Social Science Overview PDF

Social science overview Social science definition A scientific discipline: The organized study of society - people, their activities, and relationship Uses research to understand and explain human human society, culture, action, attitudes, and behaviour - Unbias studies, instead of personal...

Social science overview Social science definition A scientific discipline: The organized study of society - people, their activities, and relationship Uses research to understand and explain human human society, culture, action, attitudes, and behaviour - Unbias studies, instead of personal experiences Tell us about the world beyond our immediate experiences - Explains how society works, and helps us understand how the human mind works - Ex. Addiction, anxiety rates, systemic discrimination Provides vital information for government, schools, hospitals - Used to build programs, and how people interact with an institution Anthropology Focus they study the development of humans through evolution - Understanding cultures around the world Methodologies - Live with the people they want to study Psychology Focus - The human mind and how it impacts our attitudes and human behaviour, on an individual level Methodologies - Experiments with people and animals - An open-ended interview, allows the person being interviewed to lead Sociology Focus - Interested in how outside influences/groups affect the human mind - How society is organized, class levels Methodologies - Surveys and observation - Closed interview, interviewer leads, short  Unit one psychology terms Conscious mind - Part of the mind we are aware of, the thoughts and opinions we are aware of Unconscious mind - The part of the mind that we are not aware of, Freud believed that it was more impactful, socialization and past experiences affect this part of the mind - Ex. self-sabotaging by pushing people away can result from your parents being absent and being let down. - Id: the most impulsive part of the mind, that seeks pleasure, the devil on your shoulder - Superego: the moral compass part of your mind, the angel on your shoulder - Ego: a mediator between these two parts of your mind - Control group: the group that acts normally in a given situation - Experiment group: the group that has an added variable in a given situation Branches of psychology Clinical psychology - Assess and diagnose (the process is different for everyone) - Ex. observation, interviews with the patient or others around the person, survey and questionnaire - Treatment - Therapy(individual, family, group), support group, medication - Research - Up to date on new practices, requirements of research hours Industrial/organizational psychology - Apply research and methods about human behaviours to business to become more successful Experimental psychology - Learning about human behaviour through experiments, give us data about how people act in certain situations - Perception - Why does perspective change from person to person  - Cognitive - A better understanding of how we think and process information, with memory and learning - Motivation - Research what motivates people, and why some lack it - Physiological - Research about the connection between the mind and the body - Abnormal - Better understanding of mental illness and behavioural disorders - How best to treat and diagnose it - Child development (0-18) - Development (from birth to death) - Comparative - Compare human psychology to animal psychology - Social - How groups impact an individual psychology - Inattention blindness - A phenomenon where people will see their surroundings but will not register it, usually when people are on their phone Marshmallow experiment - Scientists tested if delayed gratification was an indicator of success, they tested this by placing a marshmallow in front of a child and asking them not to eat it, if they didn’t they got a second one. - ⅔ children ate the marshmallow and the children that didn’t eat were 100% more likely to succeed Schools of thought Psychoanalytic theory (Freud) - The focus is on the unconscious mind, and how past experiences shaped you - The main method was for a therapist to unlock the unconscious mind and work through it Behaviourism (Watson, Pavlov, Skinner) - The focus is on behaviour because it is something you can see and is concrete - They say all behaviour stems from a pattern, and this method of therapy tries to change negative patterns - Stimulus-response pattern: where a certain stimulus causes a response  Humanistic Psychology (Maslow, Roger) - The focus is for people to reach their full potential - Self-help books, life coaches, motivational speaker - Encouraging to write down your feeling Cognitive Psychology/learning theory (Piaget. Bandura, Loftus) - The focus is understanding human behaviour by how people process information - How we think, learn, and remember - Learning styles and effectiveness - Cognitive behaviour therapy - The focus is on how thoughts impact behaviour - Journaling thoughts - Loftus did an experiment called the lost mall memory where she implanted a false memory about being lost at the mall Intro to sociology Definition of sociology: - Social science is a discipline that looks at the structure of human society and how it works. There is a focus on social life, social change, and the social causes and consequences of human behaviour - Strong connection to the criminal justice system What is sociology about - Studies how groups are shaped - Conformity, peer pressure - Aims is to take what appears to be a personal issue and show that it is related to larger issues - Ex. while eating disorders are a personal issue, the media affects how people view their bodies What do sociologists do - How organization shape human behaviour - Primarily study their own culture and examine contemporary issues - Solving current social problems Methods of sociologist - Surveys, statics Unit 1 Sociology terms Institutions: - refer to the organization that helps shape and mould us into the people that we are (socialize the public) - religious institutions, education, health care, criminal justice Status: - refers to your place within the institution Role: - refers to a set of behaviours or appearances that we associate with a specific position Role conflict: - is when a person has two roles that conflict with each other. Norms: - social standards that people follow - Behaviour, appearance, mannerism Rehabilitation: - refers to the reeducation or resocialization of a person so that they can act more socially acceptable Structural functionalism: - States that a society is stable when social institutions (family, religion, government, education, economy) meet the needs of its citizens - If one social institution fails they all fail Conflict theory - Studies competition between different groups for power, typically economically - The belief that social institutions, as the bourgeoisie controls them, are designed to perpetuate the alienation of the poor Symbolic interactionism: - Our sense of self is socially created, we reflect what we see - Past experiences attach meaning to a given social situations Feminism - Studies society, specifically focusing on sex and gender issues - Studies the power imbalance and the history behind it Intro to Anthropology Definition of anthropology: - the scientific study of the origins of the human species. The focus is on the physical social, and cultural development of human Cultural/Social anthropology - Studies every single aspect of a culture - Rituals, clothing, food, - Also studies the social organization of the culture - Are elders respected, when do people become adults, power imbalances Physical/Biological - Strong link to the natural sciences - Interested in the evolution of humans with DNA analysis What do anthropologists examine - Lives - Thanks - Communicates - Produces - Interest in their environment - This process takes a long time to do Unit 1 Anthropology terms Ethnography - This is the fieldwork of anthropologists - Highly organized and detailed research - Videos, photography, handwritten notes, dated Ethnocentrism - The belief that your culture is superior to other culture - Dangerous in anthropology because you compare and are bias Kinship - Interested in the people you are related to through blood, marriage and adoption Fictive Kin - Consider them family but are not related through blood, marriage, and adoption Material Cultural - Anything that humans create and give meaning to Non-material culture  - Stories, beliefs, and superstitions that are passed down from generation Subcultures - They have similar characteristics to the dominant culture but have their own characteristics - It can be voluntary or involuntary Culture - The total system of ideas, values, and behaviour. And attitudes of a society commonly shared by most members - It is learned and shared from one generation to the next - Symbols, rituals, objects, beliefs and values, Common research methods Participants observation - Actively participating in the culture over a long period Field observation/interviews - When you go to the field and interview, just observation - Typically for a shorter period The subfield of cultural/social anthropology Linguistic anthropologist - Studies how languages are used - Verbal, nonverbal, and symbols Archaeology - Study of material culture Primatology - The study of non-human primates - How are humans similar to our closest relatives Forensic anthropology - Used forensic techniques to identify the person Schools of thoughts Cultural relativism (Franz Boas) - This refers to the method of studying culture in relation to itself without explaining or judging - Document everything without trying to interpret it, encouraged to collect as much data as possible Functionislsm (Bronislaw Malinowski)  - Study society by understanding its laws and social institution - Social institutions: Standard set of laws and practices that provide stability Structuralism (Claude Levi-Strauss) - Study culture through - Binary opposite: two forces that are opposite of each other - Male and female, good and evil, special and ordinary Cultural materialism (Marvin Harris) - Study culture through their technology and their economic system Socialization overview What is socialization - The lifelong process through which people are moulded by society and learn the expectations/norms of society - The basis of our identity and how we define ourselves Types of socialzation Intended socialization - There is a specific goal behaviour learned that is successful Unintended socialization - An unintentional behaviour that is learned Primary socialization - The socialization from the time you are born until the start of school is done by your family or main caregiver - It is critical to feel safe and comforted - Ex. behaviour like eating, walking, potty training, speaking Secondary socialization - Socialization that is done by the start of school - When we start interacting with groups fine motor skills Poor primary socialization Feral children (Oxana Malaya case) - Children that have been abandoned by their parents, and an animal takes over as primary caretaker - Once found they have the same mannerisms as the animal - Very uncommon less than 100 cases Isolated children - Live in a human household but experience extreme abuse of neglect - Much more common Psychosocial short stature (The ‘Jacksonville Boy’ case) - As a result of stress and trauma to the body from abuse and neglect, it can cause a failure to thrive and stop growing - Most experts feel it involves a deficiency in growth hormones as a result of emotional stress affecting the pituitary glands Socialization terms Anticipatory socialization - The ability to think ahead and act accordingly Resocialization - Reeducate someone to understand norms better Total institution - Create an entirely new socialization by discarding the old ones - Very limited control over life - Some are credited ex. Prison, rehabilitation - Uncreditable ex. Cults Agent of socialzation - They are the people and places that shape your socialization - Family, peers, school, Work, and media Secondary socialization How do we regulate social behaviour Folkway - Informal norms that guide our everyday behaviour - They are unspoken and include things like manner, attire, and how we interact with people - These norms are situational, time and place More - Informal norms that deal with morality - If we violate these norms there are consequences Broken laws - If all else fails the Criminal justice system takes over Impact of Media on Children - While family, friends, and school socialize children the most - But because their brains haven’t developed enough they are more susceptible to being manipulated by the media American Academy of Pediatric reports - Negative impact associated with extended screen time - Attention problems, school difficulties, increased rates of anxiety and depression, sleep difficulties, poor eating habits, and obesity, impact brain development in children under 2 What is Gender socialization Gender socialization - Is the process by which we learn our culture’s gender-related rules, norms, and expectations How do we become socialized Socialization focus (Freud) - The unconscious mind and how the id, ego, and superego are developed - We find this through interviews and therapy Development of the self (George Herbert Mead) Imitative stage (0-2) - Children in this phase imitate the actions and behaviour around Play stage (2-7) - Children make sense of the world through play - Self-centred, cannot understand the world view of other people Game stage (7-8+) - Can understand other people's view - Can see the consequences of their action on others Looking-glass self (Charles Cooley) - In life, other people act as the mirror in which we see ourselves - Our sense of self is developed by social interaction - Gay, academic, nice, coloured, hair - Smart, funny, weird, sassy, giggly - Weird. sassy, gay, smart, bangs Lawrence Kohlberg How are we socialized to make moral decisions Stages of Moral Reasoning 1. Preconventional Stage ○ 10-11  ○ Would’ve said Heinz shouldn’t have stolen the drugs because it’s against the law - Motive is not a part of the discussion 2. Conventional Stage ○ Would’ve said Heinz shouldn't steal the drug but would be understanding and empathized with him ○ Factoring in motive but still wrong 3. Postconventional Stage ○ Challenge the system itself, the system is broken, and people start challenging justice Research problems ○ Sample is biased ○ Hypothetical dilemmas ○ The dilemma is artificial (based on age, not married, likely haven't experienced anything similar Carol Gilligan's research Did the research again but brought women’s decisions into account as well, extending onto his work Erving Goffman Dramaturgical Approach ○ The main focus is on how we are socialized to know the norms of society ○ Vague approach “It’s easiest to understand to look at life like a theatre (production)” - The front stage is what you present to others, presenting what society is telling you to present - Backstage is the real you, unfiltered, genuine, every thought and feeling, it's you in your vulnerable raw self - Impressions Management - The things you do to influence how others see you - Ex. Dressing a certain way Ethics in Social Science Research Ethics The moral principles or rules people use to decide what is right and wrong Code of Ethics Legal document to guide people ethically in that profession Main goal: To protect participants from extreme long-lasting harm  Competence Sociologists conduct research, teach, practice, and provide service only within the boundaries of their competence, based on their education, training, supervised experience, etc. Representation and Misuse of Expertise In research, teaching, practice, service, or other situations, sociologists accurately and fairly represent their areas of expertise Use of Deception Deception is allowed but must be approved by an independent panel - sometimes necessary so participants are not influenced by the real purpose of the experiment Unethical Experiments Little Albert Conducted by John Watson Little Albert - 9-month-old baby Wanted to see if fear was innate or a conditioned response Occurred in 1920 Deviance and conformist What is Deviance - Describes an action or behaviour that violates formal or informal social norms Crime Vs. Deviance All criminal behaviour is deviant, but not all deviant behaviour is criminal Deviance is objective, up to interpretation Internal Social Control Inside the mind (conscience, values, integrity, the desire to be a “good person”) External Social Control Informal and formal sanctions (reactions from people or fines/imprisonment) (external influences) Terms Criminology The study of everything to do about crime ○ Ex. Victims, perpetrators, trends, patterns, crime statistics and crime rates) Stigma The negative reactions that you receive after you’ve been labelled deviant Deterrence Form of punishment that relies on the threat of penalties to change your behaviour Ex. (Teachers telling students they will score a 0 if they plagiarize) * Canada has a deterrence based criminal justice system Retribution Form of punishment that focuses on revenge, retaliation (eye for an eye) Ex. a murderer's execution Restorative justice Bringing everyone involved in a situation together to sit and work with a mediator in an attempt to reconcile and come to an agreement Offender sits and listens to how their actions have caused harm to the victims and comes up with a solution that everyone deems fit for the situation no record received through this* Functionalist Perspective: Merton's strain theory (why people choose to deviate towards others) Strain - “Strain” is feeling sad, disappointed, stressed, angry etc. Society has goals that people strive for and apply pressure to achieve. if these goals are unachieved, you will be left feeling a “strain” Those who experience strain are more likely to deviate than those who do not Anomie: feeling disconnected from the goals of society and isolated from people Categories of people Accept goals Accept means example  Conformist ✔ ✔ The goal is to get high marks in school, conformists like the goal and understand they must study to get there. Ritualistic ✖ ✔ Students does not care about grades, however, they know they need to continue to graduate Innovator ✔ ✖ Loves the goal, doesn't want to do the work/does not accept the method. (issues like cheating on work arise)o Retreatist (experiences ✖ ✖ Disconnection from goals. Often a trauma response/mental anomie) health issue, causes people to shut themselves off from the world Rebels ✖ ✖ Does not accept goals or method, wants entirely new goals and method (forces change) Strain theory scenario: Academic pressure In the situation where a student has to decide how to handle an upcoming exam, with the external factors of peer pressure to cheat, strict parents expecting high grades, strict but fair teacher Conformist (studies hard) Ritualist ( writes exams, doesn't care about grades) Innovate (cheats) Retreat (gives up, skips exams allowing work to snowball) Rebel (protest against grading system) Deviance Theories Conflict Perspective - Believes certain people are set up to have lots of power - Looking at the struggle for economic struggle Cultural Transmission Theory - The more people you associate with that commit deviant activity, the more likely you will too, the more you don’t surround yourself with deviant people, the more likely you don’t get into deviant activities Labeling Theory - Looks at the impact of labels, and it becomes a part - How labels become a self-fulfilling prophecy, the way you interact with them can cause them to internalize that and become what their label says  Control Theory/Social Band Theory (Hirschi) Criminal Behavior How do the bonds to the community, involvement, attachments, how does that impact that you do a crime ○ The more involvement, connection and attachment, the less likely you are to commit a crime ○ The less involvement, connection and attachment, the more likely you are to commit a crime - Ex. family, friends, career, goals, church, club, sport, morals, values, activities Strain Theory: John Q What categories does the main character go through? Conformist ○ (studies hard) Ritualist ○ (writes exam, doesn't care about grade) Innovate ○ (cheats) Retreat ○ didn’t pay bills, car got taken away Rebel ○ (protest against grading system) Research Design: Creating a Survey Why? To describe the characteristics of a population ○ Ex. age, employment status To study attitudes and opinions ○ Ex. marketing or government To examine the relationship between two variables ○ Ex. age and voting behavior Cross Sectional Survey Designed to find information about a population which is particular to a time and place ○ Eg. the Census Most common type of survey Longitudinal Study The Trend Study - This is a survey done on a similar population each year ○ Ex. each year’s graduating class The Panel Study - This would revisit the same group of people at regular intervals to track changes ○ Ex. marshmallow experiment Question Does your job impact your academic performance? ○ What if they don’t have a job? ○ How did you determine academic performance? ○ How many courses are they taking? Level? ○ How many hours did the students work/week? ○ Were the employers flexible? Tips Only ask for the information you need Time how long the survey will take (few min) Pay attention to how the survey is formatted Use appropriate language Check your assumptions Make sure your survey is well organized Start with easy, non-threatening questions Put more difficult questions near the end Avoid open-ended questions Reduce the tendency to just keep checking the same response Allow people to skip questions that are not relevant to them Include some distractor questions Distractor Questions Questions designed to obscure the true purpose of the survey Without these distractions, the purpose of the survey may be too obvious and impact results These questions must be in similar style to the purpose questions