Social Sciences Terminology: A Comprehensive Glossary, Quizzes of Introduction to Sociology

Download Social Sciences Terminology: A Comprehensive Glossary and more Quizzes Introduction to Sociology in PDF only on Docsity! TERM 1 archival research DEFINITION 1 the use of existing records that must have been produced or maintained by persons or organizations other than the researcher TERM 2 class conflict DEFINITION 2 the view of Karl Marx that society is divided into those who own the means of producing wealth and those who do not, giving rise to struggles between classes TERM 3 constructed reality DEFINITION 3 our experience of the world. Meaning is not something that inheres in things; it is a property that derives from, or arises out of, the interaction that takes place among people in the course of their daily lives TERM 4 control group DEFINITION 4 the group that affords a neutral standard against which the changes in an experimental group can be measured TERM 5 correlation DEFINITION 5 a change in one variable associated with a change in another variable TERM 6 dependent variable DEFINITION 6 the variable that is affected in an experimental setting TERM 7 dialectical materialism DEFINITION 7 the notion in Marxist theory that development depends on the clash of contradictions and the creation of new, more advanced structures out of these clashes TERM 8 dysfunctions DEFINITION 8 observed consequences that lessen the adaptation or adjustment of a system TERM 9 economic determinist DEFINITION 9 a believer in the doctrine that economic factor are primary determinants of the structure of societies and social change TERM 10 experiment DEFINITION 10 a technique in which researchers work with two groups that are identical in all relevant respects. They introduce a change in one group but not in the other group. The procedure permits researchers to test the effects of an independent variable on a dependent variable TERM 21 power DEFINITION 21 the ability to control the behavior of others, even against their will TERM 22 random sample DEFINITION 22 a sampling procedure in which researchers select subjects on the basis of chance so that every individual in the population has the same opportunity to be chosen TERM 23 secondary data analysis DEFINITION 23 analysis of data collected by others TERM 24 social Darwinism DEFINITION 24 the application of evolutionary notions and the concept of survival of the fittest to the social world TERM 25 social dynamics DEFINITION 25 those aspects of social life that pattern institutional development and have to do with social change TERM 26 social facts DEFINITION 26 those aspects of social life that cant be explained in terms of the biological or mental characteristics of the individual. People experience fact as external to themselves in the sense that it has an independent reality and forms a part of their objective environment TERM 27 social statics DEFINITION 27 those aspects of social life that have to do with order and stability and that allow societies to hold together and endure TERM 28 sociological imagination DEFINITION 28 the ability to see our private experiences and personal difficulties as entwined with the structural arrangement of our society and the historical times in which we live TERM 29 sociology DEFINITION 29 the scientific study of social interaction and social organization TERM 30 spurious correlation DEFINITION 30 the apparent relationship between two variables produced by a third variable that influences the original variables TERM 31 stratified random sample DEFINITION 31 a sampling procedure in which researchers divide a population into relevant categories and draw a random sample from each of the categories TERM 32 survey DEFINITION 32 a method for gathering data on people's beliefs, values, attitudes, perceptions, motivations, and feelings. The data can be derived from interviews or questionnaires TERM 33 unobtrusive observation DEFINITION 33 a technique in which researchers observe the activities of people without intruding or participating in the activities TERM 34 value-free society DEFINITION 34 the view of Max Weber that sociologists must not allow their personal biases to affect the conduct f their scientific research TERM 35 variable DEFINITION 35 a concept that can take on different values; the term scientists apply to something they think influences (or is influences by) something else TERM 46 ethnocentrism DEFINITION 46 the tendency to judge the behavior of other groups by the standards of one's own culture TERM 47 folkways DEFINITION 47 Norms people do not deem to be of great importance and to which they exact less stringent conformity TERM 48 group DEFINITION 48 two or more people who share a feeling of unity and who are bound together in relatively stable patterns of social interaction TERM 49 institutions DEFINITION 49 the principal instruments whereby the essential tasks of living are organized, directed, and executed TERM 50 language DEFINITION 50 a socially structured system of sound patterns (words and sentences) with specific and arbitrary meanings TERM 51 laws DEFINITION 51 rules that are enforced by a special political organization composed of individuals who enjoy the right to use force TERM 52 master status DEFINITION 52 a key or core status that carries primary weight in a person's interactions and relationships with others TERM 53 mores DEFINITION 53 norms to which people attach a good deal of importance and exact strict conformity TERM 54 norms DEFINITION 54 social rules that specify appropriate and inappropriate behavior in given situations TERM 55 rights DEFINITION 55 actions that we can legitimately insist that others perform TERM 56 role DEFINITION 56 a set of expectations (rights and duties) that define the behavior people view as appropriate and inappropriate for the occupant of a status TERM 57 role conflict DEFINITION 57 the situation in which individuals are confronted with conflicting expectations stemming from their simultaneous occupancy of two or more statuses TERM 58 role exit DEFINITION 58 occurs when people stop playing roles that have been central to their social identities TERM 59 role performance DEFINITION 59 the actual behavior of the person who occupies a status TERM 60 role set DEFINITION 60 the multiple roles associated with a single status TERM 71 communication DEFINITION 71 the process by which people transit information, ideas, and attitudes, and mental states to one another TERM 72 conditioning DEFINITION 72 a form of learning in which the consequences of behavior determine the probability of its future occurrence TERM 73 definition of the situation DEFINITION 73 a concept formulated by William I. Thomas, which refers to the interpretation or meaning people give to their immediate circumstances TERM 74 dramaturgical approach DEFINITION 74 the sociological perspective associated with Erving Goffman that views the performance staged in a theater as an analytical analogy and tool for depicting social life TERM 75 egocentric bias DEFINITION 75 the tendency to place ourselves at the center of events so that we over perceive ourselves as the victim or target of an action or event that in reality is not directed at us TERM 76 euthanasia DEFINITION 76 the painless putting to death of an individual who suffers from an incurable and painful disease TERM 77 generalized other DEFINITION 77 the term George Herbert mead applied to the social unit that gives individuals their unity of self. The attitude of the generalized other is the attitude of the larger community TERM 78 hospice DEFINITION 78 a program or mode of care that attempts to make the dying experience less painful and emotionally traumatic for patients and their facilities TERM 79 impression management DEFINITION 79 the term Eving Goffman applied to the process whereby we present ourselves to others in ways that will lead them to view us in a favorable light TERM 80 language acquisition device DEFINITION 80 an inborn language-generating mechanism postulated by Noam Chomsky to exist in humans. Chomsky sees the basic structure of language as biologically channeled, forming a sort of prefabricated filling system to order the worlds and phrases that make up human language TERM 81 life course DEFINITION 81 the interweave of age-graded trajectories with the vicissitudes of changing social conditions and future operations that characterize the life from conception through old age dealt TERM 82 life events DEFINITION 82 turning points at which people change some direction in the course of their lives TERM 83 looking-glass self DEFINITION 83 the term that Charles Horton Cooley applied to the process by which the stance of other people and view ourselves as we believe they see us TERM 84 observational learning DEFINITION 84 learning that occurs when people reproduce the response they obseve in other people, either real or fictional; also referred to as modeling or imitation TERM 85 paralanguage DEFINITION 85 nonverbal cues surrounding speech --voice, pitch volume, pacing speech, silent pauses, and sighs -- that provide a rich source of communication information TERM 96 social clock DEFINITION 96 a cultural timetable based on age norms and used by individuals to pace the major events of their lives TERM 97 social comparisons DEFINITION 97 comparing one's performance, ability, or characteristics with those of others and rating oneself as positive, neutral, or negative TERM 98 socialization DEFINITION 98 a process of social interaction by which people acquire the knowledge, attitudes, values, and behaviors essential for effective participation in society TERM 99 Thomas theorem DEFINITION 99 the notion that our definitions influence our construction of reality; as stated by William I. Thomas and Dorothy S Thomas: "If [people] define situations as real, they are real in their consequences" TERM 100 alienation DEFINITION 100 a pervasive sense of powerlessness, meaninglessness, normlessness, isolation, self-estrangement TERM 101 bureaucracy DEFINITION 101 a social structure made up of a hierarchy of statuses and roles that is prescribed by explicit rules and procedures and based on a division of function and authority TERM 102 coercive organization DEFINITION 102 a formal organization that people become members of against their will TERM 103 dyad DEFINITION 103 two member group TERM 104 ethnomethodolgy DEFINITION 104 procedures--the rules and activities-- that people employ in making social life and society intelligible to themselves and others TERM 105 expressive leader DEFINITION 105 a leader who focuses on overcoming interpersonal problems in a group, defusing tension, and promoting solidarity TERM 106 expressive ties DEFINITION 106 social links formed when we emotionally invest ourselves in and commit ourselves to other people TERM 107 formal organization DEFINITION 107 a group formed deliberately for the achievement of specific objectives TERM 108 group DEFINITION 108 two or more people who share a feeling of unity and who are bound together in relatively stable patterns of social interaction TERM 109 groupthink DEFINITION 109 a decision-making process found in highly cohesive groups in which the members become so preoccupied with maintaining group consensus that their critical faculties are impaired TERM 110 informal organization DEFINITION 110 interpersonal networks and ties that arise in a formal organization but that are not defined or prescribed by it TERM 121 relationship DEFINITION 121 an association that lasts long enough for two people to become linked together by a relatively stable set of expectations TERM 122 relative deprivation DEFINITION 122 discontent associated with the gap between what we have and what we believe we should have TERM 123 re-socialization DEFINITION 123 a process by which a person's old roles and identities are stripped away and new ones are created TERM 124 secondary group DEFINITION 124 two or more people who are involves in an impersonal relationship and have come together for a specific, practical purpose TERM 125 social dilemma DEFINITION 125 a situation in which members of a group are faced with a conflict between maximizing their personal interests and maximizing the collective welfare TERM 126 social loafing DEFINITION 126 the process in which individuals work less are when working in groups than they do when working individually TERM 127 total institutions DEFINITION 127 places of residence where individuals are isolated from the rest of society TERM 128 trained incapacity DEFINITION 128 the term Thorstein Veblen applied to the tendency within bureaucracies for members to rely on established rules and regulations and to apply them in an unimaginative and mechanical fashion TERM 129 triad DEFINITION 129 a three member group TERM 130 utilitarian organization DEFINITION 130 a formal organization setup to achieve practical ends TERM 131 voluntary organization DEFINITION 131 a formal organization that people enter and leave freely