sociology terms chapter 1
scientific method
a carefully planned research process with the goal of generating observations and data that can be verified by others
sociological perspective
a conceptual framework for thinking about explaining how human activities are organized and/or how people relate to one another and respond to their surroundings
disenchantment
a great spiritual void accompanied by a crisis of meaning in which the natural world becomes less mysterious and revered and becomes the object of human control and manipulation
latent function
a part's UNanticipated, UNrecognized, and UNintended effects
manifest dystfunctions
a part's anticipated disruptions to an existing social order
manifest functions
a part's anticipated, recognized, or intended effects in maintaining social order
sociological imagination
a perspective that allows us to consider how outside forces, especially the time in history and society (place) in which we live, shape our life story or biography
Hawthorne effect
a phenomenon in which research subjects alter their behavior simply because they are being observed
hypothesis
a prediction about the relationship between the independent and dependent variable
self-administered survey
a set of questions that respondents read and answer on their own
issue
a societal matter that affects many people and that can only be explained by larger social forces that transcend the individuals affected
mechanical solidarity
a system of social ties based on uniform thinking and behavior
organic solidarity
a system of social ties such that for the most part people relate to others in terms of their specialized roles in the division of labor and as customers
social action
actions people take in response to others
class conflict
an antagonism growing out of the opposing interests held by exploiting and exploited classes
variable
any behavior or characteristic that consists of more than one category
symbol
any kind of object or idea to which people assign a name, meaning, or value
social forces
are anything human created that influence, pressure, or push people to interact, behave, or think in specified ways
color line
barrier supported by customs and laws separating nonwhites from whites
biography
consists of all the events from day to day interactions from birth to death that make up a person's life
nonparticipant observation
consists of detached watching and listening: researcher only observes and does not become part of a group
secondary sources or archival data
data that has been collected for a purpose not related to the research study
anomic
describes a state in which the ties attaching the individual to the group are disrupted due to dramatic changes in circumstances
fatalistic
describes a state in which the ties attaching the individual to the group are so oppressive that there is no hope of release
egoistic
describes a state in which the ties attaching the individual to the others in the society are weak
altruistic
describes a state in which the ties attaching the individuals to the groups are such that a person's sense of self cannot be separated from the group
social interaction
everyday encounters in which people communicate, interpret, and respond to each other's words and actions
sympathetic knowledge
firsthand knowledge gained by living and working among those being studied
social statistics
forces that hold societies together and give them endurance over time
positivism
holds that valid knowledge about the world can be derived only from using the scientific method
troubles
indicate individual problems, or difficulties, that are attributed to personal shortcomings related to motivation, attitude, ability, character, or bad judgement
human activity
involves all the things people do with, or to, one another and what they think and do as a result of others' influence
research design
involves deciding who or what to study and the method of gathering data
case studies
objective accounts intended to educate readers about a person, group, or situation
self-awareness
occurs when a person is able to observe and evaluate the self from another's viewpoint
ideologies
seemingly commonsense views justifying the existing state of affairs
validity
standard by which operational definitions are assessed that focus on the extent to which a measure accurately represents what is intended to measure
reliable
standard for assessing an operational definition that emphasizes the ability of a measure to yield consistent results
dependent variable
the behavior to be explained or predicted
control variables
the constant so researchers can focus on just the relationship between the independent and dependent variable
function
the contribution a part makes to maintain the stability of an existing social order
generalizability
the extent to which findings can be applied to a larger population beyond those studied
social dynamics
the forces that cause societies to change
conflict
the major force that drives social change
bourgeoisie
the owners of means of production
operationalized
the researcher must give clear, precise instructions about how they observed and measured them
means of production
the resources such as lands, tools, equipment, factories, transportation, and labor that are essential to the production and distribution of goods and services
sociology
the scientific study of human activity in society
negotiated order
the sum of existing expectations and newly negotiated ones
solidarity
the system of social ties that acts as a cement bonding people to one another and to the wider society
latent dystfunctions
the unanticipated disruptions to the existing social order
independent variable
the variable that explains or predicts the dependent variable
research method
the various techniques that sociologists and other investigators use to formulate and answer meaningful questions and to collect, analyze, and interpret data
content analysis
they identify themes, sometimes counting the number of times something occurs or specifying categories in which to place observations
proletariat
those individuals who sell their labor to the bourgeoisie
participant observation
when researchers engage, join the group, and interact directly with those they are studying
