Sociology key terms

Influence from people of a similar age or status to behave in ways accepted by their group.

A difference between two percentages, found by subtracting one percentage from the other.

A record of someone's experiences, thoughts or activities, such as a diary or personal journal.

Small business owners who own their businesses but do not belong to the class of large property owners.

An injury or adverse effect on a person’s bodily health or safety caused by taking part in research.

A small-scale trial carried out before the main research to test the proposed methods and identify problems.

The view that power is distributed among competing groups and that no single group always controls political decisions.

The widening separation between classes; Marx predicted an increasingly extreme division between capitalists and workers.

Unequal treatment or selective attention by the police towards particular groups or types of crime, which can influence recorded crime patterns.

A formal warning for a minor offence; the person must admit the offence and agree to the caution. It is not a criminal conviction.

Offences reported to or discovered by the police and entered into their crime records.

An organisation that seeks political power through elections, putting forward candidates and policies.

The process through which people acquire political beliefs and preferences, influenced by agencies such as family, education and peers.

A marriage arrangement in which a woman has more than one husband at the same time.

A marriage arrangement in which an individual has more than one spouse at the same time.

A marriage arrangement in which a man has more than one wife at the same time.

A system in which partners combine their income and both have access to shared household money.

The tabloid or ‘red top’ press, such as The Sun and Daily Mirror.

The whole group that a researcher wants to investigate.

A reward for behaviour that meets a group’s rules or expectations.

An approach to sociology that favours systematic measurement and quantitative evidence to identify social patterns and relationships.

A lack of resources, understood in absolute or relative terms, which may contribute to acquisitive crimes such as theft or shoplifting but does not inevitably produce offending.

The percentage of people in a specified population who live in poverty.

An income level below which people are classified as living in poverty under a particular measure.

A situation in which increased earnings bring little improvement in disposable income because benefits are withdrawn and taxes or other costs increase.

The ability to achieve one's aims or influence others, even when others resist.

A relationship in which individuals or groups exercise influence or control over one another, often with unequal power.

A real-life constraint affecting how research can be planned and carried out, such as available time, money or access.

A negative judgement about a person or group made in advance, rather than based on their individual characteristics.

A group that seeks to influence government policy or public opinion on an issue.