University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley - SOCIOLOGY 1301

CHAPTER 3: Socialization, the Life Course, and Aging

MULTIPLE CHOICE

1)Someone claims that socialization only takes place during infancy; a sociologist would counter this by saying socialization takes place when?

1. 1. in adulthood                                            c.   during young adulthood
   2. in childhood                                            d. throughout our entire lives

2. 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:
   1. ageism.                                                   c.   life course development.
   2. socialization.                                           d. resocialization.

3. 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?
   1. ageism                                                    c.   life course development
   2. socialization                                            d. resocialization

4. A social worker discovers a thirteen-year-old girl living in complete isolation. Psychologists find that she is generally incapable of using language. After some months, she slowly learns how to dress herself, but her communication skills remain poor compared with others in her age group. The girl’s experiences show that humans cannot be socialized without:
   1. regular social interaction with others.
   2. proper medical treatment.
   3. peers to emulate and learn from.
   4. access to schooling and formal education.

5. 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:
   1. social dominance.                                   c.   social reproduction.
   2. structured time flow.                              d. biological reproduction.

6. Socialization is the process by which members of society learn the norms and values of society, thereby allowing the society to         over time.
   1. socially reproduce itself                         c.   have conflict among the generations
   2. drastically change itself                          d. biologically reproduce itself

7. All social science theories of child socialization emphasize:
   1. that socialization occurs between the ages five and fourteen.
   2. the significance of brain development.
   3. the role of genetics.
   4. the importance of human contact.

8. One of the most distinctive features of human beings compared with other animals is:
   1. our self-awareness, or the sense that one has an identity distinct and separate from others.
   2. the short time that we raise our children.
   3. how much we socialize with other members of our species.
   4. our ability to live in isolation.

9. According to George Herbert Mead, children develop as social beings by imitating those around them. Which example would he most likely use to elaborate this point?
   1. Fatima, learning at school                      c.   Marcus, reading a book
   2. Connie, playing piano                             d. Jamel, playing with friends

10. 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:
    1. developing a self-consciousness.            c.   being egocentric.
    2. taking on the role of the other.              d. developing a social self.

11. According to George Herbert Mead, children develop a sense of self by:
    1. going through distinct stages of sensorimotor development.
    2. going to school and learning to read.
    3. going to church and gaining a soul.
    4. imitating other people.

12. 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 that 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 who thought that boys are not supposed to wear nail polish. In other words, Jorge developed:
    1. an “I.”                                                      c.   a social consciousness.
    2. his concrete operational stage.              d. an ego.

13. According to George Herbert Mead’s theory of socialization, children are not born with   but learn to acquire                       through socialization.
    1. a soul; an identity                                   c.   social consciousness; a social self
    2. intelligence; an identity                          d. an ego; a self

14. At nine years old, Arjun began playing organized sports, learning that teams are supposed to play by the rules of the game. According to George Herbert Mead, Arjun is developing an understanding of:
    1. the “I.”                                                    c.   the generalized other.
    2. the “me.”                                                d. socialization.

15. What would sociologists conclude is one difficulty that arises when applying Jean Piaget’s approach to the study of child development to all children across all societies and cultures?
    1. In American culture, the family is far more important than any other agent of socialization.
    2. Schooling is far more important than the family in the concrete operational stage.
    3. Piaget underestimated the role of the ego in children.
    4. The stages of cognitive development may not always follow a smooth and progressive path.

16. 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?
    1. egocentric stage                                     c.   sensorimotor stage
    2. preoperational stage                              d. concrete operational stage

17. 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?
    1. concrete operational                              c.   formal operational
    2. preoperational                                        d. egocentric

18. In math class, eleven-year-old Dylan was asked by his teacher, “If Mary is taller than Darryl and Darryl is taller than Evan, who is the tallest?” This question perplexed Dylan, and he asked the teacher for a pen and paper to draw a picture so he could attempt to answer. Sociologists would argue that this question is too abstract for Dylan to answer, and this shows that he is in which stage of development?
    1. the egocentric stage                               c.   the concrete operational stage
    2. the formal operational stage                 d. the preoperational stage

19. 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?
    1. the preoperational stage                        c.   the formal operational stage
    2. the concrete operational stage              d. the generalized other stage

20. Growing up in rural Idaho, there are many agents of socialization for Albert, but    is/are the most significant agent(s) of his socialization.
    1. television and magazines                       c.   friends
    2. the family                                                d. teachers

21. For most individuals in modern society,           is/are the agent(s) of socialization that is/are most responsible for their early childhood development.
    1. their preschool                                        c.   the television
    2. their friends at school                             d. the family

22. 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?
    1. teaching students proper English
    2. affecting students’ expectations of themselves
    3. teaching students the importance of math
    4. making certain that students learn proper use of the comma

23. Devonte and Michelle have one child. This social formation is known as:

24. According to the textbook, peer groups can be defined as social groups in which members:
    1. grew up in the same household.
    2. have the same hair color.
    3. are of similar age and social background.
    4. were born in the same country.

25. Sal, a ten-year-old from Houston, lives with his two parents and four brothers. In addition to the family, one of the most important socializing agents for kids like Sal is/are their:
    1. extended family.                                     c.   peer groups.
    2. teachers.                                                 d. babysitters.

26. What did researchers do to realize children are now consuming 7.5 hours of media per day?
    1. They expanded the definition of media to include music, the Internet, social networks, and video games.
    2. They looked at children from all socioeconomic backgrounds.
    3. They measured how much media children consumed at night, after their parents had gone to bed.
    4. They connected media consumption to food consumption.

27. Chelsea started playing video games three hours a day, and her mother is scared that Chelsea’s grades will suffer as a result. Would sociologists support Chelsea’s mother’s fears?
    1. Yes, research has shown a strongly negative correlation between video games and school performance.
    2. No, research has shown a strongly positive correlation between video games and school performance.
    3. No, research shows there is no direct correlation between video games and school performance.
    4. Perhaps. Research has shown both positive and negative correlations between video games and school performance.

28. Jesse, a server at a large chain restaurant, feels exhausted after trying to keep customers happy all day. What sociological pattern does Jesse’s experience fit into?
    1. the need to raise the minimum wage for food service workers
    2. the difficulty of men asserting their emotions
    3. the many workers who must learn how to “feel” on the job
    4. the need for the social role of service workers to garner more respect

29. Functionalists argue that social roles:
    1. change every few generations.              c.   are the same in all societies.
    2. are related to social power.                   d. remain relatively stable.

30. As a doctor, Ivan is expected to follow certain standards, such as keeping patient information confidential. What would a sociologist call these expectations?
    1. social outcomes                                      c.   social identities
    2. social roles                                              d. social norms

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

1. 1. Through socialization, individuals are robbed of their individuality and free will.
   2. Through socialization, we lose the identity we were born with.
   3. Through socialization, each person develops an identity and capacity for individual thought and action.
   4. After the age of twelve we have already been socialized into the identity that we will have for the rest of our lives.

32. Our                identity marks the way in which we are different from others.
    1. individual                                                c.   social
    2. generalized                                             d. self-

33. 
    Sociologists argue that social and geographic mobility have affected our self-identities in which way?
    1. Our self-identities are less stable.
    2. Our self-identities are more rigid and unchanging.
    3. We have a difficult time forming self-identities.
    4. Our social identities are overwhelming our self-identities.

34. Gender socialization begins at:
    1. infancy.                                                   c.   early adolescence.
    2. toddlerhood.                                           d. adolescence.

35. 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?
    1. Gender roles don’t solidify until most people reach their teens.
    2. Girls probably don’t enjoy outdoor or aggressive activities as much as boys.
    3. Children’s books teach important, yet subtle lessons about gender.
    4. The publishing industry is responsible for creating gender conflict in U.S. society.

36. By what age do children generally have a partial understanding of what gender is?
    1. ten                                                           c.   five
    2. at birth                                                    d.   two

37. In modern societies, death is most commonly associated with old age, but a few hundred years ago, death was most commonly associated with infancy. How do sociologists understand this transformation?
    1. People are generally happier in contemporary society.
    2. The life course is influenced by cultural and material circumstances.
    3. Earlier societies had an inaccurate understanding of death.
    4. Modern societies have higher health disparities across race.

38. At the age of eight, Ricky is in school and is not required to have a job. Would expectations likely have been similar for Ricky’s great-great-grandfather?
    1. Yes, as long as Ricky and his great-great-grandfather were brought up in similar socioeconomic backgrounds.
    2. Yes, childhood has been a distinct life stage for at least 500 years.
    3. No, because the quality of education was not as good in the past.
    4. No, because childhood only became a distinct stage of the life course in contemporary society.

39. 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:
    1. children were considered nuisances.
    2. childhood did not exist in medieval times.
    3. children had the same rights as adults.
    4. children often married very young.

40. Why are older adults of great interest to policy makers?
    1. Older adults tend to have a lot of money.
    2. Older adults are less likely to vote.
    3. Older adults are the life stage group seeing the greatest growth.

1. 4. Policy makers are more likely to be older themselves.

41. 

    41.

What is one conclusion that sociologists can draw from the data presented in this graph?

1. 1. Thirty-year-olds are meeting more markers of adulthood than they did in 1975.
   2. Thirty-year-olds in 1975 had better job opportunities.
   3. Thirty-year-olds are not meeting as many of the markers of adulthood as they did in 1975.
   4. Family took a backseat to career for thirty-year-olds in 1975.

42. According to your textbook, which of the following is a reason that the meaning of the term aging is changing today?
    1. People are not living as long as they used to.
    2. Medicare and Social Security are expanding to include younger adults.
    3. There are more social programs for older people.
    4. Advances in nutrition and health have enabled people to live longer.

43. The discipline concerned with the study of the social aspects of aging is known as:
    1. social gerontology.                                  c.   age studies.
    2. social chronology.                                   d. elder studies.

44. According to 1950s functionalist theorist Talcott Parsons, failure to find adequate roles for the elderly in U.S. society will cause them to:
    1. be alienated from society.
    2. organize social movements to struggle for more social programs.
    3. retire to other countries.
    4. move in with their adult children.

45. Which of the following best summarizes how disengagement theory views the elderly?
    1. As people age, they are more interested in watching TV than interacting with others.
    2. As people age, they no longer want to participate fully in society.
    3. As people age, they need to be removed from their traditional roles in order to free up those roles for the younger generation.
    4. As people age, they are not given the same respect as the younger generation.

46. Critics of functionalist theories of aging argue that these theories:
    1. place too much emphasis on the importance of the elderly in modern societies.
    2. emphasize the need for the elderly to adjust to existing societal conditions rather than participate in changing them.
    3. give too much agency to the elderly in defining their own role in society.
    4. focus too little on racial inequalities affecting the elderly.

47. According to activity theory, both the elderly and society can benefit:
    1. if the elderly retire from their jobs so that the younger generation can fill them.
    2. if the elderly remain physically active but refrain from too much social activity.
    3. if the elderly remain socially active but do not tax themselves physically.
    4. if the elderly remain actively engaged in work and other social roles as long as they can.

48. According to               theories of aging, social institutions that favor those who have the most economic power are the source of many of the problems of aging.
    1. social conflict                                          c.   social psychological
    2. functionalist                                            d. life course

49. A key difference between conflict and functionalist theoretical perspectives on aging is that:
    1. functionalist theory tends to see the elderly as victims of the stratification system that denies them opportunities.
    2. conflict theory attributes the participation of the elderly in satisfying activities to individual willpower and personalities.
    3. conflict theory emphasizes the role of social structures in shaping the opportunities older adults have to continue living meaningful and fulfilling lives.
    4. functionalism stresses that older people can be productive to society as long as they pursue activities that are consistent with their personalities and lifestyles choices.

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

1. 2. whites
   3. foreign-born people
   4. people born in single-parent households

51. What percentage of the elderly in the United States is foreign born?
    1. 13 percent                                               c.   20 percent
    2. 50 percent                                               d. 5 percent

52. Among the elderly, which group is most likely to be independent, healthy, and actively engaged?
    1. young-old                                                c.   middle-old
    2. old-old                                                     d. oldest-old

53. 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?
    1. The young-old grew up in favorable economic times.
    2. The young-old grew up with social norms that emphasized independence and hard work.
    3. The young-old have better health care and nutrition.
    4. The young-old are more politically active.

54. Among the elderly, which group is most likely to experience poor health, isolation, and economic insecurity?
    1. young-old                                                c.   middle-old
    2. old-old                                                     d. oldest-old

55. Despite having access to Medicare, the elderly spend about       of their income on health care.
    1. 13 percent                                               c.   33 percent
    2. 50 percent                                               d. 1 percent

56. Elder abuse is present when an elderly person experiences which of the following?
    1. a nutritious diet                                      c.   difficulty accessing health care
    2. poverty                                                    d. neglect and abandonment

57. Elderly people in the United States are likely to be stereotyped as:
    1. lonely.                                                     c.   aggressive.
    2. intelligent.                                               d. financially savvy.

58. 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:
    1. mass media and popular entertainment.
    2. her parents.
    3. her grandparents.
    4. the elderly she meets on the street.

SHORT ANSWER

1. Pick one agent of socialization other than your family and, in three to four sentences, explain the role it played in your socialization as a child.

2. Which theorist do you believe provides a more accurate explanation of child development today— George Herbert Mead or Jean Piaget? Explain in three to four sentences.

3. Pick a game you played as a child and use it to explain, in three to four sentences, George Herbert Mead’s theory of the development of the self and the process children go through to acquire self- consciousness.

4. 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.

5. 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, name three social identities you have and, in one sentence each, explain how they influence your self-identity.

6. Imagine that you and your family want to raise a child in a gender-neutral way. In three to four sentences, compare how agents of socialization other than your own family would affect the process of gender-neutral socialization as your child grows into a young adult.

7. Your textbook begins chapter 3 with the example of six-year-old Coy and her use of the girls’ bathroom. In three to four sentences, explain how Coy’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 Coy’s self-identity? Explain.

8. Choose one of the five stages of the life course—childhood, teenager, young adulthood, middle age, and old age—and explain in a few sentences how the stage you chose is different in modern societies compared with more traditional societies.

9. Given the elderly people you know, distinguish which theory of aging (activity theory, disengagement theory, or conflict theory) you think best explains the situation of most elderly people in today’s society. Explain your answer in three to four sentences.

10. List at least three of the physical, emotional, and financial challenges facing older adults in the United States. Decide which one of these challenges you think you will face when you are elderly; explain why in a couple of sentences.