Sociology Flashcards
7 cards from real MCAT practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Sociology flashcards as text
The 'contact hypothesis' in sociology suggests that prejudice between groups can be reduced when:
Answer: Members of different groups interact under conditions of equal status toward a common goal
Gordon Allport's contact hypothesis holds that intergroup contact reduces prejudice most effectively when it occurs under equal status, cooperative, and institutionally supported conditions.
Which of the following is an example of 'secondary deviance' as defined by Edwin Lemert?
Answer: A person labeled as a criminal who reorganizes their identity around that label and commits more crimes
Secondary deviance occurs when a person internalizes a deviant label and builds their identity around it, leading to continued deviant behavior.
Studies show that women are more likely to experience depression than men, while men are more likely to be diagnosed with substance use disorders. A sociological explanation for this difference would emphasize:
Answer: Gender socialization that shapes how distress is expressed and what behaviors are tolerated or labeled
Gender socialization teaches men and women different ways to express distress, with men more likely to externalize through substance use and women to internalize through depression.
A pharmaceutical company disproportionately conducts clinical trials in wealthy nations and then markets drugs to low-income countries without local testing. This illustrates:
Answer: Global health inequality reinforced by differential access to research resources
This practice reflects how global structures of inequality shape which populations benefit from medical research and which are treated as secondary markets.
The concept of 'social mobility' refers to:
Answer: The movement of individuals or groups between different levels of the social hierarchy
Social mobility describes upward or downward movement within a social stratification system, and can be intergenerational or intragenerational.
Which of the following scenarios best exemplifies 'role conflict'?
Answer: A medical resident who must choose between staying to care for a critical patient or attending their child's school play
Role conflict occurs when the demands of two or more social roles a person holds are incompatible, requiring a choice between competing obligations.
The epidemiological finding that social support is associated with better health outcomes is best explained by which sociological concept?
Answer: Social capital and its role in buffering stress and increasing access to health resources
Social capital, particularly bonding ties within supportive networks, provides psychological buffering against stress and practical help that improves health outcomes.