Social Problems Exam one

Many modern social movements have shifted their goals from __________ to __________.

mobilizing people to action; raising money

The natural history model of social problems outlines the process that

most social problems go through.

In your text, the discussion of women's and children's victimization illustrates that

movements often include many different frames.

Think tanks are

organizations created to provide expertise that will influence others.

Cultural resources are

our shared ideas about how the world should and does work.

Rhetoric is the study of

persuasion.

Research questions and answers are typically the most clear-cut in the

physical sciences

Which is not one of the six stages in the natural history model of the social problems process?

research confirmation

Early in the social problems process, the statistics associated with problems are often

rough estimates due to a lack of research and particularly large numbers because large numbers get more attention.

It is argued in your text that an audience's willingness to grant authority to scientists often depends on

the relevance of the scientists' expertise.

Frames typically reflect

the way activists view the world and the claims that activists predict supporters are most likely to respond

A subjectivist might suggest that heightism is not a social problem in the United States because

Americans do not think of discrimination based on height as a problem.

__________ often have the most direct access to policymakers

Insider claimsmakers

Which of the following is NOT one of the questions an objectivist may ask to determine whether a social condition is a social problem?

Why do people think its harmful?

The goal of your text is to provide readers with

a better way of thinking about social problems that interest them.

Naming the problem is the moment when

a catchy term like identity theft is created for the problem.

Frame bridging is when

a new frame gains acceptance by drawing supporters whose values already support that frame.

Policymaking that is intended to reduce social problems is done by

a. school officials. b. legislative bodies. c. government agencies. d. all of the above (D)

Our societal focus on assessing risk began with claims that

a. smoking was detrimental to one's health. b. pesticides were placing our environment at risk. c. automobiles were unsafe.

The term policy outcomes refers to

a. the extent to which the policy solves the problem. b. people's reaction to the social problems process. c. critics' concerns about how the policies are implemented. d. all of the above (D)

Experts make good claimsmakers because

a. their use of research methods gives their claims credibility. b. people believe their special skills allow experts to understand things the rest of us do not. c. they offer claims based on objective facts.

A master frame is

an overarching orientation that is easily adapted to help in framing many different issues.

Experts are among the most influential claimsmakers because they

are thought to have special knowledge that qualifies them to interpret problems.

It is suggested in your text that, over time, audiences tend to become

bored with older claims and more interested in new claims.

Claimsmaking can most accurately be described as a process in which people

bring to the attention of others a situation that they find troubling.

Directing claims toward an audience that you already know to be sympathetic to your cause

can be beneficial because it provides good practice and can energize existing supporters to take wider action.

Social problems workers are typically responsible for

carrying out the practical actions deemed necessary to manage a problem.

When a troubling condition piggybacks on a well-established problem, it means that

claimsmakers argue that the new condition is similar enough to the existing problem that if one deserves attention, so does the other.

The term social problems marketplace draws our attention to the fact that

claimsmakers must compete with other claimsmakers for the public's attention.

Frame alignment is the way

claimsmakers must get others to adopt their frame in order to recruit members.

The need to mobilize resources tends to make organizations within the same social movement

competitors for scarce resources.

The term social constructionism refers to the way people

create fresh understandings of the world around them.

Your text suggests that when analyzing claims as arguments or statements, the most important thing is

determining whether the audience finds the claim convincing.

Typifying examples are usually

extreme examples that try to catch the attention of the audience.

Vegetarian activists emphasizing both the immorality of eating animals and the environmental and health implications of eating meat is an example of

frame extension.

The type of frame alignment that poses the greatest challenge for claimsmakers is

frame transformation.

Conscience constituents are people who support a movement

from which they do not expect to benefit personally.

The polity consists of

groups in a society with whose interests policymakers are typically concerned.

Most social movements

have both moderate and radical wings that appeal to different groups.

Someone claiming ownership of an issue tends to

help the issue gain and maintain public attention and raise public suspicions that activists are benefiting from the problem.

The term sociological imagination refers to the emphasis sociologists place on

how culture and social structure shape human experience.

The term resource mobilization refers to a way of looking at a social movement that focuses on the

importance of resources, such as members, money, and organizational skills.

Biomedicalization focuses on the

importance of studying biological disorders.

The U.S. government defining alcohol and drug addiction as illnesses and requiring some insurance companies to cover treatment is an example of

institutionalization of ownership.

Your text argues that because we know that knowledge is socially constructed,

it is important to carefully evaluate claims and evidence.

The necessity of operating within the existing cultural resources

limits potential claims somewhat but still leaves open many different possibilities.

Which of the following is an example of a countermovement?

members of a community lobbying to protect a law that bans lawn ornaments

A statistic is a

number used to measure or characterize a situation.

It is argued in your text that people often resist social movements because

of inertia and they benefit from the existing arrangement

The term natural history refers to the sequence of stages that social problems

often move through.

By arguing that a new troubling condition is like an established type of problem such as crime or disease, claimsmakers

provide the audience with a way of thinking about the problem and draw on existing resources already devoted to solving the established type of problem.

The impact of claimsmaking on the public's perceptions is typically measured using

public opinion polls.

Which of the following is an example of medicalization?

redefining drug use as a psychological issue rather than as a moral one

Saying that something is socially constructed means that it is

shaped by people's definitions and understandings of it.

It is suggested in your text that __________ claims tend to work best.

simple and strong

Scientific progress is notoriously

slow

An objectivist definition of harm can be criticized for being

so broad that it is vague to the point of losing its meaning

Saying that science is dependent on the generation of falsifiable theories means that

the claims being made can be tested and rejected if proven false.

The term feedback is used to refer to

the fact that each stage in the social problems process influences the stages both before and after it.

The public sometimes does not respond well to expert claims because

the language used by experts can be difficult to understand and people's expectations are so high that experts cannot meet them.

Moderates typically appeal to

the middle class and older people

Frame amplification relies on __________ to draw supporters.

the power of widely held values or beliefs

Subjectivists tend to think of social problems as..

the process of responding to social conditions.

The argument that something should be done about motorcycle riders who do not wear helmets to keep health care costs lower is an example of a

warrant.

Ideologies usually emphasize particular

warrants.

The motivational frame is also known as

warrants.

When social movement scholars discuss motivational frames, they are discussing what constructionists call

warrants.

Valence issues are the kinds of problems that tend to inspire

widespread acceptance of the claims.

Saying that claims tend to take standard forms means that

within a given culture, most claims will tend to have similar elements.

__________ is an example of domain expansion.

Moving from defining poverty as a situation where people cannot meet their basic survival needs to a situation that includes people who have to work very long hours to meet their needs

The social problems process discussed in your text refers to the process through which

a problem is identified, discussed, and acted upon

The role of resources in the social problems process refers to

a. access to policymakers. b. access to the media. c. influence. d. all of the above (D)

It is suggested in your text that officials working in government agencies often work to expand their turf

a. because they believe the work they do is important. b. in hopes of expanding their budget. c. to increase their agency's power.

Scientific disagreement on an issue

a. can mean that the findings are still preliminary. b. is present at some point with regard to nearly every issue. c. can be used by claimsmakers to sway public opinion.

The role of rhetoric in the social problems process can be seen in how

a. claimsmakers put together an effective argument. b. the media make decisions about which claims to cover. c. policymakers choose to focus on certain aspects of a problem and not others. d. all of the above (D)

It is argued in your text that during the claimsmaking process, activists and experts typically

a. compete for resources. b. provide different and complementary skills. c. disagree about who should own the problem.

Government agencies are typically responsible for

a. compiling information. b. disseminating information. c. administering regulations.

In order to maintain ownership, a claimsmaker typically needs to

a. define the problem broadly. b. maintain public attention to the problem. c. be willing to shift her or his focus to respond to political and cultural change. d. all of the above (D)

Claimsmakers who are activists typically must

a. draw attention to their cause. b. recruit people to join their movement. c. manage their movement's operations. d. all of the above (D)

Lack of understanding about how risks are assessed and calculated often leads to

a. excessive focus on issues whose risks have been assessed. b. public confusion about what is actually risky. c. lack of focus on risky activities that have not been studied.

When it comes to claimsmaking about obesity as a social problem, __________ may act as claimsmakers.

a. experts who have done research on obesity b. people who have direct experience with obesity c. policymakers who must deal with public opinion regarding obesity d. all of the above (D)

The well-established rhetorical formula for claims about victimization involves claiming that

a. extraordinary measures are needed to identify the victimization. b. the victimization is widespread. c. the victimization is serious. d. all of the above (D)

Activists who have established ownership of a particular problem typically

a. have a frame that is generally acknowledged as the best way to look at the issue. b. are sought out by the media and politicians when there are questions about the problem. c. are better situated than other claimsmakers to take advantage of opportunity structures. d. all of the above (D)

Pediatricians found that they had to engage in domain expansion as

a. infant feeding became safer. b. some childhood diseases were cured. c. birthrates declined. d. all of the above (D)

Resources primarily impact the social problems process at the level of

a. media coverage. b. claimsmaking. c. policymaking. d. all of the above (D)

The audience for a claim includes

a. people who support the claim. b. people who might be persuaded to support the claim. c. other claimsmakers. d. all of the above (d)

It is difficult to design an experiment that assesses risk because of

a. time constraints. b. high costs. c. ethical issues.

By taking ownership of battered child syndrome, pediatric radiologists

improved the prestige of their profession and helped abused children.

Which of the following is a position issue?

abortion

The term troubling conditions is used when describing the situations people make claims about in order to draw our attention to the fact that

claimsmaking is about people pointing out things that trouble them rather than making a purely objective assessment of problematic conditions.

It is argued in your text that in colonial times people often relied on ministers as experts and thus looked at problems in religious or moral terms, while in modern society we often look to __________ as experts and think about problems in __________ terms.

doctors; medical

The discussion of reclassifying Pluto as a minor planet or an interplanetary body illustrates the fact that

the way we use and change language reflects our efforts to better describe and understand the world around us.

The term cultural opportunities refers to a situation where

there is something in the larger culture that causes people to become more aware of or sympathetic to a particular type of claim

A counterclaim to the claim that child abuse has been increasing over the last fifty years would be that

true child abuse is now so uncommon that activists have started labeling some nonabusive behaviors as abuse.

Grounds often include assertions regarding the

type of problem being addressed (crime, disease, etc.) and fact that a problem exists.