Final answer:
Culture refers to the shared beliefs, values, norms, practices, language, and artifacts that together constitute a people's way of life. It is distinct from society, which is a group of people sharing a community. Culture shapes perceptions and interactions and can evolve through technological advances and societal changes.
Step-by-step explanation:
The concept that refers to the beliefs, values, behavior, and material objects that together constitute a people's way of life is culture. Culture encompasses everything produced by a society including all the social rules. It's a dynamic system of shared symbols, meanings, norms, and the non-genetic information possessed by a society. With elements such as values, beliefs, norms, and language, culture significantly shapes how individuals perceive and interact with the world. In sociological terms, society refers to a group of people who live in a definable community and can share the same culture. However, culture is more focused on collective ideas, daily practices, and deeply held values, including arts, laws, customs, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by people as members of society. Differentiating between high culture, low culture, pop culture, subculture, and counterculture is also essential, as each reflects different norms and practices within a society. Sociologists recognize that cultures can change through invention, discovery, and particularly the rapid growth of technology, which can sometimes lead to cultural lag and contributes to globalization. Three major theoretical perspectives on culture include the functionalist perspective, the conflict perspective, and the symbolic interactionist perspective. Each theory offers a unique lens through which culture within societies can be understood.