Exam 2

Question 1

Sexual Orientation

Answer 1

a person’s preference for sexual relationships with individuals of the other sex (heterosexuality), one’s own sex (homosexuality), or both sexes (bisexuality)

Question 2

Gender identity

Answer 2

the personal conception of oneself as female, male, both, neither

Question 3

Heterosexism

Answer 3

the analogous term for negative views about, and discriminatory practices toward, LGBT and their sexual behavior

Question 4

Heterosexual privilege

Answer 4

refers to the many advantages that heterosexuals (or people perceived as heterosexuals) enjoy simply because their sexual orientation is not LGBT

Question 5

Gerontology

Answer 5

the study of aging; helps understand problems in a state of the life course we all hope to reach

Question 6

Chronological age

Answer 6

the number of years since someone was born

Question 7

Biological aging

Answer 7

the physical changes that “slow us down” as we get into our middle and older years

Question 8

Psychological aging

Answer 8

the psychological changes, including those involving mental functioning and personality, that occur as we age

Question 9

Social aging

Answer 9

changes in a person’s roles and relationships, both within their networks of relatives and friends and in formal organizations (workplace and houses of worship)

Question 10

Disengagement theory

Answer 10

to enable younger people to assume important roles, a society must encourage its older people to disengage from their previous roles and to take on roles more appropriate to their physical and mental decline

Question 11

Activity theory

Answer 11

older people benefit themselves and their society if they continue to be active

Question 12

Conflict theory

Answer 12

older people experience age-based prejudice and discrimination

Question 13

Ageism

Answer 13

negative views about old age and prejudice & discrimination against the elderly

Question 14

Life expectancy

Answer 14

the average to which people can be expected to live, varies dramatically across the world

Question 15

Elder abuse

Answer 15

physical or sexual violence, psychological or emotional abuse, neglect of care, or financial exploitation

Question 16

Generational equity

Answer 16

the concept that different generations should be treated in similar ways and should have similar opportunities

Question 17

Drug

Answer 17

any substance other than food that, when taken into the body, affects the structure and/or functioning of the body

Question 18

Depressants

Answer 18

slow down the activity of the central nervous system and large doses may lead to physical dependence & sometimes death
○ Analgesics- reduce pain and include over-the-counter products (ex: aspirin, acetaminophen, and ibuprofen)
○ Sedatives- help people relax & drowsy (ex: alcohol, barbiturates, and sleep medicines)

Question 19

Hallucinogens

Answer 19

mind-altering drugs that cause delusions or hallucinations (ex: Ecstasy, LSD, mescaline, and PCP)

Question 20

Narcotics

Answer 20

slow down central nervous system, highly effective at relieving pain, may induce drowsiness, euphoria, and relaxation; physically addictive and can be fatal in high doses; all derived from opium (ex: codeine, heroin, methadone, and morphine)

Question 21

Stimulants

Answer 21

speeding up the central nervous system, increase alertness & energy, and can produce euphoria or anxiety (ex: caffeine, cocaine, methamphetamine and other amphetamines, nicotine (tobacco), Ritalin
○ Very physically addictive, and nicotine is thought to be more addictive than heroin

Question 22

Binge drinking

Answer 22

5+ drinks on the same occasion-within 2 hours of each other- on at least one day in the past month

Question 23

Heavy drinking

Answer 23

binge drinking on at least 5 days in the past month

Question 24

Religiosity

Answer 24

the more religious people are, the lower their drug use

Question 25

Harm reduction

Answer 25

this strategy attempts to minimize the harm caused by drugs

Question 26

Drug courts

Answer 26

drug offenders who have been arrested and found guilty are sentenced to drug treatment and counseling rather than to jail and prison
○ Saves money and more effective in reducing the habit

Question 27

Crime

Answer 27

behavior that is prohibited by the criminal law because it is considered especially harmful or offensive

Question 28

Deviance

Answer 28

behavior that violates social norms and arouses strong social disapproval

Question 29

Uniform Crime Reports (UCR)

Answer 29

government’s primary source of crime data
○ FBI gathers data from police departments around the country
○ Police also tell FBI whether someone is arrested for the crime and, if so, the person’s age, gender, and race
○ UCR includes commercial crimes

Question 30

Part I Crimes

Answer 30

eight felonies that the FBI considers most serious
○ 4 violent crimes- Homicide, rape, aggravated assault, and robbery
○ 4 property crimes- burglary, larceny (e.g. shoplifting, pick-pocketing, etc.), motor vehicle theft, and arson

Question 31

Dark figure of Crime

Answer 31

unreported/hidden crime

Question 32

National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS)

Answer 32

survey sent to many randomly selected US households by the federal government in the beginning of the 1970s to get more accuracy; asked whether had victim of crime in house and estimates thought to be accurate than UCR’s
○ Excludes commercial crimes (ex: shoplifting)
○ Includes simple assaults while UCR excludes them

Question 33

Self-report survey

Answer 33

a third source of crime information in which subjects, usually adolescents, indicate on an anonymous questionnaire whether and how often they committed various offenses
○ Typically also answer questions about their family relationships, school performance, and other aspects of their backgrounds
○ Like NCVS, they underscore how much crime is committed that doesn’t come to attention of police

Question 34

Intra-racial

Answer 34

Occurring within the same race

Question 35

White-collar crime

Answer 35

crime committed by a person of respectability and high social status in the course of his occupation
○ Arguably much more harmful, in terms of economic loss and of physical injury, illness, and even death

Question 36

Corporate violence

Answer 36

actions by corporations that kill or maim people or leave them ill
○ Victims include employees, consumers, and the public as a whole
○ Annual death exceed the number of deaths from homicide, and illness & injury from corporate violence affect an untold number of people very year

Question 37

Organized crime

Answer 37

criminal activity by groups or organizations whose major purpose for existing is to commit such crime

Question 38

Consensual crime

Answer 38

behaviors in which people engage voluntarily and willingly even though these behaviors violate the law

Question 39

Social disorganizaiton theory

Answer 39

a weakening of social institutions such as the family, school, and religion that in turn weakens the strength of social bonds, norms, and effectiveness of socialization

Question 40

Anomie theory

Answer 40

crime by the poor results from a gap between the cultural emphasis on economic success and the inability to achieve such success through the legitimate means of working

Question 41

Differential association theory

Answer 41

criminal behavior is learned by interacting with close friends who teach us how to commit various crimes and also the values, motives, and rationalizations we need to adopt in order to justify breaking the law

Question 42

Social bonding theory

Answer 42

delinquency results from weak bonds to conventional social institutions, such as families and schools

Question 43

Labeling theory

Answer 43

deviance and crime result from being officially labeled; arrest and imprisonment increase the likelihood of reoffending
○ Gives someone a negative self-image, reduces the potential of employment, and makes it difficult to have friendships with law-abiding individuals

Question 44

Group conflict theory

Answer 44

Criminal law is shaped by the conflict among the various social groups in society that exist because of differences in race & ethnicity, social class, religion, and other factors
○ Given they compete for power & influence, the groups with more of it try to pass laws that ban behaviors in which subordinate groups tend to engage, and try to use criminal justice system to suppress subordinate group members

Question 45

Radical theory

Answer 45

the wealthy try to use the law & criminal justice system to reinforce their power and to keep the poor & people of color at the bottom of society

Question 46

Plea bargaining

Answer 46

a defendant agrees to plead guilty, usually in return for a reduced sentence

Question 47

Get-tough approach

Answer 47

longer prison terms and the building of many more prisons & jails
○ Doubt in achieving significant crime reduction and fear of it leading to greater future problems

Question 48

Public health approach

Answer 48

tries to treat people who are already ill, but especially focuses on preventing disease and illness before they begin; applied to crime