Sociology Exam Review

Sociology Final Exam Review

Unit #1:
Role conflict- The conflict that occurs when individuals try to play two roles that are in conflict
Nuclear family- a family group consisting only of a mother and father living with their children
Kinship- a family relationship based on what a culture considers to be a family
Confederates- People who are members of an experimental team although not everyone in the experiment may know it
Norms- Customary types of behaviour; specific rules that outline was considered to be standard behaviour for a role
Values- The beliefs of a group that provide standards for members behaviour
Fictive kinship- The practice of acknowledging kin people who are not biologically related
Actors- The term used by social scientists for people who become active participants in given situations
Bystanders- a person who was present at an event without participating in it
Inclusionism- branch of sociology; Sociologists must recognize the ethnic diversity within societies by studying the experiences of all ethnic groups and rejecting the urge to judge through the eyes of the majority
Classical conditioning- The term used to refer to the stimulus response training pioneered by Russian psychologist Ivan Pavlov
Patrilineal- a method of tracing and organizing families through the father's line
Sociology- Social science discipline that looks at the development and structure of human society and how it works
Methods used by sociologists- Collection and analysis of stats, subject interviews, examination of trends in society, engage in systematic and scientific investigations of the structures and interactions in society
Social scientists methods to gather information- Surveys, experiments, observation, interviews, dad analysis, case studies
Mean- Refers to the average of a sum of numbers in a series
Mode- The number which occurs most frequently in a series
Median- Refers to the middle number within an ordered sequence of numbers
Range- Measures the difference between the mean and each number in the set of numbers
Psychologists study- Examines peoples feelings, thoughts and personality development
Sociologists study- Looks at the development and structure of human society and how it works
Sigmund Freud (id, ego, superego)- Founder of psychoanalytic theory, believe that our early childhood experiences with parents and family are stored in our unconscious mind, these unconscious memories have a powerful influence on the way we work, Freud and his followers develop techniques to identify memories stored in the unconscious mind and how they affect patient behaviour, Freud felt sexual satisfaction/frustration was the key element in personality development (id: Encourages us to seek physical satisfaction for example sexual and nutritional, ego: referees between the id and the superego, superego: Encourages us to do the moral thing)
Maslow's hierarchy of needs- basic survival needs (food, clothing, shelter); personal safety; security, love and esteem; self-actualization (The final stage of human needs, in which a person integrates the self, making the personality whole)
Goal of behavioural and social sciences- The social sciences use research and analysis to explain human behaviour, they are concerned with what people think and how they act

Unit #2:
Anti-social personality disorder: Category of mental disorder, characterized by a habitual pattern of rule breaking and harming others.
Psychoses: The category of mental disorder in which the patient has lost touch with the real world, and may suffer from delusions or hallucinations
Neuroses: The category of mental disorder in which the patient has feelings of high levels of anxiety or tension in managing our daily lives
Surveillance cameras: supposedly to protect us, try to make us conform
Paranoia- a category of mental disorder in which the patient suffers from irrational thoughts of persecution or foreboding
Systematic discrimination- Describes a system that favours one or some groups over others in terms of hiring, benefits, promotions and pay increases
Deviant behaviour- Any behaviour that is different from societal norm
Purpose of bootcamps- Behaviour modification, try to change kids who cause trouble
Zimbardos research assigning volunteers to fill roles as guards and prisoners (findings)- We conform to the roles
Solomon Aschs experiments with different line lengths- We conform to the group norms and values
Conformity and impact of- Behaviour that fits with the expectation of the group or society; the impact is people who conform to a groups norm usually find a comfortable social existence, those who don't me find life difficult, isolated and painful
Trend- rich vs. poor: gap between is increasing, becoming harder to move up social classes
Pluralism: The belief that there should be widespread acceptance of differences in culture, religion, values, and lifestyle within a society
Inclusiveness: The belief that all law-abiding people, regardless of the particular background or circumstances, should be able to play constructive role in the life of the nation
Charismatic leaders: A leader characterized by large vision, magnetic style, having strong popular support and aspects of extraordinary, superhuman and supernatural character
Diffusion of innovations: the sociological theory that social change is caused by the emergence of innovations in society. Example fads
Dominant paradigm: a belief that humans have a duty to create material wealth to make this and future generations richer, and a right to dominate, change or even corrupt the natural world in order to do so
Alternative environmental paradigm: a belief that society must place a higher importance on non-material values, encourage stronger communities built on better personal relationships and act with a greater respect for nature
Women working (factors contributing): The Employment Equity Act, change of values, higher education, smaller families, higher divorce rates, opening of more jobs to women
Luddite: a person who opposes technological advancement
Technological determinism: a theory stating that technology is the driving force for social change, technology shapes us
Conditions for social change: Charismatic leader, the role of the elites, a populace ready to change, invention, discovery, diffusion, technology
Bargaining for reality: The struggle for power by groups and organizations who try to convince others that their view of the situation is the correct one
Cultural lag: The view that, well some members of society adopted technological innovation, others leg behind the new discovery
Future shock: Disorientation brought on by technological advance, creating a sense that the future has arrived prematurely
Hyper culture: Refers to the staggering rate of change in modern technological societies
Technosis: An overblown attachment to or dependency on technology
Operant conditioning: The psychological theory that learning can be programmed by whatever consequence follows a particular behavior
Low income cutoff line (LICO): a complex statistical measure by stats Canada, commonly known as the poverty line
Females and the poverty line: Females experience a higher incidence of living below the poverty line the males do
Employment Equity Act: Is a legislature by government to increase employment rates in visible minority groups, women, and people with physical and mental disabilities
Provincial governments social program spending: is being reduced in Ontario to encourage recipients to get a job and the expense was too high
Developed vs. developing nations: Fertility rates on a global scale are on the decline, the developed world's population is shrinking and the developing world is undergoing a reproductive revolution of its own, woman of vastly different backgrounds are having fewer children

Unit #3:
Baby boom: a demographic phase marked by an increase in the birthrate of a country and a corresponding population increase
Echo boom: The demographic phase in which a population increase is created as people born during the post World War II baby boomer have their own children
Generation x: a term used for people born between 1946 in 1966, during the post-World War II baby-boom
Natural increase: And demography, a positive population balance work countries birthrate exceeds its death rate
Users of demographic research in their work: anthropologists
Post WWII marriage rates: all time high, period known as baby boom
Factors contributing to more marriages: Marriage was considered the norm, and the other adults of the 1940s where the most amassed Akley oriented generation of the 20th century, marriage and family offered the best route to respectability and contentment, sex outside marriage was socially condemned in this era, failure to Mary was a confirmation of homosexuality
Evidence of a child centred universe: Two age groups dominated the postwar suburb: children under 15 and young adults aged 25 to 44. Weekends were organized sports for the kids in the suburbs
Effect of television on baby boomers (as kids): Portrayed a stereotypical family, that's shaped and influenced family roles
Car culture: having a car is prestigious, create a self identity, compete for who has the fastest/best car
Dr. Benjamin Spock: Basic philosophy was to respect children because they're human beings who deserve respect they'll grow up to be better people, advise parents to let children develop and grow at their own pace, children should be kissed and hugged by their parents because he believes that this sort of parental behaviour would nurture well-adjusted adults, children must respect their parents and should not be allowed uncooperative and impolite behaviour
Counterculture: a large group of people in society who express values and behaviours that conflict with society's norms
Sexual revolution: a time during the late 1960s and early 1970s when sexual behaviour and morals in North America and Europe changed dramatically
The pill: Oral birth control contraceptives first developed during the 1960s
American graffiti main characters: curt Henderson (first doesn't want to leave and then ends up leaving for college) Steve Bolander (wants to go to college/date other girls but ends up staying home and is in love with Laurie) Laurie Henderson (wants to date others but is in love with Steve) John Milner (tough, thought he was untouchable but has a sensitive side and realizes he could lose) Terry "Toad" Fields (nerdy, lies to impress Debbie but who in fact likes him for who he is)
Baby boomers close to retirement: Impacts on echo boom positively because by the time the echo boom starts it's careers the baby-boom will retire thus creating a lot of job opportunities
Canada's dependency load: Over the next three decades the dependency load will climb again but this time to supply medical and social services for a large seniors population the aging boomers
Economic benefit of aging population: Young retired baby boomers indulge in fantasy vacations, soft outdoor recreational activities such as golf cycling Walkeen and birdwatching will gain popularity as the boomers age, the boomers value quality over price therefore smaller "main street" shopping districts was specially shops full of quality merchandise will revise, many baby boomers will have large amounts of disposable income and plenty of time as they become seniors
Government has taken active role in care of baby boomers: Many elementary and high schools were built to handle the tremendous increase in children, universities were built, new hospitals were built, delivery rooms and nursery wards of existing hospitals were expanded
Canada's infertility rate: is increasing, 1/5 couples in Canada are infertile
Developed countries and fertility: Falling birthrate in the developed world is problematic because there are fewer and fewer people to pay for the increasing pension and health care needs of the aging population. The developed world's population is shrinking
Breast feeding and Canadian mothers: less women are breast feeding than before and many stop early because they need to return to work, the availability of baby formula in developed nations also decreases breast feeding rates
Walking marriages: When the wife and husband of a married couple have their own houses and do not live together. Appeals to some because many of Beijing's walking married especially women, were raised as single children and as adults they don't want to be crowded by living with their husband's. Freedom/privacy are sometimes a need and walking marriages satisfy these needs
Psychological impact of involuntary childlessness: hard on relationship- Could be the males or females physical disability, one partner feels they let the other down; anger- Resentment towards other pregnant women and doctors, leads to isolation and change of friends; feeling that the couple has most control- plan to start a family at a certain time, put other aspects of life on hold for example work and school therefore when they can't have kids and have fertility treatments they put their lives on hold which means they feel less in control
Ethical debate amongst Canadians about reproductive technologies: Should doctors be playing God, should surrogate mothers charge their customers to have a baby, Refusing egg and sperm donors anonymity from any resulting children
Impact of birth rate trends on Canada: The average worker will have to pay twice as much to support the cost of public programs that support the elderly, CPP contribution for employees will increase
Factors that decrease likelihood of parenthood: women obtaining education, common-law unions, money, family values
Coming of age ceremonies: Mark the passage of children to adulthood for example Sweet 16, graduation, marriage, drinking age, right to vote, drivers license
Importance of coming of age ceremonies: The ceremonies help to ensure that the group will survive as it's traditions are passed on, initiates usually go through the same rituals their parents and grandparents did at that same age, a link is formed with the past and between family and community
Recognition of adolescence: Teens pull away from their parents and rely more on their peers and later a partner as people of reference
Men and women transition to parenthood: Transition to parenthood is easier when fathers are more closely involved, especially in caregiving. Realistic and practical expectations regarding the new child appeared to facilitate an easier transition, the quality of emotional and practical support in the marital relationship is important in influencing the ease of transition especially for women
Problems from parenthood: Physical problems for example tiredness, strains in marital relationship as a result of changes in sexual relationship, emotional stress, opportunity costs or restrictions
Trend in living arrangements for elderly: increase in the proportion of older people, particularly women who live alone. The values of independence and autonomy prevalent in our society have had a greater impact on the trend of the elderly living alone
Caregiver burden: Problems and stress due to caregiving
Caregivers of the elderly: friends, neighbours, family, spouses, doctors, nurses and social workers
Health promotion model: The approach of health issues which assumes that we must adopt healthy lifestyles to reduce our likelihood of becoming sick
Medical model: The approach to health issues which assumes that we need not worry about our health because doctors will be able to cure us if we call ill
Social model: The social model incorporates personal and family counselling, home care, and adult daycare programs as part of the healthcare system. The doctor works as part of a team that includes a variety of other professionals, and care takes place within the community as opposed to an institution. The focus of this healthcare model is to keep the elderly in their own homes which makes it less expensive than the traditional medical model
Television and gender roles: Television causes our society to believe that men are the provider and the women are the caregivers of the family. This promotes social inequality and today we can see that women play an active role in providing as do fathers play an active role in caregiving

Unit #4:
Discrimination: Inequitable treatment of people based on their race, gender, nationality, language, face, or sexual orientation
Prejudice: a set of opinions, attitudes and feelings that unfairly cast a group and its members in a negative light without legitimate reasons
Racial prejudice: Negative attitudes and accompanying behaviour based on the assumption that one race is inherently superior to another
Race: a culturally learned concept which attempts to categorize people on the basis of physical characteristics, particularly skin colour, facial features and hair texture. It has no biological basis
Nuremberg Code: An ethical guideline, established after World War II, outlining rules and procedures for future experiments carried out on humans
Anthropologists (health and wellness): Focus in domestic scale cultures, overall good health is achieved because these people are able to avoid morbidity this situation is the opposite of mainstream Western medicine which achieve overall good health by developing technologically sophisticated cures for diseases; The second major area of interest to anthropologists the status of health among the people of modern industrialized societies, they observe that declining social cohesion and growing stress typical of these cultures led to an increase in the incidence of disease, increased social cohesion and family structure therefore fights against poor health
Sociologists (health and wellness): Sociologist examine the ways in which social structure, allocation of resources and social practices affect overall health also we must adopt healthy lifestyles. Sociologist believe that shifting public attitudes towards acceptance of the health promotion perspective and persuading people to change their lifestyle accordingly, will involve the efforts of many major social institutions. For example the role of the family, schools, religious institutions, employers and governments
Psychology (health and wellness): The branch of psychology that focuses on health and wellness issues is called clinical psychology. Clinical psychologist believe that individual factors relating to the patient, rather than larger societal factors can best explain why people become ill. Clinical psychologist frequently practice their profession association with hospitals and mental institutions
Baby formula (positive): Scientifically proven way that babies get all the nutrients they need when the mothers aren't in robust health
Baby formula (negative): Formula fed babies experience higher rates of: asthma, allergies, eczema, diabetes, colitis, and childhood cancers. As well, formula can be expensive and unnecessary
Depression in the elderly: Common from death of a spouse. Depression among elderly people, especially those living institutions is frequently caused by the perception that they have lost control over their own environment. This loss of control tends to lead to a lowering of self-esteem. Institutional workers tend to regard residents with low self-esteem as less competent and so take over more responsibilities for them, this leads to a cycle that repeats itself. This can lead to psychological withdrawal, mental illness, or physical deterioration and therefore removing elders from control of their own environments to a greater degree than their medical condition makes necessary is a health impairing behaviour.
Smoking (teens, females): It is caused in teens by peer pressure and the desire to look cool. Females do it to suppress their appetite and get closer to the media portrayed image of thin and beautiful.
Factors effecting health literacy: Lack of reading and comprehension skills, cultural insensitivity, patients not understand the medical terminology that doctors use, fear of appearing unintelligent, discouraging people from questioning the doctors advice
Barriers for disabled: Physical barriers built into health facilities that for example make it difficult for disabled people to climb onto examination tables; unwarranted assumptions made by health professionals such as that all disabled women have no sexual needs, these impair the quality of healthcare delivery; a lack of knowledge about how a disability affects normal health needs
Barriers to health care: income, Race and socioeconomic status
One tier system: Under an ideal one tear healthcare system, all citizens of the country enjoy equal access to free healthcare
Two tier system: The health delivery system in which those who can afford to pay are able to enjoy better health care than those who cannot
Folkways: These are behaviours that a typical member of society would usually practice. If you've violated a Folkway for example, if you were to go into a steak restaurant and asked to eat your dessert before your main course you might be considered eccentric but still acceptable to society
Social mores: Behaviour is regarded as essential to the welfare and survival of the group. For example behaving in a nonviolent manner is considered part of Canadian social mores. If you act violently, you're not considers eccentric; you are regarded as harmful
Burnout: Emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and reduced personal accomplishment caused largely by work-related stress
Work related stress: Distress caused by work pressures for example employee expected to do more with less and employee expected to work more hours
Aboriginal healing: Suggests that if a person is unwell the physical, emotional, social and spiritual part of his or her life must be healed
Examples of prejudice: all Jews are cheap, all black people are criminals, all athletes are stupid, all smart people have no social life
Anger vs. hatred: Anger is usually felt towards individuals and after an angry outburst the person feel sorry for their actions; hatred is directed to whole class of people, acts of hatred are often seen with seldom repentance
Canada's Criminal Code (s.319): Defines laws and punishment relating to genocide and hatred against identifiable groups, such as those distinguished by colour, race, religion or ethnic origin. It is against the law to communicate hateful comments by any means, including the Internet.
Robbers Cave Experiment: Two groups of 11-year-old middle-class white boys went to a summer Camp and the two groups were kept isolated from each other as the boys enjoy the week of typical recreational activities they name their groups and printed their name on shirts and caps. The researchers brought that your groups of boys together for a series of competitive athletic events almost immediately the boys dislike members of the other groups whom they had never seen previously. As the two groups computer for prizes they became very antagonistic toward one another off the field engage in food fights, cabin break-ins, vandalism and theft. The second part of the experiment tested whether they can get the boys to unlearn the prejudice that had been created. They created a series of emergency situations and assigned intergroup teams to solve them. By the end of the experiment the boys from the two teams had formed many intergroup friendships and peace prevailed. Group identification and intense competition had created prejudice while intergroup cooperation largely eliminated it.
Elliot Aronson: Developed a system of teaching and learning called equal status social contract also known as jigsaw learning. Each member of the team becomes an expert on a different piece of a topic, each group of students most quaffer he has a team in order to learn the whole topic. This method compared to traditional instruction has been more effective in reducing prejudice.