Appelbaum Test Bank Ch.1 Sociology Theory and Method

CHAPTER 1 Sociology: Theory and Method

CONCEPT MAP

1. What Is the “Sociological Imagination”?
   1. Studying Sociology
   2. Developing a Global Perspective
   3. Understanding Social Change
2. What Theories Do Sociologists Use?
   1. Early Theorists
      1. August Comte
      2. Herbert Spencer
      3. Émile Durkheim
      4. Karl Marx
      5. Max Weber
   2. Neglected Founders
      1. Harriet Martineau
      2. W. E. B. Du Bois
   3. Modern Theoretical Approaches
      1. Symbolic Interactionism
      2. Functionalism
      3. Conflict Theories
      4. Postmodern Theory
   4. Theoretical Thinking in Sociology
   5. Levels of Analysis: Microsociology and Macrosociology
3. What Kinds of Questions Can Sociologists Answer?
4. What Are the Steps of the Research Process?
   1. Define the Research Problem
   2. Review the Evidence
   3. Make the Problem Precise
   4. Work Out a Design
   5. Carry Out the Research
   6. Interpret the Results
   7. Report the Findings
5. What Research Methods Do Sociologists Use?
   1. Ethnography
      1. Advantages and Limitations of Fieldwork
   2. Surveys
      1. Standardized and Open-Ended Questions
      2. Sampling
   3. Experiments
   4. Comparative and Historical Research
6. What Ethical Dilemmas Do Sociologists Face?
7. How Does the Sociological Imagination Affect Your Life?

MULTIPLE CHOICE

1. Sociologists recognize that "personal" troubles, if occurring in patterned ways and to large numbers of individuals, reflect

2. Tori's father loses his job during a time of economic crisis when many people are losing their jobs. Her mother is a skilled daycare worker with years of experience, but like many daycare workers, she cannot find any jobs that pay well. Sociologists would likely see the struggle of Tori's parents as

3. In America, obesity has emerged as a major public health concern. How might a sociologist using the "sociological imagination" examine obesity among teenagers?

4. Parents living in Boston noticed that many of their adolescent children regularly became distressed in early September. Based on what you know about adolescent suicides in the United States and Japan, sociologists might attempt to understand this phenomenon by looking into what?

5. Following C. Wright Mills, sociologists refer to breaking free from the immediacy of personal circumstances and putting things in a wider social context as the

6. Jenna and her family lose their home because her parents can no longer pay the mortgage during a time of economic crisis when foreclosures have become a common feature of her country. Jenna would be using a sociological imagination to think about this if she were to

7. ________ refers to how human societies are reconstructed at every moment by the very "building blocks" that compose them—human beings.

8. Women began entering the workforce in larger numbers in the United States until it eventually became normal, altering women's structural place in society. This is an example of

9. Which question about the transformations that accompanied industrialization in West would a sociologist be MOST likely to explore?

10. What is the concept that sociologists use to understand the economic, political, and social interconnectedness of individuals throughout the world?

11. When Juan drinks his morning coffee, he thinks about its production in Colombia, its transportation through many countries, the taxes and tariffs applied for international commerce, and the diverse array of social relations behind his drink. According to the textbook, one might say that Juan is using a ________ perspective.

12. At the height of the most developed traditional civilizations, such as ancient Rome or preindustrial China,

13. Sociology was founded by thinkers who sought to understand the initial impact of transformations that accompanied

14. According to the textbook, ________ involve(s) constructing abstract interpretations that can be used to explain a wide variety of situations.

15. Which of the following statements related to the development of sociology is most accurate?

16. ________ invented the word sociology.

17. According to August Comte, what is the proper role of sociology?

18. Which phrase best represents the beliefs of Herbert Spencer?

19. According to ________, sociology must study social facts—aspects of social life that shape our actions as individuals—in order to become a science.

20. Émile Durkheim believed that for a society to function and persist over time, its specialized institutions must work in harmony with each other and function as an integrated whole. He referred to this as

21. Kevon believes that society should be looked at like a body, with each of the parts necessary to the functioning of the whole. His ideas most closely mirror those of which theorist?

22. What makes a social fact a social constraint?

23. ________ argued that class struggles were what led to historical progress and development.

24. The ideas of Karl Marx might be criticized for what reason?

25. Anita puts forward the idea that under capitalism, working people and their bosses will struggle against each other. From this struggle, a new kind of society will emerge. Her thoughts most closely mirror those of which theorist?

26. Society, according to Karl Marx, was

27. One of the main ways that Karl Marx differs from Max Weber is that

28. Maria believes that contemporary societies are primarily defined by the rise and maintenance of hierarchical bureaucratic forms of organizing large parts of social life. Her ideas most closely match with those of which theorist?

29. The German sociologist Max Weber was highly influential in sociology for his studies of

30. Max Weber's theoretical contributions might be criticized for

31. According to the textbook, ________ was the first to turn a sociological eye on previously ignored issues, such as marriage, children, domestic and religious life, and race relations.

32. Chris insists that any decent analysis of our social world must include investigations into the lived experiences of women. Chris's ideas match most closely with those of which theorist?

33. ________ coined the term double consciousness to refer to the African American experience.

34. Sangeeta argues that African Americans often see themselves through the eyes of white society. Her ideas most closely match with those of which theorist?

35. According to the textbook, George Herbert Mead reasoned that language allows us to become self-conscious beings—aware of our own individuality. This idea forms the basis of the theoretical perspective known as

36. Mohammed believes that studies of human behavior should focus primarily on how we construct meaning through abstract representations. His position is closest to which theoretical perspective?

37. Paco has begun using symbolic interaction as a theoretical perspective to think about the role of food in religious ceremonies. What is one possible critique of this approach?

38. Theorists of ________, such as Auguste Comte and Émile Durkheim, compared societies to the workings of a human body.

39. Pierre prefers to think of institutions and human activities by analyzing the relationship of each individual part as it relates to the whole. His way of thinking most closely resembles which theoretical perspective?

40. Latisha believes that sociologists need to look at both how our institutions were intended to work and the unintentional effects of those institutions. According to the textbook, this is a major part of which theoretical perspective?

41. One possible criticism of functionalism might be that it

42. We might identify one of the latent functions of public schools as

43. Marxist and feminist theory often have different objects of study. Why are they both considered conflict theories?

44. A key difference between functionalism and conflict theory is

45. Janice thinks that sociology should be a science used to bring about radical social change, with particular emphasis on power and ideology. Her position most closely aligns with which theoretical perspective?

46. Sociologists who use ________ as a theoretical perspective argue that women's lives and experiences are central to the study of society.

47. Maynard believes that studying women's experiences is key to understanding modern Russia. According to the textbook, his beliefs most closely align with which theoretical perspective?

48. Adherents of ________ contend that there are no longer any "grand narratives" or overall conceptions of history or society that make any sense.

49. Marissa rejects the idea that we can make historical claims about society progressively developing. Her idea most mirrors which theoretical perspective?

50. Relative deprivation theory is an example of

51. The study of everyday behavior in situations of face-to-face interaction is usually called

52. Abbey studies how people negotiate personal space when they speak to each other in person by closely observing their behaviors. Her study is an example of

53. Jerome looks at how the global economy functions in continental free-trade zones. His studies might be described as

54. ________ is the use of systematic methods of empirical investigation, the analysis of data, theoretical thinking, and the logical assessment of arguments to develop a body of knowledge about a particular subject matter.

55. Camilo wants to see whether people in France react the same way to authority as people in the United States. He will likely develop what kind of research question?

56. Florence is interested in researching how men's lives have changed as women have increasingly entered the workforce. What kind of research question will she be formulating?

57. What is the basic concern behind a developmental question?

58. Dr. Jun is a sociologist studying first responders in major disasters. Why would Dr. Jun want to ask a factual question?

59. Farhang begins his research knowing he wants to compare and contrast the lives of gay and straight teenagers. After some consideration, he decides that he will focus on the differences in self-esteem between gay and straight teenagers. What part of the research process is Farhang in?

60. Which factor makes something not only a problem but also a puzzle?

61. Sally has come up with an interesting research question about the behaviors of people who have just achieved what they see as major success in their lives. She finds and investigates as much existing literature on the question as she can find. What part of the research process is Sally in?

62. Hunches about the nature of the problem can sometimes be turned into definite ________, or educated guesses about what is going on.

63. Harpreet wants to research differences in attitudes toward globalization between people from the United States and Colombia. She is creating a survey instrument to give to people from both regions. What part of the research process is she in?

64. After working out a design, what is the next step of the sociological research process?

65. Sarah has been collecting intensive interviews with women who organize in grassroots movements for wages for housework. Now she is looking over the interviews and trying to find common themes within them. What part of the research process is she in?

66. Allen participated in religious rituals with members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for two years. He kept field notes of his experiences, identified major themes within the notes, wrote a paper about his process and results, and submitted the paper to a major research journal. What part of the research process is he in?

67. Identify which of the following research methods is qualitative.

68. In a(n) ________, the sociologist works or lives with members of a group, organization, or community and perhaps participates directly in its activities as part of the research process.

69. Michelle has spent the past year among a subculture of twentysomethings who all listen to the same kind of music. She spends time with them, participates in their events, and observes their interactions and behaviors. All the while, she records what she witnesses in her field notebook. What kind of sociological research best describes what Michelle is doing?

70. Jennifer wants to collect rich data about the lives of Native Americans who live on reservations. She wants to be able to not only document their lived reality but also to describe it as closely as possible. The best method of research for this kind of study would be

71. Elise collects data on homeless people in New York City by widely distributing structured questionnaires. What kind of sociological research best describes what she is doing?

72. If sociologists wanted to study how young people got involved in the Black Lives Matter movement, what method would they likely use?

73. What is a characteristic of fixed-choice questions?

74. From the sample sizes listed below, choose the minimum sample size that will give a very accurate indication of the attitudes and voting intentions of the entire population.

75. Identify which of the following is an example of random sampling method.

76. A(n) ________ enables a researcher to test a hypothesis under highly controlled conditions established by the investigator.

77. Why would the development of a social movement like 2017’s #MeToo Movement be incredibly difficult to study using experimental methods?

78. Wesley conducts research that involves meeting with subjects in a controlled setting. He treats some subjects kindly but behaves rudely to others. He notes how the different groups react to his behavior to make inferences about how people react to kindness and rudeness in certain situations. His research would best be described as

79. Doug notices in his sample studies that marijuana users are much more likely to report using heroin than people who do not use marijuana. He concludes that marijuana must be a gateway drug—a drug that leads to the use of harder substances. What's wrong with Doug's conclusion?

80. Max studies marriage rituals in Sweden, India, China, and South Africa to note similarities and differences in the ceremonies. His research would best be described as

81. Laud Humphreys's studies on tearooms were controversial because he

82. ________ is when the research study ends, and the investigator discusses with the subjects their concerns and acknowledges whether strategies such as deception were used.

83. Identify which of the following is a major reason why sociologists would take part in efforts to achieve social change.

1. In two to three sentences, define sociology and how it differs from psychology.

2. In a paragraph, use your sociological imagination to analyze the prevalence of online harassment. How at risk are young people? Are there differences by gender? Are adults who identify as LGBTQ at risk? Why do think so many have been cyberbullied?

3. In a short paragraph, use your sociological imagination to think about the social processes that go into writing an essay for a college course. What is involved?

4. In a short paragraph, describe how Karl Marx would analyze the contemporary United States.

5. W. E. B. Du Bois and Harriet Martineau are the two neglected founders mentioned in the textbook. In a short paragraph, what might this neglect tell us about the history of sociology as a discipline?

6. In three to five sentences, consider how a sociologist influenced by symbolic interactionism might explain gender in the contemporary United States.

7. In three to five sentences, explain the manifest and latent functions of public schools in the United States.

8. In a short paragraph, consider how ideology is used to justify the actions of the powerful in American society.

9. What is the difference between microsociology and macrosociology? List one example of each. Your answer should be a paragraph in length.

10. What are two advantages and two disadvantages of ethnographic fieldwork? Your answer should be a paragraph in length.

11. What is one strength and one limitation of surveys as a research method? Your answer should be a paragraph in length.

12. State a particular research problem. (For example, does the use of social media lower self-esteem?) Using your example to illustrate each step, discuss how you will complete the seven research steps. Your answer should be one paragraph in length.

1. Define the research problem: Does the use of social media lower self-esteem?

2. Review the evidence: I will review the available evidence related to social media and self-esteem.

3. Make the problem precise: A clear formulation of the research problem may be "Will those that use social media for longer amounts of time have lower levels of self-esteem?"

4. Work out a design: The survey method will be used to collect the data.

5. Carry out the research: Carry out the plan developed in step 4.

6. Interpret the results: The data will be analyzed, testing the hypothesis that those that use social media more often will have lower levels of self-esteem.

7. Report the findings: The research report, usually published as a book or an article in a scholarly journal, will provide an account of the research question, methods, findings, and implications of the findings for social theory, public policy, or practice.

DIF: Difficult REF: What Are the Steps of the Research Process? (IV)

MSC: Applying