Question 1

Structural functionalism sometimes draws an analogy between which of the following?

Accepted Answer

A)   group interactions and the postal system
B)   an individual and a social institution
C)   society and a living organism
D)   macro- and micro-level action C

Question 2

How do time-lag comparisons work?

Accepted Answer

A)   by assigning members of different cohorts to groups based on specific characteristics
B)   by comparing different groups of people of the same age at different points in time
C)   by predicting a cohort's characteristics in the future and then comparing the prediction with the actual outcomes
D)   by following a group for a short period of time and collecting as much data as possible B

Question 3

Explain the feminist approach to aging.Then conduct research (on the Internet or in your local community)to find a woman who believes in the feminist approach.What are her theories about aging? Do you agree with her perspective? Explain.

Accepted Answer

Student Answer will vary,but should include the following:
The feminist approach views gender as a defining characteristic in social interaction and life experiences,as well as in the process and experience of aging; gender is seen as socially constructed,with men being more advantaged than women in society.
Some famous Canadian feminists include Therese Casgrain,Judy Rebick,Rita McNeil,Sarah McLachlan,Nellie McClung,Agnes Macphail,Maureen McTeer,Alanis Morrissette,and Ellen Page.

Question 4

Which of the following is an assumption made by structural functionalism?

Accepted Answer

A)   Society changes and evolves in a negative direction more often than a positive direction.
B)   Functionalism draws connections only between micro-social structures and individuals' actions.
C)   People conform to norms because of a belief in a society's underlying value system.
D)   Social problems are natural responses, and should be allowed to resolve themselves.

Question 5

Which perspective looks at how people define situations,create social order,and relate to one another?

Accepted Answer

A)   normative perspective
B)   interpretive perspective
C)   social perspective
D)   ethnomethodology

Question 6

Researchers such as Baltes and Schaie (1982)found that a large part of the intelligence difference between younger and older people was due to which of the following?

Accepted Answer

A)   test biases
B)   biased subject sampling techniques
C)   differences in health status
D)   educational differences

Question 7

Which research method allows a researcher to gather data of a more sensitive nature?

Accepted Answer

A)   triangulation
B)   qualitative
C)   longitudinal
D)   quantitative

Question 8

Kayla is examining a theory that focuses on individuals and their interactions with one another,such as a brief confrontation at a parents' school meeting.Which of the following is Kayla studying?

Accepted Answer

A)   micro-level
B)   interpersonal
C)   psychological
D)   organic

Question 9

Which perspective has historically been used the least by social gerontologists and is now making a resurgence over the last few decades?

Accepted Answer

A)   normative perspective
B)   psycho-social perspective
C)   associative perspective
D)   interpretive perspective

Question 10

According to the text,how does a researcher select a theory to use in order to explain a set of research findings?

Accepted Answer

A)   according to the researcher's sense of how the world works
B)   according to the original hypotheses of the study
C)   according to recent academic trends
D)   according to journal preferences and peer reviews

Question 11

Weber developed the social phenomenological theory.What does Weber say the researcher needs to do in order to understand a social phenomenon?

Accepted Answer

A)   develop an unbiased description of the phenomena
B)   understand the meaning that people in the situation attach to the events and their actions
C)   develop a theory to clearly specify the relationships between people and events
D)   examine the social structures that enable the phenomenon to occur

Question 12

Which areas of research are combined in the field of social gerontology?

Accepted Answer

A)   socioeconomic-environmental, psychosocial, and practice-related research
B)   biomedical and socioeconomic-environmental research
C)   psychosocial, social policy, and social sciences research
D)   biological, psychological, and health sciences research

Question 13

What does critical gerontology highlight?

Accepted Answer

A)   conflict between age groups over economic resources
B)   the transition from traditional to modern society
C)   movement from one age grade to the next
D)   limitations in mainstream gerontological theory

Question 14

Which of the following is a strength of the feminist theory of aging?

Accepted Answer

A)   It is congruent with most "mainstream" feminist theories.
B)   It illustrates an ability to control for gender, and thereby focus on other social characteristics (such as race and social class) .
C)   It acknowledges the "feminization of aging."
D)   It recognizes the importance of social structure and individual characteristics.

Question 15

Which of the following is a criticism of micro-level theories?

Accepted Answer

A)   They oversimplify social life.
B)   They minimize the individual's ability to act.
C)   They emphasize what people do rather than the economic and social conditions that cause them to act as they do.
D)   They support a definition of old age as a time of decline.

Question 16

What do social gerontologists use to guide their research and interpret the results of studies?

Accepted Answer

A)   statistics and demographics
B)   test sampling
C)   theories
D)   focus groups

Question 17

A researcher is examining the shared moral assumptions held by the members of a society to describe the effect of the society's values on policy.Which of the following is the researcher using?

Accepted Answer

A)   moral economy theory
B)   phenomenology
C)   symbolic interactionism
D)   cross-sectional theory

Question 18

According to political economy theory,what can the origins of older people's problems be traced to?

Accepted Answer

A)   the political and economic structure of capitalist society
B)   ageism
C)   the decline in health and intelligence that occurs as people age
D)   the influence of middle-aged, middle-class values on social support programs

Question 19

The influence of factors such as educational differences between cohorts on studies of aging confound observed age changes.What are these influences known as?

Accepted Answer

A)   mediators
B)   cohort variables
C)   differences between age groups
D)   socialization factors

Question 20

As a cause for change in later life,age effects are due to which of the following?

Accepted Answer

A)   the effects of the aging population on a society
B)   changes within a culture that affect the aging process
C)   differences between people of different ages
D)   physical decline

Exam 2: Theories and Methods