SOC 210 FINAL

What is the link between feminist theory and conflict theory?

Both seek not only to understand inequality, but also to remedy it.

According to sociologists, an individual's genetic makeup will determine what kind of personality and character traits he develops in life.

False

According to the symbolic interactionist George Herbert Mead, children are born with a developed sense of self.

False

Agents of socialization are mutually exclusive and do not overlap.

False

Bureaucracies are generally ineffective at achieving their goals because they constitute an iron cage of rules and regulations.

False

Cases in which children have been raised in social isolation demonstrate that people are born with the instincts necessary to fully develop into a functioning human being.

False

Charles Cooley did not believe that the self was created largely through social interaction.

False

Colleges are examples of total institutions.

False

If two people worked together to make the test you are now taking, it would have been produced twice as fast than if it were written by one person.

False

Our social networks consist of just our closest friends and family.

False

Primary and secondary groups are distinct and unique from one another. There is no overlap.

False

Proscriptions are norms about what we are supposed to do, whereas prescriptions are norms about what we are not supposed to do.

False

Researchers who have replicated Solomon Asch's experiment in recent years have found almost exactly the same results.

False

Secondary groups cannot be geographically dispersed.

False

Socialization generally ends by the beginning of adulthood.

False

Sociology has developed a single comprehensive theory about how the self develops.

False

The size of a group does not affect how it operates or what sorts of relationships are possible within it because group dynamics are the same regardless of group size.

False

The statement "I am stardust, I am golden, I am billion-year-old carbon" would be an A-mode response on the Twenty Statements Test, in that the statement describes a person's physical appearance.

False

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

False

Unlike expressions given, expressions given off cannot be manipulated.

False

When Laud Humphreys was a sociology graduate student at Washington University in St. Louis, he wrote his dissertation on the "tearoom trade," anonymous homosexual encounters in the men's rooms of public parks. To gather data, he acted as a lookout for his subjects, but he also surreptitiously noted license-plate numbers as the men left, so he could get their names and addresses. The next year, he picked about 50 men from the "tearooms" and interviewed them in their homes, claiming to be performing a health survey. His descriptions of the interviews made it possible for many of the men (and their families) to recognize themselves when the dissertation was published. Why do many sociologists consider this research method to be unethical?

It failed to protect the biographical anonymity of his subjects

In 2005 a commercial research firm carried out a study of hand washing in public restrooms. The researchers observed 6,336 individuals wash their hands, or not, in the public restrooms of major attractions in Atlanta, Chicago, New York City, and San Francisco. Ninety percent of the women observed washed their hands, compared with only 75 percent of the men. Interestingly enough, when asked via a telephone survey, 97 percent of women and 96 percent of men claimed they always washed their hands after using a public restroom. What disadvantage of survey research does this illustrate?

Not all respondents provide honest self-reports, so survey research has comparatively less validity.

Why are social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace so exciting to sociologists who study social networks?

Researchers often seek answers to questions the data doesn't directly address.

A famous social scientist tells you that the most important, though never totally successful, task in her research was to move from "total bewilderment" to "finding her feet" with the people she was studying. What can you say about this researcher?

She's a qualitative researcher.

Karl Marx believed that the economy was closely related to other social processes, including politics, values, beliefs, and norms. As a result, what did he also believe?

The ruling ideas are the ideas of the ruling class.

According to symbolic interactionism, what is the relationship between the self and society?

The self is shaped by society, but society is also shaped by the self.

Why are respondents often more comfortable addressing sensitive subjects on surveys than in other research contexts?

They can answer in private.

A triad is more stable than a dyad.

True

According to Charles Cooley, there can be no sense of self without society.

True

According to Emile Durkheim, all of the social groups to which an individual is connected impose norms, which place limits on the individual's actions.

True

According to the symbolic interactionist George Herbert Mead, a distinct sense of self is developed in play through a process of "role-taking," where young children learn the guidelines and expectations associated with a variety of roles.

True

Bicycle races like the Tour de France have individual heroes but are actually team events.

True

Emotions are not fully determined by society, but they are social.

True

Erving Goffman was considered to be a cynic.

True

Honor killing is sometimes practiced to protect the honor of a family in which a female relative has been assaulted or otherwise treated dishonorably.

True

In the nature vs. nurture debate, both sides are partially right.

True

Most of the time, individuals can count on those around them to support the version of the self that they project.

True

Sociologists have shown that even the likelihood that an individual will commit rape can be related to social influence.

True

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

True

Television is both a powerful and a covert agent of socialization.

True

The individual's sense of self is largely created through social processes.

True

The social setting can make a great deal of difference in how individuals interact with others.

True

The term "total institution" refers to organizations that strip members of their previous identities in order to resocialize them.

True

There is a social tie between me and my best friend's uncle even though I've never met him.

True

When people move from one place, job, or life situation to another, they often undergo resocialization.

True

If you possess a sociological imagination and someone asks you to study unemployment rates in a city of fifty million people where fifteen million are unemployed, what would you conclude?

We should consider the economic and political structures of the society.

While it is always important to ask clear and unambiguous questions regardless of the method you use, it is especially important to avoid confusion when conducting surveys. Why?

When using survey research methods, the researcher is usually not present to clarify any misunderstandings.

Stricter control of the border between the United States and Mexico was implemented to curb illegal immigration, but it also made illegal immigrants more likely to stay in the United States for longer periods of time, because frequent border crossings became both dangerous and costly. The increase in the number of illegal immigrants who stayed permanently or semi-permanently is:

a latent function of increased security.

In order to find links between the macro and the micro levels of analysis, what is a sociologist most in need of?

a sociological imagination

Many colleges and universities require students to take classes on non-Western cultures. Why do these requirements exist?

a. Colleges tend to value multiculturalism. (Correct) b. Many exchange students now study in America, and it's important to give them classes they like. c. Students are fascinated by exotic cultures. d. The parents of many new college students are demanding it. e. Many students will work in other countries.

Which of the following is NOT a subculture?

a. Cubs fans b. German Shepherd owners c. the Ku Klux Klan (Correct) d. fans of electronic dance music e. surfers

What is the definition of "culture"?

a. Culture includes the habits and lifestyle choices of a group of people. b. Culture includes customs and rituals, as well as tools and artifacts. c. Culture shapes and defines who we are. d. Culture encompasses every aspect of social life. e. all of the above (Correct)

Which of the following is one of the functions of symbolic culture?

a. It poses a threat to the larger society. b. It helps people understand hegemony. c. It provides material signs of values and beliefs. d. It allows people to communicate. (Correct) e. It aids the proliferation of Western media.

The ability to understand another culture in terms of that culture's own norms and values, without reference to any other cultural standards is called:

a. Marxism. b. cultural lag. c. ethnocentrism. d. variability. e. cultural relativism. (Correct)

Why is it hard to recognize that the values and beliefs of one's own culture are learned rather than innate?

a. We are born with these values and beliefs. b. We learn values and beliefs slowly and incrementally. (Correct) c. It is human nature to accept one's own culture as superior. d. Values and beliefs are only taught in school. e. all of the above

What kind of norm is so deeply ingrained that the very thought of breaking it brings feelings of disgust or horror?

a. a taboo (Correct) b. a federal law c. a folkway d. a more e. a negative sanction

Researchers should try to avoid double-barreled questions, or questions that:

a. allow for a wide variety of responses. Correct b. ask about multiple issues. c. have a hidden agenda. d. are vague or ambiguous. e. use emotional language that may bias the respondent.

In the movie Mean Girls, students identified each other using categories like "jock," "cheerleader," "skater," and "nerd." Which theory would argue that such classification systems influence the way you see people?

a. cultural imperialism b. cultural relativism c. subculture theory d. the Protestant ethic e. the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis (Correct)

What do sociologists call it when cultures that were once distinct become increasingly similar?

a. cultural imperialism b. social control c. cultural diffusion d. cultural leveling (Correct) e. ethnocentrism

Norms that are not strictly enforced, such as etiquette in the cafeteria and the dress code for class, are referred to as:

a. norms b. folkways (Correct) c. values d. laws e. taboos

The famous anthropologist Margaret Mead said that America is the best place to raise a female child. Her assertion is an example of:

a. participating in culture wars. b. racism. c. cultural relativism. d. ethnocentrism. (Correct) e. preferring high culture to popular culture.

When the dominant culture succeeds in imposing its values and ideas on all of society, it is known as:

a. polysemy. b. cultural diffusion. c. relativism. d. hegemony. (Correct) e. cultural leveling.

How are informal norms enforced in everyday settings?

a. signs b. culture wars c. multiculturalism d. folkways e. sanctions (Correct)

Unlike a folkway, a more is closely related to:

a. taste publics and taste cultures. b. the dominant culture of a group. c. the core values of a group. (Correct) d. formal norms such as laws. e. high culture.

Marginalized groups in American society—such as street punks, the homeless, and skateboarders—often engage in activities that offend or annoy most people. One of the reasons people get so annoyed is that members of these groups don't seem to care that they're the subjects of disapproval, which is to say:

a. they're engaged in taboo activities. b. they're actively trying to form a new subculture. c. they're part of the dominant culture. d. they don't belong in the realm of mass or popular culture. e. they don't seem to care about negative sanctions. (Correct)

A sociologist uses a survey to study the attitudes of adults in the United States concerning premarital sex among teenagers. In this study, the target population consists of ____________, and the group that is asked the survey questions is called the ____________.

all adults in the United States; sample

Lili is conducting a sociological research study on the underground music scene. She has just finished collecting data for the study. What is the next step Lili should take in the sociological research or approach or method?

analyze data

According to sociologists, what are signs?

anything designed to meaningfully represent something else

Sociologists observe society:

by studying the various parts of a society and the ways they interact and influence each other.

You want to conduct some sociological research on whether people on social networking sites are less likely to meet in person as a result of their online community participation. What is the next step in the sociological research method?

conduct a literature review

The analysis of documents—such as medical records, photographs, diaries, letters, newspapers, and song lyrics—uses which of the following types of data?

existing sources

A recent sociological experiment sought to determine the exact role social support plays in the health of expectant mothers. To conduct the experiment, the researchers asked midwives to flip a coin each time they received a new client, and if it came up heads to try as hard as possible to put the client in contact with others who could provide social support. If the coin came up tails, the midwives would not discourage the woman from receiving social support but would not facilitate it either. What is the dependent variable in this experiment?

health

Sociologists who conduct interviews can only gather data from a limited number of people because:

interviews are too time consuming.

A closed-ended question is one that:

limits the possible responses.

Designer labels on purses and athletic logos on shirts are both examples of:

material culture.

When writing questions for a survey, researchers must avoid all of the following EXCEPT:

open-ended questions.

Countercultural groups like the hippies of the 1960s:

rejected the norms of the dominant culture.

After formulating a general research question, what will a good researcher always do?

review the literature in order to become familiar with earlier research that relates to his topic d. form a hypothesis

When doing experimental research, why is it important to control for everything except the independent variable?

so a clear conclusion can be drawn about what influences the dependent variable

What school of social theory believes that society is a stable system of structures, each of which contributes to the equilibrium of the whole?

structural functionalism

Conflict theorists believe that arguments over values and beliefs have their roots in:

struggles over scarce resources and power.

A cultural group that exists harmoniously within a larger, dominant culture is called a:

subculture.

What is the sociological imagination?

the ability to understand the connections between biography and history, or the interplay of the self and the world

What is reactivity?

the tendency of research subjects to change their behavior in response to being studied

You're doing a research project on the effects of contemporary media. If your hypothesis is that "watching violence on television causes an increase in violent behavior," then what are your variables?

violence on television and violent behavior