Sociology Exam #4

Blended family (375)

Two different divorced parents remarry and blend their families and children together to create a new bigger family

Neo-Malthusians (448)

contemporary researchers who worry about the rapid pace of population growth and believe that Malthus's basic prediction could be true

Demographic freefall (449)

decrease in fertility rates among populations that have industrialized their economies as children become an economic liability rather than an asset

What about family would symbolic interactionists be most interested in? (363)

how family relations are created and maintained in interaction than how they are structured

An individual is most likely to be murdered by whom? (368)

intimiate partners

Pluralistic ignorance

members of a group individually conclude that there is no need to take action because of the observation that other group members have not done so

Collective behavior

occurs when individuals converge, thus creating a group or crowd, and embark on some sort of action; they maintain a certain amount of order and are often organized

why is damage to tropical rain forests detrimental to human life?

pharmaceuticals come from rain forests; more than 7,000 medical compounds are derived from native plants

Renewable/non renewable resources.

renewable: natural resources that can be regenerated; oxygen is replenished by plants and trees, animals by mating and reproduction non renewable: those that cannot be replaced; fossil fuels like oil, minerals like coal, copper or iron

Demography (444)

study of the size, composition, distribution, and changes in human population; it is essentially a macro-level, quantitative approach to society

Contagion theory

suggested that when people come together, a unified crowd or mob mentality results

Smart Growth

term for economic and urban planning policies that emphasize responsible development and renewal

Net migration rate (446)

the difference between the number of persons entering and leaving a country during the year per 1,000 persons

Who is more likely to define unrelated roommates as a family? (359)

the elderly

Technological determinism

the idea that technology plays a defining role in shaping society

Ecoterrorists

use violent and often criminal methods to achieve their goals of protecting the environment

Why do more men than women move back in with their parents? (367)

Women are more likely to be asked to take on more domestic responsibilities, and typically she feels a greater loss of independence

Rates of domestic abuse differ across racial groups (369)

Women are not the only demographic group to suffer from this but they are five to eight times more likely than men to be victimized by an intimate partner :(

Interest group (493)

...

Green revolution (449)

It began in Mexico and spread to India, causing an explosion in food production

How has the earth's population changed in the last 50 years? (444)

It has more than tripled

Malthusian trap (447)

Malthus's prediction that a rapidly increasing population will overuse natural resources, leading inevitably to a major public health disaster

What do anti-Malthusians worry about? (449)

They worry about the population shrinking and the possibility of a demographic free fall than they do about it growing indefinitely

global dimming

a decline in the amount of light reaching the earth's surface because of increased air pollution, which reflects more light back into space

Riot

a group of people engaged in disorderly behavior directed toward other people and/or property that results in disturbing the peace

Nuclear family (358)

a heterosexual couple with one or more children living in a single household

Sociological definition of "family" (358)

a social group whose members are bound by some type of tie-legal, biological, emotional or a combination of the three

Social atomization

a social situation that emphasizes individualism over collective or group identities

Urban sprawl

a term applied to the expansion of urban or suburban boundaries, associated with irresponsible or poorly planed development

Demographic transition (449)

a theory suggesting the possible transition over time from high birth and death rates to low birth and death rates, resulting in stabilized population

Mass society theory

a theory that assumes people join not because of the movements' ideals, but to satisfy a psychological need to belong to something larger than themselves

Intentional communities (378)

a variety of groups who form communal living arrangements outside marriage; the members have chosen to live together with a common purpose, working together to create a lifestyle that reflects their shared core values

Fashion

a widespread style of behavior and appearance

Dual mothers (366)

accept jobs and other work just to avoid other conflicts with the husband

Ecological footprint

an estimation of the land and water area required to produce all the goods an individual consumes and to assimilate all the wastes she generates

Domestic violence (372)

any physical, verbal, financial, sexual, or psychological behavior that abusers use to gain and maintain power over their victims

Environmental racism

applied when an environmental policy or practice negatively affects individuals, groups, or communities based on race or color

Why do many contemporary sociologists speak of "families" rather than family? (358)

because family situations in contemporary society are so varied and diverse that it doesn't make sense to speak of just a single ideal-type model of "family"

Social dilemmas

behavior that is rational for an individual can lead to collective disaster

How is urban density measured? (451)

by the total number of people per square mile

Edge City

centers of employment and commerce that began as suburban commuter communities.

Fictive kin (362)

close relations with people we consider "like family" but who are not related to us by blood or marriage; example: a best friend, close family friend

the treadmill of production (471)

describes the operation of modern economic systems that require constant growth, which causes increased exploitation of resources and environmental degradation

Sustainable development

economic development that aims to reconcile global economic growth with environmental protection

Immigration

entering one country from another to take up permanent residence

Regressive or reactionary social movement

explicitly resist certain social changes, working to make sure things stay the same or even move backward to earlier forms of social order

What factors are involved in forming relationships and selecting mates? (363)

finding partners who are similar to us in terms of class, race, education, religion or other social group membership; more likely to find mates among people in our neighborhoods, at work or at school

The sandwich generation effect (368)

for children, later in life they may be called on to care for their elderly parents as well as their own offspring

Crowd

forms when a large number of people come together, either on purpose or randomly

Social ecology

the study of human populations and their impact on the natural world

Environmental Sociology

the study of the interaction between society and the natural environment, including the social causes and consequences of environmental problmes

Propinquity (363)

the tendency to marry or have a relationship with people who live in our neighborhoods, work or go to school with us

Malthusian theorem (447)

the theory that exponential population growth will outpace arithmetic growth in food production and other resources

Social change

the transformation of a culture over time

biodiversity

the variety of species of plants and animals existing at any given time

Relative deprivation theory

theory of social movements that focuses on the actions of oppressed groups who seek rights or opportunities already enjoyed by others in the society

Resource mobilization theory

theory that focuses on the practical constraints that help or hinder social movements' action

Positive checks on population growth (449)

theres more food production and new medicines and technologies

What sort of rural areas are most likely to experience a "rural rebound"

those near urban centers or which rich scenic or amenity values are generally experince an upsurge in population

Herbert Gan's categories of urbanites

1. Cosmopolites - students, professionals who are drawn to the city because of its cultural benefits and convenience to their lifestyles 2. Singles - unmarried seeking jobs, entertainment, and partners to settle down with. 3. Ethnic Villagers- immigrants to the area 4. Urban Dwellers- bottom of the social hierarchy- the poor, disabled

Demographic variables (444)

1. Fertility rate; the average number of births per 1,000 people in the total population 2. Mortality rate; the number of deaths that can be expected per 1,000 people per year 3. Migration; the movement of people from one geographic area to another for the purposes of resettling

four major eras of environmental activism

1. conservation era; earliest stage, which focused on the preservation of "wilderness" areas 2. modern environmental movement; focused on environmental consequences of new technologies, chemical production, nuclear power plants 3. mainstream environmentalism; increasing organization, well-crafted promotional campaigns, and political tactics 4. grassroots environmentalism; the diversity of its members and belief in citizen participation in environmental decision making

Stages in a social movement

1. incipient stage; when the public takes notice of a situation and defines it as a problem 2. coalesce; their movement gained momentum 3. bureaucratized; all successful social movements are eventually incorporated into institutions 4. decline; the movement will eventually decline

Urban Legend

Folklore; believed to be true it expresses concerns , fears, and anxieties about the social world.

Handling of custody of minor children in divorce cases (375)

Joint custody, which is for parents who are well-educated, live in the cities and have high socioeconomic status; A father is more likely to be awarded sole custody when his income is more than the mother's; a mother is more likely to receive sole custody when she has a high level of education and the father is unemployed

What are urban areas with more than one million inhabitants called? (450)

Metropolitan

What demographic variable might make global population drop? (444)

Migration

what sort of pollution is responsible for global warming?

green house gases- it allows sunlight to pass through but traps heat

What type of person would be most likely to join a social movement?

highly engaged individuals

Public goods dilemma

individuals incur the cost to contribute to a collective resource, though they may never benefit from that resource; example: blood banks

Fad

interests that are followed with great enthusiasm for a period of time; examples: ipods, words or phases, clothing styles, activities, ect.

How does the birth of children change the gendered division of labor within the household? (368)

it becomes more traditional when children are born, even if it has been nontraditional up to that point

Remarriage rates (375)

it is very HIGH; the rates in the U.S. are lower now than they were before the 1960's; 75% of divorced men and 67% of divorced women ultimately remarry

How is the family responsible for the reproduction of society? (360)

it produces and socializes children; the values and norms of a society are passed on to then next generation

Why do abusive partners resort to domestic abuse? (372)

it results from an abuser's desire for power over the victim, and abusers often blame their victims

What happens to marital satisfaction when children are born?

it tends to decline when there are small children in the house

Boomerang kid (366)

kids who leave home at eighteen to attend college but often return home for at least a short period of time afterward

Emigration

leaving one country to live permanently in another

Who are more likely to be negatively affected by the parents' divorce? (375)

male children more than female children as boys are more likely to act out than girls

Tragedy of the commons

many individuals' overexploitation of a public resource depletes or degrades that common resource; the benefit is to the individual but the cost is shared to all

Exogamy (359)

marrying someone of a different social group

Endogamy (359)

marrying someone within your social group

Internal migration (446)

movement of a population within a country

Mass behavior

occurs when large groups of people not necessarily in the same geographical location engage in similar behavior; ranges from buying a certain type of jeans or getting a tattoo

Why are child and elder abuse likely to go unreported? (372)

partly because of the relative powerlessness of their victims and the private settings of the abuse

How can social dilemmas be solved?

people have to change their behaviors

Free riders

people who take advantage of a public good without having contributed to it's creation

social revolutions

periods of time during which large-scale social change took place so rapidly that the whole of human society was defined

How do most abusive relationships look at the beginning? (372)

the abusive partner is charming and thoughtful; the relationship looks stable and healthy

human exceptionalism

the attitude that humans are exempt from natural ecological limits

Expressive tasks (364)

the emotional work necessary to support family members; example: remembering relatives' birthdays, playing a game with the kids)

Bystander effect of diffusion or responsibility

the more people there are present in the moment of crisis, the less likely any one of them is to take action.

Instrumental tasks (364)

the practical physical tasks necessary to maintain family life; example: washing dishes, fixing the gutters)

Miscegenation laws (359)

the prohibition of mixing racial groups through marriage, cohabitation or sexual interaction

Suburbanization

the shift of large segments of population away from the urban core and towards the edges of cities

Gentrification

transformation of the physical, social, economic, and cultural life of formerly working class or poor inner city neighbor hoods into more affluent middle-class communities

Census definition of "family" (358)

two or more individuals related by blood, marriage, or adoption living in the same household

The second shift (365)

unpaid work and childcare often expected of a woman after they return home from a paid labor job

How do male and female life expectancies compare in the United States today? (368)

women are living an average of almost six years longer than men; more people are living longer, and that has an impact on families and society

"Super mom"

women who overwork at home without any help to avoid conflicts with spouses and children; found to often feel unhappy or emotionally numb- it's been acceptable to the working class mothers all along