Norms, Values, Institutions & Social Research

• Society maintains stability through norms, values, and institutions.

Norms, Values, and Institutions

• Norms are social expectations that guide behavior.
• Values are cultural ideas about what is good or desirable.
• Institutions are structures, like family, education, government, and religion, that maintain social order.
• Society remains stable when people follow norms, share values, and institutions regulate behavior.

Macro-Sociology vs. Micro-Sociology

• Macro-sociology studies large-scale social structures, like institutions, economies, or social classes. Example: How capitalism affects income inequality.
• Micro-sociology focuses on individuals or small groups, like interactions in families or friendships. Example: How people negotiate meaning in daily conversations.

Social Research

• The scientific method in sociology involves these steps:
• Define the problem by identifying what is being studied.
• Review the literature by reading past studies on the topic.
• Form a hypothesis by making a testable prediction.
• Design the study by deciding approach i.e experiment or survey.
• Sampling involves choosing a group to study.
• Data collection involves gathering information.
• Data is analyzed to find patterns and relationships.
• Conclusions summarize findings and implications.

Key Research Terms

• Experiments manipulate variables to see effects.
• A variable is any characteristic that can change.
• An independent variable is the one that changes and causes an effect.
• A dependent variable is the one that changes because of the independent variable's effect.
• A hypothesis is a testable prediction, such as "More education leads to higher income."
• A research question guides the investigation, like "How does social media affect self-esteem?"

Types of Research

• Quantitative research uses numbers and statistics. An example is surveys.
• Qualitative research is descriptive and non-numerical. Examples are interviews and case studies.
• Ethnography involves studying a group in their natural setting. For example, living among a tribe to observe their culture.
• Surveys are questionnaires used to collect data.
• In participant observation, join the group being studied. For example, a sociologist works as a waiter to study restaurant culture.

Sampling and Ethics

• Sampling involves picking a subset of a population for study.
• Ethics in research ensures informed consent, confidentiality, and avoidance of harm.

Culture

• Culture includes shared beliefs, values, norms, and material objects.
• Language is a system of symbols for communication.
• Ethnocentrism involves judging another culture using one's own culture as the standard.
• Cultural relativism involves understanding a culture from its own perspective instead of judging it.

Characteristics of Culture

• Culture is learned, as it is taught from birth.
• It is shared among members of a society.
• It's symbolic, represented by symbols like flags or religious icons.
• It is dynamic, changing over time.
• Culture is integrated, with different parts influencing each other.

Types of Culture

• Material culture includes physical objects like clothes, tools, or buildings.
• Non-material culture includes ideas, values, beliefs, and norms.

Symbols and Norms

• Symbols are objects or gestures with meaning like a peace sign means peace.
• Norms are social rules on behavior.

Types of Norms

• Folkways are everyday customs. Ex: Shaking hands.
• Mores are strongly held moral norms. Ex: Being honest.
• Laws are officially written norms. Ex: Speed limits..
• Taboos are forbidden behaviors. Ex: Incest.

Subcultures vs. Countercultures

• Dominant culture is the mainstream culture in a society.
• A subculture is a smaller group with distinct values like Gamers or the Amish.
• A counterculture is a group that opposes mainstream norms like Hippies or anarchists.

Review Questions & Answers

• Macro-sociology studies large structures, while micro-sociology focuses on small interactions.
• Ethnocentrism judges other cultures, while cultural relativism understands a culture from its own perspective.
• Quantitative research uses numbers and statistics, while qualitative research is descriptive and non-numerical.
• The four types of norms are folkways (casual customs), mores (moral norms), laws (legal rules), and taboos (extreme prohibitions).
• George Herbert Mead stated the self develops through social interaction, progressing through the preparatory (imitation), play (role-playing), and game (understanding multiple roles) stages.
• Resocialization is learning new norms and behaviors within a total institution, which completely changes individuals.
• Symbolic interactionism explains social behavior as shaped through symbols and meanings in interactions.
• Gender roles are reinforced through socialization via family, media, schools, and peers.

Norms guide behavior, values define cultural ideals, and institutions maintain social order. Macro-sociology studies large-scale structures. Micro-sociology focuses on small groups and individual interactions.