Sociology Final Exam Review 2015 Answers
Unit I Sociological Perspectives
Case Study- Type of study is intensive study of a single group, incident or community
Closed Ended Questions- Type of questioning requires the participant to answer using a limited, predetermined set of responses
Compte - Sociologist who was concerned with improving social conditions in society and is the “father of sociology”
Emile Durkheim- Sociologist believed human behavior is explained by social factors rather than psychological factors
Harriet Martineau- Sociologist believed women’s lack of economic power kept them dependent on society
Herbert Spencer- Sociologist explained social stability by comparing it to the human body
Interview - A survey method in which a researcher asks questions and records answers
Jane Addams- Sociologist won the Nobel Peace Prize for her role in the Women’s Social Reforms in America
Karl Marx- Sociologist identified two classes in society
Max Weber- Sociologist developed a theory which human beings act on the basis of own understanding of the situation
Open Ended Questions- Type of questioning requires the participant to answer in his or her own words
Social Darwinism- Term for natural social selection which leads to the survival of the fittest in society
Sociology- The science of studying society
Survey- A research method in which people respond to questions
Verstehen- Term for understanding social behavior by putting yourself in the place of others
WEB Dubois- Sociologist focused on social policies which treated blacks as inferior in society
Unit II Culture and Society
“I”- The term for the part of the self that accounts for unlearned, spontaneous acts
“Me”- The term for the part of the self formed through socialization
Counter Culture- Type of group is a subculture who deliberately and consciously opposes certain central belied or attitudes of the dominant culture
Cultural Universals- Traits that exist in all cultures
Culture-Term for the total way of life in a society
Desocialization- The process of giving up old norms, values, beliefs, and attitudes
Ethnocentrism- Term for judging others in terms of ones own cultural standards
Instincts- Genetically inherited patterns of behavior
Law- The term for a norm that is formally defined and enforced by officials
Material Culture- Concrete, tangible objective of culture
Nonmaterial Culture- Ideas, knowledge, and beliefs that influence people’s behavior
Reflexes- Biologically inherited, automatic reactions to physical stimuli
Resocialization- The process of adopting new norms, values, beliefs and attitudes
Role- An expected behavior
Role Performance- The term for the actual behavior of an individual in a role
Social Solidarity- The degree to which a society is unified
Society- The term for a group of people who live in a defined territory and participate in common culture
Subculture- Type of group is part of the dominant culture but differs from it in some important aspect
Values- Broad ideas about what is good or desirable in society
Unit III Socialization, Groups, and Stratification
Class Consciousness- Identification with the goals and interests of a social class

Coercion- An interaction in which individuals or groups are forced to behave a particular way
Conformity- Behavior that matches the group’s expectations
Group Think- self deceptive thinking that is based on conforming to the group’s beliefs and created by group pressure to conform
In Group- Type of group demands intense loyalty
Looking Glass Self- An image of yourself based on what you believe others think of you
Reference Group- Type of group has norms which guide behavior and which you identify with the most.
Self Concept- An image of you as having an identity separate from others
Social Class- segment of society whose members hold similar amounts of resources and share values, norms, and identifiable lifestyle
Social Exchange- A voluntary action performed in the expectation of getting a reward in reward
Social Interaction- The process of influencing each other as people relate
Social Mobility- The movement of individuals or groups between social classes
Socialization- The process of learning to participate in a group
Status- A position a person occupies within a social structure
Stratification- A ranking of people or groups according to their unequal access to scarce resources
Unit IV Deviance
Anomie- Feeling of being disconnected by society
Conflict Perspective Theory- looks at deviance in terms of social inequality and power
Control Theory- Theory states that compliance with social norms requires strong bonds between individuals and society
Crime- Term for an act committed in violation of the law
Deviant-Term for a person who breaks significant norms
Differential Association Theory- states individuals learn deviance in proportion to the number of deviant acts they are exposed to
Innovation- Strain theory, when people find illegal ways to succeed they are using what
Internal Social Control-Causes someone to do something because it is the right thing to do
Labeling Theory- states that society creates deviance by identifying particular members as deviants
Norms- Rules which define appropriate and inappropriate behavior
Sanctions- Rewards or punishments that encourage conformity to social norms
Stigma- Undesirable trait or label which is used to characterize an individual
Strain Theory- deviance is likely to occur when a gap exists between cultural goals & the ability to achieve these by legitimate means
Victim Discounting- Process of reducing the seriousness of the crime based on a persons status in society
Unit V Stereotyping and Racism
Alienation- Term refers to an individual’s estrangement form tradition community and others in general
Discrimination- Term for treating people differently based on ethnicity, race, religion, and culture
Prejudice- Widely held negative attitudes towards a group and its individual members
Scapegoat- Term for singling out any party for unmerited negative treatment or blame
Stereotype- Distorted, exaggerated, or oversimplified image applied to a category of people
Unit VI Family
Blended Family- Family is formed when at least one or both parents have children from previous marriages or relationships
Cohabitated Family- Family involves a marriage-like arrangement without the legal obligations of formal marriage
Endogamy- Term describes a marriage within ones own group as required by social norms
Exogamy- practice of marrying outside ones group
Extended Family- family has two or more adult generations of the same family whose members share common house holds

Family- Term for a group of people related by marriage, blood, or adoption
Homogamy- Term for the free choice of who to marry
Matrilocal- Pattern in which married couples live with or near the wives parents
Monogamy- Term for a marriage consisting of one man and one woman at a time
Nuclear Family- Family structure is composed of parents and children
Patrilocal- Term for the pattern in which married couples live with or near the husband’s parents
Polygamy- Term for the marriage of one man to two or more woman at the same time
Same Sex Family- Family involves two people of the same sex raise a child together
Single Parent Family- Family involves an unwed or divorced parent raising a child
Unit VII Education
Charter Schools- Public schools that are operated like private schools and run by public teachers and administrators
Cognitive Ability- Capacity for thinking abstractly
Cultural Bias- Unfair measurement of the cognitive abilities of people in the same social categories
Educational Equality- Condition in which schooling produces the same results for minority children as it does for other children
For Profit Schools- Schools which run by private companies on government funds
Formal Schooling- Education that is provided and regulated by society
Magnet Schools- Public schools that focus on particular disciplines or areas
Tracking- School districts place students in programs according to their academic ability levels
Voucher System- System in which public school funds may be used to support public, private or religious schools
Unit VIII Social Change
Collectivity- Collection of people who do not normally interact and who do not share clearly defined norms
Contagion Theory- states that members of crowds stimulate each other to higher and higher levels of emotion and irrational behavior
Convergence Theory- states that crowds are formed by people who deliberately congregate with like minded others
Diffusion- Process by which one culture or society borrows from another culture or society
Emergent Norm Theory- states that norms develop to guide crowd behavior
Fad- Unusual behavior or pattern that spreads rapidly and disappears quickly
Mass Hysteria- Collective anxiety created by the acceptance of one or more false beliefs
Mob- Emotional crowd ready to use violence for a specific purpose
Reformative Movement- involves the attempt to make limited changes in society
Resource Mobilization Theory- social movements focuses on the use of resources to achieve goals
Revolutionary Movement- involves attempts to change the total structure of society
Riot- Episode of largely random destruction and violence carried out by a crowd
Rumor- Widely circulating pieces of information that are not verified as being true or false
Social Change- New societal behaviors with important long term consequences
Social Movement- involves a goal to promote or prevent social change
Urban Legend- Moralistic tale which focuses on current concerns and fears of the city or suburb dwellers
Value Added Theory- states that holding certain conditions must exist for social movements to occur