Theory
a framework for building theory that sees society as an arena of inequality that generates conflict and change
What is social-conflict approach? (What is conflict theory?)
a research method in which subjects respond to a series of statements or questions on a questionnaire or in an interview
What is a survey?
the ways of thinking, the ways of acting, and the material objects that together form a people’s way of life
What is culture?
the lifelong social experience by which people develop their human potential and learn culture
What is socialization?
the process by which people act and react in relation to others
What is social interaction?
a framework for building theory that sees society as the product of the everyday interactions of individuals
What is symbolic-interaction approach? (What is symbolic interactionism?)
a systematic plan for doing research
What is a research method?
cultural patterns that are widespread among a society’s population
What is popular culture? (What is pop culture?)
a social group whose members have interests, social position, and age in common
What is a peer group?
a social position that a person holds
What is status?
a framework for building theory that sees society as a complex system whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability
What is structural-functional approach? (What is structural functionalism?)
a research method for investigating cause and effect under highly controlled conditions
What is an experiment?
personal disorientation when experiencing an unfamiliar way of life
What is culture shock?
a category of people with something in common, usually their age
What is a cohort?
a number of roles attached to a single status
What is a role set?
a scientific approach to knowledge based on "positive" facts as opposed to mere speculation
What is positivism?
information we can verify with our senses
What is empirical evidence?
cultural patterns that set apart some segment of a society’s population
What is a subculture?
Cooley’s term for a self-image based on how we think others see us
What is the looking-glass self?
Erving Goffman’s term for a person’s efforts to create specific impressions in the minds of others
What is presentation of self?
the study of society that focuses on the meanings people attach to their social world
What is interpretive sociology?
an apparent but false relationship between two (or more) variables that is caused by some other variable
What is a spurious correlation?
the practice of judging another culture by the standards of one’s own culture
What is ethnocentrism?
learning that helps a person achieve a desired position
What is anticipatory socialization?
Erving Goffman’s term for the study of social interaction in terms of theatrical performance
What is dramaturgical analysis?