All flashcards
Flashcard 1: What is social reproduction in sociology?
Answer: Intergenerational transmission of social inequality and class position. Parents' status predicts children's, perpetuating class structure.
Flashcard 2: What is social stratification?
Answer: Structured inequality that ranks groups in a social hierarchy. Creates layers of inequality based on resources and opportunities.
Flashcard 3: What is social mobility?
Answer: Movement of individuals or groups between social class positions. Can be upward or downward; measures change in socioeconomic position.
Flashcard 4: Which concept best fits: unequal outcomes persist because schools reward dominant-group norms?
Answer: Social reproduction via cultural capital. Bourdieu's theory: schools perpetuate inequality by valuing elite culture.
Flashcard 5: What is social mobility, as used in MCAT sociology (10A)?
Answer: Movement of individuals or groups between social strata. Can be upward or downward, measuring social position changes.
Flashcard 6: Identify the concept: a person is treated as representative of a group and denied individuality.
Answer: Stereotyping. Reduces complex individuals to simplified group characteristics.
Flashcard 7: What is symbolic interactionismâs focus when studying status and power?
Answer: How meanings and identities are constructed through social interaction. Examines how status symbols are interpreted and performed.
Flashcard 8: What is the functionalist view of stratification (Davis-Moore thesis)?
Answer: Stratification allocates rewards to fill important societal roles. Argues inequality motivates talent to pursue difficult roles.
Flashcard 9: What is Weberâs three-component theory of stratification?
Answer: Class, status, and party as distinct sources of social inequality. Economic position, social honor, and political power operate independently.
Flashcard 10: What is power in sociology as tested on the MCAT (10A)?
Answer: The ability to influence others and control resources or outcomes. Power shapes decisions and resource distribution in social hierarchies.
Flashcard 11: What is cultural capital as used in MCAT sociology (10A)?
Answer: Nonfinancial assets (skills, tastes, credentials) that aid social mobility. Elite tastes and credentials facilitate upward mobility.
Flashcard 12: What is the hidden curriculum in education as tested on the MCAT (10A)?
Answer: Implicit norms and values taught by schools beyond formal content. Schools teach conformity and class-based behaviors indirectly.
Flashcard 13: What is the meritocracy ideology in stratification as tested on the MCAT?
Answer: Belief that success is earned by individual ability and effort. Ignores structural barriers and inherited advantages.
Flashcard 14: What is social mobility as tested on the MCAT (10A)?
Answer: Movement of individuals or groups within a stratification system. Can be upward, downward, or horizontal in direction.
Flashcard 15: What is the difference between intergenerational and intragenerational mobility?
Answer: Inter: across generations; intra: within one personâs lifetime. Inter compares parent-child status; intra tracks career changes.
Flashcard 16: Identify the concept: unequal school funding by neighborhood property taxes maintains class differences.
Answer: Social reproduction. Funding disparities perpetuate educational inequality across generations.
Flashcard 17: Identify the concept: a high-status job is admired even when it has little authority in an organization.
Answer: Prestige. Social honor exists independently of formal power or wealth.
Flashcard 18: Identify the concept: a manager can hire and fire employees but is not widely respected socially.
Answer: Power. Authority without prestige shows power-status disconnect.
Flashcard 19: Identify the concept: an applicant gets an interview mainly due to family connections at the firm.
Answer: Social capital. Networks convert relationships into tangible opportunities.
Flashcard 20: Which concept best describes control of institutions and decision-making: power, prestige, or privilege?
Answer: Power. Institutional control enables resource allocation and policy-making.
Flashcard 21: Which concept describes a hierarchy based on social honor: power, prestige, or privilege?
Answer: Prestige. Social honor creates hierarchies independent of wealth or power.
Flashcard 22: What is the difference between power and prestige in one sentence?
Answer: Power is control over outcomes; prestige is social esteem or respect. Power involves control; prestige involves admiration and honor.
Flashcard 23: What is social reproduction in sociology as tested on the MCAT (10A)?
Answer: Intergenerational transmission of social inequality and social status. Perpetuates class structure through family resources and opportunities.
Flashcard 24: What is privilege in sociology as tested on the MCAT (10A)?
Answer: Unearned advantages conferred by membership in a favored group. Privilege operates through systemic advantages, not individual merit.
Flashcard 25: What is prestige in sociology as tested on the MCAT (10A)?
Answer: Social respect or esteem granted to a person, role, or occupation. Prestige reflects societal valuation of positions and achievements.
Flashcard 26: Which concept best describes unearned benefits from group membership: power, prestige, or privilege?
Answer: Privilege. Systemic advantages accrue without individual effort or achievement.
Flashcard 27: What is socioeconomic status (SES) typically composed of in MCAT sociology?
Answer: Education, income, and occupational status. These three factors determine one's position in social hierarchy.
Flashcard 28: What is social capital as used in MCAT sociology (10A)?
Answer: Resources gained through social networks, ties, and group membership. Networks provide access to opportunities and information.
Flashcard 29: What is human capital in stratification research as tested on the MCAT?
Answer: Skills and education that increase productivity and economic value. Investment in skills yields economic returns in labor markets.
Flashcard 30: What is intragenerational mobility?
Answer: Change in social class within an individualâs lifetime. Tracks class changes from first job to retirement within one person.