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Details Title: Sociology 107 Description: Midterm Total Flash Cards: 95 Created: 02/14/2005 17:27:54	To study from this set of flash cards, or to create your own your own study flash cards, register HERE. If you are already a registered user, CLICK HERE.
Cards Term reliability Definition consistency in measurement Term validity Definition actually measuring exactly what one intends to measure Term cause and effect Definition a relationship in which change in one variable (ind) causes change in another (dep) Term correlation Definition a relationship in which 2 or more variable change eachother Term spurious correlation Definition an apparent, although false, relationship between 2 or more variable caused by some other variable Term control Definition holding constant all variables except one in order to see clearly the effect of that variable Term objectivity Definition personal neutrality in conducting research Term replication Definition repetition of research by other investigators Term interpretive sociology Definition the study of society that focuses on the meanings people attach to their social world Term critical sociology Definition the study of society that focuses on the need for social change Term experiment Definition a research method for investigating cause and effect under highly controlled conditions Term hypothesis Definition an unverified statement of a relationshiip between variables Term Hawthorne Effect Definition a change in a subject's behavior caused simply by the awareness of being studied Term survey Definition a research method in which subjects respond to a series of statements or questions in a questionnaire or an interview Term population Definition the people who are the focus of the research Term sample Definition a part of a population that represents the whole Term questionnaire Definition a series of written questions a researcher presents to subjects Term interview Definition a series of questions a researcher administers in person to respondents Term participant observation Definition a research method in which investigators systematically observe people while joining them in their routine activities Term secondary analysis Definition a research method in which a researcher uses data collected by others Term inductive logical thought Definition reasoning that transforms specific observations into general theory Term deductive logical thought Definition reasoning that transforms general theory into specific hypothesis suitable for testing Term scientific sociology Definition study of society based on systematic observation of social behavior Term empirical evidence Definition information we can verify with our senses Term culture Definition the values, beliefs, behavior and material objects that together form a people's way of life Term nonmaterial culture Definition the intangible world of ideas created by members of a society Term material culture Definition the tangible things created by members of a society Term culture shock Definition personal disorientation when experiencing an unfamiliar way of life Term symbols Definition anything that carries a particular meaning recognized by people who share a culture Term language Definition a system of symbols that allows people to communicate with one another Term cultural transmission Definition the process by which one generation passes culture to the next Term Sapir-Whorf thesis Definition the thesis that people perceive the world through the cultural lens of language Term values Definition culturally defined standards by which people assess desirability, goodness, and beauty and that serve as broad guidelines for social living Term beliefs Definition specific statements that people hold to be true Term norms Definition rules and expectations by which a society guides the behavior of its members Term mores Definition norms that are widely observed and have great moral significance Term folkways Definition norms for routine or casual interaction Term social control Definition attempts by society to regulate people's thought and behavior Term high culture Definition cultural patterns that distinguish a society's elite Term popular culture Definition cultural patterns that are widespread among a society's population Term subculture Definition cultural patterns that set apart some segment of a society's population Term multiculturalism Definition an educational program recognizing the cultural diversity of the US and promoting the equality of all cultural traditions Term counterculture Definition cultural patterns that strongly oppose those widely accepted within a society Term cultural integration Definition the close relationships among various elements of a cultural system Term cultural lag Definition the fact that some cultural elements change more quickly than others, disrupting a cultural system Term ethnocentrism Definition the practice of judging another culture by the standards of one's own culture Term cultural relativism Definition the practice of evaluating a culture by its own standards Term cultural universals Definition traits that are part of every known culture Term society Definition people who interact in a defined territory and share a culture Term sociocultural evolution Definition Lenski's term for the changes that occur as a society acquires new technology Term social conflict Definition the struggle between segments of society over valued resources Term capitalists Definition people who own and operate factories and other businesses in pursuit of profits Term proletarians Definition people who sell their productive labor for wages Term social institutions Definition the major spheres of social life, or societal subsystems, organized to meet human needs Term false consciousness Definition Marx's term for explanations of social problems as the shortcomings of individuals rather than as the flaws of society Term class conflict Definition conflict between entire classes over the distribution of a society's wealth and power Term class consciousness Definition Marx's term for workers' recognition of themselves as a class unified in opposition to capitalists and ultimately to capitalism itself Term alienation Definition experience of isolation and misery resulting from powerlessness Term ideal type Definition an abstract statement of the essential characteristics of any social phenomenon Term tradition Definition sentiments and beliefs passed from generation to generation Term rationality Definition a way of thinking that emphasizes deliberate, matter-of-fact calculation of the most efficient means to accomplish a particular task Term rationalization of society Definition Weber's term for the historical change from tradition to rationality as the dominant mode of human thought Term anomie Definition Durkheim's designation of a condition in which society provides little moral guidance to individuals Term mechanical solidarity Definition Durkheim's term for social bonds, based on common sentiments and shared moral values, that are strong among members of preindustrial societies Term organic solidarity Definition Durkheim's term for social bonds, based on specialization and interdependence, that are strong among members of industrial societies Term division of labor Definition specialized economic activity Term socialization Definition the lifelong social experience by which individuals develop their human potential and learn culture Term personality Definition a person's fairly consistent patterns of acting, thinking and feeling Term id Definition Freud's term for the human being's basic drives Term ego Definition Freud's term for a person's conscious efforts to balance innate pleasure-seeking drives with the demands of society Term superego Definition Freud's term for the cultural values and norms internalized by an individual Term self Definition Mead's term for that part of an individual's personality composed of self-awareness and self-image Term looking-glass self Definition Cooley's term for a self-image based on how we think others see us Term generalized other Definition Mead's term for widespread cultural norms and values we use as a reference in evaluating ourselves Term peer group Definition a social group whose members have interests, social position and age in common Term anticipatory socialization Definition learning that helps a person achieve a desired position Term mass media Definition impersonal communications aimed at a vast audience Term cohort Definition a category of people with a common characteristic, usually their age Term total institution Definition a setting in which people are isolated from the rest of society and manipulated by an administrative staff Term resocialization Definition radically changing an inmate's personality by carefully controlling the environment Term deviance Definition the recognized violation of cultural norms Term crime Definition the violation of a society's formally enacted criminal law Term social control Definition attempts by society to regulate people's thought and behavior Term labeling theory Definition the assertion that deviance and conformity result from how others respond to our actions Term stigma Definition a powerfully negative label that greatly changes a person's self-concept and social identity Term medicalization of deviance Definition the transformation of moral and legal deviance into a medical condition Term white-collar crime Definition crime committed by people of high social position in the course of their occupations Term corporate crime Definition the illegal actions of a corporation or people acting on its behalf Term organized crime Definition a business supplying illegal goods or service Term hate crime Definition criminal act against a person by an offender motivated by racial or other bias Term societal protection Definition a means by which society renders an offender incapable of further offenses temporarily through incarceration or permanently by execution Term criminal recidivism Definition subsequent offenses by people previously convicted of crimes Term retribution Definition an act of moral vengeance by which society inflicts on the offendor suffering comparable to that caused by the offense Term deterrence Definition the attempt to discourage criminality through punishment Term rehabilitation Definition a program for reforming that offender to prevent subsequent offenses