Relationships and Behavior

Question 1

Inclusive Fitness

Answer 1

describes an individual’s level of success at passing on its genes by considering not only the individual’s own progeny, but also the offspring of its close relatives.

When the concept of fitness is expanded to include the offspring of relatives, the evolutionary benefit of altruism becomes apparent.

Question 2

characteristics of an ideal bureaucracy

Answer 2

1. specialized and organized in a clear hierarchy
2. written rules and regulation with thorough record keeping
3. impersonal and impartial

Question 3

social facilitation

Answer 3

the tendency to perform better when a person knows he is being watched. It is usually most pronounced for tasks at which the performer is highly practiced or skilled.

Question 4

Deindividuation

Answer 4

occurs when people lose awareness of their individuality and instead immerse themselves in the mood or activities of a crowd. This can lead to actions that would otherwise go against individuals’ moral principles. Such lapses in decision making can occur because individuals no longer feel responsible for their own behavior.

Question 5

Social control

Answer 5

a pretty direct form of socialization in which one group or individual imposes a set of rules to control the behavior of others. This can be informal, as with parents disciplining their children, or formal, as with the creation of laws to control citizens.

Question 6

Obedience vs. conformity

Answer 6

Obedience is used to describe behavioral changes made in response to a command by an authority figure. Conformity involves the influence of one’s peers and culture. It is the tendency of individuals to change their attitudes, opinions, and behaviors to align with group norms.

Conformity involves acquiescing to the norms of the group; obedience involves following explicit instructions. Conformity happens in response to pressure from someone in a position of authority. The drive toward conformity involves social acceptance and the need to fit in; the drive toward obedience involves relenting to social power and the desire to avoid punishment or other undesirable consequences.

Question 7

Socialization vs conformity

Answer 7

Socialization is the process by which a person learns the rules and expectations of a group, while conformity involves changes in behavior to comply with those rules and expectations.

Question 8

deviance

Answer 8

When a person is unable to recognize social norms or chooses not to follow them. Deviance is behavior that violates social expectations.

Question 9

stigma

Answer 9

a negative social label that changes a person’s social identity by classifying the labeled person as abnormal or tainted

Question 10

strain theory

Answer 10

deviance arises when there is a conflict between societal expectations and the socially condoned methods of achieving those expectations. Strain theory is commonly used to explain the motivation for crime.

Question 11

anomie

Answer 11

individuals lose their moral guidance

Question 12

Differential association theory

Answer 12

deviance arises from social learning. If the predominant behavior of a group deviates from societal norms, individuals who are socialized by that group will learn to be deviant.

Question 13

Labeling theory

Answer 13

proposes that particular behaviors are societally defined as deviant based on the group that carries out those behaviors. The label of deviant is ascribed to a person who is part of a group that the community views as deviant, and once a person or group is identified as deviant, their actions are also considered deviant.

Question 14

(cultural) transmission

Answer 14

The passage of culture from one generation to another

Question 15

(cultural) diffusion

Answer 15

The spread of culture from one population to another, such as when one country adopts cultural aspects of another country

Question 16

cultural relativism

Answer 16

The opposite of ethnocentrism. It is the practice of trying to understand a culture on its own terms and to judge a culture by its own standards.

Question 17

bias vs. prejudice

Answer 17

Bias is where the individual favors the in-group and devalues out-groups. Prejudice is when strict generalizations about other groups or categories of people are formed.

Bias occurs when one favors an in-group at the expense of an out-group. Prejudice and stereotyping involve ideas about out-groups.

Question 18

Stereotype

Answer 18

A particular type of schema. This is a concept about a group or category of people that includes the belief that all members of that group share certain characteristics.

Prejudices are typically negative, whereas stereotypes can be positive, negative, or neutral.

Question 19

prejudice vs. discrimination

Answer 19

Prejudice is based in ideas and attitudes, while discrimination describes actions and behaviors.

Question 20

in group vs. subculture

Answer 20

An in-group refers to a shared sense of identity within. group, often resulting in pride in the group. Subculture requires reference to marked differences from the dominant culture.