Sociological Imagination
The sociological imagination helps people understand how personal experiences are shaped by larger social forces. True or False?
Answer: True
Explanation: The sociological imagination encourages individuals to look beyond personal experiences and recognize how social structures, historical context, and institutional forces shape their lives. Rather than viewing problems as purely individual failures, this perspective helps people see how societal patterns influence personal outcomes.
Positivist sociology ignores patterns and trends in healthcare data because it focuses solely on individual experiences. True or False?
Answer: False
Explanation: Positivism focuses on identifying measurable patterns and trends in society, including health outcomes, using empirical data such as statistics and surveys.
Antipositivism emphasizes understanding meanings and interpretations rather than measurement alone. True or False?
Answer: True
Explanation: Antipositivist approaches focus on subjective experience and social context. Researchers aim to understand why people act as they do, not just what patterns exist.
Culture consists of the ideas, attitudes, and beliefs of a society. True or False?
Answer: False
Explanation: Culture includes beliefs, values, norms, and material objects.
Which sociologist developed the idea that personal troubles can often be traced to public issues?
A) Émile Durkheim
B) Max Weber
C) C. Wright Mills
D) Auguste Comte
Answer: C. Wright Mills
Explanation: Mills emphasized that individual problems, such as unemployment or debt, are often rooted in broader social patterns.
Which healthcare research method best reflects positivism?
A) Analysis of hospital admission rates
B) Ethnographic observation
C) Patient interviews
D) Narrative case studies
Answer: A) Analysis of hospital admission rates
Explanation: Positivism favors measurable, observable data that can be analyzed scientifically.
Which method is most closely associated with antipositivism?
A) Surveys
B) Experiments
C) Ethnography
D) Statistical modeling
Answer: C) Ethnography
Explanation: Ethnography studies people’s everyday lives to understand their perspectives and social meaning.
Which is an example of nonmaterial culture?
A) Clothing
B) Technology
C) Beliefs about education
D) Architecture
Answer: C) Beliefs about education
Explanation: Nonmaterial culture consists of ideas, values, and norms.