Deck 6: Interaction in Groups

Question 1

A social structure composed of individuals who share a sense of common identity and belonging and who interact on a regular basis is a:

A) social aggregate
B) social class
C) social group
D) statistical category

Answer 1

social group

Question 2

All of the following are characteristics of a group EXCEPT:

A) boundaries
B) regular interaction
C) structure
D) unrestrained conflict

Answer 2

unrestrained conflict

Question 3

Anne, Beth, Cindy, and Debbie spend a lot of time together, are each other's "best friends" and in general have strong positive feelings about each other. In sociological terms, they can be characterized as a:

A) group
B) pseudogroup
C) social aggregate
D) social category

Answer 3

group

Question 4

All of the following are characteristic of social groups EXCEPT:

A) individual behavioral autonomy
B) membership boundaries
C) sense of belonging
D) regular interaction

Question 5

________ is a group of techniques used to study the structure of groups.

A) Demography
B) Genealogy
C) Sociometry
D) Psychology

Question 6

Which of the following would be considered a sociometric technique?

A) Using basic group diagrams.
B) Using diagrams that indicate the valance of group bonds.
C) the use of sociograms.
D) all of the above

Question 7

Within sociometry, ________ is the feeling that exists between any two people in a group or the value that they place on their relationship.

A) love
B) affection
C) kinship
D) valence

Question 8

A group characterized by intimate face-to-face associations and cooperation is:

A) an out-group
B) a primary group
C) a reference group
D) a secondary group

Question 9

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of primary groups?

A) Membership is diffuse.
B) Relationships among members are intimate.
C) The members communicate with one another on a regular basis.
D) The members share a strong sense of solidarity.

Question 10

The concept of a "primary group" was first proposed by:

A) Charles Horton Cooley
B) Emile Durkheim
C) George Herbert Mead
D) Max Weber

Question 11

A social group whose members have a shared goal or task, but are not bound together by strong emotional ties is a(n):

A) in-group
B) normative group
C) primary group
D) secondary group

Question 12

Which of the following is the BEST example of a primary group?

A) a classroom
B) a family
C) an office
D) people stranded in an airport

Question 13

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of a secondary group?

A) Association is based on some form of contract.
B) The group has a limited number of goals.
C) There is a great deal of intimacy among the members.
D) There is a great deal of role playing.

Question 14

All of the following are examples of secondary groups EXCEPT a:

A) group of fraternity brothers on a college campus
B) group of people working on an assembly line in a factory
C) jury deliberating on a murder case
D) sociology class

Question 15

Which of the following terms is used to refer to a group that is characterized by relationships that involve few aspects of members' personalities?

A) primary groups
B) secondary groups
C) singular groups
D) territorial groups

Question 16

All of the following are characteristic of a primary group EXCEPT:

A) contractual relationships
B) face-to-face interaction
C) intimacy
D) long-lasting relationships

Question 17

Which of the following is an example of a nonterritorial community?

A) an army platoon
B) a neighborhood
C) a retirement home
D) doctors or lawyers

Question 18

Territorial communities are most likely to form attachments on the basis of:

A) level of education
B) proximity
C) religion
D) similar interests

Question 19

Studies of how people form friendship groups in suburban communities found that:

A) kinship was the most important factor in forming friendships
B) people tended to move near people they liked
C) proximity had no effect on friendship formation
D) physical closeness and social class explain how friendships form

Question 20

In William F. Whyte's Street Corner Society, which of the following factors was MOST important in the process of gang formation?

A) educational background
B) common interests
C) race
D) social class

Question 21

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of in-groups?

A) Group membership is based on some attribute common to all members.
B) Members have a strong sense of allegiance to the group.
C) The boundaries of the group are fairly rigid.
D) They are different from primary groups.

Question 22

Which of the following terms refers to a group that is considered outside the bounds of intimacy and to which the individual does not have a sense of allegiance?

A) an in-group
B) an out-group
C) a reference group
D) a secondary group

Question 23

Theodore Newcomb, in his study of attitude formation by students at Bennington College, found which of the following observations to be FALSE?

A) Conservative students often sought out groups of like-minded peers who would affirm the values they brought with them from home.
B) Conservative students tended to go home for visits more often than liberal students did.
C) Conservative students' values were reinforced by their college experience.
D) Students' values tended to conform to those of their reference groups.

Question 24

When market researchers attempt to find out who the opinion leaders in a community are, they are really searching out potential customers':

A) instrumental leaders
B) primary groups
C) reference groups
D) significant others

Question 25

Arturo Gomez always wanted to become an attorney. As a child, he watched all the lawyer programs on television, and throughout his school years he participated actively in student government. We can conclude that lawyers served which of the following functions for Gomez?

A) out-group
B) primary group
C) reference group
D) secondary group

Question 26

Which of the following statements about reference groups is NOT true?

A) They are groups of which we may or may not be members.
B) They are important in the socialization process.
C) They tend to remain stable throughout our lives.
D) We use them as a source of values.

Question 27

Professor Smith judges her success as a sociologist by the standards established by the American Sociological Association (ASA). For her the ASA is:

A) an in-group
B) a pseudocommunity
C) a reference group
D) a territorial community

Question 28

The study of who people associate with, how those choices are made, and the effects of those choices on social structure and individual personality is called:

A) associational analysis
B) ethnomethodology
C) latent structural analysis
D) social network analysis

Question 29

Research on social networks has indicated that

A) most people are not influenced by them.
B) they shrink as you become older.
C) they provide no support during stress and illness.
D) none of the above are true

Question 30

Social network analysis has found all of the following to be true EXCEPT:

A) Admissions officers at elite colleges tend to show preference for those applicants who are part of their prep school social network.
B) Networks of individuals and groups provide social support in times of stress or illness.
C) People's social support networks shrink as they become elderly and infirm and lose the ability to offer support or other resources in exchange.
D) The interconnectedness of a social network has at best only short-term results in the lives of its members.

Question 31

A population that functions within a particular geographic area is:

A) an associational community
B) a nonterritorial community
C) a pseudocommunity
D) a territorial community

Question 32

A network of association formed around shared goals is called:

A) a territorial community
B) an invisible community
C) a nonterritorial community
D) a pseudocommunity

Question 33

Social network analysis has been used to study all of the following EXCEPT:

A) how groups provide social support in times of crisis or illness
B) how members of the banking community make major policy decisions
C) how people construct meanings in their everyday interaction
D) the formation of credit associations among immigrant groups

Question 34

Which of the following is TRUE regarding attendance at prep schools and admission into the Ivy League colleges?

A) Even students with lower SAT scores are more likely to be accepted into Ivy League colleges if they have attended a prep school.
B) Admissions officers show preferences for applicants from prep schools
C) both a and b are true
D) neither a nor b are true.

Question 35

Research on social interaction has shown that

A) the person who initiates the most interactions is the most respected because they talk a lot.
B) the person who initiates the most interactions is simply monopolizing the conversation.
C) people who initiate interaction are more likely to receive interaction from others.
D) the person who initiates the least interaction is well liked.

Question 36

A group that consists of two members is a:

A) dyad
B) primary group
C) secondary group
D) triad

Question 37

Which of the following has NOT been identified as a problem associated with increases in the size of a group?

A) Emotional imbalances occur.
B) It becomes more difficult to maintain primary-group relations.
C) Relationships become more stable.
D) The level of conflict increases.

Question 38

Principles of interaction that help explain both stability and change in human groups, include all of the following EXCEPT the:

A) fairness principle
B) pleasure principle
C) rationality principle
D) remediation principle

Question 39

In his Leviathan Thomas Hobbes concluded that:

A) democratic principles of social interaction were required to prevent societal collapse
B) humanity needs a benevolent dictator to prevent social chaos
C) people are basically social and prefer to act charitably toward others except in dire circumstances
D) social order must be built on the basis of individual freedom

Question 40

When people make interaction decisions on the basis of calculations of costs and benefits, they are operating under which of the following principles?

A) fairness principle
B) pleasure principle
C) rationality principle
D) reciprocity principle

Question 41

The Golden Rule, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you," is basically a statement of which of the following principles of social interaction?

A) fairness principle
B) pleasure principle
C) rationality principle
D) reciprocity principle

Question 42

Study of the principles of interaction has found that:

A) greed and egocentricity are the main issues considered in continued interaction.
B) ideas about what is fair in interaction often conflict with calculations of gain or loss.
C) individuals seek pleasure above all other factors in social interaction.
D) people will always seek to maximize personal gain in social interactions.

Question 43

David Sudnow observed that when a patient was brought into a hospital with no heartbeat the factor that was most important in deciding how the staff would respond was the:

A) age of the patient
B) neighborhood from which the patient came
C) sex of the patient
D) way the patient was dressed

Question 44

The subjective way in which an individual interprets the meaning of a particular event is that person's:

A) definition of the situation
B) cognitive map
C) impression management
D) set of social markers

Question 45

W. I. Thomas once wrote that if we "define a situation as real, it is real in its consequences." By this, he meant that

A) behavior is a function of group membership
B) our understanding of what is happening around us guides our actions
C) public behavior is defined by certain opinion leaders
D) we behave in terms of what others expect us to do

Question 46

When baseball players drop the ball, they often engage in a ritual that involves inspecting their gloves to see if the error could have been caused by faulty equipment. Erving Goffman would call such behavior:

A) impression management
B) frustration management
C) role distancing
D) role enhancement

Question 47

The study of the underlying rules of behavior that guide group interaction is called:

A) economic interactionism
B) ethnomethodology
C) social ecology
D) relational interactionism

Question 48

The dramaturgical approach to the study of social interaction is associated with:

A) Charles Horton Cooley
B) Erving Goffman
C) George Herbert Mead
D) Herbert Blumer

Question 49

An approach to the study of social interaction that views interaction as taking place on a stage and unfolding in scenes is termed:

A) functionalism
B) symbolic interactionism
C) theatrical ethnomethodology
D) the dramaturgical view

Question 50

In Goffman's approach to the study of social behavior, "front-stage" refers to:

A) areas in which impression management does not take place
B) the area in which interaction is taking place
C) the area in which people prepare for the process of interaction
D) the tendency for people to fear ridicule from "overacting"

Question 51

The strategies that are used to "set a stage" for one's own purposes are termed:

A) impression management
B) neutralization techniques
C) ritualistic avoidance
D) role distancing

Question 52

In their research on the procedure for conducting pelvic examinations, James Henslin and Mae Briggs employed the dramaturgical approach in order to show how:

A) female patients are exploited by doctors
B) the patient-doctor relationship is based on distrust and conflict
C) the situation is defined in such a way as to prevent embarrassment
D) the status of the physician determines the definition of the situation

Question 53

The sociological situation in which people try to shy away from behavior that will be noticed and to hide behind their anonymity is called:

A) bystander effect
B) situational definition
C) symbolic distancing
D) urban indifference

Question 54

A bystander is LEAST likely to offer help to a perceived victim under which of the following circumstances?

A) There are others present who are not offering help.
B) There is no other person around.
C) The victim is of a different gender.
D) The victim is of a different social class.

Question 55

In Robert Bales' analysis of interaction in groups, the most liked members of the group tend to be those people who:

A) are the most intelligent
B) are the most physically attractive
C) attend to the group's emotional climate
D) have the most power

Question 56

A leader who tends to adhere strongly to group norms and takes the lead in carrying out the tasks undertaken by the group is referred to as:

A) an independent leader
B) an informal leader
C) an instrumental leader
D) a socioemotional leader

Question 57

A leader who is sensitive to the feelings of the members and guides the group over rough spots is referred to as:

A) a democratic leader
B) a latent leader
C) an expressive leader
D) an instrumental leader

Question 58

Although Sam Johnson is chairperson of the Committee for Campus Beautification, when feelings run high people usually turn to Ron Wise for direction and comfort. In terms of the Bales interaction scheme, Wise would be classified as the:

A) democratic leader
B) instrumental leader
C) latent leader
D) socioemotional leader

Question 59

Studies of interaction in small groups have found that the person who initiates the most interactions often:

A) comes to be thought of as a leader
B) does not adhere to group norms
C) gets no attention from the other members of the group
D) is the best liked person in the group

Question 60

A group that has an explicit, often written set of norms, statuses, and roles that specify each member's relationships to others and the conditions under which those conditions hold is:

A) a formal organization
B) an in-group
C) a primary group
D) a voluntary organization

Question 61

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of bureaucracies?

A) They are created in order to achieve a specific goal.
B) They have an explicit set of norms, statuses and roles.
C) They operate according to democratic procedures.
D) They tend to rely on written rules and organization charts.

Question 62

One of the main characteristics of a bureaucracy is

A) disorganization.
B) conflict.
C) efficiency.
D) profit.

Question 63

Which of the following is a characteristic of a bureaucracy?

A) informal organization.
B) positions ordered in a hierarchy.
C) ambiguity regarding job descriptions.
D) very little opportunity for upward mobility.

Question 64

All of the following are examples of a formal organization EXCEPT:

A) a labor union
B) a New England town meeting
C) a tenants' organization
D) the members of the Smith family

Question 65

An organization whose members pursue shared interests and arrive at decisions through some sort of democratic process is:

A) a coercive organization
B) an adhocracy
C) a total institution
D) a voluntary association

Question 66

Churches, fraternal organizations, political party clubs, and neighborhood improvement groups are all examples of:

A) coercive organizations
B) corporations
C) informal organizations
D) voluntary associations

Question 67

The New York Police Department may be considered a:

A) formal organization
B) social aggregate
C) territorial association
D) voluntary association

Question 68

Which of the following statements about voluntary associations is NOT true?

A) Few people belong to such organizations.
B) People join because they identify with the organization's goals.
C) They indicate the degree to which people are integrated into the community.
D) They tend to be democratic.

Question 69

Which of the following statements is TRUE about participation in voluntary associations?

A) City dwellers are more likely to be active in voluntary organizations.
B) People living on the semi-rural fringes of the city have higher rates of participation.
C) The rate of participation in voluntary associations has declined slightly in the last few years.
D) The rate of participation in voluntary associations has remained stable during the past few decades.

Question 70

A formal organization characterized by a clearly defined hierarchy with a commitment to rules, efficiency, and impersonality is a:

A) bureaucracy
B) coercive organization
C) collectivist organization
D) voluntary association

Question 71

Compared with other types of organizational structure, a modern bureaucracy is characterized by all of the following EXCEPT:

A) career ladders
B) positions with clearly defined responsibilities
C) rules and precedents
D) the norm of inefficiency

Question 72

As identified by Weber, all of the following are key elements of bureaucracies EXCEPT:

A) a clearly defined hierarchy
B) impersonality and impartiality
C) irrationality
D) the norm of efficiency

Question 73

Max Weber argued that bureaucracy tends to make modern society more rational. By "rational", he meant:

A) efficient
B) harmonious
C) humanitarian
D) reasonable

Question 74

In his study of obedience to authority, Stanley Milgram concluded that:

A) a large proportion of people are willing to obey any orders they are given
B) men are more willing to inflict pain on others than are women
C) most people enjoy inflicting pain on others
D) the key factor in whether or not people are willing to inflict pain on others is the race of the "victim"

Question 75

Stanley Milgram found that the willingness to defy orders to inflict shock on a "victim" is strongly related to the intensity of the "shock"And the:

A) closeness of the "victim" to the subject
B) gender of the experimenter
C) victim's gender
D) victim's race

Question 76

In a study intended to discover why German soldiers were efficient fighters even in the face of defeat, Edward Shils and Morris Janowitz concluded that they:

A) had a strong commitment to the ideology of Nazism
B) were afraid of being executed
C) were better paid than soldiers in the Allied forces
D) were extremely loyal to their fellow soldiers

Question 77

Stanley Milgram's study on obedience to authority could easily be questioned because of

A) subject matter.
B) lack of data.
C) ethical problems.
D) small sample size.

Question 78

Stanley Milgram's study on obedience to authority found that

A) the majority of people obeyed orders given by someone they perceived as being an authority figure.
B) most people do not obey orders given to them by authority figures.
C) people are not interested in approval received by adhering to rules.
D) all of these

Question 79

Stanley Milgram's study on obedience to authority showed that the more subjects are forced to confront the consequences of their behavior their ability to rely on "duty" to justify their behavior

A) stays the same.
B) increases.
C) decreases.
D) goes away completely.

Question 80

In his analysis of the Bolsheviks' rise to power after the Russian Revolution, Philip Selznick attributed their success to:

A) ability to control the economy
B) ideologically oriented primary groups
C) propaganda
D) superior military strength