Sociology: Groups

What is a danger of too much group cohesion?

It can lead to groupthink, where dissenting opinions are strongly discouraged

A barista, at a local coffee shop where Jose frequents daily, always greets him by name and usually notices his mood. Once when he was upset about something at school, he confided in her. She now asks how school is going and seems to care about his answer. How would sociologists characterize her relationship with Jose?

She is a "consequential stranger" and bridges the gap between primary and secondary groups

Expecting Rain is a website devoted to the life and work of Bob Dylan, and it includes a bulletin board where fans can have conversations with one another about their favorite albums. The website has rules that prohibit illegally copied materials and pornographic or provocative content. Rules such as these, that guide and shape online users behavior, would be identified as:

netiquette

Many sociologists have worried that the modern economy demands both geographic and occupational mobility, which in turn means that industrial and bureaucratic organizations have become the norm. What sort of groups might become less common if people have to move many times in their lives for work?

primary groups

Which of the following are characterizeed by long-term, intimate, face-to-face relationships?

primary groups

Which type of group provides us with most of our emotional satisfaction?

primary groups

Which of the following is NOT a group in the sociological sense?

the audience at a Broadway show

How do sociologists distinguish a group from a crowd?

A crowd does not necessarily feel a shared identity.

Which of the following is an example of McDonaldization?

A worker says, "Sometimes I feel like a robot. I just push a button - I am just a mechanical nut."

Robert Merton pints out that people remember Abraham Lincoln, considered to be one of America's great heroes, as frugal, thrifty, and sparing. Yet, people describe these same traits very differently when a member of a racial or ethnic minority possesses them. Merton suggests that a Vietnemese American might be described as stingy, miserly, and penny pinching. What explains this double standard?

Lincoln was part of the in-group of those who disparage this racial minority, a member of the out-group

Which of the following is NOT true regarding the nature of bureaucracies?

No other form of social organization is more efficient.

In the "iron law of oligarchy," refers to:

The few and powerful ruling the many and is common in bureaucracies.

Sociologist would not consider fans of the vocal artist, Adele, to be a group. Why not?

They will not form any lasting relationships with one another.

McDonaldization is a term, coined by George Ritzer, that describes the dehumanizing principles that have infiltrated our everyday interactions - principles from the fast-food restaurant focus on efficiency, predictability, consistency, and rigid control rather than the needs of the person.

True

Which of the following is a characteristic of a bureaucracy? a division of labor formal organization written rules all of the above

all of the above

what factors lead to group cohesion?

all of the above are correct

The Solomon Asch experiment, in which a group of subjects were asked to compare the lengths of lines, demonstrated that:

an authoritarian leader can strongly influence group members.

Emile Durkheim worried that, in an increasingly fragmented modern world, individuals would feel less and less connect to groups, which would lead to _____.

anomie

Secondary groups are characterized by which of the following?

aota

What are leaders called whose personal style makes them more task-or goal-oriented and less concerned with people's feelings?

instrumental leaders

Imagine that one of your college professors has a large collection of "interesting, yet potentially offensive tee shirts" including one that read, " I scream you scream we all scream for heroin." The college professor never wears the t-shirt to class or on campus because he wishes to gain the rewards of continued employment and avoid being reprimanded by his supervisor. What type of conformity is this called?

compliance

Activsts sometimes advocate living "off the grid", which, in it s simplest from, means living without buying electricity and water from utility from companies. However, they also admit that living off the grid is harder and harder, because there simply is not enough affordable land in places where it would be feasible to do so. This means that most of America has to:

deal with bureaucracies.

What sort of leadership style is typically expected of women in contemporary society?

expressive

There are many members of social groups who are not influenced by peer pressure.

false

A police officer who pulls over a suspect after a high-speed chase is exhibiting charismatic power.

false. cohesive

Which of the following might help solve, or at least alleviate, the problem of social loafing?

giving names to teams and giving t-shirts to members

A _____ is a collection of people who share some attribute, identify with one another, and interact with each other.

group

A 28-year old woman is on the verge of a big promotion at work. Because she did not finish college until she was 25, she wonders about getting her career moving, expecially since the entry-level job that she has is not impressive. She decides to attend her 10-year high school year reunion only if she is promoted. If her old high school classmates can have this effect, what kind of group do they represent?

reference group

When people attend high school class reunions, they often compare their own personal and professional successes and failures to those of their former classmates. This means that classmates are a(n)

reference group

In all probability, the sociology professor giving this quiz would be unable to grade a quiz or test in the chemistry department. What aspect of bureaucracy does this illustrate?

rules and regulations

John graduates from Western University with a degree in business administration and obtains a job with a large firm that audits small businesses that have contracts with the city. While working there, John becomes friends with Dave, who invites him to attend a weekly poker game, which becomes a meaningful part of John's social life. Some weeks the game is the only thing that John has to look forward to. What does this illustrate?

the way secondary-group ties can lead to the close personal ties of primary groups.

A reference group is a group that provides standards by which an indivdual can judge her/his own accomplishments.

true

Strong identification with and loyalty to the in-group often results in discrimination against members of the out-group.

true

The sense of solidarity, or team spirit, that an individual feels towards her/his group is called group cohesion.

true

The three types of formal organizations are utilitarian (people join in pursuit of material rewards, i.e., a job), coercive (involuntary membership such as prisons or mental hospitals), and normative (voluntary membership where the goals pursued are considered worthwhile. Member of volunteer groups such as a charitable organization, such as the PTA, etc).

true

If group members share information and advice, provide support to one another, and have common interests, but never meet in person, what kind of group are they a part of?

virtual community

Although individuals always feel loyalty toward their in-group, under what circumstances would this loyalty be particularly strong?

when the differences between the in-group and the out-group are sharply defined.