Question 1

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:

Accepted Answer

A)  developing a self-consciousness. 
B)  taking on the role of the other. 
C)  being egocentric. 
D)  developing a social self.

Question 2

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?

Accepted Answer

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 health care and nutrition. 
D)  The young-old are more politically active.

Question 3

For hundreds of years, U.S. society has been stratified by social class, including through different access to wealth, values, and tastes. This process is known as:

Accepted Answer

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

Question 4

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

Accepted Answer

A)  a nutritious diet 
B)  poverty 
C)  difficulty accessing health care 
D)  neglect and abandonment

Question 5

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 6

According to Piaget, the first three stages of cognitive development (sensorimotor, preoperational, and concrete operational) are universal, but some adults never reach the fourth stage (formal operational). According to the text, "The development of formal operational thoughts depends in part on one's education, which may foster abstract reasoning." In three to four sentences, hypothesize why you think that might be.

Accepted Answer

The answer of According to Piaget, the first three stages...

Question 7

According to sociologists, which of the following best describes the relationship between identity and socialization?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 8

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

Accepted Answer

A)  if the elderly retire from their jobs so that 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 the elderly remain actively engaged in work and other social roles as long as they can.

Question 9

Katya, a five-year-old girl, entered her classroom on the first day of school and began running around screaming. Her teacher told her to take a seat and sit quietly since class was starting. What process was occurring during this interaction?

Accepted Answer

A)  ageism 
B)  socialization 
C)  life course development 
D)  resocialization

Question 10

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:

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 11

According to the textbook, peer groups can be defined as social groups in which members:

Accepted Answer

A)  grew up in the same household. 
B)  have the same hair color. 
C)  are of similar age and social background. 
D)  were born in the same country.

Question 12

Critics of functionalist theories of aging argue that these theories:

Accepted Answer

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 societal 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.

Question 13

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

Accepted Answer

A)  blacks 
B)  whites 
C)  foreign-born people 
D)  people born in single-parent households

Question 14

One of the most distinctive features of human beings compared with other animals is:

Accepted Answer

A)  our self-awareness, or the sense that one has an identity distinct and separate from others. 
B)  the short time that we raise our children. 
C)  how much we socialize with other members of our species. 
D)  our ability to live in isolation.

Question 15

In a 1972 study examining gender roles in children's books, Lenore Weitzman found that females were more likely to be indoors and engaged in passive activities. What is the sociological implication of this research?

Accepted Answer

A)  Gender roles don't solidify until most people reach their teens. 
B)  Girls probably don't enjoy outdoor or aggressive activities as much as boys. 
C)  Children's books teach important, yet subtle lessons about gender. 
D)  The publishing industry is responsible for creating gender conflict in U.S. society.

Question 16

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 17

Marika often likes to pretend that the household broom is a pony named Lucy. Piaget would argue that Marika is participating in which stage of cognitive development?

Accepted Answer

A)  egocentric stage 
B)  preoperational stage 
C)  sensorimotor stage 
D)  concrete operational stage

Question 18

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:

Accepted Answer

A)  mass media and popular entertainment. 
B)  her parents. 
C)  her grandparents. 
D)  the elderly she meets on the street.

Question 19

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

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 20

Functionalists argue that social roles:

Accepted Answer

A)  change every few generations. 
B)  are related to social power. 
C)  are the same in all societies. 
D)  remain relatively stable.

Exam 3: Socialization, the Life Course, and Aging