culture
Everything humans create in establishing our relationships to nature and with each other
Which of the following statements is true according to the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis
Language shapes our perception of reality
What type of norms is deemed highly necessary to the welfare of a society, often because these norms embody the most cherished principles of a people
Mores
mores
Norms deemed highly necessary to the welfare of a society
folkways
Norms governing everyday behavior, whose violation raises comparatively little concern
Argot
Specialized language used by members of a group or subculture
Sapir- Whorf hypothesis
The structure and vocabulary of language shapes our perception or reality and therefore also our actions
Society
The structure of relationships within which culture is created and shared though regularized patterns of social interaction
Sociobiology
The systematic study of how biology affects human social behavior
Ethnocentrism
The tendency to assume that one's own culture and way of life represent what's normal or are superior to all others
What is an invention
combining existing cultural artifacts to create something new
Terrorist groups are examples of
countercultures
What do norms provide for us that we need
established standards of behavior
