Sociology Mid-Term Flashcards

Questions and Answers

What are the differences between manifest and latent functions?

Latent functions are recognized consequences.

Manifest functions are recognized and intended consequences. (correct)

Manifest functions are unrecognized consequences.

Latent functions are recognized and intended consequences.

What does Social Function Theory explain?

It explains a complex strategy for meeting human needs and different ways of life function.

What is social conflict rooted in?

Materialism.

What does symbolic interaction focus on?

It focuses on society as the product of everyday interactions of individuals. Signup and view all the answers

What is a survey?

A method of study where the participant fills in the details. Signup and view all the answers

What does an experiment do?

Manipulates variables. Signup and view all the answers

What is observation?

The process of recording details without interference. Signup and view all the answers

What was Zimbardo's prison study about?

A study where participants were assigned roles of guards or prisoners. Signup and view all the answers

What are mores?

Norms that are widely observed and have great moral significance. Signup and view all the answers

What are symbols in culture?

Anything that carries a particular meaning recognized by people who share a culture. Signup and view all the answers

What are folkways?

Norms for routine or casual interaction. Signup and view all the answers

What do horticulture societies use?

Hands and tools to raise crops. Signup and view all the answers

What characterizes agrarian societies?

They use plows and harnesses and often establish permanent homes. Signup and view all the answers

What defines an industrial society?

It uses advanced sources of energy for manufacturing. Signup and view all the answers

What describes a postindustrial society?

A society that lives in technology and information systems. Signup and view all the answers

What is a subculture?

Patterns that set apart some segment of a society's population. Signup and view all the answers

What characterizes counterculture?

Patterns that strongly oppose those widely accepted within a society. Signup and view all the answers

What is ethnocentrism?

The practice of judging another culture by the standards of one's own culture. Signup and view all the answers

What is cultural relativism?

The practice of judging another culture by its own related standards. Signup and view all the answers

What are three causes of cultural change?

Global economy Signup and view all the answers

What is global economy?

The flow of goods and influence through products and services. Signup and view all the answers

What does global communication refer to?

The flow of information, especially through the internet. Signup and view all the answers

What is global migration?

The flow of people from one place to another. Signup and view all the answers

What did Harlow study?

Studies with monkeys to show the need for physical stimulation for socialization. Signup and view all the answers

What did Kohlberg explain about moral reasoning?

It happens in a three-part series, and not everyone reaches the postconventional level. Signup and view all the answers

What is the preconventional level of moral development?

Moral development in young children focused on what feels good. Signup and view all the answers

What characterizes the conventional level of moral development?

Learning to conform to parents' and cultural norms. Signup and view all the answers

What is the postconventional level of moral development?

Moral development based on abstract ethical principles. Signup and view all the answers

What does Erikson's theory of socialization focus on?

The process where experiences shape personalities throughout life. Signup and view all the answers

Trust vs. _____ refers to a socialization stage that develops in infants.

Mistrust Signup and view all the answers

Autonomy vs. _____ is a stage that shows the child's growth from about a year and a half to three years.

Doubt and shame Signup and view all the answers

Initiative vs. _____ is seen in four to five-year-olds.

Guilt Signup and view all the answers

Industriousness vs. _____ takes place between the ages of six and thirteen.

Inferiority Signup and view all the answers

Identity vs. _____ is a stage experienced by many teenagers.

Confusion Signup and view all the answers

Intimacy vs. _____ reflects the struggle for intimate relationships.

Isolation Signup and view all the answers

Making a difference vs. self-absorption is a stage in which individuals contribute to others' lives.

Self-absorption Signup and view all the answers

Integrity vs. _____ occurs at the end of life, questioning missed opportunities.

Despair Signup and view all the answers

What is resocialization?

The process of radically changing an existing role and replacing it with another. Signup and view all the answers

What is a primary group?

Families and friends belong to this group. Signup and view all the answers

What is a secondary group?

Coworkers, classmates, and business associates belong to this group. Signup and view all the answers

What did Stanley Milgram study?

Experiments where individuals were instructed to punish others with electric shocks. Signup and view all the answers

What is a normative organization?

An organization joined to pursue a morally worthwhile goal. Signup and view all the answers

What is a coercive organization?

An involuntary organization where membership is often a form of punishment. Signup and view all the answers

What is a utilitarian organization?

An organization created for income, usually by choice. Signup and view all the answers

Bureaucratic __________ is a focus on rules and regulations that can interfere with an organization.

Ritualism Signup and view all the answers

Bureaucratic __________ describes the downsizing of individuals into small cogs in a mechanism.

Alienation Signup and view all the answers

Bureaucratic __________ refers to the tendency of bureaucratic organizations to perpetuate themselves.

Inertia Signup and view all the answers

What are the requirements for a bureaucracy according to Max Weber?

Specialization, hierarchy of offices, rules and regulations, technical competence, impersonality, and formal written communications. Signup and view all the answers

What does specialization refer to in bureaucracy?

The bureaucratic element of assigning specialized jobs. Signup and view all the answers

What is the hierarchy of offices?

A bureaucratic element forming a pyramid of offices where higher-ranking members supervise lower ones. Signup and view all the answers

What are rules and regulations in a bureaucracy?

Requirements that must be regulated to operate predictably. Signup and view all the answers

What is technical competence?

The bureaucratic element where new members are hired and supervised on their performance. Signup and view all the answers

What does impersonality mean in bureaucracy?

An impersonal approach that prioritizes rules over personal relationships. Signup and view all the answers

What is formal, written communication in bureaucracy?

The use of formal memos and reports that accumulate in vast files. Signup and view all the answers

What are the aspects of McDonaldization according to George Ritzer?

Efficiency, uniformity, and control. Signup and view all the answers

What does efficiency refer to in McDonaldization?

A central way of life that saves time and money. Signup and view all the answers

What does uniformity mean in McDonaldization?

Results from a highly rational system that specifies every action. Signup and view all the answers

What does control signify in McDonaldization?

The need for supervision because humans are seen as unreliable. Signup and view all the answers

What causes cultural change?

Inventions, diffusion, and discoveries. Signup and view all the answers

What are the culture ingredients?

Norms, values, language, and beliefs. Signup and view all the answers

Who coined the phrase 'McDonaldization'?

George Ritzer. Signup and view all the answers

What is classical conditioning?

Learning by association. Signup and view all the answers

What is operant conditioning?

Using consequences to shape behavior. Signup and view all the answers

Who was John Watson?

A behaviorist who used classical and operant conditioning. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Differences Between Functions

Manifest functions are the intended consequences of social patterns, while latent functions are unintended and unrecognized.
Social-conflict theory, symbolic interactionism, and structural functionalism offer distinct perspectives on society's functions.

Explains strategies for meeting human needs and helps in understanding the functionality of different lifestyles.

Rooted in materialism, contrasting with Social Function Theory.

Symbolic Interaction

A framework that views society as a product of everyday individual interactions.

Research Methods

Survey: Participants provide details through structured questions.
Experiment: Involves manipulation of variables to observe effects.
Observation: Involves recording behaviors without interference.

Zimbardo's Prison Study

Assigned roles of guards and prisoners, halted after six days due to negative participant behavior, showcasing that context can lead to moral failures.

Cultural Norms

Mores: Norms with significant moral implications (e.g., laws against child molestation).
Folkways: Norms for casual interactions, like dress etiquette.

Societal Structures

Horticulture Societies: Rely on hand tools for crop cultivation; linked to belief in a higher power due to vulnerability to nature.
Agrarian Societies: Employ plowing and machinery; leads to social inequality as men dominate.
Industrial Society: Uses energy for manufacturing; enhances living standards but may harm nature.
Postindustrial Society: Centralizes technology and information systems, shifting skill definitions and promoting symbolic culture.

Cultural Dynamics

Subculture: Distinct patterns within a society, problematic in categorizing individuals due to overlapping memberships.
Counterculture: Patterns that oppose societal norms.
Ethnocentrism: Judging another culture by one's own standards.
Cultural Relativism: Evaluating a culture based on its own context.

Causes of Cultural Change

Influenced by global economic flows, communication networks, and migration patterns.

Research Contributions

Harlow's Study: Highlighted the need for physical stimulation in emotional development through primate studies.
Kohlberg's Moral Reasoning: Identifies three levels—preconventional, conventional, and postconventional—where moral growth varies among individuals.

Erikson's Stages of Socialization

Lifelong process influencing personality development through various socialization stages, including:
- Trust vs. Mistrust (infants)
- Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt (toddlers)
- Initiative vs. Guilt (preschoolers)
- Industry vs. Inferiority (school-aged children)
- Identity vs. Role Confusion (teenagers)
- Intimacy vs. Isolation (young adults)
- Generativity vs. Stagnation (adulthood)
- Integrity vs. Despair (old age)

Organizational Structures

Primary Group: Contains close ties, such as family and friends.
Secondary Group: Includes less personal relationships, like coworkers or classmates.
Normative Organizations: Engage in morally worthwhile goals.
Coercive Organizations: Involve involuntary membership, often for punishment.
Utilitarian Organizations: Aim for economic gain, often based on necessity.

Bureaucratic Features

Weber's Requirements: Specialization, hierarchy, rules, technical competence, impersonality, and formal communication define bureaucracies.
Elements encompass specialization of tasks, a pyramid structure for oversight, and adherence to rules for predictable behavior.

McDonaldization

Efficiency, Uniformity, Control: Key aspects that characterize modern organizational structures, sacrificing individual variance for process optimization.

Learning Theories

Classical Conditioning: Associative learning using stimuli.
Operant Conditioning: Learning via consequences, emphasizing reinforcement and punishment.
John Watson: Behaviorist who applied these conditioning principles to human behavior studies.

Studying That Suits You

Use AI to generate personalized quizzes and flashcards to suit your learning preferences.

Description

Test your knowledge of key concepts in sociology, including the differences between manifest and latent functions and social function theory. This quiz covers essential theories and terms that are crucial for understanding social dynamics.