Sociology Chapter 1 Review
Social darwinism
Herbert Spencer's view on society; he believed that only the fittest societies would survive over time
Variable
a characteristic that can differ from one individual, group, or situation to another in a measurable way
Ideal type
a description compromised of the essential characteristics of a features of society
Theoretical perspective
a general set of assumptions about the nature of things
Sociological perspective
ability to look beyond commonly held beliefs to the hidden meanings behind human activities
Survey
allows sociologists to look/collect data on attitudes and opinions from large numbers of people
Case study
an intensive analysis of a person, group, event, or problem
Scientific method
an objective, logical, and systemic way of collecting empirical data and arriving at restored conclusions
Economics
analyzing the choices people make in an effect to satisfy their needs and wants
Symbol
anything that represents something else
Social sciences
are disciplines that study human behavior or institutions and the functions of human society in a scientific manner
Functionalist perspective
based on the ideas of Comte, Spencer, and Durkheim
Experiment
data is gathered under controlled conditions set by researcher
Statistical analysis
entails analyzing data that has already been collected to determine strength of relationship
Correlation
exists when a change in one variable is regularly associated with a change in another variable
Conflict perspective
focuses on the forces in society that promote competition and change
Social Interaction
how people relate to one another and influence each other's behaviors
Feminist perspective
involves a society as a "sex/gender" system in which is considered masculine more highly valued than that which is considered feminine`
Verhesten
involves the attempt to understand the meanings individuals attach to their actions
Anthropology
is the comparative study of past and present cultures
Globalization
is the development of economic, political, and social relationships that stretch world wide
Microsociology
level of analysis used by the interactionist perspectives
Macrosociology
level used by functionalist and conflict personalities
Social phenomena
observable factors or events that involve human society
Symbolic interaction
process that has 3 essential elements - meaning, language, and thought
Participant observation
researchers become directly involved in the situation under investigation
Sample
small number of people drawn from the larger population
Psychology
social science that studies behavior and mental processes
Hypothesis
statement that predicts the relationship between two variables
Social psychology
study of how the social environment affects an individual's behavior and personality
Content analysis
technique used to analyze existing sources; involves counting the number of times a particular words or etc. appears
Historical method
techniques used to analyze existing sources
Sociological imagination
the ability to see the connection between the larger world and your personal life
Function
the consequence that an element of society produces for the maintenance of its societal system
Political science
the examination of the principles, organization, and operation of government
Theory
the explanation of the relationships among particular phenomena
Manifest function
the intended and recognized consequence of some element of society
Dysfunction
the negative consequence an element has for the stability of the social system
Sociology
the social science that studies human society and social behavior
History
the social science that studies the people and events of the past
Latent function
unintended and unrecognized consequence of an element of society
Interactionist perspective
which focuses on how individuals interact with one another in society
