Inquizitive Chapter 5 (You May Ask Yourself)

Place in order, from first to last, the steps describing how a letter in Stanley Milgram's late-1960s experiment reached its destination.

1. A person in Lincoln, Nebraska, is given a letter and a description of the intended recipient in Boston, but no address. 2. The Lincoln resident sends the letter to someone who might have a direct or indirect connection to the Boston recipient. 3. Each intermediate recipient repeats the process of the Lincoln resident. 4. Someone recognizes the final recipient as an acquaintance and sends or delivers the letter to him.

What, in Simmel's theory of groups, is the difference between a party and a large group?

A party has no formal structure.

Fill in the blanks to complete the passage about how shared histories bring people together: A --------- is a group of people bound together by ---- between individuals. Each tie is a ------- about the shared history of two people, and the sum of all the stories in the network constitutes a ----------.

A social network is a group of people bound together by ties between individuals. Each tie is a story about the shared history of two people, and the sum of all the stories in the network constitutes a narrative.

Identify the accurate statements about what sociologists consider to be "the strength of weak ties."

Accurate: -Weak ties provide access to valuable information. -Weak ties provide benefits strong ties do not. Not Accurate: -People tend to have more weak ties than strong ones. -Weak ties reinforce strong ties. -Weak ties eventually turn into strong ones.

The European Union is ahead of the United States in developing regulations guaranteeing individuals certain controls over personal data made available online. Identify the arguments that are used to advocate either for or against the "right to be forgotten."

Against: -Information about a job applicant's prior history can be important to employers trying to evaluate applicants. -An individual's right to free speech should be protected. For: -An individual's right to privacy should be protected. -Youth under the age of 18 are typically considered to be less responsible for their actions than adults.

Robert Putnam and others have expressed concern about how social and technological developments in the last few decades have weakened people's social ties with one another. Identify the consequences of this weakening.

Consequence(s): -less time spent in face-to-face volunteer work -a greater sense of social isolation -more frequent job changes Not Consequence(s): -less time spent communicating with other people -less money given to charity

Identify the defining characteristics of an organization

Defining Characteristic(s): -Its members have come together for a common purpose. -There is a clear distinction between those who belong and those who do not . Not Defining Characteristic(s): -The rest of society is aware of its existence. -It has a governing structure and rules of behavior.

Identify the characteristics that distinguish a small group from a party or large group, according to Simmel.

Distinguishing Characteristic(s): -A small group is unifocal. -A small group has no formal structure or roles. Not Distinguishing Characteristic(s): -A small group is formed around a common purpose. -A small group comes together on a regular basis.

Identify the examples of social capital.

Example(s): -A steelworker knows a lot of people in the Chicago construction trade. -An artist who vacations in a Colorado town has a few very close friends among the locals. Not Example(s): -A wealthy Tampa sports fan watches every game in his private box. -A college graduate knows a lot about interesting places to see in Los Angeles.

Identify the examples of structural holes.

Example(s): -the lack of ties between neighborhood parents and the teachers at their children's school -the lack of ties between factory workers and senior management in a manufacturing plant Not Example(s): -the lack of ties between sellers at a farmers market and individual buyers -the lack of ties between neighbors in a newly settled area

In the real world, when all people in a social network are linked by a just a few intermediaries, this generally depends on the presence of a small number of widely connected individuals (superconnectors) through whom most connections run.

False

Which sociological theorist first placed great emphasis on the innate differences between dyads and triads?

Georg Simmel

A big division in sociology is between the positivists who strive to describe human populations in scientific terms, and interpretivists who want to describe societies in narrative terms as seen through the eyes of their research subjects. Identify the research observations about the sexual behavior of a group of high-schoolers as characteristic of either an interpretive or a positivist methodology.

Interpretive Methodology: -Among the boys, hooking up with more than two girls in the same year carries no stigma. -It is considered slutty to sleep with the ex-boyfriend of your best friend. Positivist Methodology: -The structure of the network is due partly to a "no cycles of four" rule. -The greatest distance between two individuals was 43 steps.

Identify the key features of a dyad, according to Simmel.

Key Features: -The dyad is the most intimate form of group. -In a dyad there are no secrets regarding actions taken. Not Key Features: -The relationship in a dyad is asymmetric. -The group has power over the individual.

A student in a large lecture class discovers that the majority of his classmates have formed a secret online group in which they are passing around a copy of an upcoming exam. The group invites the student to join in.

Likely Scenario(s): -He will be tempted to join the group, particularly if it comprises the majority of the class. -He will be more likely to join the group if it is quite large or if many of his friends are involved. Unlikely Scenario(s): -He is more likely to join the group if he has cheated in the past. -If the majority of students are participating, he will mostly likely join the group.

Identify the jobs for which an applicant's weak ties would be most useful in landing an interview.

Most Useful: -senior project manager at a large software development company -junior associate at a small law firm Least Useful: -substitute teacher in a public school district -public utility meter reader

Classify the neighborhood characteristics as either indicative of dense or sparse social ties.

Neighbors form a neighborhood watch group. Correct label: dense social ties Neighbors trust one another. Correct label: dense social ties Neighborhood services are not responsive to needs. Correct label: sparse social ties Neighbors help one another when needed. Correct label: dense social ties Neighbors do not ask one another for assistance. Correct label: sparse social ties

Identify each characteristic as an aspect of either organizational culture or organizational structure.

Organizational Culture: -which employees are part of the in-group within the company -how employees feel about their work environment Organizational Structure: -how much paid time off an employee accrues each month -who writes each employee's performance reviews

In the context of C. H. Cooley's theory of groups, identify each attribute as either belonging to a primary group or a secondary group.

Primary Groups: - enduring membership - ends in themselves Secondary Groups: - impersonal - instrumental in purpose - contingent membership

Identify each group as an example of what in C. H. Cooley's theory would be called a primary group or a secondary group.

Primary: -a close-knit group of adult friends who have been together since middle school -a married couple Secondary: -a tailoring shop that makes bespoke (fully custom) suits for men -a professional football team

Quinn is on a high-school volleyball team, and has chemistry during first period. Identify the reference groups Quinn could use to assess the team's performance.

Reference Group: -the lacrosse team at Quinn's school - another school's volleyball team Not Reference: -Quinn's first-period chemistry class -the chess club at Quinn's school

Identify the similarities and differences between dyads and triads, according to Simmel.

Similarities: -Membership is voluntary. Differences: -Secret actions are possible. -Politics is a factor in interactions. -The group would survive the departure of any one member.

What is the central claim of new institutionalism?

The behavior of an organization is largely determined by its place in the economic network.

Identify the trends among people who were at or near college age on September 11, 2001, according to Robert Putnam.

Trend(s): -Their voter participation rates are higher than those of past groups of 18- to 24-year-olds. -They are more likely to do volunteer work than the college-aged were before. Not Trend(s): -They have more disposable income for social recreation.

Identify the true statements about the in-group in a larger population.

True Statement(s): -The in-group constitutes a majority. -The in-group is the powerful group. False Statement(s): -The in-group consists of those who have been around the longest. -The in-group consists of those at the top of the population's formal structure.

Identify the true statements about Feral Trade compared to a conventional import business.

True: -The supply chain is more extensively documented. -Feral Trade maintains that there are no consumers, just peers collaborating. False: -The Transport is more reliable. -No money changes hands.

What is the definition of interlocking directorates?

Two governing boards have one or more members in common.

Starting at 2:56 in the video, Watts talks about his own investigation of the extent to which every person in a social network is connected to every other person, directly or through intermediaries. What did Watts discover?

While it is not true that everyone is connected, at least half the population in the world are connected to each other through about six steps.

Identify each hypothetical tie as either uniplex or multiplex.

your lab partner at school who isn't doing very well in class Correct label: uniplex your best friend who you met in peewee soccer, whose sibling you had a crush on, and who now occasionally gives you financial advice Correct label: multiplex your neighbor whose dog you walk for extra income Correct label: multiplex your mother's boss who you saw every year at the company holiday party Correct label: uniplex