Final answer:
Disease is not typically listed among the common causes of social change, which are recognized to be technology, social institutions, population, and the environment.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student asked which of the following is not considered a common contributing factor in social change: social institutions, environment, disease, or technology. The common causes of social change, as recognized by social scientists, include technology, social institutions, population, and the environment. Therefore, disease is not typically listed among the core factors driving social change, although it can be an indirect factor influencing or catalyzed by these core elements.
Changes in technology, for example, can revolutionize communication, industry, and healthcare, which in turn affects society as a whole. Social institutions influence values and norms that guide behavior and social interactions. Variations in population, such as growth or decline, can alter the social fabric and demand for resources, while the environment can both shape and be shaped by human activity, leading to social change. Modernization, which often accompanies social change, involves increased differentiation and specialization within a society.