Sociology Final (exam 2-ch.6)

Question 1

what is social control?

Answer 1

means by which members of a society encourage conformity to norms

Question 2

what are positive and negative sanctions?

Answer 2

positive sanctions- bring rewards
nonconformity- penalties

Question 3

what is informal social control?

Answer 3

use of informal sanctioning to facilitate conformity, example is a friend group ridiculing someone for liking a certain thing

Question 4

what is formal social control?

Answer 4

using formal sanctioning methods to facilitate normative conformity

Question 5

what is conformity?

Answer 5

going along with a group without being obligated to do so

Question 6

what is obedience?

Answer 6

compliance with the directions of authority figures

Question 7

what is an example of obedience?

Answer 7

milligram study where people kept shocking patients even though they were suffering

Question 8

what is behavior that violates the norms of a group or society?

Answer 8

deviance

Question 9

is deviance set in stone?

Answer 9

no, differs across cultures

Question 10

what is anomie?

Answer 10

social condition where norms lose their hold on social behavior

Question 11

what is the functionalist perspective of deviance?

Answer 11

helps to define acceptable behavior, contributing to social stability

Question 12

what is the conflict perspective of deviance?

Answer 12

law is an instrument of opression, definition of deviance serves interests of the elites( ex. white collar vs street crime, powder vs crack cocaine)

Question 13

what is the symbolic interactionist perspective of deviance?

Answer 13

what we understand as deviant depends on our group membership

Question 14

what is the differential association theory?( symbolic interactionist perspective)

Answer 14

one learns criminal behavior through interactions with others

Question 15

What is the labeling theory?

Answer 15

notion that social labels shape self perception and perception of others

Question 16

US crime rates are __________ compared to other nations

Answer 16

very high

Question 17

most crime is ___________

Answer 17

non violent

Question 18

most crime is not random. What is an example of this?

Answer 18

murder is often friendly, risk of victimization peaks at age 25 , overwhelmingly male and disproportionately impacts the poor

Question 19

Why is there a great crime decline?

Answer 19

-economic expansion of 90s
-crack epidemic wared off
- new initiatives in community policing
-new gun control laws
-population aging and immigration
-increasing size of prison population

Question 20

what are two major sources of crime data?

Answer 20

police reports and victimization surveys

Question 21

what is a major issue in crime data?

Answer 21

underreporting