Chapter 5 - Groups and Networks

Identify the examples of conflicts of interest that can arise as a consequence of interlocking directorates.

- A board member at company A asks her co-board member at company B to provide inside information on a small startup that company A is considering acquiring. - Two board members for company X discuss how they can guide their company's operations to be more favorable toward other companies whose boards they sit on.

Identify the examples of isomorphism.

- A college president decides to introduce a new academic department, "Public Policy Studies." Initially the department offers classes with only pass/fail grades, but eventually offers classes with the more conventional grading scales used by other departments. - A new coffee chain does not initially offer any specialty sweet drinks with syrup, but adds them to the menu once customers point out that these desirable drinks are available elsewhere. - A new airline company offers cheaper fares than its competitors, but eventually faces pressure from other airlines to set prices equivalent to others in the industry.

Identify the findings of recent empirical research on the sexual behavior of high school and college students.

- About half of American teens over age 15 have had sex. - Most adolescents with STDs are unaware of their infected status.

Identify the examples of social capital.

- An artist who vacations in a Colorado town has a few very close friends among the locals. - A steelworker knows a lot of people in the Chicago construction trade.

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.

- less time spent in face-to-face volunteer work - a greater sense of social isolation - more frequent job changes

Identify the examples of structural holes.

- 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

Identify the features of cryptocurrency that are different from standard forms of currency, such as the dollar or the euro.

- users are able to remain entirely anonymous - the social network supporting it is decentralized among all users

Studying the social structure of sexual behavior and disease transmission is an example of network analysis in practice. Match each statement to the model of sexual transmission it describes.

A network of infected individuals are the center with uninfected individuals around the outside. - the mode of sexual transmission in which infected members are connected to one another, and each are connected to uninfected persons who are not connected to one another A network of infected individuals is connected to a network of uninfected individuals through a single infected person. - the model of sexual transmission in which containment of disease is easiest A network of infected individuals with a long main line with segments branching off. - the model of sexual transmission in which containment of disease is most difficult A network of infected and uninfected individuals is connected such that no infected members are directly connected. - the model of sexual transmission in which infected members are not directly connected to one another

Match each type of infected network to the corresponding example.

A waterborne parasite spreads through an irrigation canal that has side branches. - spanning tree A computer virus attacks a system of interconnected servers, each of which is a hub for several client machines. - core infection A disease spreads via contact between trauma centers and the ambulances that visit them. - reverse core infection

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

Georg Simmel

isomorphism

a constraining process that forces one unit in a population to resemble other units that face the same set of environmental conditions

structural hole

a gap between network clusters, or even two individuals, if those individuals (or clusters) have complementary resources

small group

a group characterized by face-to-face interaction, a unifocal perspective, lack of formal arrangements or roles, and a certain level of equality

large group

a group characterized by the presence of a formal structure that mediates interaction and, consequently, status differentiation

triad

a group of three

dyad

a group of two

reference group

a group that helps us understand or make sense of our position in society relative to other groups

party

a group that is similar to a small group but is multifocal

According to Simmel's theory of groups, what is the difference between a party and a large group?

a party has no formal structure

social network

a set of relations, essentially a set of dyads, held together by ties between individuals

What is the "iron law" of the triad?

a triad contains three actual (not just possible) relationships

in-group

another term for the powerful group, most often the majority

out-group

another term for the stigmatized or less powerful group, the minority

organization

any social network that is defined by a common purpose and has a boundary between its membership and the rest of the social world

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?

connection through a small number of steps is a general characteristic of networks

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 (super connectors) through whom most connections run.

false

secondary groups

groups marked by impersonal, instrumental relationships (those existing as a means to an end)

A student in a large lecture class discovers that some 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. Identify the likely and unlikely responses to this invitation, according to Solomon Asch's study of group norms.

likely response: - He will be more likely to join the group if it is quite large or if many of his friends are involved. unlikely responses: - He is more likely to join the group if he has cheated in the past. - He will definitely join the group only if the majority of the class is involved, but not otherwise.

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 group: - limited, enduring membership - ends in themselves secondary group: - impersonal - instrumental in purpose - open-ended, contingent membership

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

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

how does Gaddis describe the relationship between social capital and cultural capital in his study?

social capital provided access to cultural capital

elastic ties

social connections that display the repeated interactions characteristic of strong ties while maintaining a degree of protective social distance (not knowing more than a first name, if that)

primary groups

social groups, such as family or friends, composed of enduring, intimate face-to-face relationships that strongly influence the attitudes and ideals of those involved

tie

the connection between two people in a relationship that varies in strength from one relationship to the next; a story that explains our relationship with another member of our network

embeddedness

the degree to which social relationships are reinforced through indirect ties (friends of friends)

social capital

the information, knowledge of people, and connections that help individuals enter, gain power in, or otherwise leverage social networks

mediator

the member of a triad who attempts to resolve conflict between the other two actors in the group

tertilus gaudens

the member of a triad who benefits from conflict between the other two members of the group

strength of weak ties

the notion that relatively weak ties often turn out to be quite valuable because they yield new information

divide et impera

the role of a member of a triad who intentionally drives a wedge between the other two members of the group

organizational culture

the shared beliefs and behaviors within a social group; often used interchangeably with corporate culture

narrative

the sum of stories contained in a set of ties

organizational structure

the ways in which power and authority are distributed within an organization

Identify the true and false statements about Wade and Bogle's findings about the sex lives of college students in recent decades.

true statements: - Many college students try to avoid long-term commitments. - Fewer college students are having sex now than in the recent past. false statements: - College students prefer having girlfriends or boyfriends over "friends with benefits." - College students show little sexual interest in their peers.

Identify the true and false statements about the "romantic leftovers" rule that Bearman and colleagues discovered when studying the dating lives of teens.

true statements: - Students did not date the ex of their ex's current boyfriend or girlfriend. - Students never directly described the romantic leftovers rule. false statements: - Bearman's discovery was based off teens' interpretation of their dating lives. - Only some students followed the romantic leftovers rule.

Identify the true and false statements about what sociologist Stacy Torres calls "elastic ties."

true statements: - They are neither strong nor weak ties. - They involve maintaining a degree of social distance. - They occur among people who have frequent contact. false statements: - They involve the exchange of money or goods and services. - They involve sharing intimate information about ones' lives.

Identify the true and false statements about what sociologists consider to be "the strength of weak ties."

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

What is the definition of interlocking directorates?

two governing boards have one or more members in common

Identify each hypothetical tie as either uniplex or multiplex .

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