Summary: Sociology - A Biosocial Introduction

Read the summary and the most important questions on Sociology - A biosocial introduction

• 1 What do sociologists do?

  This is a preview. There are 4 more flashcards available for chapter 1
  Show more cards here

• Henry David Thoreau about sociology:

  3 Chairs. 1 for solitude, 2 for friendship and 3 for society

• Are we natural born scientists?

  No we are not because we are flawed and biased but the scientific method can help us.

• What should sociological research be?

  - Objective: the conclusions arrived at as the result of inquiry and investigation are independent of the predispositions of the investigator.
  - Ethically neutral: the scientist, in his or her professional capacity, doe snot take sides on issues of moral or ethical significance. 

• What should sociologists do? (scientific rules)

  - Formulate testable hypotheses
  - Collect their data systematically
  - Be open to peer critique
  - Always develop new research & new theories

• What are pitfalls in sociology?

  - Researchers do not see what is actually there because they see what they want to see. 
  - Try to deceive the person they research
  - People can avoid being studied
  - Ethical restraints

• What is postmodernism critique?

  Postmodernism suggests that because researchers are embedded in a particular culture, complete objectivity is impossible. 
  
  Our independent standpoint makes it impossible to see our, or any society, as it really is (we are part of society). 

• What is critique to postmodernism?

  Withou objective facts, the entire scientific world would break down. 
  No approach can reveal the truth, including postmodernism.

• What are critiques/ pitfalls and the answers/ effects.

  1. Post-modern -> comparitive research
  2. Reactivity -> Hawthorne effect
  3. Values & effects of social research --> study of sex, gender, ethnicity. 
  4. Ethics and social research -> anonymous survey

• Why study sociology?

  Sociological imagination = the process of understanding ourselves better by understanding how we are influenced by our social setting. The sociological imagination is the ability to understand how private troubles reflect public issues. 
  It helps us understand our own actions, as well as the actions of other.

• What is the essence of sociological perspective?

  Examine people situated in a social context and understanding their actions and behaviors as a result of that social context.