Exam 1: Understanding Social Problems

A _____ is any trait or characteristic that varies in value or magnitude.

A(n) _____ is the behavior associated with a particular position in the social structure.

In structural functionalism, a problem involves a system of interdependent parts, including shared expectations about behavior called _____.

A statistical method for determining the probability that research findings occurred by change is called _____.

A sociological theory that focuses on the interaction between individuals, an individual's perception of situations, and the ways in which social life is constructed through interaction is called _____.

The assertion that what is true of the part is necessarily true of the whole is called _____.

In the context of critical thinking, _____ is the process of defining what is abstract as something concrete.

A theory that focuses on contradictory interests, inequalities between social groups, and the resulting conflict and change is called _____.

The fallacy of authority means _____.

Social problems can be manifested at multiple levels of social life. They can be manifested at the individual level, the group level, and the cultural level.

_____ is designed to gain information about so­cial problems so that one can have a valid understanding of them and employ realistic efforts in resolving them.

The process of carefully attending to spoken or written information in order to evaluate its validity is called _____.

A predisposition about something in one's environment is called a(n) _____.

In the context of critical thinking, the _____ is defined as something that does not follow logically from what has preceded it.

A stratification system is the arrangement of society into groups that are unequal with regard to such resources as wealth, power, and prestige.

The variables in an experiment that are influenced by the independent variables are called _____.

A problem whose causes and solutions lie outside the individual and the immediate environment is called a social problem.

The _____ is the argument that things could not have worked out any other way than the way they did.

The term "non sequitur" means _____.

A theory that focuses on contradictory interests, inequalities between social groups, and the resulting conflict and change is called _____.