| A | B |
|---|
| Control Group | a condition of group of subjects who do not receive treatment in an experiment |
| correlation | a measure of the relationship between two variables |
| dependent variable | the variable that is being measured in an experiment |
| dysfunctional | negative social structures that harm society |
| functional | positive social structures that assist society |
| frequency distribution | a visual representation of experiment data where the number of occurrences of some event is entered on a chart |
| hypothesis | the expected outcome of an experiment or possible answer to a research question |
| independent variable | variable that is manipulated or changed in an experiment |
| latent functions | less obvious, unexpected, and unintended imact of a social structure |
| macro-level orientation | view that focuses on broad social structures and their impact on all of society |
| manifest functions | the intended, recognized purpose of a social structure |
| mean | the artithmetic average of scores; the total sum of scores divided by the number of scores |
| median | the score that falls in the middle of a set of scores |
| micro-level orientation | view that focuses on the social interaction in specific, individual situations |
| mode | the score that occurs most frequently in a set of scores |
| naturalistic observation | observing behaviors in the setting in which they normally occur |
| normal probability curve | a distribution of scores in which the majority of scores fall in the middle range and fewer scores fall towards the extremes |
| norms | rules and expectations by which members of a society guide their behavior |
| objective | not impacted by attitudes, feelings, or beliefs |
| operational definition | exact meaning or procedures used to produce an effect or measure a variable |
| random assignment | assigning subjects to groups so that each subject is equally likely to be assigned to each condition |
| random selection | selecting subjects for an experiment so that each potential subject has and equally likely chance to be chosen |
| social conflict theory | view that society is a structure filled with inequality that benefits the wealthy; this inequality prompts change and conflict |
| social exchange theory | view that society runs on an evaluative system of costs and rewards; this motivates all human behavior |
| social functions | impact of social structurs on the operation of society (consequences) |
| social structure | relatively stable pattenrs of social behavior and human interaction |
| stereotype | generalization (often exaggerated) that's applied to every person in some category |
| structural-function theory | view tha tsociety is a complex system of working parts; each institution fulfills a need and without that structure in place, society would collapse |
| subjectivity | observations or data that is influenced by feelings, attitudes, and beliefs |
| symbolic-interaction theory | view that society is the product of everyday, face-to-face, interactions of people |
| theory | a speculative statement of how and why specific facts are related |
| theoretical paradigm | a basic view of how society works; the guide research and thinking |
