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Psychology/Sociology - MCAT > Social Stratification > Flashcards

Social Stratification Flashcards

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1
Q

ascribed status

A

involuntary
based on what we look like, how we are described, what we surround ourselves with
ex: race, ethnicity, gender, social class

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2
Q

achieved status

A

voluntary
based on what we do/achieve; reflects our efforts and work
ex: doctor, ex-con, park ranger

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3
Q

master status

A

the status that dominates above other perceptions; often shapes a person’s whole life
can be ascribed or achieved
ex: occupation, wealth, marital status, religion, parenthood

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4
Q

stratification

A

dividing groups or people into different layers of society

often includes separation of social classes

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5
Q

Meritocracy

A

success and status are based on an individuals talents, abilities, and effort
people advance based on their merits

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6
Q

Intergenerational mobility

A

changing of social status between generations

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7
Q

Intragenerational mobility

A

changing of a family’s social status within the same generation

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8
Q

Social reproduction

A

passing down of social inequalities; process that ensures propitiation of a social structure over time
ex: poor family won’t have enough money to send child to school, therefore the child won’t be able to get a good job so they remain poor

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9
Q

relative poverty

A

when the household makes 50% less than what the average median income

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10
Q

absolute poverty

A

a condition characterized by severe deprivation of basic human needs, including food, safe drinking water, sanitation facilities, health, shelter, education and information. It depends not only on income but also on access to services.

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11
Q

socioeconomic status

A

social standing of a group or individual

combined total measure of person’s income, education, and occupation

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12
Q

generational status

A

refers to the status of individuals based on where they were born and reside

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13
Q

anomie

A

lacking social norms
lack of social and ethical standards
lack of rules, structure, and organization

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14
Q

cultural assimilation

A
  • when a minority group gives up their own norms and beliefs to better fit into a new society
  • comes to resemble a dominant group or assume the values, behaviors, and beliefs of another group
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15
Q

ethnocentricism

A

judging another culture based on preconceived notions; often thinking your culture is the best
ex: telling a person of color to “go back to where they came from”

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16
Q

traditional authority

A

the queen of england

- seen as having power because of the legitimate power as queen

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17
Q

charismatic authority

A

Mr. Rogers had power because he was so kind to others

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18
Q

rational-legal authority

A

having power because of your extensive knowledge/training

ex: doctors

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19
Q

medicalization

A

the process of seeing human behavior and characteristics as medical conditions

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20
Q

Functionalism

A

proposed by Emily Durkheim
everyone in society must work together to maintain societal balance (homeostasis)
believes that society is an organism

large societies stay together because of interdependence
small societies stay together due to similarities

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21
Q

Manifest functions

A

intended, obvious purposes of social structure

ex: social media being used keep in touch with people

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22
Q

latent function

A

unintended purposes of social structure

ex: social media being used by the police to find someone

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23
Q

social constructionism

A

bringing together multiple ideas from different perspectives to create reality
people actively shape reality through social interactions

results in agreed-on, shared meanings

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24
Q

social construct

A

something that everyone in society agrees upon

ex: money, gender, behaviors

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25
symbolic interactionism
small-scale view small interactions between individuals based on shared symbols see society as a buildup of everyday typical interactions allow people to act based on ascribed meanings
26
Elaboration likelihood model of persuasion
there are two paths of persuasion - central and peripheral central: think, analyze, draw conclusions (works when you know the topic) peripheral: superficial details about how likable the speaker is, catchphrases, slogans (works for people who don't understand the topic)
27
dramaturgical perspective
individuals behave as actors to fit into societal norms
28
intersectionality
we are a mixture of sex/gender, race, social class, and age
29
racialization
one group decides what defines another group | usually based on discrimination
30
cultural transmission
passing of culture down between generations
31
Conflict Theory
Karl Marx those with power want to stay in power; that is how social order is maintained everyone competes for limited resources; work to maximize benefits for themselves
32
Rational Choice Theory
want to maximize benefits and minimize loss
33
Exchange Theory
rational choice extended to groups interactions carry out actions to avoid punishment from the group or to get reward from the group - act normal to fit in with society to avoid ridicule
34
internal locus of control
we are in charge of our own actions; if something turns out well it is because we earned it/worked for it
35
external locus of control
we are not responsible for our own actions; when we fail an exam it is because of external factors affecting us
36
discrimination
acting unjust towards someone based prejudicial attitudes based on actual actions
37
individual discrimination
one person discriminating against one person or a group
38
institutional discrimination
an institution discriminating against a certain person/group of people
39
cultural relativism
accepting another culture as it is without comparison to your own
40
confirmation bias
using new information as confirmation to what you already have
41
false consciousness
misperception of one's actual position in society ex: makes it seem like health is only your issue when getting doctor's appointments is subject to social class
42
class consciousness
``` when you understand how class plays into your position in society ex: how class plays into health equity ```
43
activity approach to aging
remaining physically and socially active improves quality of life for older adults
44
continuity approach to aging
keeping habits and behaviors from their youth
45
disengagement approach to aging
withdraw from social relationships before society withdraws from you
46
life course approach to aging
aging viewed holistically aging individuals influence and are influenced by broader contexts in which they live
47
dependency ratio
(# child dependents) + (# retired dependents)/(# people in workforce) x 100 proportion of unproductive to productive members in a society
48
front-stage self
behavior in social settings when others are around impression management: shaping how others perceive you focus on appearance
49
back-stage self
behavior in private | behavior is spontaneous and free from evaluation or judgment by others
50
reconstructive bias
memories of the past are not reliable especially during high stress situations
51
social desirability
people respond to surveys in a way that will make them look better than they are
52
representative heuristics
tendency to make decisions based on standard representations of those events jumping to conclusions about someone/something based on pre-existing stereotypes ex: someone with a flashy car and who is competitive and muscular representative heuristics would have people believing he is an athlete while in reality it is more likely he is a lawyer because there are less professional athletes.
53
available heuristics
tendency to make decisions based on the availability of similar memories
54
belief bias/belief perseverance
judging things based on your beliefs instead of sound logic ex: during election ignoring facts about someone you like
55
fundamental attribution bias
when one attributes other people's behaviors on internal factors instead of external/situational factors
56
actor-observer bias
focus on our failures being external but other peoples are internal ex: I failed the test because I couldn't sleep last night and am tired. Sarah failed the test because she is stupid
57
self-serving bias
credit success to self (internal) and failures to others (external) ex: I did well on the exam because I am smart. I didn't get the internship because the panel was stupid
58
attribution error
when people drop out of the experiment or study
59
demography
measures statistical parameters | includes: race, ethnicity, age, gender, sexual orientation, class, and socioeconomic status
60
absolute mobility
living standards increases in absolute terms: you are better off than your parents, your kids will be better off than you
61
gentrification
high-income residents moving into low-income urban areas, resulting in renovation and increased property values that displace the lower-income residents
62
spatial inequality
unequal distribution of wealth and resources across a geographical area lower SES residential areas have more environmental toxins, higher crime rates, and low green spaces
63
residential segregation
physical separation of groups by social characteristics such as race/ethnicity and SES
64
environmental injustice
segregated neighborhoods get decreased environmental benefits and increased environmental burdens
65
just-world phenomenon
occurs when one believes that the world is fair and good things happen to those that work hard and are good while bad things happen to people who are bad and lazy
66
attribution biases
cognitive biases that occur when individuals attempt to understand their own behavior or the behavior of others
67
self-fulfilling prophecy
when a belief about oneself causes behavior that makes the belief come true ex: I think that I am bad at physics, therefore I don't do well on the physics portions because I freak out about not being good
68
culture
behaviors, beliefs, and general way of life as a particular society at a particular time
69
acculturation
adapting to culture of a new country
70
cultural lag
social problems created by a time delay between rapid changes in material culture and slower changes in nonmaterial culture ex: in the 1800s, children began getting summers off to help with farming (fast material culture) and this is still in place today (slower nonmaterial culture) only affects societies, not individuals
71
culture shock
unpleasant emotions associated with a new culture experience disorientation, anxiety, and fear because of language barriers, unfamiliar symbols, different norms/values, and difficulty interpreting behaviors
72
framing effects
how you present information affects the decision ex: 100% chance that 200 people are saved vs 100% chance 400 people die are the same thing when have 600 people
73
cultural capital
nonfinancial and nonsocial network assets that confer advantange in society includes education, hard work, attractiveness, etc that will give you a boost in society or have beneficial aspects
74
social capital
includes an individual's social network the investments that people make in their society in return for economic or collective rewards who an individual knows can help them advance in society ex: knowing a friend who works at NASA can get you a job in NASA
75
economic capital
describes an individual's tangible financial assets ex: property, money/income, assets
76
human capital
the collective skill and experience possessed by the individuals in an organization all of the additional things people bring to the table in an organization that will help that organization thrive includes knowledge or skill set
77
social stratification
hierarchical organization of individuals in society based on social class, social status, and power
78
social class
largely determined by economic resources ``` wealthy people on top of pyramid working class makes up the base of the pyramid ```
79
social status
refers to one's prestige (reputation) certain careers, personal characteristics, and achievements confer status that is not necessarily tied to wealth
80
Power
ability to control or affect others' behavior based on unequal distribution of valued resources certain careers and accomplishments increase one's power
81
Socioeconomic gradient in health
positive correlation between socioeconomic status and health outcomes individuals with lower SES tend to have worse health outcomes than those with higher SES
82
prestige
the amount of positive regard society has for a given person or idea physicians often are highly viewed and respected
83
two types of social network
situational (socioeconomic advantage) and positional (based on how connected one is within a network and ones centrality within that network)
84
privilege
inequalities in networks create priviledge or inequality in opportunity

Psychology/Sociology - MCAT (12 decks)

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