Term
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Definition
| a theoretical paradigm that uses the metaphor of theatre to understand how individuals present themselves to others. |
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Term
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Definition
| the study of "folk methods," or every day interactions, that must be uncovered rather than studied directly. |
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Term
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Definition
| a sociological approach that looks at how we create meaning in naturally occuring conversation, often by taping conversations and examining them |
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Term
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Definition
| a theoretical approach that looks at gender inequalities in society and the way that gender structures the social world. |
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Term
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Definition
| a paradigm that proposes that categories of sexual identity are social constructs and that no sexual category is fundementally either deviant or normal. |
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Term
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Definition
| a paradigm that suggests that suggests that social reality is diverse, pluralistic, and constantly in flux. |
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Term
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Definition
| a paradigm that places trust in the power of science and technology to create progress, solve problems, and improve life. |
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Definition
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Definition
| a type of data that can be converted into numbers, usually for statistical comparison |
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Term
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Definition
| a type of data that can't be converted into numbers, usually because they relate to meaning. |
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Term
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Definition
| a procedure for acquiring knowledge that emphasizes collecting concrete data through observation and observation |
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Term
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Definition
| a thorough search through previously published studies revelant to a particular topic |
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Definition
| a theoretical statement explaining the relationship between two or more phenomena |
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Definition
| one of two or more phenomena that a researcher believes are related and hopes to prove are related through research |
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Term
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Definition
| a clear and precise definition of a variable that facilitates is measurement |
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Definition
| a relationship between variables in which they change together. May or may not be causal |
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Definition
| a relationship between variables in which a change in one directly produces a change in the other |
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Definition
| a third variable, sometimes overlooked, that explains the relationship between two other variables |
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Definition
| the appearance of causation produced by an intervening variable |
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Term
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Definition
| the term used to describe a change in basic assumptions of a particular scientific discipline |
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Definition
| a naturalistic method based on studying people in their own environment in order to understand the meanings they attribute to their activities; also the written work that results from the study |
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Term
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Definition
| a methodology associated with ethnography whereby the researcher both observes and becomes a member in a social setting |
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Term
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Definition
| the process by which an ethnographer gain entry to a feild setting |
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Term
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Definition
| a positive relationship often characterized by mutual trust or sympathy |
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Term
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Definition
| detailed notes taken by an ethnographer describing her activities and interactions, which later become the basis of the ethnographic analysis |
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Term
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Definition
| how the identity and activities of the researcher influence what is going on in the field setting |
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Term
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Definition
| an inductive method of generating theory from data by creating categories in which to place data and then looking for relationships between categories |
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Term
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Definition
| a question asked of a respondent that allows the answer to take whatever form the respondent chooses |
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Term
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Definition
| questions that predispose a respondent to answer in a certain way |
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Term
| Double-barreled questions |
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Definition
| questions that attempt to get at multiple issues at once, and so tend to receive incomplete answers |
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Term
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Definition
| a method based on questionnaires that are administered to a sample of respondents selected form a target population |
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Term
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Definition
| a way of organizing on a survey question so that the respondent can choose an answer along a continuum |
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Term
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Definition
| survey questions that ask what they don't think instead of what they do |
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Term
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Definition
| a sample taken so that findings from members of the sample group can be generalized to the whole population |
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Term
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Definition
| any sampling scheme in which the probability of selecting any given unit is known. |
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Term
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Definition
| a particular type of probablilty sample in which every member of the population has an equal chance of being selected |
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Term
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Definition
| techiniques for manipulating the sampling procedure so that the sample more closely resembles the larger population |
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Term
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Definition
| the number or percentage of surveys completed by the respondents and returned to researchers |
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Term
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Definition
| the consistency of a question or measurement tool; the degree to which the same questions will produce similar answers |
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Term
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Definition
| the assurance that no one other that the researcher will know the identity of a respondent |
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Term
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Definition
| the accuracy of a question or measurement tool; the degree to which a researcher is measuring what he thinks he is measuring |
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Term
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Definition
| a small study carried out to test the feasiblity of a larger one |
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Term
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Definition
| any data that have already been collected and are available for future research |
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Term
| Comparative and Historical Methods |
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Definition
| methods that use existing sources to study relationships between elements of society in various regions and time periods |
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Term
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Definition
| a method in which researchers identify and study specific variables--such as words--in a text, image, or media message |
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Term
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Definition
| formal tests of specific variables and effects, performed in a controlled setting where all aspects of the situation can be controlled |
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Term
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Definition
| in an experiment, the process of regulating all factors except for the independent variable |
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Term
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Definition
| The part of a test group that receives the experiments treatment |
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Term
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Definition
| the part of a test group that is allowed to continue without intervention so that it can be compared with the experimental group |
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Term
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Definition
| factor that is predicted to cause change |
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Term
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Definition
| factor that is changed by the independent variable |
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Term
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Definition
| an ideal whereby researchers identify facts without allowing their own personal beliefs or biases to interfere |
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Term
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Definition
| the search for knowledge without any agenda or desire to use that knowledge to effect change |
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Term
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Definition
| research designed to allow the researcher to use what is learned to crete some sort of change |
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Term
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Definition
| impartiality, the ability to allow the facts to speak for themselves |
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Term
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Definition
| The tendency of people and events to react to the process of being studied |
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Term
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Definition
| a specific example of reactivity, in which the desired effect is the result not of the independent variable but of the research itself |
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Term
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Definition
| the extent to which the participants in a research project are unaware of the project or its goals |
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Term
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Definition
| ethical guidelines for researchers to consult as they design a project |
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Term
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Definition
| a group of scholars within a university who meet regularly to review and approve the research proposals of their colleagues and make recommendations for how to protect human subjects |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| the entire way of life of a group of people (including both material and symbolic elements) that acts as a lens through which one views the world and is passed from one generation to the next |
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Term
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Definition
| the principle of using one's own culture as a means or standard by which to elevate another group or individual, leading to the view that cultures other than one's own are abnormal. |
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Term
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Definition
| The principle of understanding other cultures on their own terms, rather than judging or evaluating according to one's own culture |
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Term
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Definition
| The objects associated with a cultural group, such as tools, machines, utensils, buildings and artwork: any physical object which we give social meaning |
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Term
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Definition
| The ideas associated with a cultural group, including ways of thinking (beliefs, values, and assumptions) and ways of behaving (norms, interactions, mand communication) |
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Term
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Definition
| a symbol that stands for or conveys an idea |
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Term
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Definition
| the ways in which people use their bodies to communicate without words; actions that have symbolic meaning |
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Term
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Definition
| A system of communication using vocal sounds, gestures, or written symbols; the basis of symbolic culture and the primary means through which we communicate with one another and perpetuate our culture |
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Term
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Definition
| the idea that language structures thought and that ways of looking at the world are embedded in language |
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Term
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Definition
| ideas about what is desirable or contemptible and right or wrong in a particular group. They articulate the essence of everything that a cultural group cherishes and honors |
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Term
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Definition
| a rules or guideline regarding what kinds of behavior are acceptable and appropriate within a culture |
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Term
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Definition
| A common type of formally defined norm, providing an explicit statement about what is permissible and what is illegal in a given society |
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Term
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Definition
| A loosely enforced norm involving common customs, practices, or procedures that ensure smooth social interaction and acceptance |
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Term
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Definition
| A norm that carries great moral significance, is closely related to the core values of a cultural group, and often involves severe repercussions for violators |
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Term
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Definition
| A norm ingrained so deeply that even thinking about violating it evokes stong feelings of disgust, horror, or revulsion |
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Term
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Definition
| Positive or negitive reactions to the ways that people follow or disobey norms, including rewards for confromity and punishments for norm violations |
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Term
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Definition
| The formal and informal mechanisms used to increase conformity to values and norms and thus increase social cohesion |
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Term
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Definition
| A policy that values diverse racial, ethnic, national, and linguistic backgrounds and so encourages the retention of cultural differences within society rather than assimilation |
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Term
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Definition
| The Values, norms, and practices of the group within society that is most powerful (terms of wealth, prestige, status, influence, etc.) |
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Term
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Definition
| Term developed by Antonio Gramsci to describe the cultural aspects of social control, whereby the ideas of the dominant social group are accepted by all of society |
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Term
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Definition
| A group within society that is differentiated by its distincitve values, norms and lifestyle |
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Term
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Definition
| A group within society that openly rejects and/or actively opposes society's values and norms |
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Term
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Definition
| Clashes within mainstream society over the values and norms that should be upheld |
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Term
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Definition
| The norms, values, and patterns of behavior that members of a society believe should be observed in principle. |
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Term
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Definition
| The norms, values, and patterns of behavior that actually exist within a society (which may or may not correspond to the society's ideals) |
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Term
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Definition
| Usually contrasted with the high culture of elite groups; forms of cultural expression usually associated with the masses, consumer goods, and comercial products. |
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Term
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Definition
| Those forms of cultural expression usually associated with the elite or dominant classes. |
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Term
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Definition
| Groups of people who share similar artistic, artistic, literary, media, recreational, and intellectual interests |
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Term
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Definition
| Areas of culture that share similar aesthetics and standards of taste |
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Term
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Definition
| Having many possible meanings or interpretations |
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Term
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Definition
| A group of people dedicated to the consumption and interpretation of a particular cultural productand who create a collective, social meaning for the product |
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Term
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Definition
| The group composed of everyone involved in the creation, distribution, and consumption of any cultural product |
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Term
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Definition
| Material artifacts and the knowledge and techniques required to use them |
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Term
| Technological Determination |
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Definition
| The notion that developments in material culture provide the primary driving forces behind social orginization and social change |
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Term
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Definition
| The dissemination of beliefs and practices from one group to another |
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Term
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Definition
| The process by which cultures that were once distinct become increasingly similar |
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Term
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Definition
| The imposition of one culture's beliefs, practices, and artifacts on another culture through mass media and consumer products |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| The ongoing discussion of the respective roles of genetics and socialization in determining individual behaviors and traits |
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Term
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Definition
| The Process of learning and internalizing the values, beliefs, and norms of our social group, by which we become funtioning members of society |
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Term
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Definition
| The individual's concious, reflexive experience of a personal identity seperate and distinct from other individuals |
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Term
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Definition
| According to Freud, the three interrelated parts that make up the mind. The id consists of basic inborn drives that are the source of instinctive pychic energy. The ego is the realistic aspect of the mind that balances the forces of the id and the superego. The superego has two components (the conscience and the ego-ideal) and represents the internalized demands of society. |
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Term
| Psychosexual Stages of Development |
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Definition
| Four distinct stages of the development of the self between birth and adulthood, according to Freud. Each stage is assciated with a different erogenous zone. |
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Term
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Definition
| The notion that the self develops through our perception of others' evaluations and appraisals of us. |
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Term
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Definition
| The first stage in Mead's theory of the development of self wherein children mimic or imitate others. |
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Term
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Definition
| The second stage in Mead's theory of the development of self wherein children pretend to play the role of the particular or significant other. |
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Term
| Particular or Sinificant Other |
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Definition
| The perspective and expectations of a particular role that a child learns and internalizes |
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Term
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Definition
| The third stage in Mead's theory of the development of self wherein children play organized games and take on the perspectives of the generalized other |
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Term
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Definition
| The perspectives and expectations of a network of others (or of a society in general) that a child learns and then takes into account when shaping his or her own behavior. |
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Term
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Definition
| The belief that we experience the self as both subject and object, the "I" and the "me" |
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Term
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Definition
| Classic formulation of the way individuals define situations, whereby "if people define situations as real, they are real in their consequences" |
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Term
| Definition of the Situation |
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Definition
| An agreement with others about "what is going on" in a given cicumstance. This consensus allows us to coordinate our actions with those of others and realize goals. |
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Term
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Definition
| Small actions such as an eye roll or head nod, which serve as an interactional tool to help project our definition of situation to others |
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Term
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Definition
| Expressions that are intentional and usually verbal, such as utterances |
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Term
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Definition
| Observable expressions that can be either intended or unintended and are usually nonverbal |
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Term
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Definition
| The effort to control the impressions we make on others so that they form a desired view of us and the situation; the use of self-presentation and performance tactics |
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Term
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Definition
| An approach pioneered by Erving Goffman in which social life is analyzed in terms of its similarities to theatrical performance |
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Term
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Definition
| In the dramaturgical perspective, the setting or scene of performances that helps establish the definition of the situation |
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Term
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Definition
| The expressive equipment we conciously or unconciously use as we present ourselves to others, including appearance and manner; they help establish the definition of the situation. |
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Term
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Definition
| In the dramaturical perspective, the context or setting in which the performance takes place |
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Term
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Definition
| In the dramaturgical perspective, places in which we reheaerse and prepare for our performances |
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Term
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Definition
| In the dramaturgical perspective, the region in which we deliver our public performances |
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Term
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Definition
| The process by which a concept of practice is created and maintained by participants who collectively agree that it exists |
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Term
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Definition
| Behaviors that help others to save face or avoid embarressment, often referred to as civility or tact |
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Term
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Definition
| Ethnographic description that focuses on the feelings and reactions of the ethnographer |
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Term
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Definition
| Social groups, institutions, and individuals (especially the family, schools, peers, and the mass media) that provide structured situations in which socialization |
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Term
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Definition
| Values or behaviors that students learn indirectly over the course of their schooling because of the structure of the educational system and teaching methods used |
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Term
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Definition
| The process of replacing previously learned norms and values with new ones as a partof transistion in life |
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Term
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Definition
| An institution in which individuals are cut off from the rest of society so that their lives can be controlled and regulated for the purpose of systematically stripping away previous roles and identities in order to create new ones |
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Term
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Definition
| A positition in a social hierarchy that carries a particular set of expectations |
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Term
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Definition
| An inborn status; usually difficult or impossible to change |
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Term
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Definition
| A status generated by physical charateristics |
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Term
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Definition
| A status earned through individual effort or imposed by others |
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Term
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Definition
| A status that is always relevant and |
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Term
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Definition
| Judging others based on preconceived generalizations about groups or categories of people |
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Term
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Definition
| The set of behaviors expected of someone because of his or her status |
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Term
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Definition
| Experienced when we occupy two or more roles with contradictory expectations |
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Term
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Definition
| The tension experienced when there are contradictory expectations within one role. |
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Term
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Definition
| The process of leaving a role that we will no longer occupy. |
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Term
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Definition
| Emotions like symapthy, embarrassment, or shame that require that we assume the perspective of another person or many other people and respond from that person on group's point of view. |
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Term
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Definition
| Socially constructed norms regarding the expression and dissplay of emotions; expectations about the acceptable or desirable feelingsin a given situation |
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Term
| Emotion Work (Emotional Labor) |
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Definition
| The process of evoking suppressing or otherwise managing feelings to create a publicly observable display of emotion |
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Term
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Definition
| Face-to-face interaction or being in the presence of others |
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Term
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Definition
| The ability of the individual to act freely and independently |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| A collection of people who share some attribute, identify with one another, and interact with each other. |
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Term
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Definition
| A temporary gathering of people in a public place; members might interact but do not identify with each other and will not remain in contact. |
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Term
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Definition
| A collection of people who share a phsyical location but do not have lasting social relations. |
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Term
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Definition
| The people who are most important to our sense of self; members' relationships are typically characterized by face-to-face interaction, high levels of cooperations, and intense feelings of belongings. |
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Term
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Definition
| Largers and less intimate than primary groups; members' relationships are usually organized around a specific goal and are often temporary. |
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Term
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Definition
| The web of direct and indirect ties connecting an individual to other people who may also affect her. |
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Term
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Definition
| Connections between individuals. |
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Term
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Definition
| "Normlessness," term used to describe the alienation and loss of purpose that result from weaker social bonds and an increased pace of change. |
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Term
| Electronic or Virtual Communities |
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Definition
| Social Groups whose interactions are mediated through information technologies, particularly the internet. |
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Term
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Definition
| The Patterns of interaction between groups and individuals. |
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Term
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Definition
| A two-person social group. |
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Term
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Definition
| A three person social group. |
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Term
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Definition
| A group that one identifies with and feels loyalty toward. |
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Term
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Definition
| Any group an individual feels opposition, rivalry or hostility toward. |
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Term
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Definition
| A group that providesa standard of comparison against which we evaluate ourselves. |
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Term
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Definition
| The sense of solidarity or loyalty that individuals feel toward a group to which they belong. |
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Term
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Definition
| In very cohesive groups, the tendency to enforce a high degree of comformity among members, creating a demand for unimous agreement. |
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Term
| Social Influence (Peer Pressure) |
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Definition
| The influence of one's fellow group members on individual attitudes and behaviors. |
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Term
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Definition
| Behaviors approved of by a particular social group. |
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Term
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Definition
| Behaviors approved of by a paricular social group. |
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Term
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Definition
| The mildest types of conformity, undertaken to gain rewards or aviod punishments. |
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Term
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Definition
| A type of conformity stronger than compliance and weaker than internalization, caused by a desire to establish or maintain a relationship with a person or a group. |
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Term
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Definition
| The strongest type of conformity, occuring when an individual adopts the beliefs or actions of a group and makes them her own. |
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Term
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Definition
| A theory of group formation and maintenance that stresses the need of individual members to feel a sense of belonging. |
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Term
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Definition
| The ability to control the actions of others. |
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Term
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Definition
| Power that is backed by the threat of force. |
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Term
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Definition
| Power that is supported by persuasion. |
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Term
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Definition
| The Legitimate right to weild power. |
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Term
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Definition
| Authority based in custom, birthright, or divine right. |
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Term
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Definition
| Authority based in laws, rules, and procedures, not in the heredity or personality of any individual leader. |
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Term
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Definition
| Authority based in the perception of remarkable personal qualities in a leader. |
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Term
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Definition
| Leadership that is a task or goal oriented. |
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Term
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Definition
| Leadership concerned with maintaining emotional and relational harmony within the group. |
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Term
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Definition
| A type of secondary group designed to perform tasks efficiently characterized by specialization, technical competence, hierarchy, written rules, impersonality, and formal written communication. |
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Term
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Definition
| The application of economic logic to human activity, the use of formal rules and regulations in order to maximize efficiency without consideration of subjective or individual concerns. |
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Term
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Definition
| George Ritzer's term describing the spread of bureaucratic rationalization and and the accompanying increases in efficiency and dehumanization. |
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Definition
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