SOCI 1302 Reading Smartbook Chapter 3

Select all that apply Ethnocentrism can be expressed in many ways. Which of the following statements express ethnocentric perspectives? (Select all that apply.)

"My culture and way of life are better than all others." "You do not practice my culture and way of life, so you are not normal."

Who theorized that over hundreds of generations, random variations in genetic makeup helped certain members of species survive in particular environments?

Charles Darwin

One advantage of being a part of a society is that many day-to-day interactions and cultural patterns are assumed. Which would not be included among examples of assumed cultural patterns in American society?

Doctors will disclose personal information about their patients.

What is an advantage of the social transmission of culture?

Each generation can learn from previous generations.

True or false: Cultural values are uniformly shared among all members of a society.

False

True or false: Marrying for love is a universal norm in all cultures.

False

_______ norms generally have been written down and specify strict punishments for violators.

Formal

In a culture that views private property as a basic value, what is likely to happen if someone is caught stealing valuable private property?

Formal sanctions will be imposed.

Why is it important not to use gender-specific job titles?

Gender-specific job titles imply that only one gender can hold the jobs.

______ norms are understood but not precisely recorded and may carry no specific sanctions.

Informal

Select all that apply For a norm to become significant, it should meet which two criteria?

It should be widely understood. It should be widely shared.

Sociologist George Ritzer used the term ______ to describe how principles of fast-food restaurants have influenced other sectors of life throughout the world.

McDonaldization

The melding of cultures, leading to increasing similarities in cultural expression, is an aspect of

McDonaldization.

Select all that apply Which are examples of culture lag?

People think Cathy is odd, because she has been wearing the same beehive hairdo and tie-dyed clothing since she graduated from high school in 1965. Numerous people in their 60s and 70s are still watching movies on VHS tapes instead of switching to DVDs.

Select all that apply Which of the following answers match the functionalist perspective on the effects of culture on society?

Social stability requires a consensus and the support of society's members. Cultural traits will persist if they serve a necessary purpose for society.

______ apply Darwin's theory of natural selection to the study of social behavior.

Sociobiologists

______ is founded on the work of Charles Darwin and his theory of evolution.

Sociobiology

Select all that apply Which of the following are aspects of Darwin's theory of evolution that sociobiologists accept?

The advantageous genes of species are passed on to succeeding generations. The fittest of the species will survive.

Select all that apply Which of the following are aspects of Darwin's theory of evolution that sociobiologists accept?

The fittest of the species will survive. The advantageous genes of species are passed on to succeeding generations.

How would cultural relativism impact outsiders' views of the practice of bullfighting in a society that allows it?

They would recognize that different social contexts have different norms and values from their own cultures.

True or false: The expression of cultural universals may change dramatically over time.

True

______ influence people's behavior, serve as criteria for evaluating the actions of others, and comprise a culture's shared ideas of what is good.

Values

Which of the following is an informal sanction?

a compliment

A subculture is

a segment of society that shares a distinctive pattern of customs, rules, and traditions that differs from the larger society.

The most essential element in natural selection is

a species adapting to the environment through random genetic variation -- adaptation.

Select all that apply Language can be defined as which of the following? (Select all that apply.)

an abstract system of word meanings and symbols for all aspects of the culture a system that includes speech, written characters, symbols, and nonverbal behaviors the foundation of all cultures

A specialized language that distinguishes a subculture from the wider society is called

an argot.

One example of changing norms in U.S. culture is

an increased acceptance of gay, lesbian, and bisexual people.

A list of cultural universals would include such practices as cooking, funeral ceremonies, medicine, and

athletic sports.

Having a common culture assumes that cultural patterns reflect

basic values, beliefs, and customs of the culture.

Culture is the totality of learned, socially transmitted customs, knowledge, material objects, and

behavior.

Which of the following is an example of violating a formal norm because it conflicts with an informal one?

committing a crime as part of a gang initiation

Which theorists argue that the dominant ideology maintains the privileges of certain social groups who act in their own self-interest to keep others in subservient positions?

conflict theorists

A group that conspicuously and deliberately opposes certain aspects of the larger culture is known as a(n)

counterculture.

Ethnocentrism refers to evaluating other cultures in terms of one's own culture, whereas ______ means viewing other cultures on their own terms.

cultural relativism

When we attempt to understand another society's culture and not dismiss it as "weird" or "exotic," we are practicing

cultural relativism.

Public policy debates over such issues as abortion, religious expression, and gun control are examples of the clash in society known as ______ war.

culture

Resistance to technological change is an example of

culture lag.

The period of maladjustment when the nonmaterial culture is struggling to adapt to changes in material conditions is known as

culture lag.

When first arriving in Great Britain, American tourists who can't get used to cars going down the "wrong" side of the street are experiencing mild

culture shock.

People are not born knowing how to hug or how to wink. These types of actions are learned from people who share the same

culture.

Sociologists consider both a portrait by Rembrandt and the work of graffiti spray painters to be aspects of

culture.

Select all that apply Which of the following define the unique culture of a society? (Select all that apply.)

customs values knowledge

Nonmaterial culture includes

customs, beliefs, and ways of using objects.

Select all that apply Which of the following examples can reflect a society's values even though they might not be shared by everyone? (Select all that apply.)

democracy good health home ownership

Nonverbal communication behavior, including the meaning of hand signals and various body movements,

differs from culture to culture.

The process by which a cultural item is spread from society to society is known as cultural

diffusion

The term ______ refers to the effect cultural expressions and practices have on the traditions and customs of the societies exposed to them.

diffusion

The emergence of sushi in the United States and of Ford cars in China illustrates the rapidly expanding trends of globalization and cultural

diffusion.

Select all that apply Culture shock often includes which of the following feelings?

disorientation uncertainty

Select all that apply A subculture may develop a distinct, specialized language that does which of the following?

establishes communication patterns and words that outsiders cannot understand provides cohesion and identity within the group distinguishes the subgroup from the wider society

When U.S. leaders assumed that Iraqis would adapt to democratic reforms following the U.S. invasion in 2003, they did not take into account how Iraqi cultural values differed from U.S. values. What mistake did U.S. planners make?

ethnocentrism

Hindus in India view cows as sacred. Consequently, many find the American practice of slaughtering cattle for food immoral or abhorrent. In this example, Hindus are demonstrating

ethnocentrism.

The tendency to view one's own culture and way of life as normal and superior to all others is called

ethnocentrism.

Informal norms that govern everyday behavior are called

folkways.

According to sociobiologists, human behavior is determined by

genetic factors.

A U.S. corporation relocating part of its workforce to another country to save on labor costs while continuing to produce the same goods and services is an example of which of the following?

globalization

Critics often point to the fact that ______ might lead to a loss of cultural diversity in the world as people in developing nations lose their traditional values, forms of dress, and native language and begin to identify with the culture of more dominant nations.

globalization

Dominant ideology is a set of cultural beliefs and practices that

helps to maintain powerful social, economic, and political interests.

What is the term for the process of introducing a new idea or object to a culture?

innovation

Sociologists recognize discovery and invention as the two forms of cultural

innovation.

When people combine existing cultural items into forms that did not exist before, what are they creating?

inventions

The automobile, the smart phone, and democracy are all examples of

inventions.

Mores regulate behavior that

is important to the welfare of a society.

If a corporation employs questionable accounting techniques to improve its financial statements, it might violate society's norms, but

it may be adhering to the norms of a particular group.

Which of the following underlies cultural variations and is the foundation of every culture?

language

A formal norm that is enforced by the state is called a

law.

According to Theodor Adorno's theory of the culture industry, the primary effect of popular culture is to

limit people's choices.

Norms are known as ______ when classified by their relative importance to society.

mores and folkways

The process of adaptation to the environment through random genetic variation is called

natural selection.

Giving a teammate a high-five following a winning game is one example of ______ communication.

nonverbal

Changing state and federal laws demonstrate a change of long-standing societal

norms.

Over the past 50 years, which value has shown the greatest increase in popularity among newly enrolled college students?

obtaining material wealth

Select all that apply Countercultures are primarily composed of which of the following? (Select all that apply.)

people who live a lifestyle outside of the existing mainstream culture young people who can more easily adjust to new cultural standards

Regardless of their theoretical position, a majority of social scientists believe that

people's behavior rather than their genetic structure defines social reality.

Select all that apply If people go to a foreign country and practice cultural relativism, this means that they do which of the following?

place a priority on understanding other cultures practice value neutrality

The ability to use computers to "cut and paste" material from the Internet into student papers has led to a rise in

plagiarism.

Select all that apply Which of the following job titles reveal gender stereotyping?

policeman mailman

In the United States during the 1960s, a large subculture developed that questioned materialistic values and did which of the following?

promoted such humanistic values as love, peace, and coexistence with nature

A ______ may be either a penalty for behavior that violates social norms or a reward for behavior that upholds them.

sanction

Select all that apply Because it is easy to take for granted the cultural practices of the society into which we are born, it can be surprising to realize that other cultures do which of the following? (Select all that apply.)

see our social practices as unusual consider as normal customs that seem strange to us

Select all that apply Members of a society do which of the following?

share culture through literature and art transmit culture from one generation to the next share a common culture

Sociobiologists apply Darwin's principle of natural selection to the study of

social behavior.

When a fairly large number of people live in the same territory, are relatively independent of people outside their area, and participate in a common culture, they constitute a(n)

society

The systematic study of how biology affects human social behavior is called

sociobiology

According to German philosopher Theodor Adorno, the culture industry

standardizes goods and services demanded by consumers.

Select all that apply Culture influences human behavior through a "tool kit" of which of the following?

styles habits skills

What is a group with norms and values different from those of the larger culture?

subculture

How do feminists describe the way women are viewed and treated in a male-dominated society?

subservient and inferior to men

What is the term for gestures, objects, and words that form the basis of human communication?

symbols

Which of the following transmits culture and accelerates the diffusion of scientific innovation?

technology

"Cultural information about the ways in which the material resources of the environment may be used to satisfy human needs and desires" is sociologist Gerhard Lenski's definition of

technology.

Select all that apply Sociobiologists assert a genetic basis for many nearly universal cultural traits, including which of the following?

the expectation that women will be nurturers the expectation that men will be providers

Material culture includes

the physical or technological aspects of daily life.

The term culture war can best be defined as

the polarization of society over controversial cultural elements.

When sociologists speak of norms, they are referring to

the standards of behavior that are established and maintained by a society.

When sociologists use the term culture, they are referring to which of the following? (Select all that apply.)

the unique artifacts that are found in every society the customs, knowledge, and behavior that every society has

Conflict theorists worry about the sociobiological approach being used in which of the following ways?

to justify a reduction in assistance for disadvantaged people

Cultural diffusion can occur through which of the following means?

tourism mass media international business

A cultural ______ is a common practice or belief that exists in every culture.

universal

What is the sociological term for a culture's collective conceptions of what is good, desirable, and proper?

values

In the United States, texting during a religious sermon at a church meeting

violates an informal norm.

Culture lag refers to

when nonmaterial culture is struggling to adapt to new conditions.

Countercultures typically thrive among younger members of a society because

young people are less invested in the existing culture.