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Universities » University of Alabama - Huntsvil.. » SOC - Sociology » 100 - INTRO TO SOCIOLOGY » Flash Cards

Exam 2 - Flashcards

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Class:SOC 100 - INTRO TO SOCIOLOGY
Subject:Sociology
University:University of Alabama - Huntsville
Term:Fall 2010
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Sociation The particular patterns and forms by which people ASSOCIATE AND INTERACT; Simmel believed to study society is to study sociation.
Simmel Believed that to study "society" is to study the SOCIATION and the abstract FORM (structure; i.e. dyad, triad) of social interactions as they occur and reoccur (i.e. pattern); Rejected the macro-sociological approaches; Argued for micro wherein society consists of a complex web of patterned social interactions.
Dyad Social framework depends upon all who is there (dependence), if one leaves, framework is dissolved.
Transcendence implies form (structure) is above, beyond and external to individuals (similar to Durkheim's social facts); Exists in formal organizations - the position is independent of (transcends) any one person (position can be filled by someone else).
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Social Status A position that a person occupies in a social structure; Examples: family statuses - mother, father; occupational statuses - lawyer, doctor; age; sex; ethnicity.
Ascribed Status Placed, generally at birth, into a status; Example - sex, race, ethnicity.
Achieved Status Examples - college grad; being a spouse etc.
Incumbent The individual occupying a particular status.
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Roles Sum total of expectations about the behavior attached to a particular social status; Must meet certain role expectations.
Social Groups Two or more people who share some sense of identity or common goals; Example - family group, marriage, club/organization etc.
Primary Groups Family and friends.
Secondary Groups Tend to be means-to-an-end relationships; Example - my sociology class.
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Bureaucracy A type of formal organization operating under some sort of charter or constitution that specifies that status positions and describes role expectations.
Ideal-Type Bureaucracy According to Max Weber, the bureaucracy was one of the most important results of the trend towards the rationalization of life; A fully "rationalized" organization consists of : RULES (expected to become experts at their own areas); HIERARCHY; AUTHORITY (chains of command; pyramids)
"Iron Cages" Weber said bureaucracies could become "iron cages" of modern life where people become trapped in following rules that they lose sight of the reason they're working.
"Society" The thing that distinguishes a society from any smaller group is "self-sufficiency"; can only be called a society if it provides basic needs to its members without having to leave it; Must also meet survival needs (social control, defense etc); Must have opportunities.
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Social Institutions Society meets the basic needs of its members through social institutions; An accepted and persistent constellation of STATUSES, ROLES, VALUES, & NORMS that respond to important societal needs; By nature, it limits people's choices; Example : the institution of the family responds to society's needs by replacing its members; Examples : the workplace, educational system etc.
Institutionalized Behavior The way it must be done.
Routine Behavior The way we do things (habitualization)
Social Structure A set of RELATIVELY STABLE roles, that is, PATTERNED RELATIONSHIPS among statuses; Examples - mother-child relationships, professor-student relationships
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"Legitimate Power" Coined by Weber; People WILLINGLY obey (vs. being coerced)
Ideal Sources of "Legitimate Power" According to Weber; (1) Charisma - power legitimized on basis of leader's exceptional personal qualities (2) Traditional authority - family lineage, heritage (3) Legal-Rational Authority (most positional) - sets of impersonal rules - e.g. mgr at the Target or college professors
Rationalization Process by which organizations in societies are increasingly guided by reason and the cold calculation of interests.
Advantage of Bureaucracies It is an imperfect solution to an abuse of power, better than the alternative.
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Homogenization A decline in diversity; A cause of legal-rational forms of authority.
Social Dilemmas Situations wherein potential long-term harm to a society results from individuals pursuing short-term self-interests; Two types of dilemmas : "tragedy of the commons" and free-riders
"Tragedy of the Commons" Type of social dilemma; Refers to common needs and resources which are used by everyone; Example : fishing when you're not allowed to b/c you need to pay rent/feed kids.
Free-Rider Problem Type of social dilemma; If everyone else has sacrificed, but few have not.
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According to Wirth, what changes the nature of our social relationships? the size, density and heterogeneity of cities; they are all correlated (the one of one there is, the more of another there is likely to be.
Anomie Social void
How heterogeneity affects social relationships The individual acquires memberships in widely divergent groups; Process of depersonalization
Operationalization Putting things in such a way that they can be measured.
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Theory General, abstract, logical explanations for what's going on using expansive ideas, as well as more specific "concepts" to suggest how various things in society are related to each other; Can often be expressed in x --> y format where x = independent (influential) variable and y = dependent (affected) variable.
Hypothesis A testable proposition derived from a theory (where you get into measurement and operationalization); Specific.
Positive Effect Variables in a relationship vary in same direction; x INCREASES the likelihood or probability of y occurring; Ex: Increased eating cases increased weight or the less you eat, the less you weigh
Negative Effect Variables in a relationship vary in opposite direction; x DECREASES the likelihood or probability of y occurring; Ex: Increased exercise causes decreased weight or the more you exercise, the less you weigh.
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Empirical Gathering evidence or data from all sorts of real world observations; because science has to be verifiable.
Theoretical (theory) vs. Empirical (data)? They are completely dependent upon each other; Theories are useless without evidence; Without theory, empirical stuff = facts without explanations.
Surveys Research method; ideal for large # of people; series of questions can be demographic-related or attitude-related
Problems with the Experimental Research Method Do not reflect the real world (problem of "external validity"); Subject interpretation (person figured out what was happening, changed their behavior)
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Field Research Type of unobtrusive research method; Observational - directly observing behavior or people in their social environments; ADVANTAGE/DISADVANTAGE - DEPTH/SAMPLE SIZE(small)
Unobtrusive Research Methods (AKA - Nonreactive)Looking at historical DOCUMENTS; discourse ANALYSIS; "secondary" survey data
Quantitative Easily expressed in numbers; Observable and measurable. Ex. Durkheim believed we should observe and measure the actions of social facts.
Qualitative Focusing on the MEANING (or quality) of the behavior being observed; Understanding/interpreting and predicting social behavior.
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Triangulation When research methods are combined so that the strengths of 1 method overcome the weaknesses of another method.
Median Middle #; Not affected by extreme numbers
Mean "central tendency"; average; influenced by extreme #'s.
Mode # occurring most often
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Extrapolations Estimations; Useful in forecasting trends.
"Inconvenient Facts" Max Weber gave this term to those pieces of evidence that contradict what you have always believed and/or want to believe about the social world; Ex - men make more $ than women
Concept Label that is applied to things with similar characteristics, or attributes.
Construct The words used to describe things that exist analytically (love, intelligence, racism) but are not directly observable, because to observe them we have to rely on some constructed measure.
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Variables Logical grouping of attributes; To call a concept (or construct) a variable means it's a thing of interest in a particular piece of research; Is something that is thought to INFLUENCE or BE INFLUENCED by another thing; Ex - Income is thought to influence voting behavior
Attributes Characteristics describing a thing; a variable has various attributes; Ex - Attributes of the variable gender = male/female
Independent Variable Variables that influence or affect other things; CAUSES
Dependent Variable Variables that are influenced or affected by other things; EFFECTS - depends on the cause (independent variable)
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Operational Definition Aka: operationalizing the variables; involves transforming the variables into observable and measurable things; Ex - Occupation - Professional / Manager / Owner / Skilled laborer / Unskilled Laborer / not Employed / Other
2 Rules when operationalizing List of attributes must be EXHAUSTIVE (every thing or person being observed must fit into 1 category) and list must be MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE (No person or thing should be able to fit into more than single category)
Content Analysis An unobtrusive method of research; removes the social-desirability bias
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 SociationThe particular patterns and forms by which people ASSOCIATE AND INTERACT; Simmel believed to study society is to study sociation.
 SimmelBelieved that to study "society" is to study the SOCIATION and the abstract FORM (structure; i.e. dyad, triad) of social interactions as they occur and reoccur (i.e. pattern); Rejected the macro-sociological approaches; Argued for micro wherein society consists of a complex web of patterned social interactions.
 DyadSocial framework depends upon all who is there (dependence), if one leaves, framework is dissolved.
 Transcendenceimplies form (structure) is above, beyond and external to individuals (similar to Durkheim's social facts); Exists in formal organizations - the position is independent of (transcends) any one person (position can be filled by someone else).
 Social Status A position that a person occupies in a social structure; Examples: family statuses - mother, father; occupational statuses - lawyer, doctor; age; sex; ethnicity.
 Ascribed StatusPlaced, generally at birth, into a status; Example - sex, race, ethnicity.
 Achieved StatusExamples - college grad; being a spouse etc.
 IncumbentThe individual occupying a particular status.
 RolesSum total of expectations about the behavior attached to a particular social status; Must meet certain role expectations.
 Social GroupsTwo or more people who share some sense of identity or common goals; Example - family group, marriage, club/organization etc.
 Primary GroupsFamily and friends.
 Secondary GroupsTend to be means-to-an-end relationships; Example - my sociology class.
 BureaucracyA type of formal organization operating under some sort of charter or constitution that specifies that status positions and describes role expectations.
 Ideal-Type BureaucracyAccording to Max Weber, the bureaucracy was one of the most important results of the trend towards the rationalization of life; A fully "rationalized" organization consists of : RULES (expected to become experts at their own areas); HIERARCHY; AUTHORITY (chains of command; pyramids)
 "Iron Cages"Weber said bureaucracies could become "iron cages" of modern life where people become trapped in following rules that they lose sight of the reason they're working.
 "Society"The thing that distinguishes a society from any smaller group is "self-sufficiency"; can only be called a society if it provides basic needs to its members without having to leave it; Must also meet survival needs (social control, defense etc); Must have opportunities.
 Social InstitutionsSociety meets the basic needs of its members through social institutions; An accepted and persistent constellation of STATUSES, ROLES, VALUES, & NORMS that respond to important societal needs; By nature, it limits people's choices; Example : the institution of the family responds to society's needs by replacing its members; Examples : the workplace, educational system etc.
 Institutionalized BehaviorThe way it must be done.
 Routine BehaviorThe way we do things (habitualization)
 Social StructureA set of RELATIVELY STABLE roles, that is, PATTERNED RELATIONSHIPS among statuses; Examples - mother-child relationships, professor-student relationships
 "Legitimate Power"Coined by Weber; People WILLINGLY obey (vs. being coerced)
 Ideal Sources of "Legitimate Power" According to Weber; (1) Charisma - power legitimized on basis of leader's exceptional personal qualities (2) Traditional authority - family lineage, heritage (3) Legal-Rational Authority (most positional) - sets of impersonal rules - e.g. mgr at the Target or college professors
 RationalizationProcess by which organizations in societies are increasingly guided by reason and the cold calculation of interests.
 Advantage of BureaucraciesIt is an imperfect solution to an abuse of power, better than the alternative.
 HomogenizationA decline in diversity; A cause of legal-rational forms of authority.
 Social DilemmasSituations wherein potential long-term harm to a society results from individuals pursuing short-term self-interests; Two types of dilemmas : "tragedy of the commons" and free-riders
 "Tragedy of the Commons"Type of social dilemma; Refers to common needs and resources which are used by everyone; Example : fishing when you're not allowed to b/c you need to pay rent/feed kids.
 Free-Rider ProblemType of social dilemma; If everyone else has sacrificed, but few have not.
 According to Wirth, what changes the nature of our social relationships?the size, density and heterogeneity of cities; they are all correlated (the one of one there is, the more of another there is likely to be.
 AnomieSocial void
 How heterogeneity affects social relationshipsThe individual acquires memberships in widely divergent groups; Process of depersonalization
 OperationalizationPutting things in such a way that they can be measured.
 Theory General, abstract, logical explanations for what's going on using expansive ideas, as well as more specific "concepts" to suggest how various things in society are related to each other; Can often be expressed in x --> y format where x = independent (influential) variable and y = dependent (affected) variable.
 HypothesisA testable proposition derived from a theory (where you get into measurement and operationalization); Specific.
 Positive EffectVariables in a relationship vary in same direction; x INCREASES the likelihood or probability of y occurring; Ex: Increased eating cases increased weight or the less you eat, the less you weigh
 Negative EffectVariables in a relationship vary in opposite direction; x DECREASES the likelihood or probability of y occurring; Ex: Increased exercise causes decreased weight or the more you exercise, the less you weigh.
 EmpiricalGathering evidence or data from all sorts of real world observations; because science has to be verifiable.
  Theoretical (theory) vs. Empirical (data)?They are completely dependent upon each other; Theories are useless without evidence; Without theory, empirical stuff = facts without explanations.
 SurveysResearch method; ideal for large # of people; series of questions can be demographic-related or attitude-related
 Problems with the Experimental Research MethodDo not reflect the real world (problem of "external validity"); Subject interpretation (person figured out what was happening, changed their behavior)
 Field ResearchType of unobtrusive research method; Observational - directly observing behavior or people in their social environments; ADVANTAGE/DISADVANTAGE - DEPTH/SAMPLE SIZE(small)
 Unobtrusive Research Methods(AKA - Nonreactive)Looking at historical DOCUMENTS; discourse ANALYSIS; "secondary" survey data
 QuantitativeEasily expressed in numbers; Observable and measurable. Ex. Durkheim believed we should observe and measure the actions of social facts.
 QualitativeFocusing on the MEANING (or quality) of the behavior being observed; Understanding/interpreting and predicting social behavior.
 TriangulationWhen research methods are combined so that the strengths of 1 method overcome the weaknesses of another method.
 MedianMiddle #; Not affected by extreme numbers
 Mean"central tendency"; average; influenced by extreme #'s.
 Mode# occurring most often
 ExtrapolationsEstimations; Useful in forecasting trends.
 "Inconvenient Facts"Max Weber gave this term to those pieces of evidence that contradict what you have always believed and/or want to believe about the social world; Ex - men make more $ than women
 ConceptLabel that is applied to things with similar characteristics, or attributes.
 ConstructThe words used to describe things that exist analytically (love, intelligence, racism) but are not directly observable, because to observe them we have to rely on some constructed measure.
 VariablesLogical grouping of attributes; To call a concept (or construct) a variable means it's a thing of interest in a particular piece of research; Is something that is thought to INFLUENCE or BE INFLUENCED by another thing; Ex - Income is thought to influence voting behavior
 AttributesCharacteristics describing a thing; a variable has various attributes; Ex - Attributes of the variable gender = male/female
 Independent VariableVariables that influence or affect other things; CAUSES
 Dependent VariableVariables that are influenced or affected by other things; EFFECTS - depends on the cause (independent variable)
 Operational Definition Aka: operationalizing the variables; involves transforming the variables into observable and measurable things; Ex - Occupation - Professional / Manager / Owner / Skilled laborer / Unskilled Laborer / not Employed / Other
 2 Rules when operationalizingList of attributes must be EXHAUSTIVE (every thing or person being observed must fit into 1 category) and list must be MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE (No person or thing should be able to fit into more than single category)
 Content AnalysisAn unobtrusive method of research; removes the social-desirability bias
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