Key Conecpts: processes of cultural transmission

Question 1

What are values?

Answer 1

What is considered to be worthwhile and worth working for in society, like norma and values are learned and shared.

Question 2

What is status?

Answer 2

Amount of respect, position within a society that a person has.

Question 3

What are the 2 different types of status?

Answer 3

Ascribed status: status from birth
Achieved status: refers to status that is earned over time.

Question 4

What are roles?

Answer 4

Roles are the parts we play in life. These can be jobs or positions (doctor/mother)
Each role has a collection of norms that go with each position or status.

Question 5

What is the nurture vs. nature debate?

Answer 5

Whether we act the way we do because we are born to do so (nature), or if its because the way we are socialised into doing so (nurture)

Question 6

What are supporting points of the nature argument?

Answer 6

• Human traits, like intelligence, are inherited.
• Women are more caring as maternal instincts are coded in their genes.

Question 7

What are the supporting points of the nurture debate?

Answer 7

• Humans learn behaviour.
• Individuals are socialised into culture and society
• Taught how to act via the agents of socialisation

Question 8

What is culture?

Answer 8

Refers to the shared way of life of a society or group within a society. includes norms, values and roles/status.

Question 9

What are norms?

Answer 9

Expectations or unwritten informal res surrounding how someone should behave in a particular situation.
They provide order and control in society.

Question 10

What is cultural diversity?

Answer 10

cultures may vary over time and between countries - if human behaviour was a result of natural factors, it could be expected to be fairly similar, and it wouldn’t change much.

Question 11

What is the primary agent of socialisation?

Answer 11

Family; first stage of learning norms and values ( infancy )
Parents demonstrate to their children how they should behave.
Children will imitate their parents behaviour so parents become role models.
Parents may use sanctions (discourage and encourage behaviour)

Question 12

What are the agents of Secondary socialisation?

Answer 12

Peer group, education, media, religion and work.

Question 13

What is secondary socialisation?

Answer 13

Second stage of the socialisation process, its a lifelong process and other institutions become more important over the family.

Question 14

Peer group socialisation

Answer 14

-Peer groups may influence others and some may become role models for other people in the group to follow and look up to.
-PEER PRESSURE; can be positive (encouragement), or may be negative.
-informal sanctions (if people dont conform, they may be ignored or left out)

Question 15

What is the hidden curriculum?

Answer 15

Messages, norms and values that are passed onto children throughout the school day without them realising it. (most teachers are females in primary schools whereas the headteachers are male)

Question 16

How do schools use sanctions?

Answer 16

Formal/informal sanctions are used in schools.
Schools have written rules and formal sanctions are put into place when these rules are broken (detentions).
Negative sanctions may included a telling off or a disapproving look.
Positive sanctions may include praise.

Question 17

How do the media influence society?

Answer 17

May influence the way people think about certain groups by the way the media labels them.
Its argued that violence on television or in films and video games might lead children to copy the violence in real life.

Question 18

What is gender role socialisation?

Answer 18

Sociologists argue that gender roles are socially constructed.

Question 19

What does Ann Oakley say about gender role socialisation?

Answer 19

Ann Oakley (feminist) says that there is variation of gender roles throughout the world.
Oakley argues that the agents of socialisation create gender roles by passing on different gender messages to girls and boys from infancy.

Question 20

What is canalisation?

Answer 20

Providing different genders with different toys. Ann Oakley argues it encourages girls to be more caring and boys to be more dominant.

Question 21

What is manipulation?

Answer 21

Ann Oakley states that it is where parents encourage different behaviour from girls and boys (girls should take pride in appearance)

Question 22

Where else does gender role socialisation continue other than the family?

Answer 22

Schools carry on the process of gender role socialisation. (Hidden curriculum may transmit gender messages)

Question 23

Role of peers in gender socialisation?

Answer 23

Peer groups may encourage double standards of sexual morality.

Question 24

Role of families in creating identities

Answer 24

Upper/Middle class use elaborated code and have particular values that they can pass on to their children for them to do well in school.
Working class families cannot do this.

Question 25

What is social control?

Answer 25

refers to the process by society tries to ensure its members keep to the norms and values of that society.

Question 26

What is informal social control?

Answer 26

positive/negative.
positive social control encourages us to repeat certain behaviour
negative social control does the opposite

Question 27

What is formal social control?

Answer 27

control that is enforced by the government so that people obey the laws.
sometimes the threat of sanctions will produce conformity