Sociology Ch. 7: Deviance, Crime, and Social Control

Which of the following is true of deviance?

Deviance is subject to social definition within a particular society and time.

If most rapes are never reported to the police, how do we know they happen at all?

Most of the women who tell researchers they were raped say they never reported their attack to the police.

According to sociologist Travis Hirschi's control theory, what is the main reason people conform to social norms?

Our bonds to family, friends, and peers influence us to go along with social mores.

What is organized crime?

The work of a group that regulates relations among criminal enterprises involved in illegal activities

According to most functionalists, what is deviance?

a common part of human existence that helps define limits of proper behavior

Which situations are examples of conformity? 1. A woman moves to a new town and starts using local slang. 2. A man gets a stylish new haircut after he sees several of his friends with a similar style. 3. A person drives at the speed limit and signals before changing lanes. 4. An airplane passenger sits in his assigned seat, even though he would prefer sitting in first class.

a woman moves to a new town and starts using local slang and a man gets stylish haircut after he sees several of his friends with a similar style

Which situations are examples of differential association? 1. An athlete takes performance-enhancing drugs after hearing her teammates talk about using them. 2. A shopper decides to shoplift after seeing that a store has no security guard. 3. A teenager whose friends skip school and commit petty crimes begins to do the same. 4. A student starts smoking even though most of his close friends disapprove of cigarettes.

an athlete takes performance-enhancing drugs after hearing her teammates talk about using them a teenager whose friends skip school and commit petty crimes begins to do the same

Which of the following statements about hate crimes are true? 1. An ordinary crime can be a hate crime if the offender chooses a victim based on race, religion, ethnic group, national origin, or sexual orientation. 2. All hate crimes are committed by members of the dominant group against those who are relatively powerless. 3. They are sometimes referred to as bias crimes. 4. They are defined by both the purpose of the offenders' conduct and their actions.

an ordinary crime can be a hate crime if the offender chooses a victim based on race, religion, ethnic group, national origin, or sexual orientation, they are sometimes referred to as bias crimes, and they are defined by both the purpose of the offenders' conduct and their actions

Which of the following would most sociologists consider deviant? 1. Anything that violates accepted social norms 2. Nothing, because sociologists are not willing to say any behavior is deviant 3. Violating group norms, whether the behavior is legal or illegal

anything that violates accepted social norms and violating group norms, whether the behavior is legal or illegal

Crime refers to

anything that violates criminal law.

Which of the following are index crimes that are tabulated each year by the Federal Bureau of Investigation? 1. intellectual property theft 2. assault 3. larceny-theft 4. lying 5. motor vehicle theft

assault, larceny-theft, and motor vehicle theft

Which of the following is considered a white-collar crime?

bribery

Feminist criminologists contend that

certain laws protect the rights of men above the rights of women.

Sociologists see laws as

changing standards of right and wrong which define violation and prescribe sanctions.

An important tenet of labeling theory is the recognition that some individuals or groups have the power to define labels and apply them to others. This view shares the emphasis on the social significance of power maintained by the

conflict perspective

Which sociological perspective would be particularly concerned about studies that show that White criminal offenders receive shorter sentences than comparable Latino and African American offenders?

conflict perspective

Recruits who enter military service typically ______ to the habits and language of other recruits and ______ the orders of superior officers.

conform; obey

According to ________ theorists, socialization develops our self-control so well that we do not need further pressure to obey social norms.

control

Even though physical and behavioral characteristics stigmatize people, oftentimes high technology crimes do not. Which of the following are socially tolerated forms of deviance? 1. copying software to a computer without a license 2. offering prostitution services via Craigslist 3. file sharing music 4. pirating DVDs and motion pictures

copying software to a computer without a license, file sharing music, and pirating DVDs and motions pictures

Which school of thought emphasizes that one learns criminal behavior by interacting with others?

cultural transmission

Which theory was used by Edwin Sutherland to emphasize that criminal behavior is learned through social interactions with others?

cultural transmission

What is the term for behavior that violates the norms or expectations of a group or a society?

deviance

Social control can best be described as the techniques and strategies for preventing ______ behavior in any group or society.

deviant

If a criminal justice system treats a certain race or social class differently from another race or social class, it is displaying

differential justice

True or false: The United States has a higher rate of car theft than Australia, England, Italy, and New Zealand.

false

Obedience can best be defined as

following the commands of a perceived authority.

Social control carried out by authorized agents—such as police officers, judges, school administrators, and employers—is called

formal social control

When a school principal suspends a student, the principal is using or applying

formal social control

"Deviance helps to define the limits of proper behavior." This statement represents the view of which sociological perspective?

functionalist perspective

The social psychologist Stanley Milgram used the term conformity to mean

going along with peers who have no authority to control our behavior.

The term law may be defined as

governmental social control

In which ways can organized crime infiltrate a society? 1. It can take over legitimate business. 2. It protects merchants in exchange for a so-called "tax." 3. It gains influence over labor unions. 4. It discourages prostitution and certain other illegal activities.

it can take over legitimate business, it protects merchants in exchange for a so-called "tax," and it gains influence over labor unions

The social constructionist perspective is most closely affiliated with which other sociological explanation of deviance?

labeling theory

The societal-reaction approach is also known as

labeling theory

The term crime refers to a violation of a

law

According to Edwin Sutherland's theory about cultural transmission and how it affects behavior, a person

learns criminal behavior by interacting with others.

A professional criminal is someone who

makes a business of committing crimes.

Which of the following behaviors are examples of informal social control? 1. awarding the Congressional Medal of Honor to a war hero 2. ankle bracelets worn by people under house arrest 3. making fun of someone who has demonstrated bad behavior 4. laughing at someone's joke

making fun of someone who has demonstrated bad behavior and laughing at someone's joke

What are some of the possible explanations sociologists have given for the decline in crime? 1. new crime prevention programs 2. the decline of the crack cocaine epidemic of the late 1980s 3. changes in moral values among the population 4. the aging of the population

new crime prevention programs, the decline of the crack cocaine epidemic of the late 1980s, and the aging of the population

Informal social control is used by people to casually enforce social

norms

Formal social control is used to discourage violations of social norms and to encourage which behaviors? 1. status 2. etiquette 3. obedience 4. conformity

obedience and conformity

People ______ their superiors and ______ their peers.

obey; conform to

Once people have had a stigma attached to their identities, they 1. can do things to easily reverse the stigma. 2. often have trouble presenting a positive image to others. 3. may experience lowered self-esteem. 4. are often able to use it to their advantage.

often have trouble presenting a positive image to others and may experience lowered self-esteem

Which of the following are examples of white-collar cybercrime? 1. stealing a computer 2. online auction site scams 3. identity thefts 4. using twitter for mean gossip

online auction site scams and identity thefts

The work of a group that regulates relations between various criminal enterprises involved in the smuggling and sale of drugs, prostitution, gambling, and other illegal activities is called

organized crime

When an illegal activity, such as prostitution or gambling, is regulated by a group, it could be said that this activity is dominated by

organized crime

An employee at a welfare office is so concerned with paperwork that he doesn't have time to administer to the needs of the poor, hungry, and homeless individuals who seek assistance. According to Merton's theory, this welfare worker would be a(n)

ritualist

Penalties and rewards related to social norms are referred to as

sanctions

Which of the following is a criticism of social disorganization theory?

seems to "blame the victim"

The social psychologist ______ made a useful distinction between conformity and obedience.

stanley milgram

Erving Goffman coined the term ______ to describe the labels society uses to devalue members of certain social groups.

stigma

Which of the following are examples of white-collar crimes? 1. tax fraud 2. child pornography 3. prostitution 4. stock manipulation 5. corruption

tax fraud, stock manipulation, and corruption

The term differential justice can best be defined as

the type of treatment that different races, ethnic groups, or social classes get from the criminal justice system.

According to the United Nations, which of the following are transnational crimes? 1. Theft of cultural artifacts 2. Migrant smuggling 3. Terrorism 4. Underage drinking

theft of cultural artifacts, migrant smuggling, and terrorism

True or false: Many people dispute the idea that behaviors such as excessive drinking and compulsive gambling are victimless crimes.

true

Supporters of decriminalization believe that prostitution, smoking marijuana, and illegal gambling are ______ crimes.

victimless

Which examples demonstrate how technology has negatively affected standards of social behavior? 1. Inappropriate posts to online discussion boards 2. Uncivil online comments 3. Items of community interest posted on online bulletin boards 4. Abusive voicemail

inappropriate posts to online discussion boards, uncivil online comments, and abusive voicemail

Which sociological perspective would most likely be concerned with the stigmatizing nature of formal social controls that require convicted sex offenders to register with police agencies and have their pictures published in newspapers to make their identities publicly known?

interactionist perspective

The theory that attempts to explain why certain people are viewed as deviants and criminals, while others who engage in similar behavior are not is known as _______ theory.

labeling

Which theory is also called the societal-reaction approach and attempts to explain why certain people are viewed as deviants, whereas others whose behavior is similar are not seen in such harsh terms?

labeling

A sociologist studies how a teacher's attitudes toward particular students affect students' performance. Students of similar abilities who are "teacher's pets" perform at a high level, and students who are viewed as "troublemakers" perform poorly. This illustrates which explanation of deviance?

labeling theory

Which of the following statements about crime in the United States is true?

Both violent crime and property crime have dropped dramatically since the 1990s.

Which of the following is a new type of white-collar crime that emerged around the beginning of the twenty-first century?

cybercrime

When members of a culture violate the norms of that culture, they are displaying ______ behavior.

deviant

Bob works as a cashier in a supermarket. His boss instructs him to include the price of a new broom—which Bob's boss has deceptively placed near the register—on everyone's bill. Bob's boss also encourages him to change the dates on expired food items, so the items can continue to be sold. Eventually, Bob begins to develop his own deceptive sales practices. This is an example of

differential association

The sociologist Edwin Sutherland used the term ______ for when people violate laws after being exposed to attitudes that are favorable to violation of the law.

differential association

True or false: According to sociologists, deviant behavior occurs because of genetic disposition.

false

True or false: Crime statistics related to rape are the most reliable data because most sex crimes against women are nearly always reported.

false

According to feminist criminologists, many of the existing approaches to deviance and crime were developed with only

men in mind

Which of the following are crimes reported by the Federal Bureau of Investigation on the Uniform Crime Report? 1. murder 2. rape 3. robbery 4. tax evasion 5. arson

murder, rape, robbery, and arson

Professional criminals resemble ______, in that they have work-based relationships and become part of a subculture related to their field.

people in ordinary occupations

Functionalists note that deviance creates both ______ and ______ consequences for social stability.

positive; negative

According to crime statistics, hate crimes focus most frequently on which of the following?

race

According to Robert Merton, members of revolutionary political organizations such as the Irish Republican Army would typically be classified as

rebels

According to conflict theorists, criminal laws ______.

reflect competing values and interests

If we violate social norms, we may face punishment through informal or formal

sanctions

The sociologist Howard Becker made the statement that "deviant behavior is behavior that people so label." He is associated with which approach to deviance?

societal-reaction approach

The contemporary study of possible genetic roots of criminality is but one aspect of the larger debate over

sociobiology

Émile Durkheim suggested that punishments within a culture help define acceptable behavior and thus contribute to social

stability

The term social control refers to the

techniques and strategies used to prevent deviant human behavior in any society.

What was sociologist Daniel Bell describing with the term ethnic succession?

the sequential passage of organized crime leadership from one immigrant culture to another

Which term specifically refers to crime that occurs across multiple national borders?

transitional crime

A corporate vice president is convicted of attempting to bribe a presidential aide. This type of crime is called

white-collar crime

What did Émile Durkheim claim as an important function of punishing deviants?

It helps define acceptable behavior and thus contributes to social stability.

Which statement best describes conflict theorists' views on lawmaking?

Lawmaking is an attempt by people in power to force their norms and values on others.

When sociologist William Chambliss observed the Saints and the Roughnecks, what did he conclude?

Social class played an important role in the varying fortunes of the two groups

In which of the following countries was violent crime the most common during the 1980s and 1990s?

United States

Obedience refers to

compliance with higher authorities in a hierarchical structure