Sociology Chapter 6

Who is MOST likely to commit murder according to the Uniform Crime Report?

friend or relative

Which of the following would sociologists consider the best definition of deviance?

violations of social norms

Nowhere to Grow by Les Whitbeck and Dan Hoyt explored the lives of homeless and runaway teens in the Midwest. The authors found that "associating with deviant peers" had a dramatic effect on a wide range of deviant behaviors including increasing "the likelihood of serious substance abuse almost 32 times." What theory of deviance considers the way in which such interpersonal relationships help to predict deviant behavior?

differential association

Robert Merton's typology of deviance outlines the strain that people experience as they attempt to access cultural goals through legitimate, institutionalized means. In which of the following categories would gangsters and con artists be found?

innovation

Which of the following describes how deviance can be explained from the functionalist perspective?

Deviance clarifies moral boundaries and affirms norms.

Most sociological studies of deviance focus on elements of an individual's background that would make them more likely to act in deviant ways. What is the key problem with such an approach?

It cannot explain why some people with very similar backgrounds act differently.

What did David Rosenhan describe in "On Being Sane in Insane Places"?

Researchers posing as "pseudo-patients" in a mental hospital but otherwise acting normally were treated as mentally ill by the hospital staff.

Jewish Americans, African Americans, and Hispanic Americans were not permitted to purchase houses in the suburb of Lakewood, California when it was first built in 1950. However, the developers reversed this policy within a few years and started selling homes to families regardless of religious faith or ethnicity. What does this tell us about stigma?

Stigmatized identities change over time.

Sociologists studying deviance often focus on the most obvious and extreme forms of deviant behavior. What are the consequences of this approach?

The values and norms of the powerful are left unexamined, while the deviance of the poor is scrutinized.

How do self-fulfilling prophecies work?

We respond not only to the objective features of a situation but also to its meaning. Once meaning has been assigned to our behavior, the consequences of that behavior are determined by the meaning.

What has most of the sociological literature on deviance traditionally focused on?

crime

A researcher examines the effects of learning communities on a college campus. In these communities, students live in a small dorm hall together, have one faculty advisor, attend a first-year seminar together, and participate in social activities together. After completing her study, the researcher finds that compared to students living in regular dorms or off-campus, students in these communities are less likely to engage in either academic cheating or underage drinking and have fewer disciplinary actions on their records. Which sociological perspective best explains this finding?

social control theory

According to Erving Goffman, when one is labeled a deviant and experiences stigma, what does that individual acquire?

spoiled identity

Brooke is a PhD candidate in the field of nanophysics. She is aware that only 4 percent of physics professionals are women. Brooke has heard peers and even instructors say that this is because women struggle to comprehend complex mathematics. What may Brooke be experiencing when she scores below her male counterparts on an exam?

stereotype threat