question

Sociology

answer

The study of human groups and societies, giving particular emphasis of the industrialized world.

question

Personal troubles

answer

Difficulties that are located in individual biographies and their immediate milieu, a seemingly private experience

question

Public Issues

answer

Difficulties or problems that are linked to the institutional and historical possibilities of social structure.

question

Sociological Imagination

answer

The application of imaginative thought to the asking and answering of sociological questions.

question

Structuration

answer

The two-way process by which we shape our social world through our individual actions and by which we are reshaped by society.

question

Social Facts

answer

According to Emile Durkheim, the aspects of social life that shape our action as individuals. Durkheim believed that social facts could be studied scientifically.

question

Organic Solidarity

answer

According to Emile Durkheim, the social cohesion that results from the various parts of a society function as an integrated whole.

question

Social Constraint

answer

The conditioning influence on our behavior by the groups and societies of which we are members. Social constraint was regarded by Emile Durkheim as one of the distinctive properties of social facts.

question

Anomie

answer

A concept first brought into wide usage in sociology by Durkheim, referring to a situation in which social norms lose their hold over individual behavior.

question

Materialist Conception of History

answer

The view developed by Marx, according to which material, or economic, factors have a prime role in determining historical change.

question

Capitalism

answer

An economic system based on the private ownership of wealth, which is invested and reinvested in order to produce profit.

question

Symbolic Interactionism

answer

A theoretical approach in Sociology developed by George Herbert Mead that emphasized the role of symbols and language as core elements of all human interaction.

question

Symbol

answer

One item used to stand for or represent another- as in the case of a flag, which symbolizes a nation.

question

Functionalism

answer

A theoretical perspective based on the notion that social events can best be explained in terms of the functions they perform- that is, the contributions that make to the continuity of a society.

question

Manifest Functions

answer

The functions of a particular social activity that are known to and intended by the individuals involved in the activity

question

Latent Functions

answer

Functional consequences that are not intended or recognized by the members of a social system in which they occur.

question

Marxism

answer

A body of thought deriving its main elements from Karl Marx's ideas

question

Power

answer

The ability of individuals or the members of a group to achieve aims or further the interests they hold. Power is a pervasive element in all human relationships. Many conflicts in society are struggles over power, because how much power an individual or group is able to obtain governs how far they are able to put their wishes into practice.

question

Ideology

answer

Shared ideas or beliefs that serve to justify the interests of dominant groups. Ideologies are found in all societies in which there are systematic and ingrained inequalities among groups. The concept of ideology connects closely with that of power, since ideological systems serve to legitimize the power that groups hold.

question

Feminist Theory

answer

A sociological perspective that emphasized the centrality of gender in analyzing the social world and particularly the experiences of women. There are many strands of feminist theory, but they all share the intention to explain gender inequalities in society and to work to overcome them.

question

Feminism

answer

Advocacy of the rights of women to be equal with men in all spheres of life. Feminism dates from the late eighteenth century in Europe, and feminist movements exist in most countries today.

question

Postmodernism

answer

The belief that society is no longer governed by history or progress. Postmodern society is highly pluralistic and diverse, with no \"Grand narrative\" guiding its development.

question

Microsociology

answer

The study of human behavior in contexts of face-to-face interaction.

question

Macro sociology

answer

The study of large-scale groups, organizations, or social systems.

question

Science

answer

The disciplined marshaling of empirical data, combined with theoretical approaches and theories that illuminate or explain those data. Scientific activity combines the creation of new modes of thought with the careful testing of hypotheses and ideas. One major feature that helps distinguish science from other idea systems (such as religion) is the assumption that all scientific ideas are open to criticism and revision.

question

Empirical Investigation

answer

Factual inquiry carried out in any area of sociological study.

question

Factual Questions

answer

Questions that raise issues concerning matters of fact (rather than theoretical or moral issues)

question

Comparative Question

answer

Questions concerned with drawing comparison among different human societies for the purposes of sociological theory or research.

question

Developmental questions

answer

Questions that sociologist pose when looking at the origins and path of development of social institutions from the past to the present.

question

Theoretical Questions

answer

Questions posed by sociologist when seeking to explain a particular range of observed events. The asking of theoretical questions is crucial to allowing us to generalize about the nature of social life.

question

Hypothesis

answer

An idea or a guess about a given state of affairs, put forward as a basis for empirical testing.

question

Data

answer

Factual information used as a basis for reasoning, discussion, or calculation. Social science data often refer to individuals' responses to survey questions.

question

Ethnography

answer

The firsthand study of people using participant observation or interviewing.

question

Participant Observation

answer

A method of research widely used in sociology and anthropology in which the researcher takes part in the activities of the group or community being studied. Also called fieldwork.

question

Survey

answer

A method of sociological research in which questionnaires are administered to the population being studied.

question

Pilot Study

answer

A trial run in survey research

question

Representative Sample

answer

A sample from a larger population that is statistically typical of that population

question

Random Sampling

answer

Sampling method in which a sample is chosen so that every member of the population has the same probability of being included.

question

Experiment

answer

A research method in which variables can be analysed in a controlled and systematic way, either in an artificial situation constructed by the researcher or in naturally occurring settings.

question

Comparative Research

answer

Research that compares one set of findings on one society with the same type of findings on other societies.

question

Measures of central tendency

answer

The ways of calculating averages

question

Correlation Coefficient

answer

A measure of the degree of correlation between variables

question

Standard Deviation

answer

A way of calculating the spread of a group of figures.

question

Degree of dispersal

answer

The range or distribution of a set of figures.

question

Oral history

answer

Interviews with people about events they witnessed earlier in their lives

question

Triangulation

answer

The use of multiple research methods as a way of producing more reliable empirical data than are available from any single method.

question

Informed Consent

answer

The process whereby the study investigator informs potential participants about the risks and benefits involved in the research study. Informed consent must be obtained before an individual participates in a study.

question

Debriefing

answer

Following a research study, the investigator will inform study participants about the true purpose of the study and will reveal any deception that happened during the study.

question

Culture

answer

The values, norms and material goods characteristic of a given group. Like the concept of society, the notion of culture is widely used in sociology and the other social sciences (particularly anthropology). Culture is one of the most distinctive properties of human social association.

question

Values

answer

Ideas held by individuals or groups about what is desirable, proper, good, and bad. What individuals value is strangly influenced by the specific culture in which they happen to live.

question

Norms

answer

Rules of conduct that specify appropriate behavior in a given range of social situation. A norm eaither prescribes a given type of behavior or forbids it. All human groups follow definite norms, which are always back by sanction of one kind or another- varying from informal disapproval to physical punishment.

question

Material Goods

answer

The physical objects that a society creates these influence the ways in which people live.

question

Instinct

answer

A fixed pattern of behavior that has genetic origins and that appears in all normal animals within a given species.

question

Society

answer

A group of people who live in a particular territory, are subject to a common system of political authority, and are aware of having a distinct identity from other groups. Some societies, like hunting and gathering societies, are small, numbering no more than a few dozen people. Other are large, numbering millions- modern Chinese society, for instance, has a population of more than a billion people.

question

Sociobiology

answer

An approach that attempts to explain the behavior of both animals and human beings in terms of biological principles.

question

Biological determinism

answer

The belief that differences we observe between groups of people, such as men and women, are explained wholly by biological causes.

question

Subculture

answer

Values and norms distinct from those of the majority, held by a group within a wider society.

question

Assimilation

answer

The acceptance of a minority group by a majority population, in which the new group takes on the values and norms of the dominant culture.

question

Multiculturalism

answer

The view-point according to which ethnic groups can exist separately and share equally in economic and political life.

question

Ethnocentrism

answer

The tendency to look at other cultures through the eyes of one's own culture, and thereby misrepresent them.

question

Cultural relativism

answer

The practice of judging a society by its own standards

question

Cultural Universals

answer

Values or modes of behavior shared by all human cultures.

question

Marriage

answer

A socially approved sexual relationship between two individuals. Marriage normally forms the basis of a family of procreation-that is, it is expected that the married will produce and raise children.

question

Linguistic relativity hypothesis

answer

A hypothesis based on the theories of Edward Sapir and Benjamin Lee Whorf, that perception are relative to language.

question

Signifier

answer

Any vehicle of meaning and communication

question

Pastoral Societies

answer

Societies whose subsistence derives from the rearing of domesticated animals.

question

Agrarian societies

answer

Societies whose means of subsistence are based on agricultural production (crop growing).

question

Industrialization

answer

The emergence of machine production, based on the use of inanimate power resources (such as steam or electricity)

question

Nation-State

answer

A particular type of state, characteristic of the modern world, in which a government has sovereign power within defined territorial area, and the population are citizens who know themselves to be part of a single nation.

question

Colonialism

answer

The process whereby Western nations established their rule in parts of the world away from their home territories.

question

Developing World

answer

The less developed societies, in which industrial production is either virtually nonexistent or only developed to a limited degree. The majority of the world's population live in less developed countries.

question

Emerging Economies

answer

Developing countries that over the past two or three decades have begun to develop a strong industrial base, such as Singapore and Hong Kong.

question

Nationalsim

answer

A set of beliefs and symbols expressing identification with a national community

question

Social Reproduction

answer

The process whereby societies have structural continuity over time. Social reproduction is an important pathway through which parents transit or produce values., norms and social practices among their children.

question

Socialization

answer

The social processes through which we develop an awareness of social norms and values and achieve a distinct sense of self.

question

Resocialization

answer

The process of learning new norms, values, and behaviors when one joins a new group or takes on a new social role, or when life circumstances change dramatically.

question

Cognition

answer

Human thought processes involving perception, reasoning and remembering.

question

Social Self

answer

The basis of self consciousness in human individuals, according to the theory of George Herbert Mead. The social self is the identity conferred upon an individual by the reactions of others. A person achieves self consciousness by becoming aware of this social identity.

question

Self-Conciousness

answer

Awareness of one's distinct social identity as a person separate from others.

question

Generalized Other

answer

A concept in the theory of George Herbert Mead, according to which the individual takes over the general values of a given group or society during the socialization process.

question

Agents of socialization

answer

Groups or social contexts within which processes of socialization take place.

question

Nuclear Family

answer

A family group consisting of an adult or adult couple and their dependent children.

question

Peer Group

answer

A friendship group composed of individuals of similar age and social status.

question

Age-grades

answer

The system found in small traditional cultures by which people belonging to a similar age group are categorized together and hold similar rights and obligations.

question

Social roles

answer

Socially defined expectation of an individual in a given status, or occupying a particular social position. In every society, individuals play a number of social roles, such as teenage, parent, worker, or political leader.

question

Self-Identity

answer

The ongoing process of self-development and definition of our personal identity through which we formulate a unique sense of ourselves and our relationship to the world around us.

question

Life Course

answer

The various transitions and stages people experience during their lives.

question

Aging

answer

The combination of biological, psychological, and social processes that affect people as they grow older.

question

Social gerontologists

answer

Social scientists who study aging and the elderly.

question

Disengagement theory

answer

A functionalist theory of aging that holds that it is functional for society to remove people from their traditional roles when they become elderly, thereby freeing up those roles for others.

question

Activity Theory

answer

A functionalist theory of aging, which holds that busy, engaged people are more likely to lead fulfilling and productive lives.

question

Continuity Theory

answer

Theoretical perspective on aging that specifies that older adults fare best when they participate in activities consistent with their personality, preferences, and activities earlier in life.

question

Social Conflict Theories of Aging

answer

Arguments that emphasize the ways in which the larger social structure helps to shape the opportunities available to the elderly. Unequal opportunities are seen as creating the potential for conflict.

question

Life Course Theory

answer

A perspective based on the assumptions that the aging process is shaped by historical time and place; individuals make choice that reflect both opportunities and constraints; again is a lifelong process; and the relationships, event,s and experiences or early life have consequences for later life.

question

Young Old

answer

Sociological term fro persons between the ages of sixty-five and seventy-four

question

Old Old

answer

Seventy-five and Eighty-four

question

Oldest Old

answer

Eighty-five+

question

Ageism

answer

Discrimination or prejudice against a person on the grounds of age.

Essentials of Sociology Fifth Edition Chapters 1-3

Unlock all answers in this set

Haven't found what you were looking for?

Search for samples, answers to your questions and flashcards