SOC Chapter 1: The Sociological Perspective

Question 1

Define: Sociological Perspective

Answer 1

understanding human behavior by placing it within its broader social context.

Chapter 1, Page 3

Question 2

Define: Society

Answer 2

people who share a culture and a territory

Chapter 1, Page 3

Question 3

Define: Social Location

Answer 3

the group memberships that people have because of their location in history and society

Chapter 1, Page 3

Question 4

Define: Positivism

Answer 4

the application of the scientific approach to the social world

Chapter 1, Page 5

Question 5

Define: Sociology

Answer 5

the scientific study of society and human behavior

Chapter 1, Page 5

Question 6

Define: Class conflict.

Answer 6

Marx’s term for the struggle between capitalists and workers

Chapter 1, Page 6

Question 7

Define: Bourgeoisie

Answer 7

Marx’s term for capitalists, those who own the means of production

Chapter 1, Page 6

Question 8

Define: Proletariat

Answer 8

Marx’s term for the exploited class, the mass of workers who do not own the means of production

Chapter 1, Page 6

Question 9

Define: Patterns of behavior

Answer 9

recurring behaviors or events

Chapter 1, Page 7

Question 10

Define: Social Integration

Answer 10

The degree to which people are tied to their social groups

Chapter 1, Page 7
* bold in text

Question 11

Define: Basic (or Pure) Sociology

Answer 11

sociological research for the purpose of making discoveries about life in human groups, not for making changes in those groups.

Chapter 1, Page 12

Question 12

Define: Applied sociology

Answer 12

the use of sociology to solve problems - from the micro level of classroom interaction and family relationships to the macro level of crime and pollution

Chapter 1, Page 12

Question 13

Define: Public sociology

Answer 13

applying sociology for the public good; especially the use of the sociological perspective (how things are related to one another) to guide politicians and policy makers.

Chapter 1, Page 12

Question 14

Define: Theory

Answer 14

a general statement about how some parts of the world fit together and how they work; an explanation of how two or more facts are related to one another

Chapter 1, Page 12

Question 15

Define: Symbolic Interactionism

Answer 15

a theoretical perspective in which society is viewed as composed of symbols that people use to establish meaning, develop their views of the world, and communicate with one another

Chapter 1, Page 14

Question 16

Define: Functional Analysis

Answer 16

a theoretical framework in which society is viewed as composed of various parts, each with a function that, when fulfilled, contributes to society’s equilibrium; also known as functionalism and structural functionalism

Chapter 1, Page 15

Question 17

Define: Conflict Theory

Answer 17

a theoretical framework in which society is viewed as composed of groups that are composed of groups that are competing for scarce resources

Chapter 1, Page 18

Question 18

Define: Macro-Level Analysis

Answer 18

an examination of large-scale patterns of society; such as how Wall Street and the political establishment are interrelated

Chapter 1, Page 19

Question 19

Define: Micro-Level Analysis

Answer 19

an examination of small-scale patterns of society; such as how the members of a group interact

Chapter 1, Page 19

Question 20

Define: Social Interaction

Answer 20

one person’s actions influencing someone else; usually refers to what people do when they are in one another’s presence, but also includes communications at a distance

Chapter 1, Page 19

Question 21

Define: Nonverbal Interaction

Answer 21

communication without words through gestures, use of space, silence, and so on

Chapter 1, Page 19

Question 22

Define: Hypothesis

Answer 22

a statement of how variables are expected to be related to one another, often according to predictions from a theory

Chapter 1, Page 22

Question 23

Define: Variable

Answer 23

a factor thought to be significant for human behavior, which can vary (or change) from one case to another

Chapter 1, Page 22

Question 24

Define: Operational Definition

Answer 24

the way in which a researcher measures a variable

Chapter 1, Page 22

Question 25

Define: Research Method (or Research Design)

Answer 25

one of seven procedures that sociologists use to collect data: surveys, participant observation, case studies, secondary analysis, analysis of documents, experiments, and unobtrusive measures Chapter 1, Page 22

Question 26

Define: Validity

Answer 26

the extent to which an operational definition measures what it is intended to measure Chapter 1, Page 22

Question 27

Define: Reliability

Answer 27

the extent to which research produces consistent or dependable results Chapter 1, Page 23

Question 28

Define: Survey

Answer 28

the collection of data by having people answer a series of questions Chapter 1, Page 25

Question 29

Define: Population

Answer 29

a target group to be studied Chapter 1, Page 25

Question 30

Define: Sample

Answer 30

the individuals intended to represent the population to be studied Chapter 1, Page 26

Question 31

Define: Random Sample

Answer 31

a sample in which everyone in the target population has the same chance of being included in the study Chapter 1, Page 26

Question 32

Define: Stratified Random Sample

Answer 32

a sample from selected subgroups of the target population in which everyone in those subgroups has an equal chance of being included in the research Chapter 1, Page 26

Question 33

Define: Respondents

Answer 33

people who respond to a survey, either in interviews or by self administered questionnaires Chapter 1, Page 26

Question 34

Define: Rapport (Ruh-POUR)

Answer 34

a feeling of trust between researchers and the people they are studying. Chapter 1, Page 26

Question 35

Define: Participant Observation (or Fieldwork)

Answer 35

research in which the researcher participates in a research setting while observing what is happening in that setting Chapter 1, Page 28

Question 36

Define: Case Study

Answer 36

an intensive analysis of a single event, situation, or individual Chapter 1, Page 28

Question 37

Define: Documents

Answer 37

in its narrow sense, written sources that provide data; in its extended sense, archival material of any sort, including photographs, movies, CDs, DVDs, and so on Chapter 1, Page 30

Question 38

Define: Experimental Group

Answer 38

the group of subjects in an experiment who are exposed to the independent variable Chapter 1, Page 30

Question 39

Define: Control Group

Answer 39

the subjects in an experiment who are not exposed to the independent variable Chapter 1, Page 30

Question 40

Define: Independent Variable

Answer 40

a factor that causes a change in another variable, called the dependent variable Chapter 1, Page 30

Question 41

Define: Dependent Variable

Answer 41

a factor in an experiment that is changed by an independent variable Chapter 1, Page 30

Question 42

Define: Unobtrusive Measures

Answer 42

ways of observing people so they do not know they are being studied Chapter 1, Page 32

Question 43

Define: Globalization of Capitalism

Answer 43

capitalism (investing to make profits within a rational system) becoming the globe's dominant economic system Chapter 1, Page 36

Question 44

Who is: Auguste Comte (1798 - 1857)

Answer 44

Credited as the founder of sociology. began to analyze the bases of the social order. Although he stressed that the scientific method should be applied to the study of society, he did not apply it himself. Chapter 1, Page 5

Question 45

Who is: Herbert Spencer (1820 - 1903)

Answer 45

Sometimes called the second founder of sociology, coined the term "survival of the fittest." Spencer thought that helping the poor was wrong, that is merely helped the "less fit" survive. Chapter 1, Page 6

Question 46

Who is: Karl Marx (1818 - 1883)

Answer 46

Believed that the roots of human misery lay in class conflict, the exploitation of workers by those who own the means of production. Social change, in the form of the workers overthrowing the capitalists was inevitable from Marx's perspective. Although Marx did not consider himself a sociologist, his ideas have influenced many sociologists, particular conflict theorists. Chapter 1, Page 6

Question 47

Who is: Emile Durkheim (1858 - 1917)

Answer 47

A french sociologist that contributed many important concepts to sociology. His comparison of the suicide rates of several countries revealed an underlying social factor: People are more likely to commit suicide if their ties to others in their communities are weak. Durkheim's identification of the key role of social integration in social life remains central to sociology today. Chapter 1, Page 7

Question 48

Who is: Max Weber (1864 - 1920)

Answer 48

Another early sociologist who left a profound impression on sociology. He used cross-cultural and historical materials to trace the causes of social change and to determine how social groups affect people's orientation to life. Chapter 1, Page 8

Question 49

Who is: W. E. B. Du Bois (1868 - 1963) | aka William Edward Burghardt

Answer 49

Spent his entire lifetime studying relations between African American and whites. Like many early North American sociologists, Du Bois combined the role of academic sociologist with that of social reform. Chapter 1, Page 10

Question 50

Who is: Jane Addams (1860 - 1935)

Answer 50

A recipient of the Nobel Prize for Peace, worked on behalf of poor immigrants. With Ellen G. Starr, she founded Hull-House, a center to help immigrants in Chicago. She was also a leader in women's rights (women's suffrage), as well as the peace movement of World War I. Chapter 1, Page 10

Question 51

Who is: C. Wright MIlls (1916 - 1962)

Answer 51

A controversial figure in sociology because of his analysis of the role of the power of elite in US society. Today, his analysis is taken for granted by many sociologists ad members of the public. Chapter 1, Page 12

Question 52

Who is: George Herbert Mead (1863 - 1931)

Answer 52

Is one of the founders of symbolic interactionism, a major theoretical perspective in sociology. He taught a the University of Chicago, where his lectures were popular. Although he wrote little, after his death students compiled his lectures into an influential book: Mind, Self, and Society. Chapter 1, Page 14

Question 53

Who is: Robert K. Merton (1910 - 2003)

Answer 53

Spent most of his academic career at Columbia University, was a major proponent of functionalism, one of the main theoretical perspectives in sociology. Chapter 1, Page 16