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Chapter 3 SOCL120 OER with Workbook

Terms in this set (33)

Artifacts
material objects that constitute a society's material culture
Beliefs
ideas or convictions that people hold to be true, based in science, mythology, folklore or religion
Counterculture
a group whose values, beliefs and norms directly oppose those of the larger culture and even reject it
Cultural diffusion
the process of ideas, norms and values moving across cultural borders
Cultural diversity
differences in material and nonmaterial culture between societies or even subcultures
Cultural lag
when people's behavior does not reflect the regular usage of the latest technologies
Cultural leveling
when cultures that were previously distinct become less so due to the cultural diffusion
Cultural relativism
the belief that we should not judge any culture as superior or inferior to another culture
Culture
the symbols, language, norms, beliefs, values and material objects that are part of a society
Culture shock
the uncomfortable or bewildered feeling we might have when immersed in a new culture
Discoveries
when something completely new is observed or found
Dominant Ideology
the norms and values of the dominant group within a society
Ethnocentrism
the tendency to judge another culture by the standards of our own and to believe that our own culture is indeed superior to another culture
Equilibrium Theory
theory of social change in which it is argued that changes within one social institution cause changes in other social institutions until order is restored
Folkway
standards of behavior that regulate daily activity but that are considered less important than mores
Formal norm
laws and mores are standards of behavior considered the most important in any society
Gestures
movements of the hands, arms, or other parts of the body that are meant to convey certain ideas or emotions
Ideal culture
the idealized values and norms within a culture which represent what is thought of as perfect conduct and thought
Informal norms
folkways and customs are standards of behavior that are considered less important but still influence how we behave
Inventions
when something new is created from things that already exist
Language
A set of symbols used for communication and which makes society possible
Laws
standards of behavior considered the most important in any society which are encoded by political entities and enforced by agents of the state, such as the police and the courts
Material culture
all of society's physical objects
Mores
standards of behavior considered the most important in any society, typically encoded in law or moral standards
Nonmaterial culture
symbols, values, and beliefs, verbal and nonverbal communication
Nonverbal symbols
ways of communicating that do not involve talking
Norms
standards and expectations for behavior
Real culture
cultural values and behaviors that are actually followed within a society
Sapir-Whorf hypothesis
suggests that people cannot easily understand concepts and objects unless their language contains words for these items
Sociobiology
a field of study in sociology in which scholars say that several important human behaviors and emotions, such as competition, aggression, and altruism, stem from our biological makeup
Subculture
a group that shares the central values, beliefs and norms of the larger culture but still retains certain values, beliefs and norms that make it distinct from the larger culture
Symbols
things that stand for something else and that often evoke various reactions and emotions
Values
judgments of what is good or bad, desirable or undesirable
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