Deck 3: Culture and the Culture-Learning Process

Question 1

Which of the following are examples of subcultures?

A) German and French
B) corporate cultures and drug cultures
C) male and female
D) Catholic and Jewish

Answer 1

corporate cultures and drug cultures

Question 2

The family and the school are examples of:

A) microcultures.
B) ethnic groups.
C) minority groups.
D) subcultures.

Answer 2

microcultures.

Question 3

The members of an ethnic group share:

A) a sense of peoplehood and shared identity.
B) a common future.
C) a common history and heritage.
D) a sense of peoplehood and shared identity as well as a common history and heritage.

Answer 3

a sense of peoplehood and shared identity as well as a common history and heritage.

Question 4

The term "minority group" refers to:

A) a group that experiences discrimination and separation from the larger society.
B) a group that may occupy a subordinate position in a society.
C) a group that has minority status, yet may have a majority population.
D) all of these answers are correct.

Question 5

The term "people of color" is the preferred term in use today because:

A) it refers to all minority groups within the United States.
B) it refers to nonwhite groups within the United States, which may be the majority in some communities.
C) it is a broad term used to identify all ethnic groups within the United States.
D) it enables people to be less specific when referring to minority groups.

Question 6

How do the subjective elements of culture differ from the objective elements of culture?

A) Subjective elements refer to the less tangible aspects of people's culture, such as their thoughts, attitudes, and values.
B) Subjective elements are the products of all people, while objective elements are the products of only certain groups.
C) Subjective elements refer to the visible and tangible products that people make, such as their artifacts and the food they eat.
D) Subjective elements are of most interest to cross-cultural psychologists, while objective elements are of interest to anthropologists.

Question 7

How do culture-general concepts differ from culture-specific concepts?

A) Culture-general concepts are more numerous and, therefore, more useful.
B) Culture-general concepts are ones that can be applied to all cultural groups.
C) Culture-general concepts are most applicable in the educational setting.
D) Culture-general concepts are the only ones supported by research.

Question 8

A characteristic of the process of socialization is that:

A) it is limited in its power because people are simply passive recipients of socialization.
B) it is an all-powerful force that totally molds the human creature.
C) it is an unending process that is never completely finished.
D) it is a process through which individuals are totally determined but not shaped.

Question 9

The importance of socialization agents is that they:

A) serve to mediate the sources of cultural identity in particular ways.
B) always tell us exactly what to think.
C) pay no attention to what we think.
D) love us without exception.

Question 10

Socialization refers to:

A) the process by which people get to know one another.
B) the process by which teachers get to know their students.
C) the process by which sociologists interview people.
D) the process by which children learn to be a member of their group(s).

Question 11

Ethnocentrism refers to:

A) the tendency people have to look to ethnicity as a reason to explain school failure.
B) the tendency people have to think that the world revolves around them.
C) the tendency people have to judge others according to their own criteria.
D) the tendency people have to socialize with others who are like themselves.

Question 12

Categorization is:

A) the process by which people make judgments of others.
B) the process by which people learn what is expected of them in a new role.
C) the process by which people report what stimulates their senses.
D) the process by which people sort and group stimuli to simplify their world.

Question 13

Stereotypes refer to:

A) an ethnocentric response toward others that is prejudicial.
B) the categories of people which often serve to blur the differences within a group.
C) the overstimulation of the senses, and then overresponding, as in prejudice.
D) the process by which people make judgments of others.

Question 14

Although the socialization process is powerful, it has limits. Which of the following exemplifies one of those limits?

A) Human beings are passive recipients of their socialization.
B) Human beings pay little attention to their socialization.
C) Human beings are not simply passive recipients of socialization.
D) Human beings are not limited by physical characteristics.

Question 15

Which of the following is culturally defined on the basis of a particular set of physical characteristics?

A) Ability/disability
B) Health
C) Sex/gender
D) Sexuality

Question 16

According to Coon, culture is the totality of socially transmitted behavior patterns, arts, beliefs, institutions, and all other products of human work and thought characteristic of a community or a population.

Question 17

A microculture is characterized by its separation from the larger society by disapproval and/or discrimination.

Question 18

The term "people of color"
is preferred by some nonwhites because it does not carry the sense of alienation that is associated with some other terms such as "ethnic minority."

Question 19

The concept of culture usually refers to things that naturally occur in the environment rather than to things that are made by human beings.

Question 20

The culture-general approach to understanding groups of people is an inclusive approach that attempts to deal directly with the complex nature of cultural phenomena.

Question 21

The term "race"
is socially defined on the basis of physical criteria such as skin color.

Question 22

A socializing agent plays a minimal role in the way in which an individual acquires a cultural identity.

Question 23

One major expression of ethnocentrism is a strong resistance to change.

Question 24

A stereotype refers to any sort of summary generalization (or prototypic image) that emphasizes the differences within a group.

Question 25

Building a positive attitude toward cultural differences requires a sophisticated way of looking at diversity.

Question 26

Briefly discuss the problems associated with culture-specific approaches to understanding groups. Give examples from your life experience that demonstrate your understanding of such problems.

Question 27

Racism results from the transformation of race prejudice and/or ethnocentrism through the exercise of power against a racial group defined as inferior by individuals or institutions, with the intentional or unintentional support of an entire culture. Give an example of racism that you have learned about or observed in history or in current life.

Question 28

Cortes (2000) suggested that the media functions much like the school curriculum and serves as a powerful teaching medium, especially with regard to intercultural understanding. In what ways has the media influenced your understanding of our multicultural society?

Question 29

Briefly describe the stages of the socialization process with examples.