Chapter 3 Practice Quiz

Theoretical Perspectives on Technology
. The acronym ANT stands for __________.

. Theories of neutrality describe technology as __________.

. __________ is a theoretical approach which argues that the introduction of the television was the catalyst in reconfiguring leisure, communication, consumer, and cultural practices in the 20th century:

. Technological developments through industrialization and globalization have had in the long run negative effects on the environment such as pollution and decreased biodiversity. Which of the following terms describes this effect best:

. The viewpoint that __________ can be used to explain why certain technologies fail to diffuse in cultures where there is incompatible with the social system's beliefs.

. Feenberg's (1999) theoretical model distinguishes between which two central dimensions?

. Instrumentalists see technology as __________.

. Substantivists see technology as __________.

. __________ proposes that when governed by a technocracy, technology embodies the values of the hegemonic elites.

. __________ suggests that technology is the product of both technical and social factors.

. Which of the following is a common critic of the SCOT approach?

. The four key concepts that emerged within SCOT for analyzing technology are __________.

. In Grimes's 2014 study, the four themes in terms of how the child player is configured and described are __________.

. Current understandings of technological society propose a process where technological factors impact society and in turn societal factors impact technological design, development, implementation, use, and social consequences. What is this process called?

. __________ criticized the SCOT theory by using the term "social after-effects."

. ANT is based on __________ approach.

. A strength of __________ is the ability to examine the active process and interconnected relationships between human and non-human actors.

. The "like" feature in social media is an example of which of the following?

. Which of the following is a risk when conducting research using the technological affordances theory: __________.

. The core assumption of technological determinism is that technology unilaterally shapes society.

. Supporters of autonomous technology theories would argue that humans have little choice in deciding how technology will evolve and diffuse in society.

. Instrumentalism is a type of technological determinism.

. Substantivism assumes that technologies can be used for liberating or destructive means according to the nature of the technology itself.

. imple approaches to understanding the interrelationship between technology and society—such as utopian and dystopian views—have been largely refuted.

. The field of science and technology studies (STS) embraces deterministic assumptions around technology.

. Most of the research in STS is done using quantitative methods like surveys.

. Interpretive flexibility posits that as an artifact gains prominence in society, the flexibility through which it can be interpreted for other usages decreases because the social construction of the artifact's meaning becomes solidified.

. SCOT scholars give more relevance to the opinions of some social groups over the opinions of other social groups.

. Norms and values are powerful frameworks for interpreting artifacts and for understanding their value in society.

. ANT is a sociological theory popularized in the 1980s by Latour, Callon, and Law.

. ANT is unable to examine the active processes and interconnected relationships between human and non-human actors.

. The only fault that most critics find with ANT is that it fails to properly define its networks.

. Current understandings of technological society advocate for soft determinism.

. Gibson defined affordances as the way in which features of an object create opportunities for good or ill.

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