Chapter 4: Social Structure

______ was a leading American sociologist who pioneered the functionalist perspective in the mid-twentieth century.

Talcott Parsons

George Ritzer refers to the process by which the standardized, efficient structure of fast-food restaurants has come to dominate more sectors of U.S. and global society as

McDonaldization

The most significant change that globalization has had for the United States is

a decline of manufacturing in the United States

Which of the following is true according to sociologists who use conversation analysis to study social interactions?

all talk is organized and ordered

Which type of status is assigned to a person at birth regardless of his or her wishes or abilities?

ascribed

Feminist theorists have pointed out that rigid gender roles constrain the behavior of

both women and men

Social structure is

created by humans

The concept of ______ is at the center of functional analysis.

equilibrium

Today's workers are likely to have ______ options than their counterparts did only a decade earlier.

fewer

To which of the following types of social interactions did sociologists Steven Clayman and John Heritage apply conversation analysis in a 2002 study?

news interview

The rules and routines, both formal and informal, which shape daily activity within organization is called ______ structure.

organizational

Sociologist Claude Fischer found all of the following to be true about the structure of friendship in the 21st century EXCEPT that

people socialize less often than they did in the 1970s

Functionalists argue that the social structures that fulfill specific functions in society

remain in balance with others

When we attend a college course and expect that the professor will teach us the material outlined in the syllabus, we are holding the professor to a(n)

role

Imagine you have spent many hours discussing LGBTQ issues with your aunt, who once supported the idea that conversion therapy was an effective "treatment" for LGBTQ youth. Through conversation and sharing stories about friends who suffered from such treatments, you help her realize that these practices are harmful. In the next election, she votes against a candidate because he advocates the use of conversion therapy. Your face-to-face interactions with your aunt, and her subsequent change of heart and behavior, serve as an example of how micro-level interactions can

shape society

Sociologist Eric Klinenberg differentiates between "singles," who may live with roommates or family members, and ______, who live alone, but may still have robust social connections.

singletons

According to the functionalist perspective, the family, government, economy, and education are all examples of

social institutions

The major arenas of social life where durable routines and patterns of behavior take place are called

social institutions

For sociologists, "President of the United States," "mother," and "wife" are all examples of ______ positions.

status

In sociology, the position in a social system that can be occupied by an individual is called

status

The type of action motivated by custom is ______ action.

traditional

Weber would consider a family custom that has been passed on for generations an example of ______ action.

traditional

Which of the following are considered to be the social functions of work?

- Jobs provide daily routines that lend stability and predictability to life. - Work teaches people self-discipline.

A status that individuals attain through their own efforts is a(n) ______ status.

achieved

Which of the following statements are true of mobile phone use today?

- Mobile phones have severed the connection between person and place. - We have become more accessible to our bosses and coworkers.

What is the relationship between action and structure?

Human action has a strong impact on social structure

Which of the following were typical responses by U.S. workers to the loss of manufacturing jobs in the wake of globalization at the beginning of the twenty-first century?

- seeking opportunities by moving to new areas - fighting plant closings and layoffs - returning to school to learn new skills

Ethnomethodologists believe that social structure exists because

we are constantly creating it as we construct and reconstruct social order in our daily routines.

The shift of manufacturing jobs to low-wage countries is part of what some analysts call the "______ of America."

deindustrialization

Which of the following are considered to be the economic functions of work?

-jobs provide people with money to pay their bills. - The labor force produces valuable goods and services for the society as a whole.

A company that enforces rigid rules, limits options for employees, and uses new technologies to monitor employee behavior is utilizing which dimension of McDonaldization?

control

The ______ perspective views society as a set of interdependent institutions that each serve a specific purpose in order to maintain social order.

functionalist

Which of the following would be examples of formal rules in an organizational structure?

- codes of conduct - job descriptions

Organizational structure directly shapes which of the following?

- communication patterns within an organization - the flow of information within an organization - the decision-making process within an organization

Disasters and accidents that take place within complex and hierarchical organizations can commonly be attributed to which of the following?

- poor communication patterns within the organization - a bureaucracy that hinders the flow of information

Which of the following characterize what a growing number of employees in the United States believe about the workplace?

- that flexibility and change are inevitable - that employment is often fleeting and temporary - that they must look out for themselves

Sociologist ______ argued that a form of rational action he calls McDonaldization is increasingly organizing our everyday lives.

George Ritzer

A sociologist who analyzes the patterns in face-to-face conversations that produce the smooth, back-and-forth turn-taking of such exchanges is using ______ analysis.

conversation

An approach that examines the methods people use to make sense of their daily activities and emphasizes the ways in which we collectively create social structure in our everyday activities is called

ethnomethodology.

Talcott Parsons was widely criticized for his view that the traditional separation of gender roles in the family was ______ for society.

functional

Whatever potential a new technology has, ______ are the keys to understanding its social significance.

human action and how people use it

In manufacturing plants in the 1950s and 1960s, there was an unwritten understanding that

if you did your job well, you would likely be employed for life

Talcott Parsons was particularly interested in questions of social ______, the process by which values and social structures bind people together within a society.

integration

A company that strives to provide the same products and services at all its locations is focused on which dimension of McDonaldization?

predictability

Schools, religious institutions, organized religions, and the government are all examples of

social institutions.

According to a survey by the Pew Research Center, teens most commonly "spend time" with their friends via

text messaging

True or false: The structure of news interviews constrains the behavior of both the interviewer and the interviewee.

true

In terms of sociology, what is a role?

The sets of expected behaviors associated with particular statuses.

According to Georg Simmel, what is it that creates society?

face-to-face, micro-level interactions

What is the impact of human action on social structures?

Human action can reproduce or alter existing structures.

Which of the following are effects that cell phones have had on human action?

- Cell phones have helped blur the distinction between work time and time off. - Cell phones make us more accessible to one another.

Which of the following statements about the relationship between different social institutions within society are true?

- Changes in one social institution will affect other social institutions within society. - Social institutions within society are connected.

The rise in numbers of adults living alone has triggered fears that Americans are becoming more socially isolated. Sociologists argue that this rise actually reflects

a change in the structure of social connections