4.2.1.2 Socialisation and the agencies of socialisation Quiz: AQA Sociology, Unit 2

The 20 questions

1. What is meant by socialisation in sociology?

   • The process by which individuals become biologically mature through physical growth and development
   • The process by which individuals learn the norms, values and skills needed to function in their society
   • The process by which governments control the population through laws and the police force
   • The process by which individuals choose their own values independently of any influence from others

2. Which term describes the socialisation that takes place in early childhood, mainly within the family?

   • Anticipatory socialisation, which involves learning the values of a group one hopes to join in the future
   • Secondary socialisation, which takes place mainly outside the family in institutions such as schools
   • Primary socialisation, which lays the foundations of language, identity and basic social behaviour
   • Re-socialisation, which involves the replacement of established values with new ones in a total institution

3. Which concept describes learning the values and norms of a group that a person wishes to join in the future?

   • Secondary deviance, in which individuals accept a deviant label and begin to act in accordance with it
   • Primary socialisation, in which children learn the basic norms of the family in early childhood
   • Anticipatory socialisation, in which individuals learn the expectations of a group they aspire to join
   • Re-socialisation, in which individuals abandon their existing values to adopt those of an institution

4. Which sociologist is associated with the idea of the 'looking-glass self', in which identity is shaped by how we think others see us?

   • Charles Horton Cooley, who argued that the self develops through imagined reactions of others
   • Talcott Parsons, who argued that socialisation prepares individuals to fulfil the roles of social systems
   • Emile Durkheim, who argued that socialisation transmits the collective conscience across generations
   • Karl Marx, who argued that consciousness is determined by the economic relations of a society

5. George Herbert Mead described the development of the self through which stages?

   • Pre-industrial, industrial and post-industrial, in which the self reflects the economic base of society
   • Play, in which children take on roles, and game, in which they learn to take the perspective of others
   • Sensorimotor, preoperational and concrete operational, in which cognitive abilities develop in sequence
   • Oral, anal and genital, in which children's development is shaped by sexual drives and conflicts

6. Ann Oakley's research on gender socialisation found which pattern in the upbringing of children?

   • Gender socialisation only began in adolescence, once children had developed a clear sense of identity
   • Parents and others treated boys and girls differently, reinforcing gender roles from early childhood
   • Gender socialisation was entirely biological, so environmental influences had no effect on children's roles
   • Parents and others treated boys and girls identically, so gender roles had no influence on children

7. Which of the following is an example of a primary agency of socialisation?

   • The stock exchange, which sets the prices for shares in companies traded on the markets
   • The national legal system, which sets out the rules that citizens must obey in everyday life
   • The parliamentary system, which determines the rules by which governments are elected and removed
   • The family, which is the first institution to which most individuals are exposed in early childhood

8. Which agency of socialisation is most associated with the transmission of formal knowledge and the hidden curriculum?

   • The media, which is primarily concerned with the transmission of news and information about current events
   • The family, which is primarily concerned with the transmission of emotional support in early childhood
   • The education system, which teaches formal curricula and also transmits norms through routines
   • The peer group, which is primarily concerned with the transmission of informal leisure activities

9. Which concept describes the process by which people who enter a total institution, such as a prison, have their previous identities replaced?

   • Anticipatory socialisation, in which individuals learn the values of a group they expect to join in future
   • Primary socialisation, in which a child learns language and basic norms within the family in early childhood
   • Re-socialisation, in which an individual's established identity is stripped away and replaced by new values
   • Secondary deviance, in which individuals accept a deviant identity as a result of societal labelling

10. Which argument best describes the role of the peer group in socialisation?

    • Peer groups have no influence on socialisation, since children always adopt the values of their parents
    • Peer groups provide a context in which young people learn values, identities and norms independently of adult control
    • Peer groups only influence socialisation in very old age, after the family has ceased to be important
    • Peer groups only influence the economic choices of adults, and have no effect on the values of children

11. Which evaluation of the view that socialisation is a one-way process is most consistent with sociological debate?

    • It accurately describes socialisation, because children always accept all the values that adults transmit to them
    • It underestimates the active role of individuals in interpreting and sometimes resisting the messages they receive
    • It is irrelevant to sociology, because socialisation is entirely determined by the biological development of the child
    • It is correct, because all agencies of socialisation operate in exactly the same way for every individual in society

12. Which function of socialisation would Durkheim be most likely to emphasise?

    • Reproducing the power of the ruling class, which keeps subordinate groups in a state of false consciousness
    • Ensuring that individuals are biologically prepared for their roles, which determines their life chances
    • Developing the individual's capacity for creative expression, which allows them to challenge social norms
    • Transmitting shared norms and values, which create social solidarity and integrate individuals into society

13. Which concept describes the adoption of the values of a particular group by an individual, so that they come to see the world from that group's perspective?

    • Deviance amplification, in which labelling increases the rate of rule-breaking by a labelled group
    • Internalisation of norms, in which individuals take on the values of a group as their own
    • Structural functionalism, in which institutions meet the functional needs of the social system
    • Ideological state apparatus, in which the state secures consent through institutions such as schools

14. Which statement about the mass media as an agency of socialisation is most accurate?

    • The media can shape attitudes and identities, but audiences also interpret media messages in different ways
    • The media influence socialisation only in old age, once people have left the other agencies of socialisation
    • The media always produce identical effects on all audiences, regardless of age, class, gender or ethnicity
    • The media have no influence on socialisation, because audiences are always aware of the messages that they receive

15. A teenager adopts the clothing and language of a group of friends after joining a new school. Which concept best explains this?

    • Peer group socialisation, in which young people learn norms and identities from their friends
    • Re-socialisation, in which the individual's existing values are replaced by those of a total institution
    • Primary socialisation, in which children learn language and basic norms within the family in early childhood
    • Ideological hegemony, in which the ruling class secures consent to its values through cultural institutions

16. Which view would a feminist most likely take of the role of the family in socialisation?

    • The family is a biological unit that is determined by nature, so socialisation has no part in gender roles
    • The family has no role in socialisation, because gender roles are learned only through the workplace
    • The family can reproduce gender inequality by teaching children different roles and expectations for boys and girls
    • The family is a neutral institution that treats all children identically, so it cannot reproduce gender inequality

17. Which sociologist's work on the role of the family and schooling argued that these institutions reproduce social class through their socialisation of children?

    • Erving Goffman, who argued that social life is performed in front stage and back stage settings
    • Herbert Blumer, who argued that the self is developed through symbolic interaction with other people
    • Auguste Comte, who argued that society develops through stages in which religion gives way to science
    • Pierre Bourdieu, who argued that family habitus and cultural capital are transmitted through socialisation

18. Which concept describes a socialisation process in which an individual's values come into conflict with those of the wider society, leading to rejection of norms?

    • Primary socialisation, in which children learn the basic language and norms of their families in early life
    • Counter-socialisation, in which individuals reject the values of the mainstream and adopt those of an opposing group
    • Re-socialisation, in which individuals take on new values in a total institution such as a prison or hospital
    • Anticipatory socialisation, in which individuals learn the values of a group they hope to join in the future

19. Which sociologist argued that the family and schools transmit cultural capital, so that class advantage is passed on across generations?

    • Max Weber, who argued that religious ethics shape the economic behaviour and social status of individuals
    • Pierre Bourdieu, who argued that family habitus and cultural capital shape the chances of success in education
    • Emile Durkheim, who argued that education transmits shared moral values across the generations of society
    • Talcott Parsons, who argued that the family stabilises adult personalities and prepares children for society

20. Which concept describes the process in which a person learns to see themselves through the eyes of others, shaping their self-concept?

    • Looking-glass self, in which identity develops through imagined reactions of others to one's behaviour
    • Ideological hegemony, in which dominant groups secure consent to their rule through cultural institutions
    • Structural functionalism, in which institutions meet the functional needs of society and maintain its stability
    • Anomie, in which the breakdown of norms leaves individuals without clear guidance on how to behave

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