Deck 3: Socialization, the Life Course, and Aging

Question 1

According to George Herbert Mead's theory of socialization,children are not born with __________ but learn to acquire __________ through socialization.

A)a generalized other; an identity
B)intelligence; an identity
C)social consciousness; a social self
D)"me"; "I"
E)an ego; a self

Answer 1

C

Question 2

The process whereby societies have structured continuity over time is known as:

A)social dominance
B)structured time flow
C)social reproduction
D)biological reproduction
E)social continuity

Answer 2

C

Question 3

At Sally's birthday party,her mother reminded her to say "thank you" every time she opened a present from a friend.Sally's mom was engaging in the process of:

A)evolution
B)socialization
C)sensitization
D)natural selection
E)social interaction

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Examining the process of socialization in societies reveals that one of the most distinctive features of human beings,compared with other animals,is:

A)our self-awareness or the sense that one has an identity distinct and separate from others
B)the long period of time that we raise our children
C)how much we socialize with other human beings
D)the importance of human contact
E)the importance of gender and racial identity

Question 5

The process by which children become self-aware,knowledgeable people and skilled in the ways of the culture into which they are born is known as:

A)evolution
B)socialization
C)sensitization
D)natural selection
E)social interaction

Question 6

According to George Herbert Mead,children develop a sense of self by:

A)going through distinct stages of sensorimotor development
B)going to school and learning to read
C)going to church and gaining a soul
D)imitating other people
E)ignoring their parents

Question 7

The human thought process that involves reasoning,perception,and remembering is referred to as:

A)intelligence
B)cognition
C)self-awareness
D)socialization
E)critical thinking

Question 8

Socialization is the process by which members of society learn the norms and values of society from their elders,thereby allowing the society to __________ over time.

A)socially reproduce itself
B)drastically change itself
C)have conflict among the generations
D)biologically reproduce itself
E)stagnate

Question 9

At age three Emily was beginning to master her spoken language,but she was also able to use her hands to speak some words in sign language.According to Jean Piaget,what stage of cognitive development was Emily in?

A)concrete operational
B)preoperational
C)formal operational
D)linguistic
E)symbolic

Question 10

According to George Herbert Mead,the socialization process occurs in three stages: the "I" stage,the __________ stage,and the generalized other stage.

A)"me"
B)othering
C)self-consciousness
D)ego
E)social self

Question 11

When Jorge was young,he liked to paint his toenails pink with his sister.On the first day he started kindergarten,the other kids laughed at him and told him that he was acting "like a girl" with his toenails painted pink.Once he got home he took the nail polish off so the kids would no longer make fun of him.According to George Herbert Mead's theory of socialization,Jorge now saw himself through the eyes of others and realized that boys are not supposed to wear nail polish.In other words,Jorge developed:

A)a fear of girls
B)a lack of confidence
C)a social consciousness
D)an ego
E)his masculinity

Question 12

According to George Herbert Mead,children develop as social beings by imitating those around them,and one of the most important ways that this part of socialization happens is through:

A)learning at school
B)interacting with their grandparents
C)reading books
D)playing
E)watching TV

Question 13

Socialization is a process that takes place:

A)at birth
B)in childhood
C)during young adulthood
D)during mature adulthood
E)throughout our entire lives

Question 14

Jean Piaget's theory of child development is based on:

A)the importance of family in early childhood
B)the important of schooling in early childhood
C)the emergence of a sense of self
D)the stages of cognitive development
E)none of the above

Question 15

All social science theories of child socialization emphasize:

A)that social isolation does not impact socialization
B)the significance of brain development
C)the priority of the preoperational stage
D)the importance of human contact
E)the role of genetics

Question 16

George Herbert Mead defined the generalized other as:

A)the people a child has contact with while growing up
B)the images of people in a culture
C)the general morals and values of the culture in which a child is raised
D)the people in a child's family
E)all the people in society

Question 17

Humans cannot be socialized without:

A)regular social interaction with others
B)proper medical treatment
C)educated parents who are familiar with theories of child psychology
D)two parents: a mother and a father
E)educational toys, particularly books

Question 18

Jean Piaget refers to the stage in which a child is learning about the world around him or her by handling different objects as the:

A)egocentric stage
B)preoperational stage
C)sensorimotor stage
D)touch stage
E)tactile stage

Question 19

Alyssa likes to pretend that she is a doctor.She uses her mother's thermometer to take the temperature of her stuffed animals and then gives them "medicine" with a teaspoon.George Herbert Mead would say that she is:

A)developing a self-consciousness
B)taking on the role of the other
C)being egocentric
D)developing a social self
E)playing an imaginary game

Question 20

According to George Herbert Mead's theory of socialization,when children learn what it is like to be in the shoes of another person,they have developed:

A)a social self
B)other-consciousness
C)selflessness
D)the "I"
E)an ego

Question 21

Which of the following is an agent of socialization?

A)coworkers
B)a child's friends at school
C)Homestead High School
D)blockbuster movies
E)all of the above

Question 22

Sociologists argue that social and geographic mobility has affected our self-identities in which way?

A)Our self-identities are less stable.
B)Our self-identities are more rigid and unchanging.
C)We have a difficult time forming self-identities.
D)Our social identities are overwhelming our self-identities.
E)We have multiple self-identities.

Question 23

According to Jean Piaget,there are four stages of development.The first three stages of development are universal,but the last stage,called the formal operational stage,is never reached by some people.People who do not reach this stage:

A)often remain highly egocentric
B)are more often uneducated people
C)never quite learn how to "play" with an idea
D)cannot deal with hypothetical ideas
E)all of the above

Question 24

Which of the following would be a positive,albeit latent,consequence of the preoccupation with video games?

A)They prepare young men to go to war by neutralizing their feelings about death and killing.
B)They prepare young women for their subordinate roles in society.
C)They teach young boys how to treat women in a socially acceptable manner.
D)They instruct girls and boys on the social norms of etiquette.
E)They provide young people with skills useful in an electronic age.

Question 25

There are many agents of socialization,but the most significant agent of childhood socialization is:

A)television and magazines
B)the family
C)friends
D)teachers
E)coworkers

Question 26

Our __________ identity marks the way in which we are different from others.

A)individual
B)unique
C)social
D)self
E)role-based

Question 27

In many African societies young men are circumcised between the ages of twelve and eighteen in a ceremonial fashion that marks their transition from one __________ to another.

A)age group
B)age-grade
C)peer group
D)manhood
E)social class

Question 28

In our schools we learn a formal curriculum in various academic subjects.However,schools are more subtle agents of socialization.Which of the following is an example of the latent aspects of socialization in schools?

A)teaching students proper English
B)affecting students' expectations of themselves
C)teaching students the importance of math
D)making certain that students learn proper use of the comma
E)none of the above

Question 29

Eugene Provenzo's work on the effects of Nintendo and other video games found that video games have __________ effect on school performance.

A)a profoundly negative
B)a profoundly positive
C)no
D)both a positive and a negative
E)unmeasureable

Question 30

For most individuals in modern society,the agent of socialization that is most responsible for their early childhood development is:

A)their preschool
B)their friends at school
C)the television
D)the family
E)the government

Question 31

According to Jean Piaget,when one is not able to comprehend other people's perspectives and believes that only his or her own outlook is accurate,this behavior can be labeled as:

A)concrete operational
B)egocentric
C)formal operational
D)selfish
E)symbolic relativist

Question 32

Which type of television show depicts the highest number of violent acts per episode?

A)children's cartoons
B)comedy sitcoms
C)news programs
D)crime dramas
E)variety shows

Question 33

The socially defined expectations for a person in a given social position are referred to by sociologists as:

A)social outcomes
B)social roles
C)social identities
D)social norms
E)social pressures

Question 34

Peer groups can best be defined as social groups in which members:

A)grew up in the same household
B)have the same interests
C)are of similar age and social background
D)were born in the same country
E)have know each other for at least a decade

Question 35

Functionalists argue that social roles:

A)have changed little in the last 500 years
B)are related to social power
C)are the same in all societies
D)are in a constant state of change
E)are fixed and unchanging

Question 36

In addition to the family,one of the most important socializing agents for school-age children in modern societies is:

A)their extended family
B)their teachers
C)their peer groups
D)their babysitters
E)the parents of their friends

Question 37

Which of the following is NOT a source of self-identity,according to sociologists?

A)race
B)sexual orientation
C)gender
D)genetics
E)class position

Question 38

Which of the following best describes the relationship between identity and socialization,according to sociologists?

A)Through socialization, individuals are robbed of their individuality and free will.
B)Through socialization, we lose the identity we were born with.
C)Through socialization, each person develops an identity and capacity for individual thought and action.
D)After the age of twelve we have already been socialized into the identity that we will have for the rest of our lives.
E)There is no relationship between socialization and identity.

Question 39

A social group that is made up of an adult/adult couple and their children is known as:

A)a nuclear family
B)a normal family
C)a secondary group
D)a peer group
E)a small family

Question 40

In second grade,Jeanne was earning A's on her math tests,which included multiplication and division.According to Jean Piaget,what stage of child development is Jeanne in?

A)the preoperational stage
B)the concrete operational stage
C)the formal operational stage
D)the generalized other stage
E)the logical stage

Question 41

The process of self-consciousness,in which we create and re-create who we are is known as:

A)social identity
B)self-identity
C)the "I"
D)the "me"
E)socialization

Question 42

According to 1950s functionalist theorist Talcott Parsons,failure to find adequate roles for the elderly in U.S.society will cause them to:

A)be alienated from society
B)organize social movements to struggle for more social programs
C)retire to other countries
D)move in with the adult children
E)lose interest in their grandchildren

Question 43

There are several stages of the human life course.Which stage of the course became a clear and distinct stage only in modern societies?

A)career stage
B)infancy
C)elder
D)childhood
E)old age

Question 44

According to your textbook,which of the following is a reason that the meaning of the term aging is changing today?

A)People are not living as long as they used to.
B)Medicare and Social Security are expanding to include younger adults.
C)There are more social programs for older people.
D)Advances in nutrition and health have enabled people to live longer.
E)Many people are having families later in life.

Question 45

Which of the following best summarizes how disengagement theory views the elderly?

A)As people age, they are more interested in watching TV than interacting with others.
B)As people age, they no longer want to participate fully in society.
C)As people age, they need to be removed from their traditional roles in order to free up those roles for the younger generation.
D)As people age, they are not given the same respect as the younger generation.
E)As people age, they are a bigger burden on society because they use more social programs.

Question 46

In a 1972 study of gender roles in children's books by Lenore Weitzman,she found that:

A)the vast majority of the characters were female
B)females were more likely to be involved in adventurous activities
C)females were more likely to be indoors and engaged in passive activities
D)there was a balance of male and female characters
E)boys were engaged in both occupational and homemaking activities

Question 47

Gender differences are the result of:

A)our genetics
B)the biological sex category we belong to
C)our brain chemistry
D)social influences
E)all of the above

Question 48

Which theories of aging point to social institutions that favor those who have the most economic power as the source of many of the problems of aging?

A)social conflict theories
B)functionalist theories
C)institutional theories
D)life course theories
E)none of the above

Question 49

At a very young age,children are socialized into gender based on:

A)the different way that men and women handle children
B)the different clothing that men and women wear
C)the different scents that men and women wear
D)all of the above
E)none of the above

Question 50

What age-grade had the highest status in traditional cultures but often lacks authority within the family and community in industrialized societies?

A)child
B)teenager
C)young adult
D)mature adult
E)elder

Question 51

According to activity theory,both the elderly and society can benefit:

A)if elderly people retire from their jobs so the younger generation can fill them
B)if the elderly remain physically active but refrain from too much social activity
C)if the elderly remain socially active but do not tax themselves physically
D)if elderly people remain actively engaged in work and other social roles as long as they can
E)if the elderly remain actively engaged in family life only

Question 52

The discipline concerned with the study of the social aspects of aging is known as:

A)social gerontology
B)social chronology
C)age studies
D)elder studies
E)social genealogy

Question 53

Critics of functionalist theories of aging argue that these theories:

A)place too much emphasis on the importance of the elderly in modern societies
B)emphasize the need for the elderly to adjust to existing conditions rather than participate in changing them
C)give too much agency to the elderly in defining their own role in society
D)focus too little on racial inequalities affecting the elderly
E)pay too much attention to physical and mental decline of the elderly

Question 54

Which stage of personal and sexual development is unique to modern societies?

A)young adulthood
B)mature adulthood
C)teenager
D)tween
E)all of the above

Question 55

By what age do children generally have a partial understanding of what gender is?

A)ten
B)at birth
C)five
D)two
E)all of the above

Question 56

Gender socialization begins at:

A)infancy
B)toddlerhood
C)early adolescence
D)adolescence
E)young adulthood

Question 57

In modern societies,death is most commonly associated with old age,but a few hundred years ago,death was most commonly associated with:

A)childhood
B)infancy
C)all life stages
D)old age; it was the same then as now
E)mature adulthood

Question 58

Sociologists refer to "the biological,psychological,and social processes that affect people as they grow older" as:

A)dying
B)aging
C)socialization
D)social growth
E)living

Question 59

Pointing to medieval paintings in which children were portrayed with mature faces and participating in the same work and play activities as adults,French historian Philippe Ariès made the argument that:

A)children were considered nuisances
B)childhood did not exist in medieval times
C)children had the same rights as adults
D)children often married very young
E)childhood lasted much longer in medieval times

Question 60

Your textbook outlines five stages of the life course.Which stage is currently seeing the greatest growth in the number of people and is therefore of the great interest to policy makers?

A)infants
B)adolescents
C)mature adults
D)teenagers
E)older adults

Question 61

Explain the five stages of the life course.How are these stages different in modern societies compared with more traditional societies?

Question 62

Despite having access to Medicare,the elderly spend about __________ of their income on healthcare.

A)a fifth
B)half
C)a third
D)one percent
E)none of the above; all elderly are fully covered and pay no out-of-pocket expenses.

Question 63

Which theories of aging emphasize that the aging process is shaped by historical time and place?

A)historical theories
B)functionalist theories
C)social conflict theories
D)life course theories
E)none of the above

Question 64

Pick a game you played as a child and use it to explain George Herbert Mead's theory of the development of the self and the process children go through to acquire self-consciousness.

Question 65

Among the elderly,which group is most likely to be independent,healthy,and actively engaged?

A)young-old
B)old-old
C)middle-old
D)oldest old
E)very old

Question 66

Which of the following groups is more likely to live past age sixty-five in U.S.society?

A)blacks
B)whites
C)foreign-born people
D)people born in two-parent households
E)Asian Americans

Question 67

What is the primary reason that the young-old are more likely to be better educated and have higher levels of wealth than the old-old and the oldest old?

A)The young-old grew up in favorable economic times.
B)The young-old grew up with social norms that emphasized independence and hard work.
C)The young-old have better healthcare and nutrition.
D)The young-old are more politically active.
E)The young-old are more entrepreneurial.

Question 68

Discrimination on the basis of age is __________ in the United States.

A)illegal
B)uncommon
C)encouraged
D)legal
E)no longer a problem

Question 69

What percent of the elderly in the United States are foreign born?

A)12 percent
B)50 percent
C)20 percent
D)5 percent
E)45 percent

Question 70

According to conflict theorists,which of the following among the elderly tend to fare the worst?

A)women
B)low-income people
C)ethnic minorities
D)all of the above
E)none of the above

Question 71

Imagine that you and your family want to raise a child in a gender-neutral way.Discuss how this process of gender-neutral socialization would be affected by agents of socialization other than your own family as your child grows into a young adult.

Question 72

Elder abuse is present when an elderly person experiences which of the following?

A)sexual abuse
B)emotional abuse
C)neglect and abandonment
D)financial abuse
E)all of the above

Question 73

Your textbook begins chapter three with the example of five-year-old Boo and his Halloween costume.Using this example,explain how Boo's self-identity may have been shaped by this situation and the role that different agents of socialization played in this process.Which agent of socialization do you think would have the greatest impact on Boo's self-identity? Explain.

Question 74

Compare and contrast the child development theories of George Herbert Mead and Jean Piaget.Which one do you believe provides a more accurate explanation of child development today? Explain.

Question 75

Pick one agent of socialization other than your family and explain the role it played in your socialization as a child.

Question 76

Emma was asked to volunteer at the senior center after school a few times a week.She was reluctant to do so because even though she loves seeing her own grandparents,she views the elderly as old-fashioned,senile,and embittered.Emma's stereotypes of the elderly were most likely learned from:

A)mass media and popular entertainment
B)her parents
C)her grandparents
D)the elderly she meets on the street
E)other volunteer activities

Question 77

Among the elderly,which group is most likely to experience poor health,isolation,and economic insecurity?

A)young-old
B)old-old
C)middle-old
D)oldest old
E)very old

Question 78

Elderly people in the United States are likely to be stereotyped as:

A)lonely
B)embittered
C)sad
D)dependent
E)all of the above

Question 79

Explain Jean Piaget's four stages of cognitive development.According to Piaget,the first three stages are universal,but some adults never reach the fourth stage.Explain why.

Question 80

A person can have several social identities at one time,and these social identities can have a profound impact on the person's self-identity.Using yourself as an example,explain at least three social identities you have and how they influence your self-identity.