Sociology 1000

**Which of the Two have Higher Suicide Rates?-Women vs Men**: On average, men are happier than women & have higher suicide rates. Reason- it is largely due to choosing more lethal tools or methods more likely to take one’s own life.

‘Men the age 65’ have a likelihood of suicide. & ‘Women the ages of 45-54’ have a likelihood of suicide. Done having kids, their children are going to college/leaving the house, the kids are all grown up.

**Which of the Two have Higher Suicide Rates?-Single vs Married**: single men have no one to lean on for support & suffer from loneliness. Reason- married men have a partner to turn to.

**Which of the Two have Higher Suicide Rates?-Less than college vs College degree**: those with a degree have higher suicide rates than people who do not have a college degree. Reason- The issue is with failed expectations, stress, frustration…

**Which of the Two have Higher Suicide Rates?-Black vs White**: higher suicide rates than black. Reason- expectations & more individualism in communities.

**Which of the Two have Higher Suicide Rates?-Poor vs Wealthy**: take for granted the things they have access to. Wealthy are happier than poor and have higher suicide rates than poor. Reason- appreciate having less than the rich.


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**Egoistic Suicide:** suicide related to lack of integration.

**Altruistic Suicide:** suicide related to too much integration.

**Anomic Suicide:** suicide related to lack of social regulation.

**Fatalistic Suicide:** suicide related to too much social regulation.

**Anomie**: occurs when big changes that alter our meaning, or our rules, giving us limitless options with no clear direction or end point.


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**Three ways we can deal with Statistics**: (#1) Naïve, (#2) Cynical, (#3) Critical

**Naïve**: we see a number that fits our worldview & we accept it without asking important questions.

**Cynical**: we see a number that challenges our worldview & we reject it.

**Critical**: one determines how a statistic was arrived at in terms of sample, measurement, based on whether or not it confirms or challenges one's worldview.


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**What are the 5 Sources of Bad Statistics:** bad guesses, descriptive definition & misleading measures, mangled or transformed, N.R.C.S samples & representative samples, and faculty causation & spurious causation

**Bad Guesses**: the most primitive source of bad statistics. Exs.---Activists, Policy makers, Reporters, & other advocates

**Deceptive Definitions & Misleading Measures:** Survey questions can also be misleading. Push/Polls- they’ll call you pretending to try to coax you into voting in support of them.

**Mangled or Transformed Statistics:** Statistics where the original numbers started out okay but overtime it can get mangled or transformed so it is no longer what it was before.

**What is the fourth bad statistic? (hint--list of four):** Non-representative Convenience, Self-selected, Samples vs Random, representative samples

**Convenience samples** **(or self selected):** not representative & samples that are easy to gather except they skew the results.

**Unrepresentative, non-random samples:** have a selection bias that favors one type of person over another & thus the sample does not represent the population studied.

**Self selected sample**: convenient because you’re not the one actually doing the work.

**Faulty Causation and Spurious Causation:** Initial statistic might be good but the interpretation of the statistic could be flawed.


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**What makes a Good Statistic? (Provide a List of 5 things that would):** 1- based on more than a guess. 2- a clear, reasonable definition and clear reasonable measures. 3- the definition should be clear about what is counted & what isn’t. 4- should talk about how the count of the problem was arrived at. 5- not mangled or transformed.

**What are Good Statistics?:** statistics based on a random representative sample; & a representative, random sample.

**Correlation** does not necessarily equal causation.

**What may Good Statistics do:** attempt to control for other variables or will consider factors that might affect the correlation.


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**Success**: leads to confidence.

**What is Excellence NOT:** apply to talent, result from quantitative changes in behavior or talent, the product of socially exceptional or deviant personalities, unique personality traits, or great confidence

**What is Talent NOT??:** not always predicted ahead of time, a good predictor of success, & an explanation for excellence.

**What is argued that Talent IS??:** It is an ex post facto measure we use after success has been achieved.

**Chambliss:** The Mundanity of Excellence

**Chambliss**: Qualitative differentiation not quantitative increase. Talent does not explain excellence. Success is ordinary; Motivation is ordinary. Argues that we use talent before excellence

In the **pursuit of excellence**: maintaining mundanity is the key psychological challenge.

**Success:** product of hidden advantages, extraordinary opportunities and cultural legacies.

**Davidai and Gilovich**: The Headwinds/tailwinds asymmetry

**The Headwinds/tailwinds asymmetry:** Headwinds create challenges for us. Tailwinds help us along.

**Why do we tend to not see the tailwinds that assist us?:** We tend to recognize the barriers and headwinds we face.

**Which one of the two men ‘say it’s about opportunity and practice more than talent?:** Both Gladwell and Chambliss

**Gladwell:** It’s the quantity of practice. Idea is that you need to put in the time and effort.

**Chambliss:** It’s about the quality of practice. It’s about the mundanity of the amount of hours in the practice.

**Mundanity skills and of excellence:** Becomes part of the lifestyle. Learn how to ask people for money in order to get them to give more money.


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**Failures:** caused by several routine, minor things all going wrong in rapid succession.

**Mitigated Speech:** when people aren’t direct with you b/c you a little bit respectful of authority & choose to be indirect when talking to them.


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**Knowing many kinds of people in many social contexts Do What???**: Improves one’s chances of getting a job, a spouse, develop a range of cultural interests & cultural capital competencies. Improves the feeling of being in control of one’s life. Improves being in good health & having high self-confidence


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**Weaker ties**: idea that your weaker acquaintances actually connect you to more than your stronger acquaintances.

**What are the strengths of Weak Ties:** more varied, more valuable as social connections to new people & new opportunities, strongest in a free & open society where resources aren’t limited

**Strong Ties:** the ones that generally care more about you than weak ties.

**What are the Weaknesses of Strong Ties:** Lacking in Diversity


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**Acquaintance diversity:** contributes to better information about health.


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**Social Location**: position of an individual with reference to characteristics such as age, education, race, gender, religion, & income.

**Marriage**: Age Range, Same-Race, Same Social Class

**Endogamy**: a practice by group or shared group

**Gatekeepers**: enforce endogamy by giving warmer receptions to people of the same class, race, religion etc.


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**How the marriage market & the job market are similar:** Both are navigated through the connection of strong and weak ties.

**The vast majority of people meet their spouses through:** Friendship networks, job, church, social club

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