NMAT Review

Must Know: Social Science [THREAD]

(Topics: Branches of Social Science, Culture, Socialization, Elements of Culture, Sociological and
Anthropological Theories, Religion, Government, Family, School of Thoughts, Biological Psych, Social Psych,
Abnormal Psych etc.)

1. Social Science-the scientific study of human society and its origins, development, organizations, and
institutions.

2. Branches of Social Science

-Political Science -study of social arrangements to maintain peace and order in a society.
-Economics -Study and analysis of social behavior of human beings in regards to allocation of resources
in order to meet the needs of each individual

3. Branches of Social Science

-Sociology - Systematic study of relationships among people; Assume that behavior is influenced by
people’s social, political, occupational and intellectual groupings & by the particular settings in which
they find themselves at one time or another

4. Branches of Social Science

-Anthropology - Study of the similarities and differences of various cultures; branches are physical
anthropology, social anthropology, cultural anthropology, archaeology, and linguistic anthropology

5. Branches of Social Science

-Physical Anthropology - Influence of the evolution of natural environment on physical characteristics of
humans;
-Archaeology - Study of human culture and activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture.

6. Branches of Social Science

Geography - Study of the natural environment and how it influences social and cultural development
Psychology - study of mental processes and behavior with the goal of describing, explaining, predicting
and changing behavior

7. Branches of Social Science

History - Study of past events; systematic attempt to learn about and verify past events and to relate them
to one another and to the present Involves: identifying, classifying, arranging, patterning
8. Qualitative and Quantitative Research Method

9. Culture-Total pattern of human behavior and its products that are passed on from generation to
generation.
Cultural Evolution-gradual accumulative process of how culture is changed.
Cultural Integration-the degree to which a culture is internally consistent and homogeneous.

10. Socialization–Lifelong process that shapes personality of individuals to become members of a society
Ascribed Status- status given from birth, and is beyond one’s control (race).
Achieved Status- status that is acquired, which depends on personal accomplishments (profession)

11. Elements of Culture

-Social Norms
-Social institutions
-Material Culture
-Language
-Social Values

12. Social Norms

Conventions-everyday customs of a group of people that represent usual ways of behaving
Mores-need to be observed by all society members for the culture to survive; Violations are not legally
sanctioned but incur social punishment through peer disapproval.

13. Social Norms

Laws-generally recorded, codified & enforced as a means of securing public obedience; violations are
legally sanctioned (fines, imprisonments)
14. Social Norms
Folkways – customary patterns of everyday life that specify what is socially correct and proper in
 everyday life
Taboos – a norm that society holds so strongly that violating it results in extreme disgust (ex. incest)
15. Social Institutions - An established complex pattern of behavior in which a number of persons participate
in order to further important group interests, provide order, coordination & avenue for social change.

16. Material Culture – Consists of all the physical objects people have borrowed, discovered, or invented, and
have attached meaning
Language - Body of words and system for usage common to a people of the same community/
nation/geographical location or cultural tradition

17. Social Problems-adversely affect the welfare of large numbers of people and for which it is believed a
solution exists to bring about change.
Cultural Lag-the slowness in the rate of change; results in maladjustment within a society

18. Contrasts among cultures

Ethnocentrism-belief of a group that its people and its way of life are superior to all others
Cultural relativism-cultures develop in a way that best suits the population’s needs and the cultural traits
within a culture have a specific purpose.

19. Key terms:

Cultural Universals-aspects/traits that are similar among all cultures
Cultural Alternatives-cultural characteristics not necessarily shared by other cultures

20. Key terms:

Enculturation-people learn about their own culture formally and informally
Acculturation-learning about a culture through

21. Key terms:

Conformity-an individual’s way of adopting attitude and behavior of others because of the pressure to do
so
Stereotype-any commonly known public belief about a certain social group or a type of individual (i.e.
gender stereotypes)

22. FUNCTIONALISM by Emile Durkheim

-Each part of the society contributes to the stability of the society. Durkheim envisioned a society as an
organism, wherein each body part has a specific function, but none can function alone.
23. CONFLICT THEORY by Karl Marx
- Conflicts and tensions arise when status, power, and resources are not evenly distributed within social
groups. These conflicts become the engine for social change.

24. CONFLICT THEORY by Karl Marx

-Marx focused on the causes and effects of class conflict between the bourgeoisie (the owners of the
means of production and capitalists) and the proletariat (the working class and the poor). The struggle for
power.

25. SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM by George Mead and Max Weber

-It is a micro-level theory that focuses on the relationships among individuals within a society.
-Views and analyzes society through the subjective meanings people impose on objects, events, and
behaviors.

26. STRUCTURALISM
-Structuralism identifies and analyzes the structures that underlie all cultural phenomena
- Mutual dependency of agency and structure

27. EVOLUTIONISM by E.B. Tylor

-Built from the Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution and natural selection
-Cultural variation is one of the results of different societies at different stages of evolution

28. EVOLUTIONISM by E.B. Tylor

-Tylor believes that cultural degeneration does not occur. Instead, he insisted that culture evolves from
simple to complex. Progress is possible for all, as all societies undergo the same stages of development.

29. GEMEINSCHAFT AND GESELLSCHAFT by Ferdinand Tonnies

Gemeinschaft-individuals of a society are more inclined towards social community
Gesselschaft-society in which individuals of a society give more importance to their personal needs and
wants than the social community.
30. GEOGRAPHY - Focuses on spatial interaction of human beings with each other with their physical
environment.
DEMOGRAPHY - Study of the number and characteristics of a population; Concerned with factors that
may be causing the population to increase or decrease

31. MALTHUSIAN THEORY by Thomas Robert Malthus

-Belief that population tends to outrun the means of subsistence
-Population growth would necessarily tend to outrun means of subsistence
based on the LAW OF DIMINISHING RETURNS

32. Types of Family

33. Number of mates
Monogamy-one husband and one wife
Polygamy-multiple marriage; two or more nuclear family
Cenogamy-group marriage

34. Family based on residency

Patrilocal/virolocal-the family resides with the husband’s family and place of residency
Matrilocal/uxorilocal-the family resides with the wife’s family and place of residency
Neolocal- a married couple, or the family resides separately

35. Lineage
Patrilineal-identified through the male lineage; children get the father’s last name.
Matrilineal-descent is traced through the female line; do not use family names at all.

36. Family Control

-Patriarchy-father is supreme authority
-Matriarchy-mother is the supreme authority
-Egalitarian/partnership

37. Hinduism
-believes that the soul inhabits successive bodies in its journey through the universe
-all beings even gods must die and be reborn in an endless cycle

38. Hindu Caste System

39. Buddhism
-developed out from Hinduism
-to free people from endless cycle of reincarnations
-Shakyamuni Gautama/Siddharta Gautama (the completed one, the perfected)

40. Judaism
-developed out of the religion of ancient Hebrew tribe
 -waits for the coming of the Messiah (descendant of King David)

Brands of Judaism
-Orthodox: resist change of beliefs and rituals
-Reformed: reject much of Jewish traditionalism
-Conservatives

41. Christianity
-believes in Jesus Christ
-believe in God, to do His will, to believe in Jesus as the son of God.
-believes in the Bible

*Reformation-urge that religion revert to its source

-protestants gained freedom from the control of Rome

42. Islam
-submission; submitters to the will of God
-Muhammad: believed he was chosen by God/Allah to be the messenger of the divine revelation
-Abu Bakr: first successor who wrote down the messages after Muhammad’s death

43. Islam
Major denomination
Shiites(sectarians)-followers of Ali and follow a system of Imamah(true leader of Muslim)
Sunnis(traditionalists)-followers of Abu Bakr

44. Forms of Government

45. Schools of thought

Structuralism(Wilhelm Wundth)-study of the elements that compromise the mind

Functionalism(William James)-study how the mind works to adapt to the environment

Gestalt(Wertheimer, Koffka, Kohler)-the whole is greater than the sum of it’s parts

46. Schools of thought

Psychanalysis(Sigmund Freud)-the unconscious mind is the primary source of human behavious
 Behaviorism(John Watson)-observable behaviors

Cognitive Theory

Self Concept(Carl Rogers)

Humanism-free will and human potential

47. Iceberg Theory- Freud used the metaphor of an iceberg to describe his theory that there are three levels of
consciousness.

48. Structures of the mind

Id-pleasure principle
Ego-reality principle
Super Ego-morality principle
49. Psychosexual Stages-if these stages are completed successfully, the results is a healthy personality, and if
issues occurred and not resolved at a specific stage, fixation may occur.

50. Defense Mechanism ½

51. Defense Mechanism 2/2
52. Ivan Pavlov’s Classical Conditioning

53. BF Skinner’s Operant Conditioning

54. Little Albert experiment by John Watson

55. Social-Cognitive Learning/Observational Learning

-Albert Bandura
-people not only learn from receiving punishments and rewards, they can also learn while watching other
people being rewarded or punished.

56. Jean Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development

57. Self Concept(Carl Rogers)

-he believes that a person can reach self actualization if the person’s ideal self(who they want to be) is
congruent with their self image(actual behavior)
58. Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

59. Nervous System

60. Part of a Neuron
61. Parts of Brain

62. Neurotransmitters
63. Anxiety disorders-excessive and unrealistic fear/worry

64. Mood disorders-severe and sever disturbances in emotion with no apparent external cause
65. Eating disorders

66. Dissociative Disorders

67. Schizophrenia-psychotic disorder characterized by inability to dram the line between reality and fantasy.
Severely disordered thinking, bizarre behavior.

68. Personality disorders-persistent, rigid, and maladaptive patterns of behaviors that interfere with normal
social interaction
69. Personality disorders

70. Social Influence-how the presence of others affects one’s thoughts.

Conformity-change in behavior to match other’s
Compliance-change in behavior as a response to a request to change
Obedience-compliance to request of an authority figure

71. Compliance technique

72. Group behavior

End of NMAT Review

Must Know: Social Science [THREAD]

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