Inquizitive - Class Notes

1. Examples of socialization: a child shows a parent how to check email using a smartphone (not all socialization within a family is done by the parents), a parent teaches a child not to burp at the dinner table (table manners are a significant part of socialization), and someone acts visibly uncomfortable when a coworker tells a sexist joke (non-verbal cues are one way of communicating that a norm has been violated). Not examples of socialization: a passenger sits down on a subway car (passengers on public transportation often stand or sit. There are not societal norms about which is better behavior. Moreover, the passenger isn’t doing so to teach someone else to do) 2. The location, time period, and family into which individuals are born affect their set of meanings about how the world works: true (an individual’s language, skills, sense of seldom and set of meanings about how the world works are all shaped by the circumstances of the person’s birth) 3. Justine never really thought of herself as a funny person, but her new friends always tell her she’s very funny. Justine has started telling more jokes to her friends and recently signed up for improv comedy classes. Which sociological concept best explains Justine’s interactions with her friends and beliefs about herself?: the looking-glass self (Charles Cooley’s looking-glass self-concept is the notion that the self develops through our perception of others’ evaluations and appraisals of us) 4. Social media has the potential to increase the number of points of view we are exposed to and socialize us in ways never conceived of before. Someone who has been influenced and “pieced together” through whatever sources available, is an example of which sociological concept?: saturated self (the saturated self is a postmodern idea that the self is now developed by multiple influences chosen from a wide range of media sources) 5. Public schools in the United States opened in the 1800s and attendance was uneven. Beyond the original goals of schooling, such as educating citizens and maintaining democracy 6. What describes an interaction that occurs in copresence?: having coffee with your mom (copresence requires interaction in the physical presence of others) 7. What is an example of the hidden curriculum?: students are taught to dress and behave in a specific manner by teachers and other staff members (the hidden curriculum is considered to be the values or behaviors that students learn indirectly over the course of their schooling because of the structure of the educational system and the teaching methods used) 8. The story of Sister Pauline Quinn and the prisoners who train dogs is an example of which of the following sociological concepts. Correct answer(s): total institution (prison is a total institution), resocialization (working with dogs allows the prisoners to go through a process of resocialization), and achieved status (the prisoners do have an achieved status in their criminal identity. They also have earned the achieved status of “dog trainer”) Incorrect answer(s): nature vs. nurture debate (no part of the prison dog training process is pertinent to the nature vs. nurture debate) 9. Identify the statements supporting either the nature or nurture sides of the debate: Nature: high levels of testosterone contribute to stereotypically masculine traits such as aggressiveness and competitiveness (the correlation between a genetic component, such as testosterone levels, and an outcome highlight the role of nature) and by adulthood, the IQ’s of adopted siblings are no more similar to one another than to those of strangers (other studies also find that identical twins raised in different environments have highly correlated IQ’s. Both of these pieces of evidence suggest nature rather than nurture plays a larger role in explaining differences in IQ) Nurture: at the age of 12 months, both boys and girls prefer dolls over cars (researchers find that the stereotypical gender differences in preferences for colors and toys start to show up after the age of 12 months. This suggests that socialization or nurture plays a larger role than nature) and facing a competitive challenge causes testosterone levels to rise (the correlation between an environmental component, such as a competition, and an outcome highlight the role of nurture) 10. Sociologists increasingly investigate technologically mediated interaction. Identify the following as describing either online or in-person interactions Online interaction(s): adults tweet and post to expand their social circles and spread the word about their accomplishments (the differences in generational cohorts’ perspectives on online interaction are conveyed by the title of boyd’s book It’s Complicated (2014)), While we may have lots of connections, we experience less depth in our relationships with them (Sherry Turkle believes that we all lose something in a world of mediated relationships, and her latest work, Reclaiming Conversation (2015), contains a call to put down our devices, pull up a chair, and talk to one another in person, the old-fashioned way, teens use these kinds of social spaces as getaways from the pressures of parents, teachers, and other adults (the differences in generational cohorts’ perspectives on online interaction are conveyed by the title of boy’s book It’s Complicated (2014)), and These kinds of interactions allow us to contain and reduce risks- not risk to life and limb, necessarily, but risk to self (when we interact online, we can control when, where, and how we communicate. Research by Turkle, boyd, and others, is helping sociology enter the age of interactive media and giving us new ways of looking at interactions and identities) 11. Consider how changes in the importance of different agents of socialization might occur over time within a society. Identify the following major agents of socialization as either more or less important to adolescents now than they were in the late 1800s: More important now: peers (without required schooling and the larger schools that came with them, peers were much more limited), the mass media (the mass media is certainly more important now because radio, television, and the internet didn’t exist back then), and schools (over the years, schools have gradually taken on greater responsibilities than merely teaching a prescribed curriculum. Schools now provide physical education, meals, discipline, and child care, all formerly the provinces of other social institutions) Less important now: the family (families held much more influence during the late 1800s) 12. Place the following states of child development on the timeline in chronological order, according to Geroge Herbert Mead's theory of the development of the social self Early: preparatory stage (this is the first stage in Mead’s theory at which children mimic or imitate others) Middle stage: play stage (this is the second stage in Mead’s theory at which children pretend to play the role of the particular or significant other) Later stage: game stage (this is the 3rd stage in Mead’s theory at which children play organized games and take on the perspective of the generalized other These stages are part of George Herbert Mead’s theory of the development of the social self. According to Mean, seeing the perspective of the generalized other leads to the development of the self 13. Sociobiology is a branch of science that uses biology and evolution to explain social behavior. The basic nature vs. nurture debate has been tweaked by sociobiologists who suggest that genes and environment interact to influence behavior. The latest work in this area suggests that social and environmental context can significantly alter the way a gene expresses itself. 14. The difference between a role strain and role conflict is that role strain is about the competing demands imposed by a single status, while role conflict is about competing demands imposed by different statuses. A worker struggling to decide what task to get done first is experiencing role strain. A worker having to leave work early to care for a sick child is experiencing role conflict 15. parents and significant others serve as a reflection to children, who develop a sense of self based on their appraisals, real or imagined: Looking-glass self (looking-glass self is part of Cooley’s theory that our sense of self is derived from how we imagine others see us, and the feelings about ourselves based on the perceived judgements of others) Parents instill a conscience (superego) in children through rules that govern their instinctual behavior (id) until children mature and are self-governing (ego): psychoanalysis (psychoanalysis stems from Freud’s theory of the unconscious mind as composed of an interrelated system (id, ego, superego) that underlies human behavior; personality develops through psychosexual stages) Children gain a sense of self through imitation, play, and games, in which they learn various roles and take on the perspectives of others: mind, self, and society (Mead theorized that the self develops through 3 stages (preparatory, play, and game); in role taking the particular or generalized other, we learn to see ourselves as others do) Children learn the arts of impression management and may present a different self to their parents than to other children or to children: dramaturgy (according to Goffman’s theory of the presentation of self; we are like actors on a stage, whose performance strategies aid in impression management) While sociologists agree that the self is largely a social product, there are still a number of theories about how the self develops 16. Statements that correctly explain why the family is such an important agent of socialization Correct statements: families create early emotional and social bonds (families are responsible for these important aspects of primary socialization) and families teach us about gender roles (in families, we see what different gendered family members are expected to do, and convert these observations into general rules about gender in society) Incorrect statements: families are the only agent of socialization to shape norms and values (families do shape norms and values but aren’t the only agent of socialization to do so) and families are isolated from the influence of other agents of socialization (families are important agents of socialization early in an individual’s development, but the other agents of socialization begin to gain importance once children begin school) 17. Which statement captures a major point Sherry Turkle makes about communication in her latest book, Reclaiming Conversation?: online communication reduces our ability to conduct meaningful face-to-face communication (Turkle suggest that when we replace face-to-face communication with tweets, texts, and snaps, our ability to conduct meaningful face-to-face communication atrophies and, with it, our capacity for empathy) 18. Match each to one of Sigmund Freud’s interrelated systems of the mind: Id: Mark eats a whole pint of chocolate double fudge ice cream because he wants it (the id focuses on maximizing pleasure and avoiding pain without acknowledging consequences) Ego: Justine wants to copy her roommate’s homework but is afraid her roommate will catch her (the ego is realistic and recognizes consequences but not out of sense of moral obligation) Superego: Ed has the opportunity to cheat on his wife but chooses not to because he knows it will hurt her and possibly destroy their marriage (the superego avoids situations that violate moral principles and don’t fit our sense of self) 19. Socialization is a twofold process occurring at both the social and individual levels that accomplishes two main goals. First, it teaches members the skills necessary to satisfy basic human needs and to defend themselves against danger, thus ensuring that society itself will continue to exist. Second, socialization teaches individuals and norms, values, and beliefs associated with their culture and provides ways to ensure that members adhere to their shared way of life. First goal of socialization: schools teach students how to gain employment that will allow them to provide for themselves (learning how to gain employment is a skill that leads to satisfying basic human needs and ensures that society itself will continue to exist) and parents teach children how to eat food (learning how to eat is a skill that satisfies basic human needs and ensures that society itself will continue to exist) Second goal of socialization: schools teach students that gainful employment is something to be valued and respected (learning the norms, values, and beliefs associated with culture provides ways to ensure that members adhere to their shared way of life) and peers teach youth what type of clothing is stylist and desirable (learning the norms, values, and beliefs associated with culture provides ways to ensure what members adhere to their shared way of life even when that culture is youth culture) 20. Genie, the child who was deprived of practically all social interaction, eventually recovered to live a normal life complete with language and social awareness of her surroundings: False (Genie did learn language, gain some social skills, and form relationships with the researchers studying her. However, she eventually lost much of her capacity for speech after being moved through a number of foster homes) 21. Pablo comes from a low-income family, but worked hard in school and earned a full scholarship to Stanford University. Pablo is worried that his peers and professors will recognize his background and treat him differently, so he wears new clothes and attempts to hide his accent on the first day of classes. When Pablo goes home for the weekend, he leaves his new clothes behind in his dorm and doesn’t mask his accent. What sociological concept best explains Pablo’s behavior and interactions with others?: impression management (impression management is the effort to control the impressions we make on others so that they form a desired view of us and the situation. Pablo is clearly trying to control others’ impressions of him at Stanford. Pablo is engaging in a frontstage performance while on campus at Staford) 22. What, in a nutshell, shoes the dramaturgical theory of society say about human life?: life is essentially a play (dramaturgical theory suggests that social life is like a play, with actors, scripts, costumes and sets, all “performed” on a metaphorical stage) 23. Arlie Hochschold’s 1983 research on emotion work focused on people in 2 professions: bill collectors and flight attendants (she found that flight attendants were required to manage their own feelings as a requirement of their job) 24. Place the following items related to the development of and controversies related to sociobiology in chronological order: Edward O. Wilson’s Sociobiology: The New Synthesis is published (the 1975 publication marked a major theoretical link between genes and behavior), Richard Hernstein and Charles Murray’s The Bell Curve: Intelligence and Class Structure in American Lide is published (the controversial 1994 publication suggested that intelligence differences are racially linked), The Human Genome Project maps all of the genes constituting human DNA (the 2003 event marked an important turn in scientists’ ability to link genetics and environment), and Molly Martin shows the link between parents’ and children’s weight is due not only to shared genes but also to shared lifestyle (Instead of choosing sides, contemporary researchers like Martin consider both nature and nurture, and, more importantly, the interaction between the two) 25. Louwanda Evan’s book on emotional labor and flight attendants adds which dimension to Arlie Hochschild’s original conception of emotional labor?: Race (Louwanda Evans’s Cabin Pressure: African American Pilots, Flight Attendants and Emotional Labor (2011) adds a new dimension—race—to Hochschild’s concept of emotional labor. Black pilots work in a setting dominated by white men (less than 1 percent of commercial airline pilots are black), and black flight attendants work in a setting dominated by white women (about 14 percent of flight attendants are black) (2011, p. 6). This means that in addition to the emotional labor expected of all crew members, black crew members must manage their own and their passengers’ emotions around race, racialized stereotypes, and other types of race-based expectations). 26. Recently, the popular Netflix series 13 Reasons Why, which centers on a high school student who takes her own life, incited a great deal of concern because of its graphic depiction of teen suicide. Critics feared that it might have a “contagion” effect amongst youth, a phenomenon that had already been well documented in other cases, resulting in a spate of copycat attempts Findings: Google searches about suicde increases by almost 20% within days of the show’s release (there were up to 1.5 million more searches for such terms as “teen suicide” or “how to kill yourself” than usual) and one study looked at reactions to 13 Reasons Why in a high-risk sample of young viewers who had veen admitted to psychiatric emergency rooms. Over half of the viewers believed that the series had increased their own risk of committing suicide (those teens who has previously reported symptoms of depression or suicidal ideation, or who identified closely with the lead character, were the most vulnerable to the show’s themes) Not findings: researchers found that by bringing attention to the issue of suicide, at-risk teems who watched the show were 34% more likely to reach out for help (the show seems to have actually increased teens self-preceived risk of suicide) and contrary to researcher’s hypotheeses, Google searches about suicide neither increased nor decreased following the show’s release (in fact, Google searches about suicide increased dramatically following the shows release It’s clear that we internalize many of the values, beliefs, and norms presented in the media and that their powerful influence in our lives only stands to increase as we proceed deeper into the Information Age. It;s important to ask: Whose messages are we listening to, and what are we being told about ourselves and one another? 27. On which side of the nature vs. nurture debate do sociologists generally land?: they focus on nurture (sociologists study socialization, which is part of the nurture side of human development) 28. An employee works to appease customers and appears as if they care but in reality doesn’t feel the emotions they’re expressing Correct answer(s): emotional work (emotion work, coined by Arlie Hochschild, refers to how workers are expected to manage, and sell, their feelings in the name of good service) and status (status refers to a position in a social hierarchy that comes with a set of expectations. In this case, the employee is expected to act as if they care) Incorrect answer(s): role exit (role exit is the process of leaving a role that we will no longer occupy) and backstage (according to Erving Goffman, the backstage is where we prepare (or rehearse) our performances) 29. Match each term A straight-A student decides to quit her sorority to focus on her grades: role exit (this student felt the demands of the sorority and the demands of being a straight-A student were at odds, and decided to leave her role as a sorority sister) A straight-A student who spent most of her time studying in high school joins a sorority and faces increased pressure to spend less time studying: role conflict (this student felt the demands of the sorority and the demands of being a straight-A student were at odds, and decided to leave her role as a sorority sister) Fraternity and sorority members are required to devote a significant amount of time to social events and community service each semester: role 30. Based on scientific evidence about social isolation and lack of socialization, which of the following are likely outcomes for a child who is deprived of contact with agents of socialization Likely outcome(s): the child will be unable to relate to other humans (without socialization, children cannot learn to relate to, empathize with, or understand other humans) and the child will not learn how to communicate through language with others (language and other forms of communication can come through socialization) Unlikely outcomes: The child will be unable to perform basic bodily functions (the child can still perform bodily functions, though he/she won’t understand the rules and norms associated with them) and the child will be emotionless (the child will be lacking in certain types of emotions and unable to understand the emotions of others. However, a child lacking in socialization can still experience anger, fear, and some other basic emotions) 31. Master statuses carry with them expectations that may blind people to other facets of our personalities. People quickly make assumptions about what women, Asians, doctors, or alcoholics are like and may judge them according to those expectations rather than their actual attributes. This kind of judgment, often referred to as stereotyping, is looked upon as negative or destructive It’s important to realize that we all use these expectations in our everyday lies; stereotyping, as problematic as it is, is all but unavoidable 32. The process of resocialization is when adults go through major life change, such as marriage, that requires learning new norms and values. One example might include total institutions (types of total institutions that involve socialization include prisons, cults, boarding schools, the military, and the main subject of Goffman’s 1961 research: mental hospitals), as researched by Erving Goffman in 1961. 33. Identify the items as either “expressions give” or “expressions given off” according to Goffman Expressions given: saying “good job” to a teammate (expressions given are those that intentional and usually verbal Expressions given off: a shrug of the shoulders, a thumbs up, and a raise of an eyebrow (expressions given off are observable and can either be intended or unintended but are usually nonverbal) 34. The young girls with eating disorders in Fiji in the late 1990s conveys the strong influence of which agent of socialization?: the mass media (widespread across to television in Fiji did not occur until the mid-1990s. Researchers found strong links between the introduction of television and girls’ negative body image in Fiji) 35. Emotion work or emotional labor is the process of helping to manage the emotions of others in order to neutralize emotionally charged situations: false (emotion work or emotional labor is the process of evoking, suppressing or otherwise managing your own feelings to create a publicly observable display of emotion 36. Examples of role-taking emotions: example(s): you feel sadness for your friend who has just lost her mother to cancer (this is an empathic role-taking emotion) and you feel embarrassed that you forgot your brother’s birthday (this is a reflexive role-taking emotion) Not example(s): you feel excited about the semester coming to an end (you’re not assuming the perspective of another in this situation) and you feel hurt that your friend didn’t invite you to a party tonight (you’re not assuming the perspective of another in this situation) 37. The story of Christopher Knight is an example of which sociological concept?: social isolation (For twenty-seven years, Christopher Knight lived undetected in the woods of rural Maine. In the mid-1980s, Knight left civilization at the age of twenty. He eventually established a campsite on private land some distance from the cabins ringing North Pond. There he stayed, in complete isolation) 38. Match each term to the correct definition or description A status earned through individual effort or imposed by others: achieved status Status generated by physical characteristics: embodied status A status that is inborn; usually difficult or impossible to change: ascribed status A status that is always relevant and affects all other statuses we possess: master status 39. Classify the scenarios as either frontstage or backstage in the dramaturgical theory of society Frontstage: a professor walks into the first day of a new class with a complete syllabus and expresses to the students an enthusiasm about how this semester will go (the professor’s excitement is a performance for the students) and a manager tells a new employe that he will get the hang of things soon enough (leadership is a performance, and giving encouragement is a part of that) Backstage: a shift manager expresses worry to his boss that a new employee may never get the hang of the job (that kind of conversation would take place out of earshot of others) and a professor tells a colleague that he doesn’t think he has prepared enough for the classes he must teach this semester (the professor’s anxiety about the semester is hidden from the students) 40. If adolescents share interests with others, they’re more likely to form peer subcultures with them Young people tend to form peer subcultures that are almost entirely centered on their own interests, such as video gaming or disc gold or garage bands, with distinct values and norms related to those interests 41. Which of the following scenarios are violations of dominant feeling rules in the United States? violation(s): snoring and expressing disgust at the bride’s dress at a wedding (wedding guests are generally expected to show only displays of happiness and excitement for the couple at a wedding) and laughing and expressing joy at a funeral (funeral attendees are generally expected to show only displays of sadness at a funeral) Not violation(s): crying and expressing anger at a teacher for a poor grade (although it may not be a great idea, being upset over a grade is not a violation of a feeling rule) and a young girl crying about losing her doll (while the text says it’s against feeling rules for boys to cru, the same is not true for girls) 42. For a doctor seeing a patient with a medical complaint, use the dramaturgical theory to match the appropriate label to each element of the interaction The exam room: set (depending on circumstances, the drama may continue to play out in the hallway outside the office) The doctor’s white coat: costume (the patient is also in costume. Be it street clothes or a disposable gown) The doctor’s opening question, “what seems to be the trouble?”: script (sometimes doctor-patient conversations are difficult because there is a disagreement over how the script should unfold) The medical history form the patient must fill out: prop (other props would include such things as the doctor’s stethoscope and reflex hammer) 43. Works of fiction such as The Jungle Book are retellings of myths about feral children. These stories highlight the sociological concept of social isolation, but some real-world examples of kidnapping and abuse are no myth The textbook describes the examples of Genie and the 13 children of Louise Turpin, who were held in captivity and in social isolation with minimal human contact 44. Someone who believes that humans don’t have much free will and are deeply constrained by the social circumstances and system they are born into is not a big believer in which sociological concept?: agency (someone who believes humans have a great deal of agency holds to the idea that we are nit passive and in turn, take active roles in society 45. Achieved status: college graduate, ex-convict, and a doctor Embodied status: paraplegic and blind (achieved status earned through individual effort or imposed by others) embodied status is a status generated by physical characteristics) 46. Public schools in the United States opened in the 1800s and attendance was uneven. Beyond the original goals of schooling, such as educating citizens and maintaining democracy, schools now have greater roles, which include physical education and discipline 47. Match each term to its correct definition Experienced when we occupy two or more roles with contradictory expectations: role conflict (the expectations of one person’s role as a parent may often be in conflict with the expectations of that person’s role as an employee) The set of behaviors expected of smeone because of his/her status: role (for example, the status “employee” brings with it the expectation of showing up on time and getting work done A position in a social hierarchy that carries a particular set of expectations: status (a status often has a simple label such as “employee” or “spouse) Experienced when there are contradictory expectations within one role: role strain (a parent may have to choose between attending one child’s ballgame or another child’s music performance) 48. We often speak of socializing with our friends, yet this idea is only part of what sociology means by socialization. Socialization is a twofold process. It includes the process by which a society, culture, or group teaches individuals to become functioning members, and the process by which individuals learn and internalize the values and norms of the group Socialization thus works on both an individual and a social level: we learn our society’s way of life and make it our own 49. Identify the most predominant agents of socialization Correct answers: the family (the family is the single most significant agent of socialization in all societies), peers (as children get older, peers often become more important than parents as agents of socialization), schools (most children spend any formative years in schools), and the media (the media’s role as one of the most significant sources of socialization is a somewhat recent phenomenon) Incorrect answers: hospitals (most people don’t spend significant time in hospitals), churches (churches may be important, but they aren’t considered one of the main agents of socialization), and business (businesses may play a small role through the mass media)