Purdue SOC 100 Exam 1 Study Guide Questions and Answers Rated A+

Purdue SOC 100 Exam 1 Study Guide Questions and Answers Rated A+ In everyday observation, we gather poor quality data and analyze it poorly. Name an example The way to treat hiccups Difference between inaccurate observation and selective observation? Inaccurate: failure to accuratley observe or pay attention to things in life Selective: paying attention to situations which support our own conclusion Why is it important to know the source of information you use to make decisions and form opinions? If we don't know the source we have to question that belief, don't know if it's accurate Why do we rely on tradition and authority? It's all we know so we trust that Why should we be careful about relying on tradition and authority when the stakes are high? We should be trying to observe like a scientist, getting first-hand accounts Why is the statement "two out of three doctors recommend our products" not very informative? Need context i.e. how they measured, sample size, evaluate data carefully Why should you be skeptical of "do this to get rich" presentations? Should look at the table with who used the secrets and what their success was versus who didn't use secrets and had success What does "making the familiar strange" mean and what questions should you be asking? Are things what they seem? Why are things the way they are? How could things be different? When we made the urinals strange, what did the patterns of choice suggest about what influences bathroom behavior? People think before they choose, there is a a system/social rules Why is the education system a social institution? It is created and shaped by humans, changes over time, performs social role, reproduces itself What does the sociological imagination encourage you to link? Biography and history How could using sociological imagination help understand why some students do better in school than others? By considering family background According to Karl Marx, all history is conflict. What are two major groups that he saw conflict in? Capitalists and Proletariat What did Marx think caused conflict? How could it be ended? The different social classes created by economic systems with conflicting interests caused conflict but that could be ended by the Proletariat uniting to revolt and eliminate poverty. How is Weber's belief in the power of ideas reflected in his work "The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism"? The rise of Protestantism provided a set of values and beliefs leading to modern capitalism How does linking suicide (Emile Durkheim) to the concept of anomie highlight the social aspect of suicide? Anomie is when social control fails due to the loss of shared values (normlessness) In what city did many early sociologists do their work? Chicago What kinds of topics did early American sociologists emphasize and how were they different from the "founding fathers"? Empirical research (not grand theory) & how behaviors reflect the social and physical environment What metaphor does functionalism use to describe society? How would functionalists explain poverty? How would they say to eliminate it? Society=human body ; poverty helps maintain stability ; argue it shouldn't be eliminated Describe what the film "Two American Families" was about. How to different families dealt with their poverty due to job loss and economic downturn Explain how connecting biography to history helps us better understand the experiences of the people in the films. To know about economic history and that their poverty wasn't directly their fault If hard work were the only thing that mattered, what would've happened to the Stanley family by the end of the film? They would've been filthy rich How does the "accident of birth" influence future, mistakes, and the chance of making it to the top of the social ladder? It influences education, wealth, health, and race Explain the importance of the accident of birth by comparing your college efforts to Keith Stanley's. College wasn't an option but neither were credit card loans Is drug abuse a personal trouble or public issue? Personal trouble because although it affects many people, it is a problem specific to an individual How might your approach to drug abuse vary if you think it's a personal trouble or public issue? If we see something as a personal trouble it might reflect the person experiencing the problem Why have sociologists developed research methods for studying rather than relying on personal experience? It uses a systematic collection and analysis of data to not mis-perceive the world Why is it important to carefully define concepts mentioned in questions? People define things differently ex) being rich could be subjective or based on income groups What must a theory always do? Explain how and why concepts are related Why is a hypothesis different from a theory A hypothesis is a prediction about how two variables are related and a theory is an explanation of how and why concepts are related Based on contact theory, provide one testable hypothesis that you could derive from this theory. If groups are in conflict, then contact among people will help to improve relationships Create a testable hypothesis for the argument "hard work leads to economic success" If someone works at least 40 hours per week, then they will consider themselves middle class What could you do to determine if an intelligence test is reliable and valid? If you measure something more than once w/ same result that you intended to measure What are some of the method sociologists use to collect data? Experiment, survey, participant observation, semi-structured interviews, existing resources What is the main difference between qualitative and quantitative data? Only quantitative data can be expressed in numeric form What is a strength and a weakness of deductive research? It limits the scope of questions ("theoretical blinders") If parents' economic resources influence your chances of graduation from college, what are the independent and dependent variables? Independent: economic resources Dependent: chances of graduating college What is the difference between correlation and causation? Correlation does not imply causation What three things do you need to establish causation? Correlation, correct time order, non-spuriousness What is "informed consent" and how does it help protect the people who participate in research? People should know they are being studied and chose to participate voluntarily If a research team wanted to do inductive research about dating patterns on college campuses, what should they do? Start with the data from observations then think of possible explanations Why do social scientists take samples? It saves time and money (they can make statements about an entire population without taking a census) What are the three steps for taking a probability sample? 1) Identify target population 2) get a sampling frame (list of people) 3) select respondents systematically If we took a probability sample of Purdue students, what kinds of statements can you make about the resulting group of students? It is a generalized representation of The Purdue student body What two tools do we use to describe the accuracy of estimates from probability samples? Confidence levels and confidence intervals Why is the phone book not a good sampling frame? Not everyone's numbers are in there, not everyone has a home phone Why is it not always possible to get a probability sample? It might be too hard to get a sampling frame What kind of sample of life are our everyday experiences? How does this influence statements we make about life? Convenience sample is a very biased and not a proper representation of everyone's lives Would it be possible to get a snowball sample of hermits who live alone, isolated in the woods? No because there needs to be social ties in order to obtain subjects Identify one weakness of non-probability samples. Not all of the target population is identified and results cannot be generalized Identify a situation where a non-probability sample would be useful. Generating a hypothesis, refining a product, developing a questionnaire Does making a sample large and diverse make it representative? No How does the size of a target population influence the size of the sample you need? A larger target population means a larger sample size is needed What does the Central Limit Theorem suggest about the chances that a large sample will be different from a population? Due to CLT, a large sample size will increase the likelihood that it will represent the target population Will probability samples always be a perfectly accurate reflection of the population? Nope Why can two probability samples from the same population produce different results? Samples won't always be the same so results can differ Why should you question the quality of a probability sample when the response rate is very low? You should question the wording of the questions. A low response rate is a threat to how representative a probability sample is Provide an example of something that is not part of culture. A mountain Provide and example of material and non-material culture. Material: American flag Non-material: table manners What helps distinguish a subculture from a larger culture and how clear are the boundaries? A group united by sets of concept, values, traits, behaviors that distinguish them from others in the same culture/society Why is reflection theory an incomplete explanation of the relationship between culture and society? It cannot explain why some things are popular for centuries How does culture both enable and constrain learning in a large classroom? Enables: less need for explanation, negotiation, and violence; more order and efficiency, less chaos and conflict Constrains: right/wrong are defined, behavioral norms, socialization, violate rules or norms and get punsihed How might a conflict theorist and functional theorist explain fascination with a ancestry and family trees? Conflict: culture is used to maintain inequality, elite use culture for their own good Functionalist: culture helps people meet needs How is hegemony different from and more efficient than military domination? Dominant group wins the voluntary consent of the masses; people accept the status quo because it seems best/natural Identify a group that you think qualifies as a subculture and provide evidence. The Amish: hold different values, traits, and behaviors than the rest of the U.S. Identify a question that the reflection theory would have trouble explaining. Why is Mozart still popular? Identify two ways the mass media has shaped your behavior. By reconsidering the way I dress and making me think that I need to look cool on social media How does the film "Miss Representation" illustrate the weakness of the reflection theory? Culture is the thing that influences reality/media According to "Miss Representation", what are some of the messages of advertising aimed at women? "A woman's worth lies in her beauty" "Natural isn't good enough" What is a hegemonic view of women? The media controls what women think of themselves and what others think of women What are some of the gender norms encouraged by mass media? You know, the basic ones What is the objectification of women? The belief that women exist to be looked at, used, and controlled Why is the objectification of women bad for men? Makes men less satisfied with their S/O, less respectful toward women, less financially secure when women earn less What are some of the most important agents of socialization? Family, school, sometimes workplaces, prisons, and churches In what ways are you still being socialized? By going to college According to Cooley, why do we need others to develop a sense of self? We need a social mirror for continual formation, testing, and adjustment of our self-concept Identify one ascribed and one achieved status that you have. Ascribed: woman Achieved: student What do you think is your master status? Being a Christian What is the difference between a status and a role, and what is gender? Status: a social position with expectations Role: a set of behavioral expectations of a status Gender is a status How do breaching experiments help us understand norms? To understand why they're in place and how people react when norms are breached Provide and example of role conflict by identifying two statuses that make incompatible demand and explaining how they might be difficult for a person to reconcile Student and Employee: have to study but have to work