Topic 5

Which sociological perspective would be most likely to focus on the functions of the mass media in conferring status on people, organizations, and public issues? Select one: a. functionalist perspective b. conflict perspective c. interactionist perspective d. feminist perspective

a. functionalist perspective

Ascribed statuses may be based on an individual's Select one: a. race, gender, and age. b. age, educational achievements, and gender. c. employment status, age, and race. d. gender, race, and social class.

a. race, gender, and age.

Which term is used by sociologists to refer to a set of expectations for people who occupy a given social position or status? Select one: a. social role b. structural role c. achieved role d. ascribed role

a. social role

The African American activist Malcolm X wrote in his autobiography that his position as a Black man, a(n) _______________ status, was an obstacle to his dream of becoming a lawyer, a(n) _____________ status.

ascribed, achieved

Max Weber developed a(n) ________________ of bureaucracy, which reflects the most characteristic aspects of all human organizations.

ideal type

In studying the social behavior of word processors in a Chicago law firm, sociologist Mitchell Duneier drew on the ___________ perspective.

interactionist

The ___________ perspective examines the media on the micro level to see how they shape day-to-day social behavior.

interactionist

According to Émile Durkheim, societies with a minimal division of labor are characterized by _________ solidarity, while societies with a complex division of labor are characterized by _____ solidarity.

mechanical, organic

Hunting and gathering societies

A preindustrial society in which people rely on whatever foods and fibers are readily available in order to live.

Ascribed status

A social position "assigned" to a person by society without regard for the person's unique talents or characteristics.

achieved status

A social position attained by a person largely through his or her own efforts.

Negotiated order

A social structure that derives its existence from the social interactions through which people define and redefine its character.

Industrial society

A society that depends on mechanization to produce its goods and services.

Master status

A status that dominates others and thereby determines a person's general position within society.

Which term refers to the relative lack of access to technology among low-income groups, racial and ethnic minorities, rural residents, and citizens of developing countries? A: digital divide B: culture lag C: cultural convergence D: narcotizing dysfunction

A: digital divide

One positive consequence of bureaucracy is that it reduces bias. Reduction of bias results from which characteristic of a bureaucracy? A: impersonality B: hierarchy of authority C: written rules and regulations D: employment based on technical qualifications

A: impersonality

What occurs when incompatible expectations arise from two or more social positions held by the same person? A: role conflict B: role strain C: role exit D: both a and b

A: role conflict

Which sociological perspective argues that the present organization of social institutions is no accident? A: the functionalist perspective B: the conflict perspective C: the interactionist perspective D: the global perspective

A: the functionalist perspective

Group

Any number of people with similar norms, values, and expectations who interact with one another.

In sociological terms, what do we call any number of people with similar norms, values, and expectations who interact with one another on a regular basis? A: a category B: a group C: an aggregate D: a society

B: a group

Sociologist Paul Lazarsfeld and his colleagues pioneered the study of A: the audience. B: opinion leaders. C: the media's global reach. D: media violence.

B: opinion leaders.

Gatekeeping, the process by which a relatively small number of people control what material reaches an audience, is least dominant in which of the following media? A: television B: the Internet C: publishing D: music

B: the Internet

Sociologist Robert Park studied how newspapers helped immigrants to the United States adjust to their environment by changing their customary habits and by teaching them the opinions held by people in their new home country. His study was conducted from which sociological perspective? A: the functionalist perspective B: the conflict perspective C: the modernist perspective D: the dramaturgical perspective

B: the conflict perspective

Which sociological perspective is especially concerned with the media's ability to decide what gets transmitted through gatekeeping? A: the functionalist perspective B: the conflict perspective C: the interactionist perspective D: the dramaturgical perspective

B: the conflict perspective

Which of the following is not true concerning how men and women use the Internet? A: Men are more likely to use the Internet daily. B: Women are more likely to use e-mail to maintain friendships. C: Men account for 100 percent of players in online sports fantasy leagues. D: Men are slightly more likely to have ever used the Internet than women are.

C: Men account for 100 percent of players in online sports fantasy leagues.

From the functionalist perspective, the media can be dysfunctional in what way? A: They enforce social norms. B: They confer status. C: They desensitize us to events. D: They are agents of socialization.

C: They desensitize us to events.

Social control in what Ferdinand Tönnies termed a Gemeinschaft community is maintained through all but which of the following means? A: moral persuasion B: gossip C: legally defined punishment D: gestures

C: legally defined punishment

The Shakers, a religious sect that came to the United States in 1774, has seen their group's membership diminish significantly due to their inability to A: teach new recruits. B: preserve order. C: replace personnel. D: provide and maintain a sense of purpose.

C: replace personnel.

In the United States, we expect that cab drivers will know how to get around a city. This expectation is an example of which of the following? A: role conflict B: role strain C: social role D: master status

C: social role

Gemeinschaft

Close-knit communities, often found in rural areas, in which strong personal bonds unite members.

Gesellschaft

Communities, often urban, that are large and impersonal, with little commitment to the group or consensus on values.

Ascribed status

Conflict theorists are interested in me since I often reflect a person's membership in a subordinate group.

Which of the following is not a problem feminist theorists see with media coverage? A: Women are underrepresented, suggesting that men are the cultural standard and that women are insignificant. B: Men and women are portrayed in ways that reflect and perpetuate stereotypical views of gender. C: Female athletes are treated differently from male athletes in television commentary. D: The increasing frequency of single moms in the media is providing a negative role model for women.

D: The increasing frequency of single moms in the media is providing a negative role model for women.

voluntary association

My importance is increasingly being recognized.

Social institutions

One way to understand me is to see how I fulfill essential functions.

Horticultural societies

Preindustrial societies in which people plant seeds and crops rather than subsist merely on available foods.

According to the Peter principle, A: all bureaucracies are notoriously inefficient. B: if something can go wrong, it will. C: every employee within a hierarchy tends to rise to his or her level of incompetence. D; all line workers get burned in the end.

C: every employee within a hierarchy tends to rise to his or her level of incompetence.

The U.S. Postal Service, the Boston Pops orchestra, and the college or university in which you are currently enrolled as a student are all examples of A: primary groups. B: reference groups. C: formal organizations. D: triads.

C: formal organizations.

Media advertising has several clear functions, but it also has dysfunctions. Sociologists are concerned that A: it creates unrealistic expectations of what is required to be happy. B: it creates new consumer needs. C: advertisers are able to influence media content. D: all of the above

D: all of the above

There are problems inherent in the socialization function of the media. For example, many people worry about A: the effect of using the television as a babysitter. B: the impact of violent programming on viewer behavior. C: the unequal ability of all individuals to purchase televisions. D: both a and b.

D: both a and b.

Sociologist Daniel Bell uses which of the following terms to refer to a society whose economic system is engaged primarily in the processing and control of information? A: gathering B: horticultural C: industrial D: postindustrial

D: postindustrial

_____________________ _____________________ is the term used to describe the set of cultural beliefs and practices that helps to maintain powerful social, economic, and political interests.

Dominant ideology

Negotiation

I am a cultural universal.

Coalition

I may be intentionally short-lived.

Social Network

I may constrain you by limiting the range of your interactions, yet I can also empower you by making available to you vast resources.

Primary group

I play a pivotal role in both the socialization process and in the development of roles and statuses.

Reference

I serve a normative function by setting and enforcing standards of conduct and belief.

Focus Group

I was first developed by Merton and his colleagues at Columbia University in the 1940s.

Nearly 50 years ago, Canadian media theorist _________ predicted that the rise of the electronic media would create a "global village."

Marshall McLuhan

Role performance

The actual behavior of the person who occupies a status.

Agrarian society

The most technologically advanced form of preindustrial society. Members are primarily engaged in the production of food but increase their crop yield through such innovations as the plow.

Social Role

Viewed from a functionalist perspective, I contribute to a society's stability by enabling you to anticipate the behavior of others and to pattern your own actions accordingly.

Which of the sociological perspectives would more than likely take a positive view of the Internet, pointing to its manifest ability to facilitate communication? Select one: a. functionalist perspective b. global perspective c. interactionist perspective d. conflict perspective

c. interactionist perspective

William I. Thomas wrote from which perspective when observing that people respond not only to the objective features of a person or situation, but also to the meaning that person or situation has for them? Select one: a. functionalist perspective b. conflict perspective c. interactionist perspective d. feminist perspective

c. interactionist perspective

A master status is a Select one: a. category used by sociologists for any of the full range of socially defined positions within a large group or society. b. social position attained by a person largely through his or her own efforts. c. status that dominates others and thereby determines a person's general position within society. d. series of social relationships linking a person directly to others and therefore indirectly to still more people.

c. status that dominates others and thereby determines a person's general position within society.

The ___________ perspective contends that television distorts the political process.

conflict

Both __________ and _____________ theorists are troubled that the victims depicted in violent imagery are often those who are given less respect in real life: women, children, the poor, racial minorities, citizens of foreign countries, and even those who are physically disabled.

conflict, feminist

From a sociological point of view, the current controversy over censorship illustrates the concept of _______.

culture lag

The U.S. government was heavily criticized for which of the following media monitoring behaviors after the September 11, 2001, attacks? Select one: a. censoring college newspaper Internet content b. editing Clear Channel Radio news program broadcasts c. censoring ABC Nightly News reports d. authorizing wiretaps of U.S. citizens' telephone conversations

d. authorizing wiretaps of U.S. citizens' telephone conversations

Which of the sociological perspectives would express concern about those with power, whether media companies or governments, exercising control over what people can see and read? Select one: a. functionalist perspective b. global perspective c. interactionist perspective d. conflict perspective

d. conflict perspective

What is the term used for the set of cultural beliefs and practices that helps to maintain powerful social, economic, and political interests? Select one: a. gatekeeping b. surveillance function c. narcotizing dysfunction d. dominant ideology

d. dominant ideology

A group to which people feel they do not belong is called a(n) Select one: a. social network. b. primary group. c. reference group. d. out-group.

d. out-group.

We risk being __________ if we overstress U.S. dominance and assume that other nations do not play a role in media cultural exports.

ethnocentric

The media increase social cohesion by presenting a more or less standardized, common view of culture through mass communication. This statement reflects the __________ perspective.

functionalist

ul Lazarsfeld and Robert Merton created the term ___________ to refer to the phenomenon in which the media provide such massive amounts of information that the audience becomes numb and generally fails to act on the information, regardless of how compelling the issue.

narcotizing dysfunction

A(n) _________ society is a technologically sophisticated society that is preoccupied with consumer goods and media images.

postmodern

In many cases, people model their behavior after groups to which they may not belong. These groups are called _________ groups.

reference

Sociologist Helen Rose Fuchs Ebaugh developed the term _____________ to describe the process of disengagement from a role that is central to one's self-identity in order to establish a new role and identity.

role exit

_____________ groups often emerge in the workplace among those who share special understandings about their occupation.

secondary

The term ________________ refers to the way in which a society is organized into predictable relationships.

social structure

Sociologists blame the media for the creation and perpetuation of ___________, or generalizations about all members of a group that do not recognize individual differences within the group.

stereotypes

In Gerhard Lenski's theory of sociocultural evolution, a society's level of _______ is critical to the way it is organized.

technology