Chapter 3 Culture

Question 1

Culture

Answer 1

Symbols, language, norms, beliefs, values and artifacts that are part of a society.

Question 2

Culture and society are always [___].

Answer 2

[…changing]

Question 3

Our reactions are [___] induced.

Answer 3

[…culturally]

Question 4

Sociologists note that biological explanations have been used historically to oppress groups

Answer 4

Sterilization; Mass violence; Genocide

Question 5

Material culture, or artifacts

Answer 5

A society’s physical objects, like tools, clothing, utensils and transportation.

Question 6

Nonmaterial culture

Answer 6

Includes the intangible aspects of culture associated with the ways we think, communicate and act.

Question 7

Symbols

Answer 7

Things that stand for something else and that evoke reactions and emotions.

Question 8

Sapir-Whorf hypothesis

Answer 8

It is argued that language shapes how we think and perceive the social and physical worlds.

Question 9

Sexist and racist language, which shape how people perceive one another and serve to reinforce the existing unequal social structure.

Answer 9

Policeman-Police officer; Mankind-Humankind; Man made-Artificial

Question 10

Beliefs

Answer 10

Ideas or convictions that people hold to be true, and are typically rooted in science, mythology, folklore or religion.

Question 11

Values

Answer 11

Judgments of what is good or bad and desirable or undesirable, and are critical for transmitting and teaching the beliefs of a culture.

Question 12

Cultural values shape the norms of society

Answer 12

In Japan, lawsuits happen infrequently, due to the value of group harmony; U.S. cultural values emphasized include individualism and the work ethic

Question 13

Norms

Answer 13

Standards and expectations for behaving.

Question 14

Informal norms, or folkways

Answer 14

Standards of behavior that are considered less important but still influence how we behave.

Question 15

Formal norms, like mores (derived from the moral code) and laws (derived from the legal code)

Answer 15

Refer to the standards of behavior considered the most important in any society.

Question 16

Ideal culture

Answer 16

Desired cultural traits of a society.

Question 17

Real culture

Answer 17

True outcome of cultural thought and practice.

Question 18

Ideal-Real culture example

Answer 18

In the U.S., monogamy is idealized, but in practice, infidelity is common.

Question 19

Preindustrial societies

Answer 19

Have limited artifacts compared to the conspicuous consumption found in industrial and post-industrial societies.

Question 20

Cultural systems associated with forms of society.

Answer 20

Post-industrial societies are typically democratically governed, while agrarian societies tend to be ruled by monarchs or dictators.

Question 21

Ogburn’s theory

Answer 21

Ogburn discussed that societies and their cultures change due to discoveries, inventions or the diffusion of one of these across societal boundaries.

Question 22

Discoveries

Answer 22

Occur when something completely new is observed or found, like germ theory.

Question 23

Inventions

Answer 23

When something new is created from things that already exist, like smartphone.

Question 24

The [___] across societal boundary lines is another source of social change.

Answer 24

[…cultural diffusion]

Question 25

Cultural lag

Answer 25

Reflects the fact of behavioral norms that have not yet adapted to new technological innovations.

Question 26

Cultural leveling

Answer 26

Results from social change brought by cultural diffusion, particularly in the globalized environment.

Question 27

Cultural diversity

Answer 27

Can bring about different reactions, like cultural relativism or ethnocentrism.

Question 28

Cultural relativism

Answer 28

Refers to the belief that we should not judge any culture as superior or inferior to another culture.

Question 29

Ethnocentrism

Answer 29

Refers to the tendency to judge another culture by the standards of our own and to the belief that our own culture is indeed superior to another culture.

Question 30

Culture shock is the uncomfortable feeling we experience when exposed to and immersed in unfamiliar cultures.

Question 31

Cultural relativism

Answer 31

Judging other cultures by the standards of one’s own culture

Question 32

Human rights

Answer 32

Universal and provide a standard for the protection and dignity of individuals regardless of cultural context

Question 33

Things might be looked at ethnocentrically by people from other societies

Answer 33

Capital punishment; Use of nursing homes; Proliferation of guns.