Sociology Exam #1

Which of the following refers to a place where people are isolated from the rest of society for a set period of time and come under the control of the officials who run the institution?

A total institution

Which of the following terms was used by sociologist C. Wright Mills to refer to a small clique composed of top corporate, political, and military officials?

Bureaucracy

Which of the following terms refers to the ways in which an individual shows an awareness that another is present without making this person the object of particular attention?

Civil inattention

Few sociologists attempt to discover patterns or commonalities in human behavior (true or false)

False

Middle-income countries are nations with highly industrialized economies; technologically advanced industrial, administrative, and service occupations; and relatively high levels of national and personal income (true or false)

False

People engage in civil inattention in an elevator, regardless of where the elevator is located. This illustrates that meanings shared across situations serve to regulate the form and process of interaction, but not the content. Which of the following terms refers to this pattern?

Interaction order

Which of the following is a strength of the functionalist perspective on culture?

It focuses on the needs of society and the fact that stability is essential for society's continued survival.

Which of following is most likely to be a criticism of the conflict perspective on culture?

It largely focuses on societal discord and the divisiveness of culture.

Which of the following terms refers to the social cohesion of preindustrial societies, in which there is minimal division of labor and people feel united by shared values and common social bonds?

Mechanical solidarity

Which of the following terms refers to the social cohesion found in industrial societies in which people perform very specialized tasks and feel united by their mutual dependence?

Organic solidarity

Which of the following terms refers to a society in which technology supports a service- and information-based economy?

Postindustrial society

Which of the following includes our family, close friends, and school- or work-related peer groups?

Primary groups

Kevin, a sociologist, decides to study the relationship between stress and aggression. He develops a hypothesis and conducts an experiment with a group of participants to systematically gather data. After analyzing the results, Kevin concludes that there is a positive correlation between stress and violence. In this scenario, which of the following methods is Kevin using to test his hypothesis?

Research

Which of the following is a guideline set forth by the American Sociological Association's Code of Ethics for conducting research?

Researchers must attempt to maintain objectivity at all times

Which of the following occurs when people disengage from social roles that have been central to their self-identity?

Role exit

Who among the following sociologists is most likely to conduct a macrolevel analysis?

Rubin, who believes that a society is composed of institutions such as the family and the government that contribute to the stability of the society

Which of the following research methods requires researchers to use existing material and examine data that were originally collected by others?

Secondary analysis

Which of the following refers to a group's ability to maintain itself in the face of obstacles?

Social solidarity

In a study of education in the United States, who among the following theorists is likely to emphasize the daily activities of students and the various forms of communication between teachers and students?

Symbolic interactionists

A sociology student is asked to conduct quantitative research on a topic related to sociology as part of his final-year curriculum. The student decides to study racism and its causes and defines his research problem. In the context of the research process, which of the following steps should the student take next?

The student should review previous research on the chosen topic.

Which of the following perspectives focuses on the immediate reciprocally oriented communication between two or more people and the part that facial gestures, posture, tone of voice, and other gestures play in communication?

The symbolic interactionist perspective

According to sociologist Max Weber, rational bureaucracy, rather than class struggle, is the most significant factor in determining the social relations between people in industrial societies (true or false)

True

In an experiment, the experimental group contains the subjects who are exposed to an independent variable to study its effect on them.(true or false)

True

Sociology is considered a systematic study because sociologists apply both theoretical perspectives and research methods to examinations of social behavior (true or false)

True

Mikayla is told repeatedly that she is not a very good student. Eventually, she comes to believe it, puts in little effort in class, and receives a poor grade. This scenario illustrates the concept of__________.

a self-fulfilling prophecy

The significant difference between childhood socialization and adult socialization is that __________.

adult socialization involves greater freedom of choice than does childhood socialization

Samantha, a teenager, has a 69-year-old grandmother who lives with her. Despite the fact that Samantha's grandmother is very active and flexible in her thoughts and ideas, Samantha always assumes that she is slow and rigid. As a result, Samantha refuses to go for walks with her and does not share any personal information with her because she assumes that her grandmother will not be able to understand her. This scenario exemplifies the concept of __________.

ageism

According to Emile Durkheim, organic solidarity is __________.

characterized by interdependence and practical considerations

Biological inheritance is more important than social interaction in establishing an individual's characteristics. (true or false)

false

Brenda is a housekeeper who is supposed to stand in the presence of her employers as a sign of respect. Given this information, it can be said that Brenda is required to show __________.

deference

Brian has developed a hypothesis that the stress felt by single parents increases the probability of child abuse. In this case, child abuse will be considered the __________ .

dependent variable

Both Emile Durkheim and Ferdinand Tӧnnies __________.

developed typologies to explain changes in the social structure of societies

According to Erving Goffman, social interaction can be compared to a theatrical presentation in that an individual is an actor, observers are audiences, and interactions are guided by social scripts. The study of social interaction in this context is referred to as __________.

dramaturgical analysis

Automobiles provide transportation and independence. They also cause air pollution and contribute to global warming. Sociologist Robert K. Merton would consider these negative impacts the __________.

dysfunctions of automobiles

Carol Gilligan supported Kohlberg's model of moral development because it took into account the effects of gender on social and moral development. (true or false)

false

Two researchers affiliated with different universities decided to study the Amish. The first researcher moved into an Amish community for six months and observed the behavior and activities of the residents of that community. The second researcher moved into an Amish community and lived there for four years, participating in the residents' daily lives during this period. In this context, unlike the first researcher, the second researcher conducted a(n) __________.

ethnographic study

Most contemporary sociologists agree that nature, not culture and social learning, accounts for virtually all the behavior patterns of humans. (true or false)

false

Nonhuman animals can convey abstract concepts such as culture to their offspring because, like humans, they use signals that have variable meanings to convey past, present, or future situations. (true or flase)

false

Social structure is essential for society, but it is not an essential part of any particular individual's life. (true or false)

false

Statuses depend on the specific people occupying them, and the expectations attached to these positions vary over time. (true or false)

false

The most frequent form of child maltreatment is sexual abuse. (true or false)

false

A sociologist who is conducting a study on the relationship between social media use and narcissism formulates the following statement: Regular use of social media increases narcissism among people. This statement is a(n) __________.

hypothesis

Although some people see a global culture emerging, others fear that Western culture is dominating everywhere. This Westernization is a form of cultural __________.

imperialism

Alex was imprisoned for four years for arson. On the day he was taken into custody, he had to go through a degradation ceremony in which he was asked to strip, was searched by the prison guards, and was asked to wear the inmate uniform. Over time, the prison guards encouraged him to conform to institutional norms through a system of rewards and punishment. By the time Alex's prison sentence was over, he was rehabilitated. This scenario exemplifies __________.

involuntary resocialization

The purchase of wristbands that make a statement or support a cause is an example of a(n) __________.

object fad

Both Karl Marx and Max Weber were in agreement that economic conditions played a role in producing inequality in society. However, Max Weber also suggested two other sources of social inequality and conflict. These sources are __________.

power and prestige

A researcher who is conducting a study on how religious views impact the voting behavior of the elderly sends an e-mail with a questionnaire to all members of the population being studied. The people who complete the questionnaire and thereby provide data for analysis are called __________.

respondents

According to Durkheim, social solidarity in industrialized societies is sustained by __________.

shared dependence established through division of labor

The family, religion, education, the economy, the government (politics), mass media, sports, science and medicine, and the military are examples of __________.

social institutions

George, a sociologist, believes that people change and maintain culture through their daily communication with others. He also believes that people reinterpret their values and norms to determine the appropriate behavior for a specific situation. In the context of the major sociological perspectives, George is most likely a __________.

symbolic interactionist

A society is composed of people, whereas a culture is composed of beliefs, values, symbols, norms, language, and material possessions. (true or false)

true

A sociologist who believes that culture helps people achieve their biological, instrumental, and integrative needs is most likely to believe that shared values are essential for the maintenance of a society. (true or flase)

true

Denver is a lawyer, a son, a husband, a part-time writer, and a citizen of the United States. All these positions make up his status set. (true or false)

true

Even though the specifics of individual cultures vary widely, all cultures have four common nonmaterial cultural components: symbols, language, values, and norms. (true or false)

true

Most human behavior is influenced by social interaction. (true or false)

true

Piaget suggested that some children move through the stages of cognitive development more quickly than others. (true or false)

true

Roles are relational and are defined in the context of roles performed by others. For example, for an individual to perform the role of a mother, she must have one or more children. (true or false)

true

Wanda is a student who works as a part-time waitress at a local restaurant. She is embarrassed about having to wait tables, so she tries to make it clear to the customers that she is not interested in the job and is working at the restaurant merely to make some money until she graduates. In this case, Wanda is engaging in role distancing. (true or false)

true

The extent to which a study or research instrument accurately measures what it is supposed to measure is known as its __________.

validity

Joe has decided to join a monastery. At this monastery, he will have to maintain silence for eight hours a day, and he will have to fast on a regular basis. In this case, Joe will experience __________.

voluntary resocialization