Deck 3: Marriage and the Family: Disciplinary and Theoretical Approaches

Question 1

If two variables increase together, you have observed a positive relationship.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Within a social conflict frame of reference, social conflict is generally disruptive and should be avoided whenever possible.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Quantitative methods are more useful than qualitative methods when little is known about the topic under study.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Experiments tend to be low in ecological validity because of their artificial setting.

Question 5

While the text does not focus on personalities, it states that perhaps the most important use of family sociology exists at a personal level.

Question 6

Psychology, social psychology, and sociology are identical in that each focuses on individuals and their personal life experiences.

Question 7

According to conflict theory, true equality between married couples is difficult to achieve due to gender stratification.

Question 8

Family theories are either right or wrong, and when proven wrong, should be discarded.

Question 9

Hypotheses and propositions are identical with the exception that hypotheses carry clear implications for measuring the stated relations.

Question 10

Experiments are a very common research tool in family sociology.

Question 11

Latent functions of the family are neither intended nor recognized.

Question 12

Macro theories focus on individual motivations.

Question 13

All family sociologists adopt a scientific approach to studying families.

Question 14

If two variables decrease together, you have observed a negative relationship.

Question 15

When data are collected from a subset of a population of interest, that subset is called a sample.

Question 16

A source of uncertainty in studying families is that social science is probabilistic rather than deterministic.

Question 17

A basic or concrete approach to family study seeks knowledge for its own sake without much concern about how it will be applied.

Question 18

Cross-sectional designs are an effective method of establishing causality.

Question 19

A sociology of the family does not have a principal interest in the motivations, drives, or personalities of individuals.

Question 20

In random selection, every unit in the population has an equal chance of being selected.

Question 21

In experimental design, study participants are

A) carefully assigned to a treatment group based on their individual characteristics.
B) randomly assigned to a treatment group so that differences among the individuals are equally distributed across the groups.
C) asked to choose the treatment group they prefer.
D) assigned to a treatment group by age and sex.

Question 22

When concepts take on two or more degrees or values, they are referred to as

A) variables.
B) conceptual frameworks.
C) hypotheses.
D) theories.

Question 23

Randomization means that the units in the sample are selected

A) in a haphazard fashion.
B) based on convenience and availability.
C) so that the researchers can study individuals most likely to support their ideas.
D) in such a way that every unit in the population has an equal chance of being in the sample.

Question 24

Social exchange theory assumes that standards used by humans to evaluate rewards and costs differ from person to person and can vary over the course of time.

Question 25

The family life cycle is a major conceptual tool in the developmental approach.

Question 26

According to the text's discussion of disciplines involved in family study,

A) sociology reveals more about marriages and families than any other discipline.
B) a sociobiological approach or theory explains most marital and family behaviors.
C) the study of the family is highly interdisciplinary.
D) all of the above three are true.

Question 27

Family scholars tend to agree that all families go through seven clearly defined stages of development.

Question 28

The statement "the frequency of intercourse declines with age and/or the length of the marriage" would be considered a

A) falsehood.
B) theory.
C) proposition.
D) hypothesis.

Question 29

Qualitative observations are likely to be used

A) when little is known about the phenomenon being studied.
B) to describe and explore reality.
C) to generate theories.
D) all of the other three

Question 30

In quantitative research,

A) specific measures that have numerical value are used.
B) data are in narrative form.
C) exploration is the purpose.
D) None of the others is correct.

Question 31

An example of a macro level theory is:

A) structural functional theory
B) developmental theory
C) symbolic interaction
D) exchange theory

Question 32

When a proposition is formulated for empirical testing, it is considered a

A) variable.
B) conceptual framework.
C) hypothesis.
D) theory.

Question 33

Postmodernism relies on the idea that scientific knowledge and theories are objective and rational facts.

Question 34

Symbolic interaction is distinctive because of its assumption that meaning can only be found in the consequences of actions.

Question 35

In the family systems frame of reference, "morphogenesis" refers to a state of stability and stasis.

Question 36

A sociology of the family is most likely to focus on

A) human groups and systems.
B) assistance to children and the elderly.
C) human growth and development.
D) all of the first three about equally.

Question 37

For the symbolic interactionist, there is not one identity but as many identities as there are systems of relationships in which one is involved.

Question 38

Feminists agree that economic inequality is basic to all social structures and organizations and is the main force that creates gender inequality.

Question 39

Which of the following topics would most likely be studied by family sociologists?

A) housing, nutrition, and child development
B) venereal disease, maternal care, and health practices
C) family systems, interpersonal relationships, and family change
D) the personalities of family members

Question 40

When a researcher establishes that one variable preceded another in time, s/he has established

A) causal validity
B) causal ordering
C) spuriousness
D) correlation

Question 41

__________ functions are both intended and recognized.

Question 42

The person who provided the classic case for social conflict theory was __________.

Question 43

Measurement __________ refers to whether or not results of a study can be replicated.

Question 44

According to conflict theory, conflict

A) is a threat to society and marital stability.
B) can be avoided through clearly separated groups of "haves" and "have nots."
C) is an assumed and expected part of all systems and interactions.
D) occurs most commonly between parents and their teenage children.

Question 45

Social exchange theory rests on the assumption(s) that

A) exchanges must be equal for marriages to survive.
B) most human gratifications are derived from sexual and intimate relationships.
C) human beings are motivated in their actions by the need to maximize their rewards and minimize their costs.
D) All of the above three are true.

Question 46

The classical case for conflict theory stems from the work of

A) George Herbert Mead.
B) Charles Darwin.
C) Karl Marx.
D) Talcott Parsons.

Question 47

According to a social conflict perspective, the family

A) is based on a patriarchal model that grants greater power to men.
B) serves as a haven from a hostile world.
C) is a key system in eliminating racial and ethnic conflict.
D) cannot be analyzed from a conflict perspective.

Question 48

The derivation of general and abstract knowledge from particular and concrete observations is known as ____________.

Question 49

Within a structural-functional frame of reference, functions were said to include

A) what families do.
B) what consequences or results occur.
C) what is best for families to maximize success or happiness.
D) both A and B.

Question 50

The subset of the population from which the researcher collects data is called the __________.

Question 51

A basic assumption(s) of a feminist frame of reference is that

A) the personal is political.
B) women are superior to men.
C) women need to have a single vision of reality to be successful in the current system.
D) All of the above three are basic assumptions.

Question 52

According to the text, the goal of science is to develop clear, logically consistent, abstract, and generalizable __________.

Question 53

The major conceptual tools for time analysis in the developmental frame of reference is the

A) developmental tasks and social maturity.
B) manifest and latent functions.
C) family life cycle and life course.
D) fair exchange and distributive justice.

Question 54

Peter Blau's theory of exchange, in contrast to that of George Homans, maintains that

A) humans react to stimuli based on external reinforcements.
B) actual behavior is the focus of rewards and punishments.
C) distributive justice is the key to satisfying exchanges.
D) social exchanges are creative and subjective processes.

Question 55

Using sample results to generalize to the larger population is called __________ statistics.

Question 56

This frame of reference views families as living systems that respond to environmental pressures, but do so in interaction with the effect of the perceptions and motivations of individual family members. A. family systems
B) symbolic interaction
C) conflict
D) developmental

Question 57

This concept refers to how individuals obtain and internalize the behavior patterns and ways of thinking and feeling of the society and culture in which they live.

A) role
B) socialization
C) self-concept
D) identity

Question 58

Measurement __________ refers to whether the researcher has measured what he or she intended to measure.

Question 59

For sociologists, the important characteristics of postmodernism are found in its

A) simplicity of social thought.
B) rejection of rationality and scientific thought as the foundation of knowledge.
C) view of knowledge as a natural given.
D) acceptance of positivism.

Question 60

When a proposition is formulated for empirical testing, it is considered a __________.

Question 61

Differentiate: a) concepts from variables; b) propositions from hypotheses; and c) theories from conceptual frameworks.

Question 62

How does a sociology of the family differ from a psychological approach to the family?

Question 63

How might a postmodern analysis of married or family life differ from a functional or conflict type of analysis?
Chapter 4 Social Class Variations in U.S. Families
4.1

Question 64

A state of ongoing change or adjustment is known as ________________.

Question 65

What are the key components of the scientific process?

Question 66

Develop a family life cycle model. How many stages does it have? How are the stages determined? What difficulties/problems exist with your scheme?
9 What do feminists mean when they say that "the personal is political." Give an example of how this works.

Question 67

The text lists a number of uses of family sociology. State two of them and indicate how they are useful.

Question 68

A __________ frame of reference focuses on women as different from men, less privileged than men, and oppressed by men.

Question 69

__________ theory assumes that as we receive benefits from others, we are under an obligation to reciprocate by offering benefits in return.

Question 70

Illustrate how exchange theory is applicable to understanding (a) mate selection, (b) husband-wife relationships, and (c) sexual relationships.

Question 71

Contrast a functionalist family perspective with a conflict family perspective. Describe at least three different assumptions of the two approaches to understanding families.

Question 72

What are the major differences between qualitative and quantitative research? Give an example of an instance when each might be useful in answering a question about families.

Question 73

The major concept used by a developmental approach in dealing with family change and differences over time is the __________.