Society: The Basics Chapters 1-3

Front 1

sociology

Back 1

the systematic study of human society, or group human behavior choices

Front 2

sociological perspective

Back 2

the special point of view of sociology that sees general patterns of society in the lives of particular people

Front 3

theory

Back 3

a statement of how and why specific facts are related

Front 4

positivist sociology

Back 4

the study of society based on systematic observations of social behaviors

Front 5

structural functionism

Back 5

sees society as a complex systems whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability

Front 6

interpretive sociology

Back 6

study of society that focuses on discovering the meanings people attach to their social world

Front 7

critical sociology

Back 7

study of society that focuses on the need for social change

Front 8

manifest function

Back 8

the recognized and unintended consequences of any social pattern

Front 9

latent function

Back 9

unrecognized and unintended consequences of any social patterns

Front 10

dysfunction

Back 10

any social pattern that may disrupt the operation of society

Front 11

conflict theory

Back 11

a framework for building theory that sees society as an arena of inequaliity that generates conflict and change

Front 12

symbolic interactionism

Back 12

framework for building theory that sees society as the product of the everyday interactions of individuals

Front 13

concept

Back 13

a mental construct that represents some aspect of the world in a simplified form

Front 14

variable

Back 14

a concept whose value changes from case to case

Front 15

reliability

Back 15

consistency in measurement

Front 16

validity

Back 16

actually measuring exactly what you intend to measure

Front 17

correlation

Back 17

a relationship in which 2 or more variables change together

Front 18

independent variable

Back 18

the cause of an effect (or dependent variable)

Front 19

dependent variable

Back 19

the effect of a cause (or independent variable)

Front 20

experiment

Back 20

a research method for investigating cause and effect under highly controlled situations

Front 21

hypothesis

Back 21

an educated guess about how variables are linked

Front 22

survey

Back 22

a research method in which subjects respond to a series of statements or questions in an interview or on a questionnaire

Front 23

sample

Back 23

a small number of subjects selected to represent an entire population

Front 24

participant observation

Back 24

a research method in which investigators systematically observe people while joining htem in their routine activities

Front 25

The SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE means "seeing the general in the particular." What does that mean?

Back 25

sociology helps us see general patterns in the beheavior of particular people (i.e. rich, poor, men, women)

Front 26

In 1897, EMILE DURKHEIM proved that social forces effect suicides. What are these factors?

Back 26

She proved that rich, single, white, Protestant males are most likely to commit suicide due to a lack of social ties. Factors that influence this are:
-race
-marital status
-gender
-religion

Front 27

In what ways does applying the sociological perspective benefit our daily lives?

Back 27

-helps us find the truth
-helps us see the limits and constraints in our lives
-empowers us to be active members of society
-helps us live in a diverse world

Front 28

"Striking changes in seventeenth and eighteenth century drove to the development of sociology." What were these changes?

Back 28

the Industrial Revolution --> growth of cities, political freedom,

Front 29

Who was AUGUST COMTE?

Back 29

wrote a book in 1838 coining the term "sociology"; first one to suggest a scientific approach to human behavior; regarded as the father of sociology

Front 30

How does the structural-functional paradigm view society?

Back 30

the traditional way of doing things to promote stability and solidarity