MCAT: Pyshc/Soc FSQ 2

When Mallory first sees Sam, she takes Sam's white coat to mean that Sam is a doctor (even though medical students also wear white coats). In relation to U.S. culture, a white coat can be described as a: A. symbol. B. ritual. C. social construct. D. stereotype.

A. symbol.

Which of the following correctly pairs each type of status with an accurate example of that status? 1.Achieved status: medical student 2.Ascribed status: female 3.Ascribed status: African American A. I only B. II and III only C. I, II, and III D. I and II only

C. I, II, and III ***An ascribed status is one that is not earned, but rather one that is determined by society

Residential segregation is often studied in an attempt to understand problematic health behaviors and subsequent health outcomes. Research on racial disparities in health and health care found that residential segregation contributes to health disparities through a complex mechanism: residential segregation contributes to intermediate disparities which, in turn, contribute to health disparities. Residential segregation contributes to health disparities because it has a direct effect on all of the following EXCEPT: A. disparities in health behaviors. B. disparities in environmental exposures. C. disparities in built environment. D. disparities in health care resources.

A. disparities in health behaviors.

Research has shown that poor children in the United States experience disproportionate exposure to living conditions with serious environmental hazards. This is referred to as environmental injustice. Which of the following describes environmental injustice? 1. Enduring social patterns have helped to cause and maintain the separation of social groups into different neighborhoods as a result of socioeconomic differences, as well as racial and ethnic differences. 2. Poorer communities in general experience greater negative environmental impacts, such as subjection to polluting industries, contaminated water and soil, and housing with deteriorating lead-based paint. 3. Environmental injustice contributes to the perpetuation of health disparities, such as disparities in the prevalence of asthma, cancer, and other diseases in both childhood and adulthood. A. II and III only B. I and II only C. I and III only D. II only

A. II and III only ***Item I is false: the separation of social groups into different neighborhoods is better described as residential segregation.

Which of the following is NOT an element of socioeconomic status? A. Popularity B. Privilege C. Wealth D. Power

A. Popularity

Alex and Pilar were both infected with the Chikungunya virus. While Alex had good health insurance and received excellent treatment for his condition, Pilar had to suffer the symptoms without medication because she could not afford and did not have health insurance. Which of the following would be concerned about this disparity in access to the healthcare system? A. Social epidemiology B. Feminism C. Social cognitive perspective D. Social constructionism

A. Social epidemiology ***Social epidemiology is interested in the distribution of health and disease within a given population.

Today in the U.S., many women earn salaries that are on a par with those of men. The fact that women are no longer socially or economically dependent on men has radically altered marriage and reproduction patterns. If the death rate were to exceed the birth rate, what is this known as? A. Sub-replacement fertility B. A population-lag effect C. Fecundity D. General fertility rate

A. Sub-replacement fertility *** -Sub-replacement fertility: when the death rate exceeds the birth rate and leads to each new generation being less populous than the one before -Population-lag effect refers to the fact that changes in total fertility rates are often not reflected in the birth rate for several generations until those female babies come of age to reproduce

A feminist theorist would be most interested in understanding: A. both the social structures involved in women's life and career satisfaction today, as well as the impact of gender differences on the home and work obligations for men and women today. B. how women today actively shape their careers through social interactions with colleagues. C. how different structures in society contribute to society at large. D. how women and men compete for limited resources in the workplace

A. both the social structures involved in women's life and career satisfaction today, as well as the impact of gender differences on the home and work obligations for men and women today.

Mallory's parents strongly oppose their daughter's sexual orientation. They may see non-heterosexual relationships as threatening important societal: A. mores. B. folkways. C. sanctions. D. formal norms.

A. mores. ***Mores can be either formal or informal, but what distinguishes them is that they are seen as highly important for the benefit of society and are strictly enforced -Folkways are to be contrasted with mores—they are customary ways of doing things that, when done, uphold the social order, but they do not invoke harsh penalties when violated -Sanctions are the penalties themselves -Formal norms are norms that are generally written down, such as laws

Drawing from the information contained in the passage (that she was sent to conversion therapy for being lesbian), what diagnosis was Sam able to reach following her conversation with Mallory? A. Panic disorder B. Conversion disorder C. Delusional disorder D. Somatization disorder

B. Conversion disorder ***conversion disorder is a type of somatoform disorder that is marked by a change in sensory or motor function that has no identifiable physiological cause. These disorders are often brought on by trauma, as one might experience following a serious family conflict

A neighborhood dad who coaches a Little League team registered the team under the name "the Indians" because a beloved local minor league team had the same name and he wanted to give the kids strong adult role models. When other team parents later objected, the dad was surprised; he had assumed that they agreed with him because no one had said anything before registration. What type of assumption did the dad make? A. Optimism bias B. False consensus C. Confirmation bias D. Belief bias

B. False consensus *** -Optimism bias: occurs when one believes that bad things only happen to others, not to themselves -Confirmation bias: a tendency to only search for information that confirms a previously held belief -Belief bias: is a type of bias that interferes with logical argumentation

Which of the following is NOT one of the recognized functions of family? A. Socialization B. Formal education C. Affection and companionship D. Protection

B. Formal education

Demographically, what refers to the number of live births per 1,000 women of childbearing age each year? A. Replacement level fertility B. General fertility rate C. Crude birth rate D. Fertility

B. General fertility rate *** -Replacement level fertility: the number of offspring that must be produced in order to replace people who have died in a given population -The crude birth rate is the annual number of live births per 1,000 people in a given population, as opposed to specifically women of childbearing age

The persistence of health disparities and other forms of inequality between Native American populations and the general U.S. population as noted in the passage is best described by which concept? A. Prejudice B. Institutional discrimination C. Scapegoating D. Racism

B. Institutional discrimination ***The disparities are long-standing, rooted in colonialism and have been made material in inferior living arrangements and health care systems, and can be best described as institutionalized

Which of the following are all social institutions? A. Economy, family, language, and medicine B. Medicine, religion, education, and family C. Government, language, religion, and economy D. Family, divorce, religion, and education

B. Medicine, religion, education, and family

Living conditions on reservations contributed to the prevalence and entrenchment of tuberculosis infection amongst Native Americans. A research study that emphasizes living conditions as a cause of tuberculosis instead of emphasizing the infection of the lungs by Mycobacterium tuberculosis would be an example of which concept: A. Medical model of disease B. Social model of disease C. Medicalization D. Illness experience

B. Social model of disease ***The social model of disease is attuned to the proximate causes of disease

In 2010, 28.4% of Native Americans living on reservations had incomes below the poverty threshold ($22,113 for a family of four, which is considered the minimum amount of money needed to secure basic life necessities in the US). This statistic represents a measure of: A. social stratification. B. absolute poverty. C. relative poverty. D. social capital.

B. absolute poverty. ***Absolute poverty is a measure of the bare minimum amount of money needed to secure basic life necessities

Two participants in a recent research study on the shared housing decisions of couples expressed their appreciation for their first home together: a studio apartment in a renovated warehouse in a popular urban center. However, the couple decided to tour available houses in some of the residential satellite communities in the peripheral area in preparation for their first child. This normative behavior has contributed to: A. urbanization and thus to urban growth. B. suburbanization and thus to urban decline. C. counter-urbanization and thus to urban decline. D. gentrification and thus to urban growth.

B. suburbanization and thus to urban decline. ***Suburbanization occurs as people move from urban areas to suburban areas. The expectation that families be raised in suburban rather than urban areas has contributed to urban decline.

Although Jake did a thorough physical exam, he presented Mallory's symptoms to Sam as if Mallory were faking her condition. Jake publicly espoused the values of patient care, but privately maligned the patient. This caused a conflict between overt and implicit values in education. The implicit function of education is known as: A. conflict theory. B. the hidden curriculum. C. teacher expectancy theory. D. the manifest curriculum.

B. the hidden curriculum ***The hidden curriculum comprises the latent values of education; most often the latent values become obvious when they are in conflict with the overt (or manifest) function of education. Here, the lesson from the hidden curriculum is that it is acceptable to be suspicious of patients and to find them bothersome -The lesson from the manifest curriculum is that doctors should always do thorough examinations of their patients

What is medicalization? A. A way to reduce the costs of medicine B. A way to provide better access to healthcare for lower-income individuals C. A social process whereby human conditions come to be defined and treated as medical conditions D. A medical process meant to standardize the practice of medicine

C. A social process whereby human conditions come to be defined and treated as medical conditions

Which of the following scenarios accurately describes an individual utilizing their social capital in order to obtain something? A. A young African American male college student participates in a special medical education program that specifically recruits underrepresented minorities to apply to medical and dental school. B. A young man who has inherited a large trust donates a substantial amount of money to a hospital, with the hopes that when he applies to medical school at the university affiliated with that hospital he will be accepted. C. A young woman interested in becoming a doctor asks her father, who is a surgeon, to call his colleague on the medical school admissions committee to see if he can help her prepare her application for medical school. D. A 30-year-old nurse decides that she wants to return to school to earn her MD; she is confident that her years of medical experience will help her do well in medical school.

C. A young woman interested in becoming a doctor asks her father, who is a surgeon, to call his colleague on the medical school admissions committee to see if he can help her prepare her application for medical school. ***Social capital is best defined as the social contacts that can benefit an individual in some way. In other words, when who you know can help you get what you want.

Which concept best describes the actions of European settlers towards Native Americans? A. Involuntary migration B. External migration C. Colonization D. Emigration

C. Colonization ***Colonization is a form of immigration where a group of people arrives in an already settled land and proceeds to dominate and exploit the indigenous peoples

Miss Smith places Juan, a new student from Colombia, in a remedial math class because she assumes he does not understand the material covered in the more advanced courses. However, Juan was actually in a much higher level math course in his home country and has always excelled in the subject. As a result of this incorrect categorization, which of the following is most likely to occur? A. Juan will feel challenged and will struggle to keep up with his assignments. B. Juan will feel challenged and work hard to impress his new teacher. C. Juan will not feel challenged and will simply do what he must to meet his teacher's expectations D. Juan will not feel challenged and will struggle to learn English.

C. Juan will not feel challenged and will simply do what he must to meet his teacher's expectations

Which of the following is NOT a right or an obligation of a sick person, according to sick role theory? A. The sick person is exempt from normal social roles. B. The sick person should seek treatment and cooperate with the medical professional. C. The sick person is responsible for not getting anyone else sick. D. The sick person should try to get well.

C. The sick person is responsible for not getting anyone else sick. ***Sick role theory includes two rights and two obligations of a sick person: the sick person is exempt from normal social roles , the sick person should seek treatment and cooperate with the medical professional, the sick person is not responsible for their condition, and finally, the sick person should try to get well. Choice C isn't included

Studies show that, at the primary school level, female students are called on less frequently in math and science classes than are male students, even by female teachers. Furthermore, teachers are almost always completely unaware that they are doing this. The concept that best accounts for this is: A. institutional discrimination. B. ageism. C. hidden curriculum. D. educational segregation.

C. hidden curriculum. ***The hidden curriculum is the unintentional lessons taught in school about norms, values, and beliefs.

Which of the following best describes a meritocracy? A. A society in which individual status is rigidly defined by birth; the class that one is born into is the class that they will remain in for life. B. A society where social mobility is rather limited and few people are capable of upward or downward social mobility. C. A society where individual accomplishment is important, but not as important as the class that one is born into, in terms of determining social status. D. A society in which individual status is based on ability and personal accomplishments, and any given individual is theoretically capable of upward (or downward) social mobility.

D. A society in which individual status is based on ability and personal accomplishments, and any given individual is theoretically capable of upward (or downward) social mobility.

Which of the following scenarios most clearly demonstrates role conflict? A. A doctor who has been practicing for ten years has decided to quit her job to pursue her true passion: art. She feels a fair amount of tension as she leaves the medical world to pursue her artistic aspirations. B. A first year medical student is struggling with medical ethics and with anatomy. He knows he needs to study for both, but doesn't have enough time to adequately dedicate to either subject before the respective exams for each. He feels conflicted about how much time to spend studying for each subject. C. A college student believes she wants to become a doctor, but has gotten poor grades in most of her pre-medical courses; therefore, she decides she'll pursue a law degree instead. D. An aspiring medical student feels he should spend the evening studying for the MCAT. But his best friend's 21st birthday is also today. He feels conflicted about whether to stay home and study or go out and celebrate with his friend.

D. An aspiring medical student feels he should spend the evening studying for the MCAT. But his best friend's 21st birthday is also today. He feels conflicted about whether to stay home and study or go out and celebrate with his friend. ***Role conflict occurs when there is tension between two different statuses with contradictory roles; in other words, the expectations for two roles conflict. An aspiring medical student would feel that their role should be to study, but as a best friend, they would feel that their role should be to celebrate their friend's birthday. Therefore, the role expectations for the two statuses differ

People who live in certain areas and regions in the U.S. have significantly lower lifespans than people who live elsewhere in the U.S. Which of the following is likely a factor contributing to disparities in life expectancy rates across the country? 1.Variable access to quality healthcare 2.Differences in obesity prevalence 3.Relative poverty levels A. I and III only B. I and II only C. II and III only D. I, II, and III

D. I, II, and III

Which of the following represents a conflict theory perspective on the relationship between Native Americans and the U.S. government? I. The U.S. government has helped Native Americans transition to a more complex form of society II. The U.S. government used war and conquest to assert its dominance over Native American communities III. The U.S. government, as a dominant group, maintains a system of inequality that continues to oppress Native American tribal nations A. I only B. II only C. I and II only D. II and III only

D. II and III only ***Item II is true: a conflict theory perspective would emphasize the use of war and conquest as forms of dominance. Item III is true: this is a more modern form of conflict theory that does not emphasize the economic basis of society, but rather looks at how inequalities between those with power and those without power are maintained

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of professions? A. Joining a profession requires special education B. Professions have a service orientation C. Professions are white-collar occupations D. Professionals are highly paid for their work

D. Professionals are highly paid for their work ***While the professional work is normally salaried and can be very lucrative, this is not true across the board

Demographic transition is defined as the transition from: A. lower to higher birth and death rates as a society becomes decreasingly based on manufacturing. B. lower to higher birth and death rates as a society becomes increasingly based on manufacturing. C. higher to lower birth and death rates as a society becomes decreasingly based on manufacturing. D. higher to lower birth and death rates as a society becomes increasingly based on manufacturing.

D. higher to lower birth and death rates as a society becomes increasingly based on manufacturing. ***Demographic transition describes the transition from overall higher to overall lower birth and death rates as a result of a country's industrialization

During medical school Sam will learn the beliefs and values of the medical profession. This process is known as: A. assimilation. B. amalgamation C. individuation. D. socialization.

D. socialization. *** Socialization: The process of learning the beliefs and values of a social group is Assimilation: groups leave their home cultures behind to adopt the culture of the group they co-exist with. Amalgamation: majority and minority groups combine to form a new group