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Sociology Exam terms

Terms in this set (58)

Social Group
A collection of people who interact with each other and have a certain feeling of unity.
Social Aggregate
A number of people who happen to be in one place but do not interact with one another.
Social Category
Number of people who have something in common but who neither interact with one another nor gather in one place.
In-group
-The group to which an individual is strongly tied as a member.
-can become reference groups, a group that is used as the frame of reference for evaluating one's own behavior.
Out-group
The individual is not a member of this group.
Three characteristics of cohesive in-groups
1)Symbols or slogans
2)View themselves in a positive manner
out-groups-negative stereotypes
3)In-groups compete or clash with out groups ex: cliques in high school
Three types of effects that derive from reference groups
1)Normative effect-members view themselves in the same way as others.
2)Comparison effect-Comparing self with others in the group(negative self evaluation).
3)Associative Effect(group associated with makes you feel proud).
Group leadership
Three types of leaders:1) Instrumental 2)Expressive 3)Laissez- Faire
Idiosyncrasy credit
Leaders who completely perform certain tasks for the group are given privileges that allow them to deviate from their group's norms or society's norms.
Group conformity
Members of the group are expected to conform to the groups norms. ex:Ash line experiment
Group size
Dyad, triad, and larger groups
Milgram's obedience study
There was the teacher and learner,and the teacher would shock the learner and the learner would scream out in what seemed to be pain. However the learner was not being shocked with a high voltage shock like the teacher suspected. It was staged, the learner was acting and the teacher did not know. This test was done to see how far people would go with conflicting pain on other people.
ex:The Holocaust
George Simell
Dyads become most cohesive group. Group member are more personal. Most likely to break up. This is a group of only two people.
Triads
Group of three people, lose quality of intimacy that dyads have. Even though it weakens, it also increases groups reliability.
Social loafing
Each member works less, one person will pick up the slack
Social diversity
Increases more ways of solving problem. Diverse groups benefit members. Healthier and happier groups.
Formal Organizations
Groups whose activities are rationally designed to achieve specific goals.
ex: St.Judes, Red Cross, FEMA, political parties, colleges, hospitals
Three types of formal organizations
1)Cohersive-use force over lower participants.
2)Remunerative- Material rewards to guarantee cooperation
3)Normative- Use of moral persuasion and social acceptance. Ex:religion, PETA, Country Clubs, social organizations
Alienative
Do not support goals
Calculative
Moderatively support goals
Moral Involvement
Strongly supports group goals
Four types of organizations
1)Coercive
2)Utilitarian
3)Normative
4)Mixed
Functionalism
How social institutions work together in order to create a stable and harmonious environment.
Social conflict
Looking at inequality between, status, power, income,and rewards.
Weber's Theory of Bureaucracy
-Symbolic interactionalism
-Portrays bureaucracy as the embodiment of the western definition of rationality and as the proper way to run an organization.
Benefits of bureaucracy
impersonalities-Loan process to be impersonal.
-We place people in positions
Bureaucratic Red Tape
Rules and regulations to follow
History of education
-Before the 1800's education was a familial affair
-Schooling was only available to those in upper SES.
Rise of Industrialization
-U.S primary schools created.
-People exposed to abstract learning, primary schools, Math, English,Literature, rather than trade schools
Structural functionalism
-ways that schools support the operation and stability of society.
-Schools transmit and create culture
-Increases meritocracy
-Provides childcare
-stresses how formal education supports operation of society.
-Sharing cultural norms and values
-Over looks interaction between students and teachers
Symbolic Interactionism
-people create reality they experience in their day to day interactions
-How stereotypes shape what goes on in the classroom.
-Self-fulfilling prophecy-what makes you believe to be true
Robert Rosentaugh
Administered IQ test for children from grades 1-6 the tests determined which child would bloom educationally. Teachers attitudes and behaviors can influence student behavior.
Brown Eyes vs. Blue eyes
Jane Elliot came up with this experiment that taught children about racism. The children were told that if they had blue eyes then they were smarter than the brown eyed children, and the children started to believe this. Then the next day the brown eyed children were told that they were smarter than the blue eyed children. The children with the preferred eye color got special treatment.
Conflict perspective
Sees society as a system characterized by inequality and competition.
Johnathan Kozol
Savage Inequalities- Students went to schools in old roller rinks, there were no windows, and no walls separating classrooms, children clocked in with time cards. This was similar to that of working in a factory.
Social control
Teaching students to become obedient workers, standardized tests are used to put students in minority(students are taught how to take tests, and not necessarily learning).
-According to kozel this lead to inequality.
Education and inequality
-Education is key to achievement and success
-Educational institutions replicate inequality
-Hidden curriculum-Non academic roles in education system.
Bowles and Gints
- Schooling in capitalist America
-Education system is:
1)Training labor force with appropriate skills and attitudes
2)Obeying instruction from teachers
3)It makes students become obedient workers
No Child Left Behind Act
-Passed by congress in 2002
-Standardized testing
-As of 2012 48% of our nations schools were rated as failing
-improves both student and teacher performance
-Tested on Reading, Writing, and Math.
Negative sides to NCLB act
-Inaccurate depiction of student intelligence
-Females do not do as well as men do on standardized tests
-Measures teacher and school performance
Dropout factories
Schools where students do not graduate on time
Deviance
-Behavior that violates norms of social groups
-No behavior is inherently deviant
-Only exists when groups define it as such
-Violates the norms of a social group
-Wide variety of responses
Stigma
Negative label that can ruin a persons identity.
ex: Abominations of the body(scars,and disfigures)
-blemishes of individual character
Tribal stigma
Race, religion, and nationality
Achieved stigma
-What you've done to achieve something
ex:(tattoos, piercings)
Stigma theory
-We try to explain why they are inferior to the rest of us
-stigmatized based on social class
-stigma known to wider audience-discredited theory
Dis-credible identity
those whose audience is not known
Durkheim
-Structural strain that occurs in our society . Interested in collective conscious, its what brings us together.
-We see a breakdown in modern collective society
Structural strain
-Occurs when norms and values of social statuses are ambiguous.
Two problems:1) Results in suicide 2)egoism
Amine
Occurs with social change, not constrained by social norms
Robet Merton
-During Great Depression
-what determines success
-Not everyone has access to the same goals
-individuals experience social stress
Conformists Innovators
Goals, means of achieving money, power, and success.
Ritualists
Reject goals, but accept means
Retreatists
Reject goals and means
ex:(homeless, drug addicts)
Rebels
Reject goals and means, create new goals and means.
Edwin Suttherland
-Differential Association theory
- Learning to be deviant is taught by ongoing deviant groups. People who associate with deviants are more likely to be deviant themselves.
-we learn from one another
Social Learning theory
Face-to-face encounters, psychological reinforcers. Continuing to reinforce behaviors. We learn through wittnessing others.
-learning from watching others
Howard Becker
-Talked about learned behaviors by becoming a marijuana user. 3 steps
1)Learning techniques
2)Effects
3)Enjoying effects and physiologic process
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