Sociology chapter 1
Identify the three sociologists who played a part in the development of sociology's structural-functional approach. Auguste Comte, Karl Marx, W.E.B. Du Bois Auguste Comte, Herbert Spencer, Emile Durkheim Herbert Spencer, Karl Marx, Auguste Comte Harriet Martineau, Robert Merton, W.E.B. Du Bois
Auguste Comte, Herbert Spencer, Emile Durkheim
The term "sociology" was coined in 1838 by Karl Marx. Herbert Spencer. Adam Smith. Auguste Comte.
Auguste Comte.
The (blank) approach define social science as a process of inquiry that goes beyond surface illusions to uncover the real structures in the material world in order to help people change conditions and build a better world. critical social science, interpretive, or positivist.
Critical social science
The pioneering sociologist who studied patterns of suicide in Europe was Robert K. Merton. Auguste Comte. Emile Durkheim. Karl Marx
Emile Durkheim.
According to sociologists, human behavior reflects our personal "free will T or F
F
Durkheim documented that categories of people with weaker social ties have lower suicide rates. T or F
F
In the United States, African Americans have a higher suicide rate than whites T or F
F
Sociologists focus only on unusual patterns of behavior. T or F
F
When two variables are statistically related, a cause-and-effect relationship always exists. T or F
F
III. Is sociology "just common sense"? Mark True or False for each statement below People in lower social class status are more likely to commit crimes than people of upper classes. Younger people are more likely to commit crimes and older people are more likely to be hurt by crimes. Revolutions are more likely to occur when conditions remain bad than when bad conditions are rapidly improving. American young people can freely choose their marriage partners. Parental arranged marriages are less happy than free-choice marriages. The income gap between African-Americans and European Americans has narrowed significantly since the civil rights movement. The traditional families in the past were more harmonious and stable than those of today. In traditional societies, most people lived in extended families with grandparents, parents, and children living under one roof. Family is a separate sphere of society, a haven to protect people from the dehumanizing forces of the outside society. Older people are more conservative than younger people. In contrast to the lower class grandparents, the middle-class grandparents appear to be far more integrated into children's life. The family is declining in America.
False: All statements are based on common sense, not sociological and scientific findings, therefore are "not true".
Who helped launch the discipline of sociology by studying the evils of slavery and also by translating the writings of Auguste Comte? Harriet Martineau Jane Addams Elizabeth Cady Stanton Dorothea Dix
Harriet Martineau
The (blank) researcher conduct research to reveal the underlying mechanisms that account for social relations and to empower people, especially less powerful people. critical social science, interpretive, or positivist.
Intepretive
(blank) researchers believe that the purpose of research is to understand social life and discover how people construct social meaning. critical social science, interpretive, or positivist.
Interpretive
The (blank) approach is the systematic analysis of socially meaningful actions through the direct detailed observation of people in natural settings in order to arrive at understanding and interpretations of how people create and maintain their social worlds. critical social science, interpretive, or positivist.
Interpretive
Which pioneering sociologist founded Chicago's Hull House to assist immigrants and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize? Jane Addams Harriet Martineau W.E.B. Du Bois Herbert Spencer
Jane Addams
According to Emile Durkheim, categories of people with a higher suicide rate typically have More clinical depression. Less money, power, and other resources. Lower social integration. Greater self-esteem.
Lower social integration.
The sociologist who called on his colleagues to be "value-free" in the conduct of their research was Karl Marx. Emile Durkheim. Herbert Spencer. Max Weber.
Max Weber
(Blank) is a way of understanding the world based on science. Tradition Positivism Metaphysics Free will
Positivism
(blank) researchers can analyze transcripts of conversations or study videotapes of behavior in extraordinary detail, looking for subtle nonverbal communications to understand details of interactions in their contexts. critical social science, interpretive, or positivist.
Positivist
Nafziger (1988) studied inequality in Africa and criticized the widely used "facts" on income differences because they measure only money income in societies where money is not widely used. He looked for a wider variety of facts and goes behind the facts to connect them to one another. His approach is called (blank) critical social science, interpretive, or positivist.
Positivist
The (blank) researcher tries to discover natural laws so that people can predict and control events. critical social science, interpretive, or positivist.
Positivist
The (blank) researcher uses a theory to identify key characteristics of a school system to predict student learning. He measures class size, student composition and teacher education precisely to verify the theory. critical social science, interpretive, or positivist.
Positivist
The (blank) researcher uses rigorous and detailed methods to gather large quantities of qualitative data in the form of specific details. critical social science, interpretive, or positivist.
Positivist
The purpose or the (blank) research is to learn more about how the world works so that events can be controlled and predicted. critical social science, interpretive, or positivist.
Positivist
A false correlation between two variables caused by a third variable is described as a "spurious" correlation.
T
A positivist approach assumes that an objective reality exists "out there."
T
A survey is a research method in which subjects respond to a series of statements or questions.
T
Ancient philosophers, including Plato, were primarily interested in imagining the "ideal" society rather than studying society as it really is.
T
As a discipline, sociology first took root in France, Germany, and England.
T
Auguste Comte was a positivist who believed that there were laws of society in the same way that there are laws of physics that describe the operation of the natural world.
T
Both feminism and the gender-conflict approach highlight ways in which women are unequal to men.
T
Harriet Martineau, who wrote about the evils of slavery and the need to improve the lives of factory workers, is regarded as the first woman sociologist.
T
In the United States, men have a higher suicide rate than women/ T or F
T
Interpretive sociology focuses less on action itself and more on the meaning people attach to their actions.
T
Keeping young people out of the labor market is one latent function of higher education.
T
Like the gender-conflict approach, the race-conflict approach is concerned with social inequality.
T
Reliability refers to the quality of consistency in measurement.
T
Revolutionary changes in European societies sparked the development of sociology.
T
Social-exchange analysis is one micro-level approach to understanding social interaction.
T
Societies around the world are more interconnected than ever before.
T
Sociology is defined as the systematic study of human society. T or F
T
Studying other societies is a good way to learn about our own way of life.
T
The structural-functional, social-conflict, and symbolic-interaction approaches are three basic theoretical approaches in sociology.
T
The symbolic-interaction approach is a micro-level orientation.
T
To identify cause-and-effect relationships, it is usually necessary to exercise experimental control of variables.
T
U.S. sociologist C. Wright Mills argued that times of social crisis foster widespread sociological thinking T or F.
T
William Edward Burghardt Du Bois encouraged sociologists to study controversial topics such as racial inequality.
T
What might a sociologist say about people's selection of marriage partners? People marry because they fall in love. When it comes to romance, it is all a matter of personal taste. Typically, a person marries someone of similar social position. When it comes to love, opposites attract.
Typically, a person marries someone of similar social position
Blank) refers to measuring exactly what one intends to measure. Congruence Validity Repeatability Reliability
Validity
Which German word meaning "understanding" was used by Max Weber to describe his approach to sociological research? Gemeinschaft Gesellschaft Verstehen Verboten
Verstehen
Which early U.S. sociologist studied the African American community and served as a founding member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)? Jane Addams Harriet Martineau W.E.B. Du Bois Herbert Spencer
W.E.B. Du Bois
The chapter's sociological analysis of childbearing around the world suggests that the number of children born to a woman reflects Only her preference for family size. How many children she can afford. Whether she lives in a poor or a rich society. Simply the desires of her husband.
Whether she lives in a poor or a rich society.
II. Use Sociological Imagination: check those you consider as a social issue: 1.Many people become unemployed because of a lack of job skills and some personality flaws. 2. The unemployment rate in America is the highest among city minority groups. 3.In America, twenty-one percent of all children under age 18 live below the poverty level. 4. Inequality ratio (the gap between the rich and the poor) is at record levels in the world today. 5.One high school student who was dumped by his girlfriend carried a gun to school and killed some of his schoolmates. 6.The recent incidences of school children using guns and killing teachers and classmates call people's attention to the prevalence of school violence in America and the family's role in educating and socializing children. 7.Mary and Joe have communication problems in their marriage relationship and they are seeking a divorce. 8.The divorce rate in the past three decade soars and millions of families broken up. 9..South Carolina ranks lowest in SAT among all the states this year, and the media and the government start to call people's attention on the education system. 10.My sons and several neighboring kids did not prepare well before they took SAT this year and scored very low this year. 11.Increasing number of accidents are caused by Driving Under Influence, therefore, the community organized campaigns against alcoholism. 12.Several of my acquaintances have family troubles because their spouses like to play video poker. 13.Years ago, in Columbia, a mother who is claimed to have mental problems beat her ten-year-old daughter to death. 14.The patriarchal culture in American society is responsible for domestic violence. 15.The movie director sexually abused many actresses and was rejected by the entertainment industry. 16Sexual assault of women in society is due to the fact that most of the higher and power positions are held by men.
Yes: Statements 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 11, 14 , and 16 No: Statements 1, 5, 7, 10, 12, 13, and 15
which one is true statement?Check those you think as topics for sociological inquiry: 1.find out how intelligence level is related to academic outcomes. 2study the relationship between inequality level and crime rate of societies. 3. study juvenile delinquency and intelligence. 4.study genetic factors and alcoholism. 5. find population composition of the school district and drug abuse at schools. 6. Study time and school grade. 7. Personality attributes and differences in marriage relationships. 8. find out the association between the educational performance of children and family social class origin and community composition. 9. Patterns of blood lead levels among Columbia residents. 10. find out the difference in blood lead levels of US black and white women of childbearing age. 11. study how different lifestyles and sexual behavioral preferences are related to AIDS. 12. study different rates of pediatric AIDS patients between minority and majority groups. 13. Income and occupation differences among racial and ethnical groups in America. 14.Household division of labor and gender. 15. How improper dietary habits contribute to poorer health. 16.Suicide rates and religious affiliation. 17.Mental illness and suicide tendency.
Yes: Statements 2, 5, 8, 10, 12, 13, 14, and 16 No: Statements 1, 3, 4, 7, 9, 11, 15, and 17
An apparent, although false, association between two variables that is caused by a third variable is called a spurious correlation. an unproven correlation. an unreliable correlation. an invalid correlation.
a spurious correlation.
Imagine that you were going to measure the age of a number of respondents taking part in a survey. As you record the data, you are using the concept "age" as a theory. a hypothesis. a variable. an axiom.
a variable.
When did sociology become established as an academic discipline in the United States? during the Middle Ages about 1800 about 1900 about 2000
about 1900
Select ONE of the research methods for each statement: content analysis, experiment, observation, participant observation, secondary analysis or survey. Marvin L. Moore studied the impact of the mass media on modern citizens by analyzing successful family television series depicting different types of families.
content analysis
Select ONE of the research methods for each statement: content analysis, experiment, observation, participant observation, secondary analysis or survey. Albert Bandura and his colleagues (1963) studied aggressive behavior. To conduct the research, they divided a number of children into two groups. They let one group of children observe an adult hitting a doll and did not expose the other group of children to that situation. They then observed the different responses of the two groups to a doll.
experiment
Select ONE of the research methods for each statement: content analysis, experiment, observation, participant observation, secondary analysis or survey. Russel J. Summers (1991) tried to understand the factors influencing people's judgements about a complaint of sexual harassment. He chose a homogeneous group of students and divided them into four groups. He provided each group with a statement about sexual harassment - a female employee accused a male employee of persisting with jokes and comments involving sexual innuendo, but the four statement gave different accounts of the female's job status and her relationship with the male. By examining the responses of these different groups, Summers found that there was different judgements about male employee's guilt among different groups.
experiment
Interpretive sociology refers to sociology that focuses on action. sees an objective reality "out there." focuses on the meaning people attach to behavior. seeks to bring about change.
focuses on the meaning people attach to behavior
To evaluate a theory using evidence, sociologists gather data or facts. accept the conventional wisdom of their society. are guided by their personal feelings about the issue. look to the past for guidance.
gather data or facts.
Peter Berger describes using the sociological perspective as seeing the (blank) in the (blank). good; worst tragedies new; old specific; general general; particular
general; particular
Sociology differs from the older discipline of philosophy by focusing on what the ideal society should be. human nature. the place of God in shaping human events. how society actually operates.
how society actually operates.
"A statement of a possible relationship between two variables" is the definition of which concept? theory correlation spurious correlation hypothesis
hypothesis
A sociologist using the gender-conflict approach might state that men and women share in the joys of family life. in many ways, men are in positions of power over women. gender functions in an important way to keep society operating. men and women enjoy equal rights and privileges in our society.
in many ways, men are in positions of power over women.
Instead of trying to discovering laws of human behavior in which unemployment causes child abuse, a research wants to understand how people subjectively experience unemployment and what the loss of a job means in their everyday life and how child abusers account for their actions. He then explored the meaning of being unemployed and the reasons for abusing a child in order to understand what is happening to the people who are directly involved. This research is an example of (blank). critical social science, interpretive, or positivist.
interpretive,
An example of a latent function of college is providing skills needed for later jobs. keeping young people out of the labor force, which may not have jobs for them. gaining the knowledge required to be an active and thoughtful citizen. giving young people experience living on their own.
keeping young people out of the labor force, which may not have jobs for them.
Unrecognized and unintended consequences of a social pattern are called latent functions. manifest functions. operational functions. dysfunctions.
latent functions.
The recognized and intended consequences of a social pattern are referred to as latent functions. manifest functions. eufunctions. dysfunctions.
manifest functions.
Social problems in the United States, such as poverty and gender inequality, are less serious in poorer countries. more serious in poorer countries. equally serious in poorer countries. unheard of in poorer countries.
more serious in poorer countries.
It is difficult to establish all the cause-and-effect relationships in a social situation because most patterns of behavior have a single cause. most patterns of behavior are random and have no cause at all. most patterns of behavior are caused by many factors. sociologists are not able to reach conclusions about cause and effect.
most patterns of behavior are caused by many factors.
Select ONE of the research methods for each statement: content analysis, experiment, observation, participant observation, secondary analysis or survey. Doob (1970) conducted a year long study of the development of peer groups among adolescent Puerto Rican males and found that the young men's peer groups reflected their family of origin.
observation
In deciding what kinds of questions to ask in their research, sociologists are guided by one or more theoretical approaches. their own common sense. our society's traditional wisdom. sheer chance.
one or more theoretical approaches.
What process involves deciding exactly what is to be measured when assigning value to a variable? operationalizing reliability conceptualizing validity
operationalizing
Select ONE of the research methods for each statement: content analysis, experiment, observation, participant observation, secondary analysis or survey. A sociologist disguised himself as a homeless man and participated in the daily activities of the homeless people, to obtain an insider's view on homeless life and the characteristics of the homeless people.
participant observation
The social-conflict approach draws attention to how elements contribute to the overall operation of society. how people construct meaning in their interaction. patterns of social inequality. the stable aspects of society.
patterns of social inequality.
A social-exchange analysis states that people typically seek mates who offer as much as they do. class differences are reflected in favored sports. people build reality as they introduce themselves. people who do more important work usually earn more pay.
people typically seek mates who offer as much as they do
C. Wright Mills claimed that the "sociological imagination" transformed common sense into laws of society. people into supporters of the status quo. personal problems into public issues. scientific research into common sense.
personal problems into public issues.
A small number of people that are used to represent a much larger population is called a target group. sample. closed-format group. sampling frame.
sample.
Select ONE of the research methods for each statement: content analysis, experiment, observation, participant observation, secondary analysis or survey. Lala Steelman and Brian Powell (1991) studied the traits of parents paying for their children's higher education. They used data from a mailed questionnaire developed by the National Opinion Research Center, which is a major firm conducting large national surveys.
secondary analysis
Select ONE of the research methods for each statement: content analysis, experiment, observation, participant observation, secondary analysis or survey. The data obtained by the United States Bureau of the Census were used as sources for researches. These researches are (blank).
secondary analysis
Social structures sometimes have negative consequences for the operation of society as a whole. What is the term for these negative consequences? social structure manifest functions social functions social dysfunctions
social dysfunctions
Which concept is used to describe relatively stable patterns of social behavior? social structure manifest functions social functions social dysfunctions
social structure
The theoretical approach in sociology that assumes society is a complex system whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability is the structural-functional approach. social-conflict approach. symbolic-interaction approach. tradition-based approach.
structural-functional approach.
Select ONE of the research methods for each statement: content analysis, experiment, observation, participant observation, secondary analysis or survey. Dr. Sanders and his associates conducted a field study in Los Angels in 1991. They interviewed hundreds of people in the ethnic communities of the city to find out the socio-economic characteristics of different ethnic groups.
survey
Which theoretical approach claims that it is not so much what people do that matters as much as what meaning they attach to their behavior? structural-functional approach social-conflict approach symbolic-interaction approach social-exchange approach
symbolic-interaction approach
The structural-functional approach might prompt you to consider what people think marriage means. how marriage benefits women and men unequally. the consequences of marriage for the operation of society. how can we help people find more pleasure in their marriages.
the consequences of marriage for the operation of society.
Which sociological research method is most likely to produce quantitative data that will identify cause-and-effect relationships? the experiment the survey participant observation secondary analysis
the experiment
What term refers to the value that occurs midway in a series of numbers (that is, the middle case)? the mean the mode the median the correlation
the median
What is the term for the value that occurs most often in a series of numbers? the mean the mode the median the standard deviation
the mode
Which theoretical approach would highlight the fact that, on average, African American families have less income than white families? the race-conflict approach the gender-conflict approach the structural-functional approach the symbolic-interaction approach
the race-conflict approach
Among the historical changes that stimulated the development of sociology as a discipline was the founding of the Roman Catholic church. the rise of the industrial economy and growth of cities. the power of tradition. a belief that our futures are defined by "fate".
the rise of the industrial economy and growth of cities.
Comte described the earliest human societies as being at which stage of historical development? theological stage metaphysical stage scientific stage post-scientific stage
theological stage
A statement that explains how and why specific facts are related is called a(n) approach. precept. concept. theory.
theory
W.E.B. Du Bois described African Americans as having a "double consciousness" because most felt that, compared to white people, they had to be twice as careful in how they acted. there is a double disadvantage in being both poor and black. black people have to work twice as hard as whites to get the same reward. they are American citizens who have a second identity based on skin color.
they are American citizens who have a second identity based on skin color.
Two variables are said to display correlation if they are caused by the same factor. one occurs before the other. both measure the same thing. they vary together.
they vary together
Karl Marx, speaking for the social-conflict approach, argued that the point of studying society was to understand how society really operates. to compare U.S. society to others. to foster support for a nation's government. to bring about greater social j.ustice
to bring about greater social j.ustice
The ideal of objectivity means that a researcher must not personally care about the topic being studied. try to adopt a stance of personal neutrality toward the outcome of the research. study issues that have no value to society as a whole. carry out research that will encourage desirable social change.
try to adopt a stance of personal neutrality toward the outcome of the research
A symbolic-interaction analysis of sports would conclude that winning at sports means different things to different people. some categories of people benefit more than others from sports. sports help develop important cultural values. "stacking" is a type of racial inequality in sports.
winning at sports means different things to different people.