Sociology Semester Exam Study Guide – Flashcards

verstehen

sociological imagination

sociology

theory

false

true

false

false

false

ethnocentrism

true

false

leaving the family

false

false

true

institutional discrimination

assimilation

false

self-fulfilling prophecy

false

Ernestine Friedl

old-old

false

baby boom

material culture

law

subculture

norms

countercultures

AIDS

anticipatory socialization

cluster effect

industrial revolution

puberty

false

true

false

true

true

social moblity

life chances

conflict perspective

objective method

poverty level

transfer payments

life expectancy

socioeconomic status

blue-collar jobs

The four principal factors are heredity, birth order, parental characteristics, and the cultural environment. Heredity is the transmission of genetic characteristics from parents to children. Heredity characteristics also include certain aptitudes, a capacity to learn a particular skill or acquire a specific body of knowledge. Overall, heredity includes inherited characteristics, biological drives, and limits. Birth order effects peoples personality a lot as well. Children with siblings view the world different than people without brothers or sisters. The order in which we are born also effect our personalities. For example, in one study first born children were more likely to be achievement-oriented and responsible. Later born children tended to be better in social relationships and to be more affectionate and friendly. Parental characteristics, like age, can effect the relationship between a parent and child. Some parental characteristics that can influence a child's personality are levels of education, religious orientation, economic status, cultural heritage, and occupational background. Cultural environment has a very strong influence on personality development. Generally, the cultural environment determines the basic types of personality that will be found in society. Each culture gives rise to a series of traits that are typical of members of that society. For examples, in the United States competitiveness, assertiveness, and individualism are common personality traits.

A minority group is a group of people who are singled out and unequally treated because of their physical characteristics or cultural practices. The top five minority groups in America are: African-Americans, Hispanic or Latin Americans, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and White ethnics. The Asian Americans are often called the model minority because of their cultural background.

Reputaional Method is a technique used to rank individuals according to social class in which individuals in the community rank other community members based on what they know of their characters and lifestyle. This method only works in small communities where everybody know each other. Subjective Method is a technique used to rank individuals according to social class in which the individuals themselves are asked to determine their social rank. Researches found that when asked this question most people do not like to say they are in upper or lower classes. Most people place themselves in the middle class. Objective Method is a technique used to rank individuals according to social class in which sociologists define social class in terms of factors such as income, occupation, and education. This is overall the least biased method.

Minorities have faced many challenges including assimilating into a foreign society, learning English, open discrimination, and hate crimes. Sociologists Gunnar Myrdal wrote about the unfair minority group treatment in the United States. His examples were the enslavement and segregation of African Americans, the establishment of Indian reservations, and the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II.