SOC100 - Exam 1 Ball State University

What is individual-level thinking?

Attributing your opinions in your own internal personal preferences

What is a sociological imagination?

- a skill psychology classes in to install in students
- the ability to recognize the impact of social forces on an individual's decision

Individual-Level Thinking

Attributing our reactions, opinions, desires and behaviors to internal, personal preferences.

Sociological Imagination

The ability to recognize broad social forces influence the decisions of individuals.

Sociological Thinking

Attributing, at least in part, our reactions, opinions, desires and behaviors to outside societal influences.

Attributing our reactions, opinions, desires, behaviors, and so forth to internal, personal preferences is an example of:

individual-level thinking

One of the goals of Sociology is:

to help students develop a sociological imagination

Attributing our reactions, opinions, desires, behaviors and so forth to societal influences is an example of:

Sociological thinking

Pam is walking along the streets of Chicago and she sees a homeless man sleeping on a park bench. She shudders and thinks to herself, "What a lazy bum." Her reaction is an example of what?

Individual-level thinking

While studying abroad in Thailand, Jeff is offered a plate of deep-fried insects for lunch. He politely refuses but thinks to himself, "Yuck! How could anyone eat that? I'm not going to try that. I know already I wouldn't like it." Jeff's reaction is an example of what?

- the culture he was raised in
- individual-level thinking

While traveling in Peru, Mary encounters the Matses people. Members of this Amazonian tribe often have facial tattoos, red face paint around their eyes, and nose piercings consisting of very long, thin, reed-like objects that fan out along both sides of their noses like cat whiskers. Mary posts several pictures of the Matses to social media, but she is dismayed by the comments that people leave, including things suggesting the Matses are weird, ugly, odd, and "cat people." Eventually, she posts a response of her own: "I think the negative comments about the Matses are unfair. Their tattoos and piercings seem weird to you because they are unfamiliar. But, if you think about American body art practices, we too have a desire to decorate ourselves. The specific expression of this desire by the Matses may differ from our specific cultural practices, but at the end of the day, many of us wear face paint (especially women), many of us have piercings, and many of us have tattoos." Mary's remarks are an example of what?

- it is an example of sociological thinking and sociological imagination

Assume for a moment that the doctor in the picture is your physician. Your friend is looking for a new doctor and he asks you for a recommendation. You say, "Oh, I have an excellent doctor! Great bedside manner, easy to get along with, always gives me plenty of time when I'm in the office. Let me get their number." Does this description of your doctor highlight their ascribed or achieved status?

Achieved Statuses

Imagine that you typically babysit for the child in this picture but you've had a conflict come up and can't make it this week. His parent is now in a bit of a bind because she can't afford to miss work and she doesn't have anyone else to watch her son. She remarks to you, "Well, maybe I can just let him come home from school on his own this week. If I give him the garage door opener, he can let himself in the house and just watch TV until I get home. He's very well-behaved and responsible. I can trust him to be alone for 30 minutes." You are shocked by this suggestion because you think the child is far too young to come home on his own. Which of the child's statuses is contributing to your reaction?

Master Statuses

Imagine that the police officer in this picture just pulled over your best friend and gave him a ticket for speeding. Laughing at your friend, you quickly pull out your smartphone and put up a social media post: "Haha - Jordan just got pulled over by a lady cop and got a ticket!" Which type of status is being highlighted in your post?

Ascribed Statuses

You are a huge fan of Denzel Washington and you've wanted to meet him for years. You just got your chance by scoring tickets to a meet-and-greet but when you arrive you get totally tongue-tied and can't speak. Are you reacting primarily to his ascribed or master status?

Master Statuses

Imagine that your older sibling just gave birth to or adopted the baby in this picture. You are now an aunt or an uncle. Is this an ascribed or achieved status for you?

Ascribed Statuses

Susan is a college biology professor. She's been asked by her department chairperson to submit a required committee report by tomorrow at 9am, but she's also promised her students she will get their lab reports back to them tomorrow and she hasn't started grading them yet. Susan starts to worry she won't be able to meet both of her job obligations on time.

Role Strain

To meet her obligations to the department and her students, Susan works late in her office to finish the report and then heads home intending to grade the lab reports after her children go to bed. However, she arrives home to find that her nine month old child is running a fever, is crabby, and is generally acting very clingy - he cries whenever Susan to tries to put him down. Feeling frustrated, Susan calls a friend and exclaims, "How am I going to get my grading done now? Kyle isn't feeling well, he needs me to hold him, and I want to give him the comfort he needs, but I also promised my students I would get these grades done. I just can't keep up!"

Role Conflict

Michael has been dating his girlfriend, Kelly, for about three months and had been nervously looking forward to meeting her parents for the first time in two weeks. However, his dad called today and announced that he was planning a surprise birthday party for Michael's uncle on that same weekend. Now Michael's dad is pressuring him to attend the party and Kelly is insisting he keep the plans with her parents.

Role Conflict

Kiesha needs to take her cat to the vet but the only open appointment conflicts with the time she's already scheduled to take her dog to obedience class. What is Kiesha experiencing?

role strain

Juan is racing to meet the next day's project deadline at work. Unexpectedly, his boss drops a stack of papers on his desk and says she needs them filed immediately. Juan's stress level rises markedly as he realizes there's no way he can complete both projects on time. What is Juan dealing with?

role strain

A female student in Soc 100 is asked to tell the class one of her statuses and roles. Which option below represents a correct answer on her part?

"Because I'm the first child to go to college, my mom wants me to call her everyday."

Lydia is the primary caretaker for her aging mother. As such, she takes her mom to her weekly doctor's appointment every Monday afternoon. But she just found out that next Monday her son has a field trip she's supposed to chaperone. What is Lydia experiencing?

role conflict

role strain

Discomfort a person feels when the roles associated with a single status compete with each other.

role conflict

Discomfort a person feels when the roles associated with two or more statuses compete with each other.

Social Structure

Patterned social behaviors in society that are both created by people and shape people's actions.

ascribed status

Position a person occupies at birth or acquires later in life involuntarily.

roles

The expected behaviors associated with a given status.

master status

An ascribed or achieved status that becomes a defining feature of a person.

groups

Collections of people that come together for a purpose.

Institutions

Structures in society that are made up of individuals, meet a fundamental societal need, and govern the behavior of individuals that interact with them.

achieved status

Position a person occupies as a function of their own actions.

Stanley Milgram wanted to understand how German soldiers in Hitler's regime could be capable of the mass murder of millions of people. To answer this question he designed an experiment that shed light on ___________________.

- the power of statuses and roles

Why is it important to study sociology?

it helps us recognize how our actions are shaped by our environment

According to Lesson 2 in the Vizi, individual-level thinking is:

- attributing your opinions to your own internal personal preferences
- a valid and typical mode of thinking, but one that often fails to recognize the role of one's environment on his/her perceptions

Jack, who is wheelchair-bound, is upset because it seems as if his physical disability determines, nearly entirely, how others interact with him. Why might this be happening?

Jack's physical disability is a master status

Lesson 4 of the Vizi talks extensively about institutions. What are institutions?

- human creations
- organizations that meet a fundamental human need
- entities that constrain human behavior

According to Lesson 4 of the Vizi, social structure refers to:

Patterned social behaviors in society that are both created by people and shape people's actions.

In order to join an elite fraternity on campus, pledges are required to undergo a ritual beating from current fraternity members. Although several current members are uncomfortable with the practice, they do participate in the event with this year's new pledges. Why might they do that?

group pressure

Andre is the head chef at a posh Chicago restaurant. "Chef" is Andre's _________.

status

Kevin is a world-class chef. He is well-known for his creative use of ingredients and he is sought-after by cooking shows. "Chef" is Kevin's ____________.

achieved status

The political system, education system, and legal system are examples of what?

- Institutions
- social roles

Jill really wants to go out with her friends on Thursday night for "Thirsty Thursday," but she has a huge chemistry exam on Friday morning. When Katelyn arrives at her dorm room to pick her up for the evening, she exclaims, "Ugh, I just don't know what to do! I want to go but I have a test to study for!" What is Jill experiencing?

role conflict

Which of the following is an example of an ascribed and a master status?

race

Which of the following accurately describes social structure?

- Patterned social behaviors in society that are both created by people and shape people's actions
- Exemplified by institutions
- Routinized behaviors that take on a life of their own and become so taken for granted that they come to be seen as "just the way things are done"

Melanie, who is a lifeguard, recently pulled an unconscious four year old from a pool and revived her using CPR. Grateful that their daughter was saved, the parents touted Melanie as a "Hero." Being modest, however, Melanie said her actions "were just an expectation of the job." Melanie's justification for her actions was based upon which of the following concepts?

role

In order to join an elite sorority on campus, pledges are required to undergo a brutal ritual involving large quantities of alcohol and no access to a restroom. Although current sorority members remember hating the experience, they continue to use the practice with new pledges. Why might they do that?

group dynamics

Which of the following exemplifies role strain?

Rachel is a college professor who is finding it difficult to find time to prep her classes and attend all the committee meetings on her calendar

Institutions are:

Structures that govern the behavior of individuals

Which of the following are master statuses?

- age
- race
- gender

Social Sanctions

Mechanisms we use to encourage conformity with norms; can be positive or negative, formal or informal.

subculture

Smaller groups within wider society that have distinctive practices.

deviance

a violation of a norm

Folkway

Conventional ways of doing things.

more

Norms that are vital to society's well-being.

culture

Patterns of thinking, feeling, and acting that are passed from one generation to the next.

values

Standards by which we judge our lives and the actions of others.

Ethnocentrism

The tendency to judge another culture by your culture's standards.

nonmaterial culture

The intangible aspects of our social world that shape our perceptions and behaviors.

norms

Culturally-defined rules of conduct.

social control

Processes we use in society to regulate human behavior.

Material Culture

The tangible aspects of our social world that shape our perceptions and behaviors.

As you sightsee in Italy, you begin to notice that store patrons seem to consistently know you are an American even without you saying anything to them. Eventually you ask someone how it is they know you are an American. "It is because of your baseball cap - I see those on lots of Americans," says one female store owner. What is the woman using to assess your citizenship?

material culture

Which of the following acts are deviant?

ten-inch finger nails

murder is:

- violation of a norm
- violation of a more

Jason was playing kickball with his classmates during recess, but when he got tagged out, he starting stomping around and screaming that no one was playing fair. His classmates scoffed at him, gave him a dirty look, and opted to end the game entirely and go to a different part of the playground. These actions by Jason's classmates exemplify what?

informal social sanctions

Which of the following are examples of social control?

- norms
- positive social sanctions
- informal social sanctions

Penny makes sure that she votes in every election. She argues that, "The right to vote is an important freedom in our lives and we should exercise it." What is informing Penny's perspective on voting?

- nonmaterial culture
- values

Bill is visiting a Japanese restaurant for the first time and when he finds out that sushi is raw fish he wrinkles up his nose and exclaims, "Ewwww. Who could eat that? Yuck!." What is Bill's reaction an example of?

ethnocentrism

social sanctions...

- encourage conformity with norms
- can be positive
- are sometimes informal

Janice dyed her blond hair blue right before prom - she wanted it to match her dress. However, kids at school were shocked to see her hair, prompting giggles and pointing. Why were the kids at school reacting in these ways?

Janice violated a folkway

Why is culture important?

- It shapes a person's behaviors
- It influences a person's perspectives on the world
- It is passed from one generation to another

A young American woman refuses to shave her legs or armpits. This is a violation of _____________.

Norms

The Crash Course video on culture discussed a variety of types of culture, including something that is called "low" culture. What's another name for low culture:

popular culture

American women are expected to shave their legs and armpits. This is an example of a ______________.

folkway

Members of nudist camps exemplify which of the following forms of culture?

subculture

Imagine that a police officer just pulled over your best friend and gave him a ticket for speeding. Laughing at your friend, you quickly pull out your smartphone and put up a social media post: "Haha - Jordan just got pulled over by a LADY cop and got a ticket!" Which type of status or statuses is being highlighted by your emphasis on LADY?

- ascribed and master statuses

The Nacirema represent which cultural group?

Americans

In the US we value "basic human rights." What type of culture does that exemplify?

nonmaterial culture

Prohibitions against theft are an example of:

mores

_____________ is an example of mainstream culture while ____________ is an example of a subculture.

social media; wearing a cowboy hat

A study was done to see if different tire treads affect the braking distance of a car. What is the dependent variable?

Braking distance

The time it takes to run a mile depends on the person's running speed. What is the independent variable?

Running Speed

Students measured the temperature of the water at different depths in Lake Skywalker and found that the temperature varied. What was the dependent variable?

Temperature

The higher the temperature in an oven, the faster a cake will bake.What is the independent variable?

Temperature

The number of lemons produced by a lemon tree increases when the tree receives more water.
This represents a researcher's:

hypothesis

A researcher wants to study the impact of online learning on college students. Which of the following represents the researcher's question?

Is online learning good or bad for college students?

The Crash Course Video about research methods talked about the fact that researchers must get informed consent from their research subjects and they must get permission from an institutional review board to conduct research. What are these requirements associated with?

research ethics

Students who are involved with campus organizations have been found to be more satisfied with their college experience. Satisfaction with the college experience is the ____________.

dependent variable

If you want to conduct a survey using a snowball sample, which of the following procedures should you follow?

Ask each person you interview to recommend names of other potential interviewees

After analyzing some data in his stats class, Peter finds that higher rates of ice cream consumption are associated with higher rates of crime. Based on this, he concludes that ice cream should be banned because eating it clearly causes crime. Peter's conclusion is:

based on a spurious association

Chinsook is interested in studying how the Korean language has changed since the 17th century. Which data collection method should she use?

existing documents

In an experiment, who is exposed to the independent variable?

experimental group

Students who are involved with campus organizations have been found to be more satisfied with their college experience. Campus involvement is the ____________.

Independent variable

Which data analysis method involves transforming gathered information into numbers?

quantitative

Susie is in Soc 100 and wants to find out if children that are multiples have good or bad social skills. Susie says that children born with siblings, such as twins, triplets, etc. will have much better social skills than those who are singletons. What is this an example of?

hypothesis

Which of the following lists represents the steps of social research in the correct order?

Explore literature, Gather your data, Analyze your data