| A | B |
|---|
| content analysis | forms of unbotrusive research that studies the content of recorded messages, such as books, speeches, poems, songs |
| dependent variable | experimental variable that is assumed to be cuased by, or to change as a result of the independent variable |
| empirical research | research that operates from the ideological position that questions about human behavior can be answered only through controlled, systematic observations in the real world |
| experiment | research method designed to elicit some sort of behavior, typically conducted under closely controlled lab circumstances |
| field research | type of social research in which the researcher observes events as they actually occur |
| historical analysis | form of social research that relies on existing historical documents as a source of data |
| hypothesis | researchable prediction that specifies the relationship between two or more variables |
| incorribible proposition | unquestioned cultural belief that cannot be proved wrong no matter what happens to dispute it |
| independent variable | experimental variable presumed to cuase of influence dependent |
| indicator | measureable event, characteristic, or behavior commonly thought to reflect a particular concept |
| moral entrepreneur | group that works to have its moral concerns translated into law |
| nonparticipant observation | form of field research in which the researcher observes prople without directly interacting with them and without letting them know they are being observed |
| participant observation | form of field research in which the researcher interacts with the subjects, sometimes hiding identity |
| probablistic | capable of identifying only those forces that have a high likelihood, but not certainty, of influencing human action |
| representative | typical of the whole population being studied |
| sample | subgroup chosen for a study becuase its characteristics approximate those of the entire population |
| self-fulfilling prophecy | assumption or prediction that in itself causes the expected event to occur thus seeming to confirm the prophecy'a accuracy |
| social construction of reality | process through which the memebers of society discover, make known, reaffirm, and alter a collective version of facts, knowledge and "truth" |
| survey | form of field research-questions |
| theory | set of statements or propositions that seek to explain or predict a particular aspect of social life |
| unobtrusive research | technique where researcher, without direct contact, examines the evidence of social behavior that people create or leave behind |
| variable | characteristic, attitude, behavior or event that can take on two or more values or attributes |
| visual sociology | method of studying society that uses photographs, video, and film to gather data about social life |
| ethnocentrism | tendency to judge other cultures using one's own as a standard |
| folkway | informal norm that is mildly punished when violated |
| institutionalized norm | pattern of behavior within existing social institutionss that is widely accepted in a society |
| material culture | artifacts of a society, which represent adaptations to the social and physical environment |
| more | highly codified, formal, norm that brings sever punishment when violated |
| nonmaterial culture | knowledge, customs, beliefs, symbols, that are shared by a society and that distingish the society from others |
| sanction | social response that punishes or otherwise discourages violations of a social norm |
| sick role | set of norms governing how one is supposed to behave and what one is entitled to when sick |
| subcultre | values, behaviors, and artifacts of a group that distinguish its members from the larger culture |
