Chapter 5—Understanding Social Interaction

MULTIPLE CHOICE

1. Sociologists describe the process of two or more people taking each other's actions into account as:
a. verstehen.
b. social interaction.
c. social organization.
d. social action.
e. social discourse.
ANS: B REF: Understanding Social Interaction OBJ: 5.1
MSC: Conceptual

2. In order to understand other people, you have to "walk in their shoes." This approach reflects Max
Weber's notion of:
a. verstehen.
b. gemeinschaft.
c. nonverbal communication.
d. focused interaction.
e. gesellschaft.
ANS: A REF: Understanding Social Interaction OBJ: 5.1
MSC: Applied

3. The study of the sets of rules or guidelines that individuals use to imitate behavior, respond to behavior,
and modify behavior in social settings is known as:
a. cooperation.
b. exchange.
c. ethnomethodology.
d. dramaturgy.
e. role set.
ANS: C REF: Understanding Social Interaction OBJ: 5.1
MSC: Conceptual

4. In sociological terms, the context of a social interaction includes:

a. the social environment.
b. activities surrounding the interaction.
c. the physical setting in which it occurs.
d. what precedes the interaction.
e. all of the above
ANS: E REF: Understanding Social Interaction OBJ: 5.6
MSC: Factual

5. Norms:
a. are specific rules of behavior.
b. prescribe limits of acceptable behavior.
c. are agreed-upon rules of behavior.
d. are shared rules of behavior.
e. all of the above
ANS: E REF: Understanding Social Interaction OBJ: 5.4

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 MSC: Conceptual

6. Staring, smiling, nodding one's head, and using hands while talking are all examples of:
a. nonverbal communication.
b. cooperation.
c. verstehen.
d. instinctual communication.
e. innate human reflexes.
ANS: A REF: Types of Social Interaction OBJ: 5.2
MSC: Applied

7. Non-verbal communication:
a. is instinctual.
b. is basically the same in every culture.
c. varies from culture to culture.
d. is used only when words may be misunderstood.
e. cannot be understood without special training.
ANS: C REF: Types of Social Interaction OBJ: 5.2
MSC: Factual

8. The main difference between exchange and cooperation is that:

a. cooperation is based on a shared goal.
b. relationships of exchange are voluntary.
c. cooperation has no material rewards.
d. exchange provides benefits for individuals only.
e. exchange provides benefits for the total group rather than the individual alone.
ANS: A REF: Types of Social Interaction OBJ: 5.2
MSC: Conceptual

9. A form of conflict in which individuals or groups confine their conflict within agreed-upon rules is
known as:
a. exchange.
b. competition.
c. cooperation.
d. conflict.
e. exploitation.
ANS: B REF: Types of Social Interaction OBJ: 5.2
MSC: Factual

10. The essential difference between conflict and competition is that:

a. competition is regulated by agreed-upon rules.
b. conflict has negative effects on individuals.
c. no one benefits in conflict.
d. competition results in change.
e. conflict always results in one party losing.
ANS: A REF: Types of Social Interaction OBJ: 5.2
MSC: Conceptual

11. Two large companies compete for the same scarce resource. Each one tries to injure or sabotage the other.
This interaction is called:

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 a. exchange.
b. economic cooperation.
c. coercion.
d. conflict.
e. social cooperation.
ANS: D REF: Types of Social Interaction OBJ: 5.2
MSC: Applied

12. The status that seems to dominate others in patterning a person’s life is known as the:
a. secondary status.
b. master status.
c. most status.
d. political status.
e. new status.
ANS: B REF: Elements of Social Interaction OBJ: 5.5
MSC: Factual

13. Which of the following is an ascribed status?

a. female
b. parent
c. employee
d. lawyer
e. ex-convict
ANS: A REF: Elements of Social Interaction OBJ: 5.5
MSC: Applied

14. All the roles attached to a single status are collectively known as:
a. one role.
b. multiple roles.
c. several statuses.
d. a master status.
e. a role set.
ANS: E REF: Elements of Social Interaction OBJ: 5.3
MSC: Factual

15. The relationship between roles and statuses is that:

a. a status may include a number of roles.
b. a role may include many statuses.
c. not all statuses have roles attached.
d. statuses are dynamic while roles are not.
ANS: A REF: Elements of Social Interaction OBJ: 5.5
MSC: Conceptual

16. Culturally defined rules for proper behavior that are associated with various statuses are called:
a. an achieved status.
b. roles.
c. an ascribed status.
d. a master status.
e. a status offense.
ANS: B REF: Elements of Social Interaction OBJ: 5.3

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 MSC: Factual

17. Norms tell us:

a. things that we should and should not do.
b. things that are sacrilegious.
c. things that we must do.
d. thins that we must not do.
e. the prescribed punishments for norm violations.
ANS: A REF: Understanding Social Interaction OBJ: 5.2
MSC: Factual

18. For ethnomethodoloists, all social interactions are equally important because they provide information
about:
a. a person’s beliefs.
b. written rules of society.
c. the law.
d. a society’s unwritten rules for social behavior.
e. religion in society.
ANS: D REF: Understanding Social Interaction OBJ: 5.1
MSC: Conceptual

19. ______________ theorizes that in order to create an impression, people play roles and their performance
is judged by others who are alert to any slips that might reveal the actor’s true character.
a. Nonverbal communication
b. Ethnomethodology
c. Dramaturgy
d. Cooperation
e. Character exchange
ANS: C REF: Elements of Social Interaction OBJ: 5.3
MSC: Factual

20. A _____ occurs when people act together to promote common interests or achieve shared goals.
a. exchange interaction
b. cooperative interaction
c. conflict interaction
d. competitive interaction
e. hostile interaction
ANS: B REF: Types of Social Interaction OBJ: 5.2
MSC: Conceptual

21. ___________ is anything people are conscious of doing because of other people.
a. Social interaction
b. Social action
c. Social interaction
d. Social restraint
e. Conflict
ANS: B REF: Understanding Social Interaction OBJ: 5.1
MSC: Factual

22. Socially defined positions that people occupy are known as:

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 a. roles.
b. statuses.
c. a society.
d. exchanges.
e. conflicts.
ANS: B REF: Elements of Social Interaction OBJ: 5.5
MSC: Factual

23. A social status that is conferred on us by virtue of birth or other significant factors not controlled by our
own actions or decisions is known as:
a. achieved status.
b. roles.
c. ascribed status.
d. master status.
e. status offense.
ANS: C REF: Elements of Social Interaction OBJ: 5.5
MSC: Conceptual

24. A social status that is occupied as a result of an individual’s actions and efforts is known as:
a. achieved status.
b. roles.
c. ascribed status.
d. master status.
e. status offense.
ANS: A REF: Elements of Social Interaction OBJ: 5.5
MSC: Factual

25. The DMV clerk passed a civil service examination and a vocational placement test and was eligible to be
bonded. Which of the following describes his social status?
a. master status
b. ascribed status
c. achieved status
d. lower status
ANS: C REF: Elements of Social Interaction OBJ: 5.5
MSC: Applied

26. You see a photograph of a young male holding a handgun. What do you need to make sense out of this
photograph?
a. a universal definition of what a gun means
b. the context of the person in the photograph
c. if the ascribed status male holds the achieved status of gangster
d. the normative status order among males in a society
ANS: B REF: Understanding Social Interaction OBJ: 5.6
MSC: Applied

27. The 99% demonstration turns violent as rumors spread that the police hit a demonstrator with a tear gas
canister. This is an example of:
a. unattributed behavior.
b. revolution.
c. resistance to normative constraints.

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 d. collective behavior.
ANS: D REF: Collective Behavior OBJ: 5.8
MSC: Applied

28. Dr. O urges everyone to exercise without creating excessive strain on their joints and to improve the
nutritional content of their diets. Thousands of people watch Dr. O and do things he recommends. Dr. O
is a(n):
a. opinion leader.
b. manipulator.
c. mass media socializer.
d. fad.
ANS: A REF: Collective Behavior OBJ: 5.8
MSC: Applied

29. In Maria’s social life, she is part of a legal, immigrant family living together, but she just came out of the
closet as a lesbian which caused so much stress and conflict at home and school that no one is talking to
her in the same way. The status of lesbian is:
a. shaped by fashion.
b. culturally not organized for the family to comprehend.
c. a form of political rebellion in action.
d. a master status.
ANS: D REF: Elements of Social Interaction OBJ: 5.5
MSC: Applied

30. The girls started cleaning out their closets and laughed at the hair styles and sweaters they wore ten years
ago. This shows us that transitory changes in clothing are just:
a. fashion.
b. fads.
c. hysterical.
d. social bonding.
ANS: A REF: Collective Behavior OBJ: 5.8
MSC: Applied

TRUE/FALSE

1. Physical distant and eye contact are less important than basic language skills in social interaction.
ANS: F REF: Understanding Social Interaction OBJ: 5.1
MSC: Conceptual

2. Whether we intend it or not, other people take account of our behavior.

ANS: T REF: Understanding Social Interaction OBJ: 5.2
MSC: Conceptual

3. Most Americans distinguish among intimate, personal, social, and public distance.
ANS: T REF: Understanding Social Interaction OBJ: 5.1
MSC: Factual

4. Open competition has less rules than predictable conflicts.

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 ANS: F REF: Types of Social Interaction OBJ: 5.2
MSC: Applied

5. Norms guide us in how we present ourselves to others.

ANS: T REF: Understanding Social Interaction OBJ: 5.1
MSC: Factual

6. The status of mayor is dependent on who occupies that position.

ANS: F REF: Elements of Social Interaction OBJ: 5.5
MSC: Applied

7. A person's master status is likely to change only once during their lifetime.
ANS: F REF: Elements of Social Interaction OBJ: 5.5
MSC: Factual

8. Race is an achieved status in our society.

ANS: F REF: Elements of Social Interaction OBJ: 5.5
MSC: Applied

9. Roles may be thought of as collections of rights and obligations.

ANS: T REF: Elements of Social Interaction OBJ: 5.4
MSC: Conceptual

10. Role strain involves facing conflicting but manageable role demands within one status.
ANS: T REF: Elements of Social Interaction OBJ: 5.4
MSC: Conceptual

11. Not only can the norms for behavior differ considerably from one culture to another, they also differ
within our own society.
ANS: T REF: Understanding Social Interaction OBJ: 5.1
MSC: Conceptual

12. Police chief Smith had to direct police and services as the hurricane struck. His wife called to demand he
return home to help her rescue their dog, a beloved member of their household. Smith is experiencing role
conflict.
ANS: T REF: Elements of Social Interaction OBJ: 5.7
MSC: Conceptual

13. As societies become more complex, the number of statuses people occupy tends to increase.
ANS: T REF: Elements of Social Interaction OBJ: 5.5
MSC: Conceptual

14. Ethnomethodology studies comparative cultural belief systems to understand how beliefs shaped social
organization in different parts of the globe.
ANS: F REF: Understanding Social Interaction OBJ: 5.1
MSC: Factual

15. People can only occupy one social status at a time.

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 ANS: F REF: Elements of Social Interaction OBJ: 5.5
MSC: Factual

16. People come together in the context of specific environments, with specific purposes and with specific
social characteristics.
ANS: T REF: Understanding Social Interaction OBJ: 5.6
MSC: Factual

17. Social roles carry actions and emotions as well as the attitudes associated with them.
ANS: T REF: Elements of Social Interaction OBJ: 5.3
MSC: Factual

18. Statuses and roles are insignificant social characteristics.

ANS: F REF: Elements of Social Interaction OBJ: 5.5
MSC: Factual

19. Statuses are socially defined positions that people occupy in a group or society that help determine how
they interact with one another.
ANS: T REF: Elements of Social Interaction OBJ: 5.5
MSC: Factual

20. Ethnomethodology can involve researchers in challenging or breaking taken-for-granted rules, violating
the norms of situations, and observing how people respond.
ANS: T REF: Understanding Social Behavior OBJ: 5.1
MSC: Factual

21. Statuses exist only because of the specific people who occupy them.
ANS: F REF: Elements of Social Interaction OBJ: 5.5
MSC: Factual

22. The main difference between exchange and cooperation is that cooperation is based on a shared goal.
ANS: T REF: Types of Social Interaction OBJ: 5.2
MSC: Conceptual

23. A form of conflict in which individuals or groups confine their conflict within agreed-upon rules is called
exploitation.
ANS: F REF: Types of Social Interaction OBJ: 5.2
MSC: Factual

24. The essential difference between conflict and competition is that conflict always results in one party
losing.
ANS: F REF: Types of Social Interaction OBJ: 5.2
MSC: Conceptual

25. Parent, employee, lawyer, and ex-convict are all examples of ascribed status.
ANS: F REF: Elements of Social Interaction OBJ: 5.5
MSC: Applied

26. Role set is all the roles attached to a single status.

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 ANS: T REF: Elements of Social Interaction OBJ: 5.3
MSC: Factual

27. The relationship between roles and statuses is that not all statuses have roles attached.
ANS: F REF: Elements of Social Interaction OBJ: 5.5
MSC: Conceptual

28. Scientists discovered that social interaction via the Internet reproduces the same distance and space rules
as interactions in person.
ANS: F REF: Understanding Social Interaction OBJ: 5.6
MSC: Conceptual

29. Social roles are culturally defined rules for proper behavior that are associated with various statuses.
ANS: T REF: Elements of Social Interaction OBJ: 5.3
MSC: Factual

30. Making direct eye contact in a conversation is one of the universals of social interaction.
ANS: F REF: Understanding Social Interaction OBJ: 5.1
MSC: Factual

31. For ethnomethodoloists, all social interactions are equally important because they provide information
about a society’s unwritten rules for social behavior.
ANS: T REF: Understanding Social Interaction OBJ: 5.1
MSC: Conceptual

32. A cooperative interaction occurs when people enter into a conflict interaction with rules that guide how
they can interact with each other.
ANS: F REF: Types of Social Interaction OBJ: 5.2
MSC: Conceptual

33. A role is basically a collection of the meanings behind objects of material culture.
ANS: F REF: Elements of Social Interaction OBJ: 5.3
MSC: Conceptual

34. Statuses and roles help to define our social interactions and provide predictability.
ANS: T REF: Elements of Social Interaction OBJ: 5.5
MSC: Conceptual

35. The political ad portraying the mayor as hostile to public school teachers almost cost him the election.
This is called mass hysteria.
ANS: F REF: Collective Behavior OBJ: 5.8
MSC: Applied

36. When the crowd saw the gunman, they started running from the perceived threat. This is called mass
hysteria.
ANS: F REF: Collective Behavior OBJ: 5.8
MSC: Applied

37. A public opinion maker has less influence than a riot.

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 ANS: F REF: Collective Behavior OBJ: 5.8
MSC: Factual

38. Hard-to-believe rumors usually disappear quickly and have little influence.
ANS: F REF: Collective Behavior OBJ: 5.8
MSC: Conceptual

ESSAY

1. Define and discuss exchange, cooperation, conflict, and competition as types of social interaction.
Provide examples of each.
ANS: Not Provided REF: Types of Social Interaction
OBJ: 5.2 MSC: Conceptual

2. Explain how ascribed status can shape or influence achieved status. Provide examples of each in
relationship to specific contexts.
ANS: Not Provided REF: Elements of Social Interaction
OBJ: 5.5 | 5.6 MSC: Applied

3. Outline and discuss Harold Garfinkel’s concept of ethnomethodology. Provide examples.

ANS: Not Provided REF: Understanding Social Interaction
OBJ: 5.1 MSC: Conceptual

4. Outline and discuss Erving Goffman’s concept of dramaturgy and apply it to one of the settings in which
you hold a position and play roles. How do you make yourself convincing in your performance?
ANS: Not Provided REF: Understanding Social Interaction
OBJ: 5.1 | 5.5 | 5.6 MSC: Applied

5. For five positions, draw a satellite diagram of a status you hold with its role set. Can you identify the
master statuses? Achieved and ascribed statuses? How do you perform all of these roles successfully? Do
you experience role conflict or role strain? Why?
ANS: Not Provided REF: Elements of Social Interaction
OBJ: 5.5 | 5.7 MSC: Applied

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