Deck 3: Symbolic Interactionism, Ethnomethodology, and Multidimensional Sociology

Question 1

George Herbert Mead's work was influenced by which of the following two approaches?

A)positivism and pragmatism
B)behaviorism and pragmatism
C)positivism and behaviorism
D)behaviorism and biology

Answer 1

behaviorism and pragmatism

Question 2

Which of the following theorists coined the term symbolic interactionism?

A)erving goffman
B)herbert blumer
C)georg simmel
D)george herbert mead

Answer 2

herbert blumer

Question 3

In his work Mind, Self and Society, Mead gave priority to:

A)the self.
B)the mind.
C)society.
D)institutions.

Answer 3

society.

Question 4

Which of the following is NOT one of the four basic stages of what Mead calls "the act"?

A)impulse
B)perception
C)manipulation
D)significant symbols

Question 5

It is only through ___________ that language and human thinking are possible.

A)vocal gestures
B)impulses
C)physical gestures
D)significant symbols

Question 6

_____________ is the general mechanism for the development of the self.

A)reflexivity
B)gesture
C)impulse
D)human nature

Question 7

Children learn to take the attitude of particular others to themselves during the ____________ stage.

A)game
B)social
C)primary
D)play

Question 8

Mead refers to the ability to take the attitude of the entire community into account as:

A)the generalized other.
B)impression management.
C)pragmatism.
D)the looking-glass self.

Question 9

According to Mead, ____________ behavior is the thinking process, involving symbols and meanings.

A)overt
B)covert
C)front stage
D)back stage

Question 10

The basic unit of analysis in Erving Goffman's theory is:

A)the team.
B)the individual.
C)society.
D)the gesture.

Question 11

Social actors engage in the process of mystification in order to do all of the following EXCEPT:

A)generate social distance between themselves and their audience.
B)keep their audience from questioning their performance.
C)create a sense of awe in their audience.
D)become emotionally connected to their audience.

Question 12

Which of the following statements correctly characterizes Goffman's work later in his career?

A)goffman became more cynical of social life.
B)goffman focused more on small-scale structures.
C)goffman defined action more as an active and creative process.
D)goffman became convinced that dramaturgy was the best way to

Question 13

Which of the following does NOT characterize Herbert Blumer's theory of symbolic interactionism?

A)the essence of society is found in actors and action.
B)society is made up of macro structures.
C)large-scale structures emerge from micro processes.
D)collective action gives rise to joint action.

Question 14

Which of the following is NOT a criticism of symbolic interactionism?

A)it has too readily given up on conventional scientific techniques.
B)it has downplayed large-scale social structures.
C)it has not been sufficiently microscopic.
D)it has concentrated too much on psychological factors.

Question 15

Cultural studies' scholars argue that symbolic interactionism should focus more attention on:

A)communication technologies.
B)children.
C)consumption.
D)the other.

Question 16

___________________ was the founder of ethnomethodology.

A)erving goffman
B)max weber
C)herbert blumer
D)harold garfinkel

Question 17

Which of the following is the term that ethnomethodologists use to describe the ways in which social actors explain specific situations?

A)accounts
B)hermenuetics
C)emotions
D)rituals

Question 18

With which of the following statements would an ethnomethodologist agree?

A)gender is something that social actors are born with.
B)gender is something that social actors accomplish.
C)gender is not a significant variable to study, because it never changes.
D)gender can be studied only through analyses of verbal conversations.

Question 19

Ethnomethodologists are critical of traditional sociologists because the latter tend to:

A)rely too much on statistical analysis of data.
B)concentrate too much on everyday social practices.
C)focus on the real world rather than on the constructed world.
D)dismiss a respondent's description of social phenomena.

Question 20

According to ethnomethodologists, conventional sociologists look at everyday speech as a(n):

A)resource.
B)formulation.
C)topic.
D)account.

Question 21

Ethnomethodology has been subject to criticism because it:

A)pays too much attention to the role of motives in social interaction.
B)has become too focused on its phenomenological roots.
C)has lost sight of its radical reflexivity.
D)dismisses structural properties of speech acts.

Question 22

In terms of the micro-macro debate, ethnomethodologists argue that:

A)micro-level phenomena are more important to study than macrolevel structures.
B)micro and macro structures are generated simultaneously.
C)macro structures determine micro-level social interactions.
D)sociologists should stop attempting to make micro-macro linkages.

Question 23

For Jeffrey Alexander, normative, non-rational, and affective actions constitute ____________ dimensions of his multidimensional sociology.

A)materialist
B)non-material
C)macro
D)micro

Question 24

Alexander believed that according privilege to the ________________ level was a "theoretical mistake."

A)micro
B)macro
C)subjective
D)objective