FlashcardsChapter01

Question 1

Term

Answer 1

Description

Question 2

Social facts

Answer 2

According to Émile Durkheim, the aspects of social life that shape our actions as individuals. Durkheim believed that social facts could be studied scientifically. (page 14)

Question 3

Organic solidarity

Answer 3

According to Émile Durkheim, the social cohesion that results from the various parts of a society functioning as an integrated whole. (page 14)

Question 4

Social constraint

Answer 4

The conditioning influence on our behavior by the groups and societies of which we are members. Social constraint was regarded by Émile Durkheim as one of the distinctive properties of social facts. (page 14)

Question 5

Anomie

Answer 5

A concept first brought into wide usage in sociology by Durkheim, referring to a situation in which social norms lose their hold over individual behavior. (page 14)

Question 6

Symbolic interactionism

Answer 6

A theoretical approach in sociology developed by George Herbert Mead, which emphasizes the role of symbols and language as core elements of all human interaction. (page 18)

Question 7

Symbol

Answer 7

One item used to stand for or represent another – as in the case of a flag, which symbolizes a nation. (page 18)

Question 8

Manifest functions

Answer 8

The functions of a particular social activity that are known to and intended by the individuals involved in the activity. (page 19)

Question 9

Latent functions

Answer 9

Functional consequences that are not intended or recognized by the members of a social system in which they occur. (page 19)

Question 10

Ideology

Answer 10

Shared ideas or beliefs that serve to justify the interests of dominant groups. Ideologies are found in all societies in which there are systematic and ingrained inequalities between groups. The concept of ideology connects closely with that of power, since ideological systems serve to legitimize the power that groups hold. (page 20)

Question 11

Feminist theory

Answer 11

A sociological perspective that emphasizes the centrality of gender in analyzing the social world and particularly the experiences of women. There are many strands of feminist theory, but they all share the intention to explain gender inequalities in society and to work to overcome them. (page 20)

Question 12

Feminism

Answer 12

Advocacy of the rights of women to be equal with men in all spheres of life. Feminism dates from the late eighteenth century in Europe, and feminist movements exist in most countries today. (page 20)

Question 13

Microsociology

Answer 13

The study of human behavior in contexts of face-to-face interaction. (page 23)

Question 14

Macrosociology

Answer 14

The study of large-scale groups, organizations, or social systems. (page 23)

Question 15

Science

Answer 15

The disciplined marshaling of empirical data, combined with theoretical approaches and theories that illuminate or explain those data. Scientific activity combines the creation of new modes of thought with the careful testing of hypotheses and ideas. One major feature that helps distinguish science from other idea systems (such as religion) is the assumption that all scientific ideas are open to criticism and revision. (page 23)

Question 16

Empirical investigation

Answer 16

Factual inquiry carried out in any area of sociological study. (page 23)

Question 17

Factual questions

Answer 17

Questions that raise issues concerning matters of fact (rather than theoretical or moral issues). (page 24)

Question 18

Comparative questions

Answer 18

Questions concerned with drawing comparisons between different human societies for the purposes of sociological theory or research. (page 24)

Question 19

Developmental questions

Answer 19

Questions that sociologists pose when looking at the origins and path of development of social institutions from the past to the present. (page 24)

Question 20

Theoretical questions

Answer 20

Questions posed by sociologists when seeking to explain a particular range of observed events. The asking of theoretical questions is crucial to allowing us to generalize about the nature of social life. (page 24)

Question 21

Hypothesis

Answer 21

An idea or a guess about a given state of affairs, put forward as a basis for empirical testing. (page 26)

Question 22

Data

Answer 22

Factual information used as a basis for reasoning, discussion, or calculation. Social science data often refer to individuals’ responses to survey questions. (page 26)

Question 23

Ethnography

Answer 23

The firsthand study of people using participant observation or interviewing. (page 28)

Question 24

Participant observation

Answer 24

A method of research widely used in sociology and anthropology, in which the researcher takes part in the activities of the group or community being studied. Also called fieldwork. (page 28)

Question 25

Survey

Answer 25

A method of sociological research in which questionnaires are administered to the population being studied. (page 29)

Question 26

Pilot study

Answer 26

A trial run in survey research. (page 30)

Question 27

Sampling

Answer 27

Studying a proportion of individuals or cases from a larger population as representative of that population as a whole. (page 30)

Question 28

Sample

Answer 28

A small proportion of a larger population. (page 30)

Question 29

Representative sample

Answer 29

A sample from a larger population that is statistically typical of that population. (page 30)

Question 30

Random sampling

Answer 30

Sampling method in which a sample is chosen so that every member of the population has the same probability of being included. (page 31)

Question 31

Experiment

Answer 31

A research method in which variables can be analyzed in a controlled and systematic way, either in an artificial situation constructed by the researcher or in naturally occurring settings. (page 31)

Question 32

Comparative research

Answer 32

Research that compares one set of findings on one society with the same type of findings on other societies. (page 31)

Question 33

Measures of central tendency

Answer 33

The ways of calculating averages. (page 33)

Question 34

Correlation coefficient

Answer 34

A measure of the degree of correlation between variables. (page 33)

Question 35

Mean

Answer 35

A statistical measure of central tendency, or average, based on dividing a total by the number of individual cases. (page 33)

Question 36

Mode

Answer 36

The number that appears most often in a given set of data. This can sometimes be a helpful way of portraying central tendency. (page 33)

Question 37

Median

Answer 37

The number that falls halfway in a range of numbers -- a way of calculating central tendency that is sometimes more useful than calculating a mean. (page 33)

Question 38

Standard deviation

Answer 38

A way of calculating the spread of a group of figures. (page 33)

Question 39

Degree of dispersal

Answer 39

The range or distribution of a set of figures. (page 33)

Question 40

Oral history

Answer 40

Interviews with people about events they witnessed or experienced at some point earlier in their lives. (page 33)

Question 41

Triangulation

Answer 41

The use of multiple research methods as a way of producing more reliable empirical data than are available from any single method. (page 33)

Question 42

Informed consent

Answer 42

The process whereby the study investigator informs potential participants about the risks and benefits involved in the research study. Informed consent must be obtained before an individual participates in a study. (page 37)

Question 43

Debriefing

Answer 43

Following a research study, the investigator will inform study participants about the true purpose of the study, and will reveal any deception that happened during the study. (page 37)