Sociology

All the major theoretical perspectives in sociology focus on macrolevel analysis, examining whole societies, large-scale social structures, and social systems. True or False

False

Durkheim observed that anomie is caused primarily by an absence of social change and a lack of specialized division of labor in society. True or False

False

Content analysis is the systematic examination of cultural artifacts or various forms of communication to extract thematic data and draw conclusions about social life. True or False

True

Weber theorized that value-free sociology could not exist since values would always influence what sociologists considered worthy of study. Because they could not be completely value free, Weber believed that sociologists should a.) not worry about whether or not their research is biased. b.) use their research to promote particular political perspectives. c.) acknowledge the influence of values and try to be as objective as possible. d.) avoid research and stick to theoretical writing.

c.) acknowledge the influence of values and try to be as objective as possible.

In the context of the coal industry, which of the following theoretical perspectives of sociology would most likely be useful in analyzing the disagreements between coal companies and public health advocates? a.) functionalist perspectives b.) interactionist perspectives c.) conflict perspectives d.) developmental perspectives

c.) conflict perspectives

In regard to negative consequences of industrial society, sociologist Max Weber was more concerned about the impact of rational bureaucracy than of class struggle. True or False

True

Auguste Comte's philosophy of __________ refers to a belief that the world can best be understood through scientific inquiry. a.) positivism b.) nihilism c.) stoicism d.) constructionism

a.) positivism

According to sociologist Emile Durkheim, __________ suicide occurs among people who are isolated from any social group. a.)egoistic b.)altruistic c.)fatalistic d.)anomic

a.)egoistic

Sociology is a(n) _____ discipline, meaning conclusions are based on systematic observations. a.)empirical b.)faith-based c.)commonsense d.)rigorous

a.)empirical

The conflict perspective emphasizes the role of _____ as essential for progress to occur in society. A. women's movements B. symbolic meaning and shared understanding C. consensus and order D. conflict and uprising

D. conflict and uprising

Participant Observation Claudio wants to learn more about the process of online radicalization and joins several groups. As he interacts more with group members, he becomes trusted and is able to ask questions about their experiences. Claudio is engaging in participant observation. True or False

True

Olivia, a sociologist, is conducting a study to determine the effectiveness of a new drug for migraine. She gives one group of subjects the drug and another group of subjects a pill that resembles the drug. In this context, the group that receives the drug is the __________. a.)experimental group b.)correlated group c.)control group d.)deviant group

a.)experimental group

Jemima and Ali are both sociologists who want to determine why American colleges have high student dropout rates. They begin their study by collecting data related to college dropouts. They analyze these data and generate a theory regarding the causes of dropouts. In this scenario, these sociologists are using the __________ approach to research. a.)inductive b.)deductive c.)normative d.)prescriptive

a.)inductive

Joyce wants to study domestic abuse but lacks the time and money to gather her own data. Consequently, she analyzes data previously gathered by the National Opinion Research Center and the Roper Public Opinion Research Center on this topic. In this scenario, Joyce is conducting: a.)secondary analysis b.)a survey c.)an ethnography d.)field research

a.)secondary analysis

The theory that history is a continuous clash between conflicting ideas and forces was developed by: a.) Talcott Parsons. b.) Karl Marx. c.) Robert K. Merton. d.) Emile Durkheim.

b.) Karl Marx.

__________ is the belief that those species of animals, including human beings, best adapted to their environment survive and prosper, whereas those poorly adapted die out. a.) Social pluralism b.) Social Darwinism c.) Social dynamism d.) Social nihilism

b.) Social Darwinism

Dr. Gore believes that people who live in regions that have been impacted by multiple, severe storms or related natural disasters like flooding are more likely to report that climate change is serious concern to them than are people who live in regions that have not been impacted. Using National Weather Service data on storm severity, she categorizes people as living in regions impacted by at least one such storm in the five years or no such storms and then looks at the percentage of people who rate climate change as a serious concern based on where they live. In this example, what is the dependent variable? a.)The number of storms b.)Whether people see climate change as a serious concern c.)Whether people live in a region impacted by one or more severe storms d.)The total number of people surveyed

b.)Whether people see climate change as a serious concern

In one study, researchers systematically analyzed the contents of the notes of suicide victims to determine recurring themes, such as feelings of despair or failure. They hoped to determine if any patterns could be found that would help in understanding why people might kill themselves. This is an example of: a.)field research. b.)qualitative research. c.)observational research. d.)quantitative research.

b.)qualitative research.

Eric wants to test his hypothesis that unemployed men are more likely to commit spousal abuse than men who are employed. Because his research is most likely to use statistics to analyze patterns of spousal abuse, Eric should use __________ to test his hypothesis. a.)qualitative research b.)quantitative research c.)field research d.)content analysis

b.)quantitative research

Durkheim conceptualized social facts as a.)One's personal drives and motivations. b.)social patterns that are external to individuals. c.)society as the sum of its parts. d.)the direct outgrowth of our biological drives.

b.)social patterns that are external to individuals.

__________ refers to the process of collecting systematic impressions while being part of the activities of the group that the researcher is studying. a.)Experimental research b.)Survey research c.)Participant observation d.)Secondary analysis

c.)Participant observation

Which statement about sociology as a science is true? a.)Most sociologists reject the use of the scientific method. b.)Sociologists almost always use hypothesis testing in their research. c.)Sociological research relies on empirical observation. d.)While quantitative research is considered scientific, qualitative research is not.

c.)Sociological research relies on empirical observation.

According to conflict theorists, social order in society is maintained by a.)a shared system of beliefs. b.)a shared system of values. c.)domination by the powerful. d.)social consensus.

c.)domination by the powerful.

To understand the process coroners use to determine whether or not a death is a suicide, a sociologist works for six months in the coroner's office and spends as much time as possible observing coroners at work. This is an example of __________. a.)an experiment b.)survey research c.)participant observation d.)secondary analysis

c.)participant observation

Weber posited that an understanding of society requires a "subjective" understanding of behavior. Such understanding is known as a.)entwicklung. b.)gemeinschaft. c.)gesellschaft. d.)verstehen.

d.)verstehen.