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the systematic study of human society and social interaction
sociology
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C. Wright Mills's term for the ability to see the relationship between individual experiences and the larger society
sociological imagination
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Emile Durkheim's term for patterned ways of acting, thinking, and feeling that exist outside any one individual but the exert social control over each person
social facts
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in sociological research, any concept with measurable traits or characteristics that can change or vary from one person, time, situation, or society to another
variable
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in an experiment, the variable assumed to be the cause of the relationship between variables
independent variable
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in an experiment, the variable assumed to be the cause of the relationship between variables
dependent variable
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in sociological research, the extent to which a study or research instrument accurately measures what it is supposed to measure
validity
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in soliological research, the extent to which a study or research instrument yields consistent results when applied to different individuals at one time or to the same individuals over time
reliability
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the systematic examination of cultural artifacts or various forms of communication to extract thematic data and draw conclusions about social life
content analysis
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a research method in which researchers collect data while being part of the activities of the group being studied
participant observation
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in an experiment, the group that contains the subjects who are exposed to an independent variable (the experimental condition) to study its effect on them
experimental group
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in an experiment, the group that contains the subjects who are not exposed to the independent variable
control group
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the knowledge, language, values, customs, and material objects that are passed from person to person and from one generation to the next in a human group or society
culture
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a component of culture that consists of the physical or tangible creations (such as clothing, shelter, and art) that members of a society make, use, and share.
material culture
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a component of culture that consists of the abstract or intangible human creations of society (such as attitudes, beliefs, and values) that influence people's behavior
nonmaterial culture
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customs and practices that occur across all societies
cultural universals
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collective ideas about what is right or wrong, good or bad, and desirable or undesirable in a particular culture
values
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established rules of behavior or standards of conduct
norms
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informal norms or everyday customs that may be violated without serious consequences in a particular culture
folkways
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strongly held norms with moral and ethical connotations that may not be violated without serious consequences in a particular culture
mores
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formal, standardized norms that have been enacted by legislatures and are enforced by formal sanctions
laws
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William Ogburn's term for a gap between the technical development of a society (material culture) and its moral and legal institutions (nonmaterial culture).
cultural lag
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a group of people who share a distinctive set of cultural beliefs and behaviors that differs in some significant way from that of the larger society
subculture
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a group that strongly refects dominant societial values and norms and seeks alternative lifestyles
counterculture
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the practice of judging all other cultures by one's own culture
ethnocentrism
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the belief that the bahaviors and customs of any culture must be viewed and analyzed by the culture's own standards
cultural relativism
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Comte's theory that societies contain forces for social order and stability
social statics
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Comte's theory that societies contain forces for conflict and change
social dynamics
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the capitalist class , comprises those who own and control the means of production (the tools, land, factories, and money for investment that form the economic basis of a society
bourgeoisie
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the working class, composed of those who must sell their labor because they have no other means to earn a livlihood.
proletariat
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german for "understanding" or "insight" (weber)
verstehen
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functions that are intended and/or overtly recognized by the participants in a social unit
manifest functions
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unintended functions that are hidden and remain unacknowledged by participants
latent functions
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an abstract model that describes the recurring characteristics of some phenomenon (such as bureaucracy)
ideal type
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Erving Goffmans's term for people's efforts to present themselves to others in ways that are most favorable to their own interests or image
inpression management
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the socological approach that views society as the sum of the interactions of individuals and groups
symbolic interactionist perspectives
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a statement of the expected relationship between two or more variables
hypothesis
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the lifelong process of social interaction through which individuals acquire a self-identity and the physical, mental, and social skills needed for survival in society
socialization
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compare sociology with common sense
sociology promotes understanding and tolerance by enabling each of us to look beyond intuition, common sense, and our personal experiences. many of us rely on common sense gained from personal experience to help us understand our daily lives and other's behavior. commonsense knowledge guides ordinary conduct in everyday life.
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what are some uses of sociology?
sociological inquiry helps us see that "things are not what they seem". sociology provides new ways of approaching problems and making decisions in everyday life
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based on the assumption that society is a stable, orderly system
functionalist perspectives (aka: functionalism)
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the undesirable consequences of any element of a society
dysfunctions
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examines whole societies, large-scale social structures, and social systems
macrosociology
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focuses on small groups rather than large-scale social structures
microsociology
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what are the steps in the scientific method?
- 1. select and define the research problem
- 2. review previous research
- 3. formulate the hypothesis
- 4. develop the research design
- 5. collect and analyze the data
- 6. draw conclusions and report the findings
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what are Durkheim's four types of suicide?
- 1. Egoistic: not attached to others, lonely
- 2. Altruistic: too tied/attached to society
- 3. Anomic: rules/guidelines are absent
- 4. Fatalistic: rules/guidelines are too restrictive
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