Chapt.+1-+Sociological+Perspective

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 * **Latent Function** - the unrecognized and unintended consequences of any social pattern
 * Sheldon agrees to go along with his new girlfriend to her grandmothers ninety-third birthday, but the problem his friends are having a Star Wars night, which he so eagerly wants to attend. This could have been an avoided problem if Sheldon hadn't created a relationship agreement in which his girlfriend put in a seventy-two hour, in advance notice, stating that Sheldon must attend with her.
 * **Variable** - A concept whose value changes from case to case.
 * Throughout the show Leonard and Penny have and on-again-off-again relationship. Their relationship is an example of a variable in both of their lives because the value of it changes throughout the show.
 * **Correlation** - A relationship in which two or more variables change together.
 * When Leonard and Penny break up over a love situation, Penny does't see it as a problem at first, but soon thinks she is harming Leonard, meanwhile, Leonard becomes uneasy about it, in turn this all effects how their bowling team does in a match.
 * **Cause and Effect** - A relationship in which change in one variable causes change in another.
 * In a more recent episode Penny and Leonard are laying in bed and Leonard tells Penny he loves her. Penny doesn't knowhow to respond because she doesn't feel the same way toward Leonard. Throughout the rest of the episode Leonard makes comments and hints toward the fact that she doesn't say it back and Penny has an emotional break down and leaves the bowling alley. This change in their relationship causes Sheldon to be hesitant about weather or not he can still be friends with Penny.


 * **Social Dysfunction-** **Any social pattern that may disrupt the operation of society.**
 * In the first episode, Sheldon and Leonard go to a sperm bank for people with high IQ’s. Sheldon, however, brings up that inheriting a high IQ is next to impossible which shows that the sperm bank is disrupting society by lying to its patients who probably won’t have genius offspring.


 * **Gender Conflict Approach-** **A point of view that focuses on inequality and conflict between men and women.**
 * In the second episode, while the boys are helping Penny build her entertainment set, they assume that because she’s a girl that she doesn’t know what she’s doing. Howard even says “hold on honey, men at work.”


 * **Feminism-** **Support of social equality for women and men.**
 * Penny shows equality by paying for dinner after Leonard, and Sheldon get their pants stolen by her ex.


 * **Empirical Evidence- Information we can verify with our senses.**
 * Sheldon, Howard, Raj, and Leonard have an argument about the scientific accuracy of superman. Clearly, through just primary senses one wouldn’t be able to detect the inaccuracy which is why Penny is using Empirical Evidence while Sheldon is using background knowledge.