Chapter 3: Culture and Socialization

Question 1

What is culture?

Answer 1

The totality of learned and socially transmitted customs, values, knowledge, behaviors, material objects, and artifacts that define a group of people.

Question 2

What do sociologists study when it comes to culture?

Answer 2

1. How people share it.
2. How people use culture to work effectively.
3. How people use culture to have a meaningful life.

Question 3

How is culture learned?

Answer 3

Through socialization that is often setting specific.

Question 4

How is culture like a toolkit?

Answer 4

It provides people with ways to simplify interactions.

Question 5

What are the 5 core points of culture?

Answer 5

1. Values.
2. Beliefs.
3. Expressive symbols.
4. Practices.
5. Norms.

Question 6

What is ethnocentrism?

Answer 6

The belief that the way you and your culture do things is superior to the ways of every other culture.

Question 7

What is cultural relativism?

Answer 7

The view of studying a culture from the perspective of a member.

Question 8

What is material culture?

Answer 8

All of the constructed, physical things in the environment. ex: Electronics, clothing, food.

Question 9

What is ideal culture?

Answer 9

The values, beliefs, ideas, behaviors, social norms, how material objects are used (differs by group), and social concepts.
ex: Saying a name that you think everyone should know but getting no reaction.

Question 10

True or False: Society = Culture.

Answer 10

False.

Question 11

What are universal cultural elements?

Answer 11

Elements of culture that are found worldwide. ex: Marriage, naming people, religion, medicine, athletics, trade, etc.

Question 12

What are norms?

Answer 12

The social rules of life that reflect underlying cultural values or Established standards of behavior maintained by society.

Question 13

What are folkways?

Answer 13

Informal norms that set expectations for how to act. Minor violations are accepted.
ex: Going shirtless in the grocery store.

Question 14

What are mores?

Answer 14

Highly necessary formal norms that usually specify demands because of a difference between right and wrong. Mores are normally written down and violators are strictly punished.
ex: Not going in public while nude.

Question 15

What are taboos?

Answer 15

Rules that are of the greatest importance. Violation of these rules is seen as abominable or unthinkable.
ex: Beastiality.

Question 16

What are sanctions?

Answer 16

Mechanisms used to enforce prevailing social rules. Can be positive or negative and from formal or informal sources.
ex: From the CDC or your older sibling.

Question 17

Which type of sanction is the most impactful?

Answer 17

Informal.

Question 18

What observation did Sapir and Wholf make?

Answer 18

The structure and content of a language system influence how the viewer sees and experiences the world.
ex: Sommeliers use specific language to draw in their clients.

Question 19

What are cultural narratives?

Answer 19

Stories used to help frame a community, reinforce social norms, communicate taboos, and place a group in the world.
ex: Fables, artifacts, special events (like the tooth fairy).