AQA Sociology Key Terms

a social position attained largely through an individuals own efforts

positive efforts to recruit minority group members or women for jobs, promotions and educational opportunities

the negative stereotyping of people based on their age

a social position assigned to a person by society

the lack of power control fulfilment and satisfaction experienced by workers in a capitalist society

an approach to immigration policy that believes immigrants should adopt the language, values and customs of the host community

power that has been institutionalised and is recognised by the people over whom it is exercised

the number of live births per 1000 of the population in a given year

a family that is vertically extended but not horizontally extended

marxist term for the capitalist class

an economic system where the means of production are largely in private hands

the counting of a population

gives same sex couples similar legal rights to married couples

term used by max weber to refer to a group of people who have a similar level of wealth and income

a social ranking based primarily on economic position in which achieved characteristics can influence mobility

government education policies such as Operation Headstart USA which seek to tackle the problem of underachievement by providing extra support and funding to schools and families in deprived areas

a non selective education system where all children attend the same type of secondary school introduced in 1965

the roles played by husband and wife

a social system in which there is little or no possibility of individual mobility

the standards of acceptable behaviour developed by and for members of a profession

the practice of living together as a couple without getting married

an economic system under which all property is communally owned and no social distinctions are made on the basis of people's ability to produce

the systematic coding and objective recording of data

subjects in an experiment who are not introduced to the iv by the researcher

a view of conformity and deviance that suggests that our connection to members of society leads us to systematically conform to society's norms

the variable that stays the same to test the effect of the independent variable

when two or more factors or variables vary together

Bowles and Gintis' concept describing how organisation and control of schools is the same as as the workplace in capitalist society

a subculture that deliberately opposes certain aspects of the larger culture

the knowledge,attitudes, values, tastes and abilities that the middle class transmit to their children. Bordieu argues that educational success is largely based on the possession of this

the theory that many working class and black children are inadequately socialised and therefore lack the right culture needed for educational success

everything learned and shared by a society or group of people and transmitted from generation to generation through socialisation

the number of deaths per thousand of the population per year

postponing immediate rewards or pleasures, generally with the aim of producing a greater reward at a later date and is seen as a characteristic of middle class culture

term used to describe the change from high birth rates and death rates to relatively low birth rates and death rates

the study of population including birth, death, fertility and infant mortality rates, immigration and emigration, and age structure as well as the reasons for changes in these

when people assume that the state will support them, rather than relying on their own efforts and taking responsibility for their families

the relationship between the size of the working population and the non-working or dependent population

is the failure to conform to social norms

distinguishing or creating differences between individuals or groups, in education streaming is a form of this as it distinguishes between pupils based on ability

the process of denying opportunities and equal rights to individuals and groups because of prejudice or other arbitrary reasons

work performed in the home, such as childcare, cooking and cleaning

a set of cultural beliefs and practices that helps to maintain powerful social, economic and political interests

when a person is responsible for two jobs, which is usually applied to women who are in paid work but also responsible for domestic labour

the process whereby schools sort pupils into hopeless cases, those who will pass anyway and those with potential to pass and then concentrate on the last of these groups to boost the schools league table position

the work involved in meeting the emotional needs of other people such as looking after a sick child

movement out of a society

an understanding of how another person thinks, feels or acts, achieved by putting oneself in their place

a marriage in name only, where a couple continues to live under the same roof but as separate individuals

issues of right and wrong, moral principles or guidelines

a group that is set apart from others because of its national origin or distinctive cultural patterns

seeing or judging things in a biased way from the viewpoint of one particular culture

an artificially created situation that allows the researcher to manipulate variables

paying workers less than the value of their labour

the caring, nurturing, homemaker role in the family

a family in which relatives such as grandparents, aunts or uncles live in the same home as parents and their children

a set of people related by blood, marriage or adoption who share the primary responsibility for reproduction and caring for members of society

the idea that there is a range of different family types, rather than a single dominant one such as the nuclear family

people who are not necessarily related by blood or marriage but who feel a sense of belonging together and who choose to define themselves as a family

the routine actions through which we create our sense of being a family member such as doing the shopping or diy

the composition of a group of people who live together as a family unit

a sociological perspective and political movement that focuses on womens oppression and the struggle to end it

the amount of reproduction among women of childbearing age

the total fertility rate is the average number of children women will have during their fertile years which is defined as age 15 to 45

a type of industrial production based on a detailed division of labour, using closely supervised, low skilled workers and assembly line technology to mass produce standardised goods, named after car manufacturing techniques introduced by Ford in the 20th century

norms that generally have been written down and that specify strict rules for punishment of violators

social control carried out by authorised agents, such as police officers, judges, school administrators and employers

Parsons theory that with industrialisation the family becomes nuclear to meet the needs of industrial society for a geographically and socially mobile labour force

a consensus perspective that sees society as being based on shared values and operating like an organism

the tasks and activities that boys and girls see as the territory of their respective genders

expectations regarding the proper behaviour, attitudes and activities of males and females

an invisible barrier that blocks the promotion of a qualified individual in a working environment because of the individuals gender, race or ethnicity

the idea that the world is becoming increasingly interconnected and barriers are disappearing

the difference between births and deaths, plus the difference between immigrants and emigrants per 1000 population

a concept introduced by Bordieu which refers to the learned, taken for granted way of thinking, acting and being shared by a particular social class or group, which includes lifestyle preferences, consumption patterns and beliefs about what is realistic for members of the group to aim for

where the subject of a research study know they are being studied and begin to behave differently as a result undermining the studies validity

standards of behaviour that are deemed proper by society and are taught subtly in schools

an organisation or social structure based on a pyramid of senior and junior positions with top down control

fear of and prejudice against homosexuality

a group of people who live together and share things such as meals,bills,facilities, chores or one person living alone

a speculative statement about the relationship between two or more variables

an image held by teachers of the kind of pupil they prefer to teach such as bright, hardworking, cooperative, tend to see white middle class as closest to this

the individuals sense of self which is influenced by socialisation and interactions with others

originally a marxist idea meaning a set of beliefs that serve the interest of a dominant social group by justifying their privileged position

a preference for immediate pleasure or reward without regard for the longer term consequences, cultural deprivation theorists argue that working class children are socialised into this

movement into a society

involves manipulating the impression of ourselves that we give to others such as acting different when teaching a class compared to being in the staff room

argues that as a result of the weakening of the influence of traditional structures and norms individuals are now more freer to make their own life choices

the belief that the individual is more important than the group or community

a society that depends on mechanisation to produce its economic goods and services

the shift from an agricultural economy to one based on factory production occurred in Britain in the late 18th to mid 19th century

the number of deaths of infants under one year of age per 1000 live births in a given year

where those taking part in a study have agreed to do so and understand the purpose of the study, the uses of its findings as well as possible effects

the denial of opportunities and equal rights to individuals and groups that results from the normal operations of a society

discrimination that is built into the everyday workings of institutions such as schools and colleges, the discrimination can be unconscious rather than deliberate but is deeply ingrained

the breadwinner or provider role in the family, functionalists see this as the mans role

a sociological approach that generalises about fundamental or everyday forms of social interaction

changes in the social position of children relative to their parents

a sociological perspective that focuses on small scale (micro level) interactions between individuals and groups rather than on the large scale workings of society

a term covering a range of perspectives including interactionism

a telephone or face to face questioning of a respondent to obtain desired information

the list of questions to be asked in an interview

changes in a persons social position within his or her adult life

the state of being related to others

the process of attaching a definition or meaning to an individual or group

an approach to deviance that attempts to explain why certain people are viewed as deviants while others engaging in the same behaviour are not

government social control

justifying something by making it seem fair and natural which is the main function of ideology

an approach focusing on the meanings family members give to life events and choices, such as deciding to leave home and get divorced

how long on average people who are born in a given year are expected to live

couples who are in a significant relationship but are not married or cohabiting

study of a sample of people in which information is collected at regular intervals over an extended period of time

theories such as functionalism and marxism that focus on a large scale on the social structure as a whole

the policy of introducing market forces of supply and demand into areas run by the state such as education and the nhs

a conflict perspective based on the ideas of karl marx which sees society as divided into two opposing classes one of which exploits the labour of the other

poverty, a lack of basic necessities such as an adequate diet, housing, clothing or the money to buy these things

a society in which women dominate in family decision making

an educational or social system where everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed and where individuals rewards and status are achieved by their own efforts rather than ascribed by their gender, class or ethnic group

theories such as interactionism that focus on small scale face to face interaction, these theories see individuals constructing society through their actions

involves the movement of people from place to place, can be internal within a given society, or transnational

movement, change of position, two types geographical and social

a term used to describe minority ethnic groups, such as chinese and indian pupils who achieve above average results

the far reaching process by which a society moves from traditional or less developed institutions to those characteristic of more developed societies

modernist perspective such as functionalism, marxism and postivism that believe society has a clear cut predictable structure and that it is possible to gain true and certain scientific knowledge of how society functions

a form of marriage in which one woman and one man are married only to each other

an overreaction to a perceived problem where a group is labelled as a threat to societies values, the media play an important part by exaggerating the scale of the problem and channelling demands that something be done about it

the incidence of a death in a given population

a society or institution that recognises and gives value to different cultures and or ethnic groups, for example multi cultural education teaches children about the cultures of other groups and not just the dominant

functionalists argue that the education system is meritocratic but bowles and gintis claim it is an ideology that legitimises inequality by falsely claiming that everyone has equal opportunity

the difference between the number of births and the number of deaths in a population resulting in either a natural increase or a natural decrease

the theory that competition, choice and privatisation are the most efficient way to run an economy free from state regulation

the difference between the number of immigrants entering a country and the number of emigrants leaving it

a conservative political perspective whose supporters believe in self reliance and individual choice rather than dependence on the state

the idea that education should be primarily about meeting the needs of the economy, especially by equipping young people with the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values needed to prepare them for work

a primary research method where the observer records events without taking part in them

established standards of behaviour maintained by a society

a married couple and their unmarried children living together

the absence of bias or preconceived ideas, it implies that we can look at things as they really are without our opinions or values getting in the way

a research technique in which an investigator collects information through direct participation in and or observation of a group, tribe or community

quantitative data collected by the government they can either be gathered by registration or by official surveys

questions in a social survey that allow respondents to answer as they wish in their own words

a social system in which the position of each individual is influenced by his or her achieved status

literally meaning rule by parents, the concept is associated with marketised education systems which are based on an ideology of parental choice of school, middle class parents may benefit more from this as they have more economic and cultural capital

a primary research method in which the sociologist studies a group by taking a role within it and participating in its activities

is a system in which males dominate in every area of society

a new perspective influenced by interactionist ideas and takes a bottom up approach unlike structural theories that take a top down approach

a small scale trial run, usually of a social survey conducted before the main study

mutual respect between the various groups in a society for one anothers cultures, which allows minorities to express their own cultures without experiencing prejudice

a process that results in the creation of two opposite extremes

a form of polygamy in which a woman can have several husbands at the same time

a form of marriage in which an individual can have several husbands or wives simultaneously

a form of polygamy in which a husband can have several wives at the same time

in a social survey the population is all the members of the group that the researcher is interested in

the belief that society is made up of social facts that can be studied scientifically to discover laws of cause and effect

a type of industrial production, a highly skilled adaptable workforce that are combined with computerised technology allowing flexible specialisation

a society whose economic system is primarily engaged in the processing and control of information

a technologically sophisticated society that is preoccupied with consumer goods and media images

the ability to exercise ones will over others

a negative attitude toward an entire category of people such as a racial or ethnic minority

information collected first hand by sociologists themselves for their own research purposes

a small group characterised by intimate face to face association and cooperation

the transfer of industries or services previously owned by the state to ownership by private businesses who run them to make a profit

marxs term for the working class in a capitalist society

one which exists solely to meet each partners needs couples stay together for love, happiness or sexual attraction

information usually expressed in words about peoples thoughts, feelings, motivations, attitudes, values etc

research that relies on what is seen in the field or naturalistic settings more than on statistical data

information in numerical form such as percentages, tables and graphs

research that collects and reports data primarily in numerical form

a printed research instrument employed to obtain desired information from a respondent

the belief that one race is supreme and all others are innately inferior

a sample for which every member of the entire population has the same chance of being selected

a step family in which one or both partners has children from a previous relationship

any group that individuals use as a standard in evaluating themselves and their own behaviour

the extent to which a measure provides consistent results

if a sample is representative it will be typical of the population so findings can be applied to the whole population which is good when it is not possible to study a whole population

a selection from a larger population that is statistically found to be typical of that population

the recreation or continuation of something into future generations

a detailed plan or method for obtaining data scientifically

a marxist concept that describing groups who can be brought into the workforce when there is a labour shortage as the capitalist economy expands during a boom and discarded when it contracts (women in world wars)

the proportion of those people included in a social survey who actually reply or respond to the questions asked

how someone who occupies a particular status is expected to act

difficulties that occur when incompatible expectations arise from two or more social positions held by the same person

a smaller group selected from the larger survey population to take part in a study

the process of selecting a sample

the list of people from which a sample for a social survey is selected

penalties and rewards for conduct concerning a social norm

a variety of research techniques that make use of publicly accessible information and data

information collected by other people or organisations which sociologists often use as it is free or cheap, covers large numbers and is readily available

the process through which religions influence on other social institutions decreases

in education the process of choosing and allocating pupils to a particular school class, stream etc

the tendency of people to respond to and act to the basis of stereotypes, leading to validation of false definitions

a radical feminist idea that women should live independently of men as the only way to free themselves from the patriarchal oppression of the heterosexual family

a form of marriage in which a person can have several spouses in his or her lifetime but only one spouse at a time

the ideology that one sex is superior to the other

families in which there is only one parent present to care for children

the techniques and strategies for preventing deviant human behaviour in any society

social groupings or hierarchy based on differences in wealth, income or occupation

a condition in which members of a society have different amounts of wealth, prestige or power

an economic system under which the means of production and distribution are collectively owned

the process whereby people learn the attitudes, values and actions appropriate for individuals as members of a particular culture

see individuals as having free will and choice and the power to create society through their actions and interactions rather than being shaped by society

when something is created by social processes rather than simply occurring naturally

movements of individuals or groups up or down the social hierarchy from one social class to another

organised collective activities to bring about or resist fundamental change in an existing group or society

the actions, plans and programmes of government bodies and agencies that aim to deal with a problem or achieve a goal, policies are often based on laws that provide the framework within which these agencies operate

a set of expectations of people who occupy a given social position or status

the study of various aspects of human society

a system where society ranks categories of people in a hierarchy

any research method that involves systematically collecting information from a group of people

a fairly large number of people who live in the same territory, are relatively independent of people outside it and participate in a common culture

the systematic study of social behaviour and human groups

patterns or ways of using language, Bernstein argued working class use restricted code whereas middle class use elaborated code

one of the two functions of the nuclear family according to Parsons as it is a place where adults can release their tensions

a term used by sociologists to refer to any of the full range of socially defined positions within a large group or society

unreliable generalisations about all members of a group that do not recognise individual differences within the group

a label used to devalue members of deviant social groups

a structured ranking of entire groups of people that perpetuates unequal economic rewards and power in a society

where children are separated into different ability groups or classes and then each ability group is taught separately from the rest for all subjects

see individuals as entirely shaped by the way society is structured or organised

a segment of society that shares a distinctive pattern of mores, folkways and values that differs from the patterns of larger society

a bias, lack of objectivity where the individuals own viewpoint influences their perception or judgement

a study, generally in the form of interviews or questionnaires, that provides sociologists and other researchers with information concerning how people think and act

a concept introduced by Bourdieu which refers to the status, recognition and sense of worth we are able to obtain from others especially those of a similar class position to us

a concept introduced by Bourdieu, which refers to the harm done by denying someone symbolic capital , which could be defining their culture as worthless

a nuclear family with more equal and joint conjugal roles in which husbands participate in domestic labour as well as being breadwinners and wives going out to work as well as being homemakers

the impact that a teachers expectations about a students performance may have have on the students actual achievements

in sociology, a set of statements that seek to explain problems, actions or behaviour

the use of two or more different methods or sources of data so that they complement each other, the strengths of one countering the weaknesses of the other and vice versa

the system of secondary education created by the 1944 education act, based on three types of school, those with academic ability went to grammar schools and most working class children went to secondary modern schools

the degree to which a scale or measure truly reflects the phenomenon under study

collective conceptions of what is considered good, desirable and proper or bad, undesirable and improper in a culture

agreement among societies members about what values are important, so a shared culture

a measurable trait or characteristic that is subject to change under different conditions

connected to a career, vocational education and training transmits knowledge skills and attitudes needed to pursue particular careers

those at the lowest level of the class structure, who are a level below working class with a separate, deviant subculture and lifestyle including a high rate of lone parent families, male unemployment and criminality

the modern family today who no longer work together but consume together as a single unit or group the income the members earn

where families would work together as economic producers which was more common in preindustrial society

the process of change from a rural society where the majority of the population lives in the countryside to an urban society where most people live in towns and cities, this often occurs with industrialisation

where the government or state takes responsibility for peoples well being especially their basic minimum needs