Exam 5: Social Groups and Formal Organizations

When criticizing Milgram's experiment on small group phenomenon,Kleinfeld made the analogy that "we live in a world that looks a lot like ________."

Why is groupthink dangerous to an organization?

In what group is a coalition impossible?

What are the characteristics of bureaucracies? How does a university reflect these characteristics?

-Figure 5.3 "Asch's Cards" shows the two cards used in the Asch Experiment. Three lines were used on the second card from which the participants were to pick the line that matched the single line on Card One. Why do you think Dr. Asch used lines and not figures or pictures?

Define a group and explain the differences between primary and secondary groups.

A leader of a group whose responsibility would be to keep the group moving towards its goal is classified as a(n)________ leader.

Why are workers generally not promoted to their "level of incompetence," as predicted by the Peter principle?

The photograph on page 130 shows an African American police officer at a public Ku Klux Klan rally in Jasper,Texas. Address all of the various group memberships illustrated by this photograph for both the Klansmen and police officer.

What is "McDonaldization"? Describe some of its positive as well as negative consequences for social life.

Discuss groupthink. Although usually criticized,in what situations would the concept of groupthink be beneficial?

Social networking,by definition,breaks down social inequality and leads to a more egalitarian society,regardless of the culture or the nature of the network.

Sociologist Judith Kleinfeld felt Milgram "stacked the deck" in his "small world phenomenon" experiment because ________.

Because in-groups are an essential part of society,they have virtually no negative consequences.

In any group of three members,two of the three may have a tendency to alienate the third member and dominate the decision making for the group the trio represents. When this occurs,what term BEST applies to the two unified members?

Jane,Mark,Courtney,and Kelly are enrolled in the 8:00 a.m. sociology course at their college. After studying together for the first test,they started sitting together in class and chose to work together on group projects. During spring break,they decided to go on a trip as a group. These four students would be considered members of a(n)________.

An expressive leader is a task-oriented leader who keeps a group moving towards its goals.

-Using as your model "The Typical Bureaucratic Structure of a Medium-Sized University" as shown in Figure 5.1,construct a similar diagram of the college football team or other sports team.

Why do bureaucracies practice goal displacement?

Sociologists generally agree that leaders are born with characteristics that propel them to the forefront of a group.