Sociology - Chapters 1-4

Front 1

anomie

Back 1

The loss of direction felt in a society when social control of individual behavior has become ineffective.

Front 2

applied sociology

Back 2

The use of the discipline of sociology with the specific intent of yielding practical applications for human behavior and organizations.

Front 3

basic sociology

Back 3

Sociological inquiry conducted with the objective of gaining a more profound knowledge of the fundamental aspects of social phenomena. Also known as pure sociology.

Front 4

clinical sociology

Back 4

The use of the discipline of sociology with the specific intent of altering social relationships or restructuring social institutions.

Front 5

conflict perspective

Back 5

A sociological approach that assumes that social behavior is best understood in terms of tension between groups over power or the allocation of resources (ex. housing, money, access to services, political representation).

Front 6

cultural capital

Back 6

Non-economic goods, such as family background and education, which are reflected in a knowledge of language and the arts.

Front 7

double consciousness

Back 7

The division of an individual's identity into two or more social realities.

Front 8

dramaturgical approach

Back 8

A view of social interaction in which people are seen as theatrical performers.

Front 9

dysfunction

Back 9

An element or process of a society that may disrupt the social system or reduce its stability.

Front 10

feminist view

Back 10

A sociological approach that views gender as central to all behavior and organization.

Front 11

functionalist perspective

Back 11

A sociological approach that emphasizes the way in which the parts of a society are structured to maintain its stability.

Front 12

globalization

Back 12

The worldwide integration of government policies, cultures, social movements, and financial markets through trade and the exchange of ideas.

Front 13

ideal type

Back 13

A construct or model for evaluating specific cases.

Front 14

interactionist perspective

Back 14

A sociological approach that generalizes about everyday forms of social interaction in order to explain society as a whole.

Front 15

latent function

Back 15

An unconscious or unintended function that may reflect hidden purposes.

Front 16

macrosociology

Back 16

Sociological investigation that concentrates on large-scale phenomena or entire civilizations.

Front 17

manifest function

Back 17

An open, stated, and conscious function.

Front 18

microsociology

Back 18

Sociological investigation that stresses the study of small groups, often through experimental means.

Front 19

natural science

Back 19

The study of the physical features of nature and the ways in which they interact and change.

Front 20

nonverbal communication

Back 20

The sending of messages through the use of gestures, facial expressions, and postures.

Front 21

science

Back 21

The body of knowledge obtained by methods based on systematic observation.

Front 22

social capital

Back 22

The collective benefit of social networks, which are built on reciprocal trust.

Front 23

social inequality

Back 23

A condition in which members of society have differing amounts of wealth, prestige, or power.

Front 24

social science

Back 24

The study of the social features of humans and the ways in which they interact and change.

Front 25

sociological imagination

Back 25

An awareness of the relationship between an individual and the wider society, both today and in the past.

Front 26

sociology

Back 26

The scientific study of social behavior and human groups.

Front 27

theory

Back 27

In sociology, a set of statements that seeks to explain problems, actions, or behavior.

Front 28

verstehen

Back 28

"Understanding" or "insight" - used to stress the need for sociologists to take into account the subjective meanings people attach to their actions.

Front 29

causal logic

Back 29

The relationship between a condition or variable and a particular consequence, with one event leading to (causing) the other.

Front 30

code of ethics

Back 30

The standards of acceptable behavior developed by and for members of a profession.

Front 31

content analysis

Back 31

The systematic coding and objective recording of data, guided by some rationale.

Front 32

control group

Back 32

The subjects in an experiment who are not introduced to the independent variable by the researcher.

Front 33

control variable

Back 33

A factor that is held constant to test the relative impact of an independent variable.

Front 34

correlation

Back 34

A relationship between two variables in which a change in one coincides with a change in the other. This does not always mean causality.

Front 35

cross-tabulation

Back 35

A table or matrix that shows the relationship between two or more variables.

Front 36

dependent variable

Back 36

The variable in a causal relationship that is subject to the influence of another variable.

Front 37

ethnography

Back 37

The study of an entire social setting through extended systematic observation.

Front 38

experiment

Back 38

An artificially created situation that allows a researcher to manipulate variables.

Front 39

experimental group

Back 39

The subjects in an experiment who are exposed to an independent variable introduced by a researcher.

Front 40

Hawthorne effect

Back 40

The unintended influence that observers of experiments can have on their subjects.

Front 41

hypothesis

Back 41

A speculative statement about the relationship between two or more variables.

Front 42

independent variable

Back 42

The variable in a causal relationship that causes or influences a change in the second variable.

Front 43

interview

Back 43

A face-to-face or telephone questioning of a respondent to obtain desired information.

Front 44

mean

Back 44

A number calculated by adding a series of values and then dividing by the number of values - the average.

Front 45

median

Back 45

The midpoint or number that divides a series of values into two groups which are made up of equal numbers of values.

Front 46

mode

Back 46

The single most common value in a series of scores.