Sociology Midterm Word Scramble
|
Embed Code - If you would like this activity on your web page, copy the script below and paste it into your web page.
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Normal Size Small Size show me how
| Term | Definition |
| Sociology | The scientific study of social behavior and human groups |
| Sociological Imagination | An awareness of the relationship between an individual and the wider society, both today and in the past |
| Science | The body of knowledge obtained by methods based on systematic observation |
| Psychology | The scientific study of the human mind and its functions, esp. those affecting behavior in a given context. |
| Theory | A set of statements that seeks to explain problems, actions, or behavior |
| Manifest function | An open, stated, and conscious function |
| Latent function | An unconscious or unintended function; hidden purpose |
| Operational definition | An explanation of an abstract concept that is specific enough to allow a researcher to assess the concept |
| Hypothesis | A speculative statement about the relationship between two or more variables |
| Variable | A measurable trait or characteristic that is subject to change under different conditions |
| Independent Variable | The variable in a casual relationship that, when altered, causes or influences a change in a second variable |
| Dependent Variable | The variable in a casual relationship that is subject to the influence of another variable |
| Correlation | A relationship between two variables in which a change in one coincides with a change in the other |
| Random sample | A sample for which every member of the entire population has the same chance of being selected |
| Sample | A selection from a larger population that is statistically representative of that population |
| Control variable | A factor held constant to test the relative impact of an independent variable |
| Reliability | The extent to which a measure produces consistent results |
| Validity | The degree to which a measure or scale truly reflects the phenomenon under study |
| Research design | A detailed plan or method for obtaining data scientifically |
| Interview | A face-to-face or telephone questioning of a respondent to obtain desired information |
| Qualitative research | Research that relies more on what scientists see in the field or in naturalistic settings than on statistical data |
| Quantitative research | Research that collects and reports data primarily in numerical form |
| Questionnaire | A printed or written form used to obtain information from a respondent |
| Ethnography | The study of an entire social setting through extended systematic observation |
| Experimental group | Subjects in an experiment who are exposed to an independent variable introduced by a researcher |
| Control group | Subjects in an experiment who are not introduced to the independent variable by the researcher |
| Secondary analysis | A variety of research techniques that make use of previously collected and publicly accessible information and data |
| Nonreactive research | Also called unobtrusive; indirect ways to find data |
| Content analysis | The systematic coding and objective recording of data, guided by some rationale |
| Socialization | The process through which people learn the attitudes, values, and behaviors appropriate for members of a particular culture |
| Culture | The totality of learned, socially transmitted customs, knowledge, material objects, and behavior |
| Society | A fairly large number of people who live in the same territory, are relatively independent of people outside it, and participate in a common culture |
| Innovation | The process of introducing a new idea or object to a culture through discovery or invention |
| Discovery | The process of making known or sharing the existence of some aspect of reality |
| Invention | The combination of existing cultural items into a form that did not exist before |
| Diffusion | The process by which a cultural item spreads from group to group of society to society |
| Material culture | The physical or technological aspects of our daily lives |
| Nonmaterial culture | Customs, beliefs, philosophies, governments, and patterns of communication, as well as ways of using material objects |
| Culture lag | William F. Ogburn's term for the period of maladjustment when the nonmaterial culture is still struggling to adapt to new material conditions |
| Language | An abstract system of word meanings and symbols for all aspects of culture; includes gestures and other nonverbal communication |
| Norm | An established standard of behavior maintained by a society |
| Law | Government social control |
| Folkway | A norm governing everyday behavior whose violation raises comparatively little concern |
| Mores | Norms deemed highly necessary to the welfare of society |
| Value | A collective conception of what is considered good, desirable, and proper - or bad, undesirable, and improper - in a culture |
| Subculture | A segment of society that shares a distinctive pattern of customs, rules, and traditions that differs from the pattern of the larger society |
| Argot | Specialized language used by members of a subculture |
| Countercultures | A subculture that conspicuously and deliberately opposes certain aspects of the larger culture |
| Ethnocentrism | The tendency to assume that one's own culture and way of life represent the norm or are superior to others |
| Cultural relativism | The evaluation of a people's behavior from the perspective of their own culture |
| Sociobiology | The systematic study of how biology affects human social behavior |
| Self | According to George Herbert Meade, a distinct identity that sets one apart from others |
| Looking-glass self | A concept used by Charles Horton Cooley to emphasize that the self is the product of our social interactions with other people |
| Role-taking | The process of mentally assuming the perspective of another in order to respond from that imagined viewpoint |
| Generalized other | A term used by George Herbert Meade to refer to the attitudes, viewpoints, and expectations of society as a whole that a child takes into account in his or her behavior |
| Dramaturgical approach | A view of social interaction popularized by Erving Goffman that examines people as if they were theatrical performers |
| Impression management | A term used by Erving Goffman to refer to the altering of the presentation of the self in order to create distinctive appearances and satisfy particular audiences |
| Life-course approach | A research orientation in which sociologists and other scientists look closely at the social factors that influence people throughout their lives, from birth to death |
| Resocialization | The process of discarding former behavior patterns and accepting new ones as part of a transition in one's life |
| Social control | Techniques and strategies for preventing deviant behavior in any society |
| Conformity | Going along with peers - individuals of our own status, who have no special right to direct our behavior |
| Obedience | Compliance with higher authorities in a hierarchical structure |
| Deviance | Behavior that violates the standards of conduct or expectations of a group or society |
| Anomie | Emile Durkheim's term for the loss of direction felt in a society when social control of individual behavior has become ineffective |
| Differential association | A theory of deviance proposed by Edwin Sutherland that holds that violation of rules results from exposure to attitudes favorable to criminal acts |
| Crime | A violation of criminal law for which some governmental authority applies formal penalties |
| Professional criminal | A person who pursues crime as a day-to-day occupation |
| Social inequality | A condition in which members of a society enjoy different amounts of wealth, prestige, or power |
| Stratification | The structured ranking of entire groups of people that perpetuates unequal economic rewards and power in a society |
| Income | Salaries and wages |
| Wealth | An inclusive term encompassing all a person's material assets, including land, stocks, and other property |
| Achieved status | A social position attained by a person largely through his or her own efforts |
| Ascribed status | A social position that is assigned to a person by society without regard for the person's unique talents or characteristics |
| Caste | A hereditary system of rank, usually religiously dictated, that tends to be fixed and immobile |
| Estate system/feudalism | A system of stratification under which peasants were required to work land leased to them by nobles in exchange for military protection and other services |
| Class system | A social ranking based primarily on economic position in which achieved characteristics can influence social mobility |
| Bourgeoisie | Karl Marx's term for the capitalist class, or the owners of the means of production |
| Capitalism | An economic system in which the means of production are held largely in private hands, and the main incentive for economic activity is the accumulation of profits |
| Proletariat | Karl Marx's term for the working class in a capitalist society |
| Class | A term used by Max Weber to refer to a group of people who have a similar level of wealth and income |
| False consciousness | A term used by Karl Marx to describe an attitude held by members of a class that does not accurately reflect its objective position |
| Absolute poverty | A standard of poverty based on a minimum level of subsistence that no family should be expected to live below |
| Relative poverty | A floating standard of deprivation by which people at the bottom of a society, whatever their lifestyles, are judged to be disadvantaged in comparison with the nation as a whole |
| Feminization of poverty | A trend in which women constitute an increasing proportion of the poor people of the United States |
| Closed system | A social system in which there is little or no possibility of individual mobility |
| Open system | A social system in which the position of each individual is influenced by his or her achieved status |
| Social mobility | The movement of individuals or groups from one position in a society's stratification system to another |
| Colonialism | The maintenance of political, social, economic, and cultural domination over a people by a foreign power for an extended period |
| Neocolonialism | Continuing dependence of former colonies on foreign countries |
| Dependency Theory | An approach to global stratification that contends that industrialized nations exploit developing countries for their own gain |
| Globalization | The worldwide integration of government policies, cultures, social movements, and financial markets through trade and the exchange of ideas |
| Modernization | The far-reaching process through which developing nations move from traditional or less developed institutions to those characteristic of more developed societies |
| Modernization theory | The functionalist view that modernization and development will gradually improve the lives of people in developing countries |
Created by:
1181460377
Popular Social Studies sets