Bachelor of Social Science Sociology Flashcards
7 cards from real BSocSc Bachelor of Social Science practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
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Which sociological concept describes the process by which a non-material or abstract phenomenon is treated as if it were a concrete, material thing?
Answer: Reification
Reification, drawn from Marxist theory, refers to the social process of treating human-created abstractions (like 'the market') as natural, fixed objects.
The 'iron cage' metaphor used by Max Weber describes:
Answer: The entrapping nature of rational-bureaucratic systems in modern society
Weber's 'iron cage' refers to the way rationalization and bureaucratization trap individuals in systems of formal rules, stripping life of spiritual meaning.
Which sociological research design allows researchers to establish causal relationships between variables most definitively?
Answer: True experiment with random assignment
True experimental designs with random assignment allow researchers to control for confounding variables and make causal inferences.
Talcott Parsons' AGIL schema identifies four functional prerequisites for social systems. Which option correctly lists all four?
Answer: Adaptation, Goal attainment, Integration, Latency
Parsons' AGIL framework holds that all social systems must fulfill functions of Adaptation, Goal attainment, Integration, and Latency (pattern maintenance).
The concept of 'habitus' in Pierre Bourdieu's sociology refers to:
Answer: Durable, transposable dispositions shaped by one's social position and history
Bourdieu's habitus is a system of lasting, transposable dispositions that generate and organize practices and representations aligned with one's social location.
Michel Foucault's concept of the 'panopticon' is used sociologically to describe:
Answer: A system of surveillance that enforces conformity through the possibility of being watched
Foucault used Bentham's panopticon as a metaphor for modern disciplinary power, where the mere possibility of observation induces self-regulation.
In sociological research, 'operationalization' refers to:
Answer: Defining abstract theoretical concepts in terms of measurable, observable indicators
Operationalization is the process of specifying how a theoretical concept will be measured, transforming it into a concrete, observable variable.