Module 1 Quiz
What is the sociological imagination?
the ability to understand the connections between biography and history, or the interplay of the self and the world
When survey researchers write closed-ended questions, they often use Likert scales to construct the possible answers. How do Likert scales allow respondents to answer?
they allow respondents to answer along a continuum, from strongly agree to strongly disagree
Bernard McGrane suggests we should practice using a beginner's mind, the opposite of an expert's mind. Usually it's good to be an expert. Why should we try to think like beginners instead?
An expert's mind is so full of facts and assumptions that it has difficulty learning anything new.
Which of the following is NOT an advantage of survey research?
Because survey research often allows for anonymity, respondents are more honest and often produce more valid data.
Charles Horton Cooley famously said "each to each a looking-glass reflects the other that doth pass." What about this quote exemplifies symbolic interactionist theory?
It focuses on individual, face-to-face interaction.
What are the weaknesses of the everyday actor when it comes to everyday life?
The everyday actor makes assumptions and glosses over many things that the social analyst strives to understand systematically.
Which of the following research techniques focuses on gaining an insider's perspective of the everyday lives of subjects under investigation, often dispelling stereotypes about the group being investigated?
participant observation
According to Peter Berger, in Invitation to Sociology, what sort of people should NOT study sociology?
people who dislike shocking discoveries
"From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs" is a slogan that best represents the ideals of which social system?
communism
If a sociologist watches a lot of television and counts the number of times women play roles with lower status than men, what research method is he using?
content analysis
Unlike sociologists, most people base their knowledge of the world on:
conventional wisdom, background knowledge, and personal experience.
If you meet a sociologist whose work requires that she use a tape recorder to painstakingly transcribe all of her data, what is her theoretical perspective?
conversation analysis
According to Chapter 1, what was probably Harriet Martineau's most important contribution to the development of sociology as a discipline?
her translation of the work of Auguste Comte into English
Regardless of which methodology they use, what are all sociologists trying to do?
illuminate the connection between the individual and society
Which of the following is a latent function of the educational system in the United States?
keeping children out of trouble while parents are at work
A closed-ended question is one that:
limits the possible responses
Howard Becker said that sociology can be best understood as the study of people "doing things together." This definition reminds us that:
neither society nor the individual exists in isolation; each is dependent on the other.
According to C. Wright Mills, what one quality of mind do all great sociologists possess?
sociological imagination
