Introduction to Sociology 2023 with complete questions and answers

Sociology Scientific study of social behavior in human groups C. Wright Mills Saw that society influences individuals, individuals influence society Social Inequality Condition in which members of society have differing amounts of wealth, prestige, or power EX: race, gender, religion Auguste Comte Systematic investigation of behavior needed to improve society Coined term "sociology" Harriet Martineau Emphasized impact of economy, law, trade, health, and population on social problems Herbert Spencer Studied "evolutionary" change in society Emile Durkheim Created Anomie Behavior must be understood within larger social context Anomie loss of direction felt in a society when social control of individual behavior becomes ineffective Max Weber To comprehend behavior, one must learn subjective meanings people attach to actions Verstehen Verstehen understanding, insight Karl Marx Society divided between two classes that class in pursuit of interests Group identification and association influence one's place in society Three Major Perspectives Symbolic Interactionism, Functionalism, and Conflict Theory Symbolic Interactionism Micro, Use of symbols; face-to-face interactions Functionalism Macro, Relationship between the parts of society; How aspects of society are functional (adaptive) Conflict Theory Macro, Competition for scarce resources; How the elite control the poor and weak Manifest functions Institutions are open, state, conscious functions that involve intended and recognized consequences of an aspect of society Latent Functions Unconscious or unintended function that may reflect hidden purposes of an institution Dysfunction Occurs when an aspect of society disrupts the normal functioning of society instead of getting rid of it, they says that it still exists because it serves a purpose Scientific Method Systematic, organized series of steps that ensures maximum objectivity and consistency in researching a problem Operational definition Explanation of an abstract concept that is specific enough to allow researchers to assess the concept Hypothesis Speculative statement about the relationship between two or more factors known as variable Variable Measurable trait or characteristic subject to change under different conditions Independent Variable the variable that affects Dependent Variable the variable that is affected Causal logic involves relationships between a condition or variable and a particular consequence Correlation Exists when change in one variable coincides with change in another Validity degree to which the measure reflects the phenomenon being studied Reliability Extend to which the measure provides consistent results Quantitative Emphasis on numeric information, generalizable EX: statistics, surveys Qualitative Emphasis on small group or individual's experience, comprised of observations, field notes, focus groups EX: feelings, actions Functionalist Sociologists focus on the way all aspects of population, urbanization, and the environment serve as vital and cohesive elements, ensuring the continuing stability of society sociological imagination the ability to understand how your own past relates to that of other people, as well as to history in general and societal structures in particular C. Wright Mills created this term figuration the process of simultaneously analyzing the behavior of an individual and the society that shapes that behavior paradigm philosophical and theoretical frameworks used within a discipline to formulate theories, generalizations, and the experiments performed in support of them macro-level a wide-scale view of the role of social structures within a society micro-level the study of specific relationships between individuals or small groups Qualitative Sociology in-depth interviews, focus groups, and/or analysis of content sources as the source of its data Ethnography the extended observation of the social perspective and cultural values of an entire social setting. Ethnographies involve objective observation of an entire community Hawthorne effect when study subjects behave in a certain manner due to their awareness of being observed by a researcher Interpretive Framework a sociological research approach that seeks in-depth understanding of a topic or subject through observation or interaction; this approach is not based on hypothesis testing Field Research gathering data from a natural environment without doing a lab experiment or a survey Case Study in-depth analysis of a single event, situation, or individual nonreactive research using secondary data, does not include direct contact with subjects and will not alter or influence people's behaviors value neutrality a practice of remaining impartial, without bias or judgment during the course of a study and in publishing results secondary data analysis using data collected by others but applying new interpretations scientific method an established scholarly research method that involves asking a question, researching existing sources, forming a hypothesis, designing and conducting a study, and drawing conclusions participant observation when a researcher immerses herself in a group or social setting in order to make observations from an "insider" perspective Code of Ethics a set of guidelines that the American Sociological Association has established to foster ethical research and professionally responsible scholarship in sociology