©JUSTTRACY EXAM SOLUTIONS
21/11/2024 1:31PM
SOCY 275 Exam Bank Questions With
Revised Answers
Objective definitions - answers✔✔describes empirical features (what is actually present)
without moralistic or emotional evaluations
Defining deviance - answers✔✔non-circular, a behaviour that is statistically rare, harmful,
and/or in violation of social norms
Statistical rarity - answers✔✔Characteristics that are seen as most common are deemed
normal, while behaviour that varies from norm is deviant (represented in a bell curve)
J-curve of institutional conformity - answers✔✔for some behaviours (e.g. arriving to class
early), most people will fall on one side and the normal will be for curves to be distorted
Harmfulness - answers✔✔Harms associated with deviance are usually physical (bodily
harm), functional (harm to working of the system), ontological (disruption of faith in
system/fears of disorder)
Social responses to deviance - answers✔✔negative response (illicit punishment or rejection),
denial (toleration), romanization or demonization, stigmatizing labels
Normative violations - answers✔✔Deviant behaviour is conduct that departs significantly
from norms set for people (there is a normative way to fulfill all roles in society)
Four-part process of deviance labelling - answers✔✔the motivated observer, the observed,
normative cultural standards, and application of the standards
Empathetic explanations - answers✔✔allows researchers to best understand deviant actor's
POV and decisions (found mostly in interpretive interactive theories)
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21/11/2024 1:31PM
Scientific Explanations - answers✔✔application of the scientific method to the study of
deviant behaviour (particularly found in positivism)
Positivism - answers✔✔Assumes that knowledge can only be discovered through sensory
experience, observation and experiment Refuses to give any importance to human feelings,
understandings and choices.
Ideological explanations - answers✔✔based on systems of ideas held as irrefutable doctrine,
based on passionate belief (found in prescientific and religious approaches and in radical
conflict theories)
Inductive logic - answers✔✔looks at many cases and makes generalizations about them
Deductive logic - answers✔✔derive specific expectations from general rules that have been
suggested by previous research or logical theories
Components of theory - answers✔✔sensitizing concepts, variables, hypothesis
Sensitizing concepts - answers✔✔symbolizes the aspect of reality that is our focus (e.g.
"suspiciousness", "anomic suicide", etc.) Using one concept rather than another can impact
what we can see
Variables - answers✔✔a concept that can be operationalized by being counted or measured
(e.g. age of first drunkenness)
Hypothesis - answers✔✔tentative statement that characterises the relationship between
variables
Classical experimental design - answers✔✔two equivalent groups (control and
experimental), expose experimental group to independent variable (e.g. a rehab program),
determine difference between groups after
, ©JUSTTRACY EXAM SOLUTIONS
21/11/2024 1:31PM
Causality (supported with 3 conditions) - answers✔✔Statistical significance; independent
variable exists before addition of dependent variable; be able to rule out influence of
intervening variables
Spurious correlation - answers✔✔relationship between highly statistically significant but not
casual variables (very common)
Reliability measures - answers✔✔measures that are consistent and presumably reflect a
regularity that occurs in nature (obtaining similar results in repeated applications)
Validity - answers✔✔Are we measuring what we think were measuring? (ie, is the
statistically significant correlation relevant)
Real figure - answers✔✔representing the actual number of individuals engaging in a
particular kind of deviance or the total number of deviant acts
Error components - answers✔✔caused by over- or underreporting
Random errors - answers✔✔generally accidental or self-cancelling
Systematic errors - answers✔✔based on systematic biases
Self-reported data (SRD) - answers✔✔allows access to information about uncaught and
unrecorded deviance
Self-report questionnaires - answers✔✔consist of a series of questions answered by
respondents. Can be mailed, administered in a group situation, at a workplace, school,
community centre, etc. (generally kept anonymous)
Structured interviews - answers✔✔following a set pattern for each respondent interviewed
Unstructured interviews - answers✔✔exploratory - allowing greater freedom for respondents
to lead discussion
21/11/2024 1:31PM
SOCY 275 Exam Bank Questions With
Revised Answers
Objective definitions - answers✔✔describes empirical features (what is actually present)
without moralistic or emotional evaluations
Defining deviance - answers✔✔non-circular, a behaviour that is statistically rare, harmful,
and/or in violation of social norms
Statistical rarity - answers✔✔Characteristics that are seen as most common are deemed
normal, while behaviour that varies from norm is deviant (represented in a bell curve)
J-curve of institutional conformity - answers✔✔for some behaviours (e.g. arriving to class
early), most people will fall on one side and the normal will be for curves to be distorted
Harmfulness - answers✔✔Harms associated with deviance are usually physical (bodily
harm), functional (harm to working of the system), ontological (disruption of faith in
system/fears of disorder)
Social responses to deviance - answers✔✔negative response (illicit punishment or rejection),
denial (toleration), romanization or demonization, stigmatizing labels
Normative violations - answers✔✔Deviant behaviour is conduct that departs significantly
from norms set for people (there is a normative way to fulfill all roles in society)
Four-part process of deviance labelling - answers✔✔the motivated observer, the observed,
normative cultural standards, and application of the standards
Empathetic explanations - answers✔✔allows researchers to best understand deviant actor's
POV and decisions (found mostly in interpretive interactive theories)
, ©JUSTTRACY EXAM SOLUTIONS
21/11/2024 1:31PM
Scientific Explanations - answers✔✔application of the scientific method to the study of
deviant behaviour (particularly found in positivism)
Positivism - answers✔✔Assumes that knowledge can only be discovered through sensory
experience, observation and experiment Refuses to give any importance to human feelings,
understandings and choices.
Ideological explanations - answers✔✔based on systems of ideas held as irrefutable doctrine,
based on passionate belief (found in prescientific and religious approaches and in radical
conflict theories)
Inductive logic - answers✔✔looks at many cases and makes generalizations about them
Deductive logic - answers✔✔derive specific expectations from general rules that have been
suggested by previous research or logical theories
Components of theory - answers✔✔sensitizing concepts, variables, hypothesis
Sensitizing concepts - answers✔✔symbolizes the aspect of reality that is our focus (e.g.
"suspiciousness", "anomic suicide", etc.) Using one concept rather than another can impact
what we can see
Variables - answers✔✔a concept that can be operationalized by being counted or measured
(e.g. age of first drunkenness)
Hypothesis - answers✔✔tentative statement that characterises the relationship between
variables
Classical experimental design - answers✔✔two equivalent groups (control and
experimental), expose experimental group to independent variable (e.g. a rehab program),
determine difference between groups after
, ©JUSTTRACY EXAM SOLUTIONS
21/11/2024 1:31PM
Causality (supported with 3 conditions) - answers✔✔Statistical significance; independent
variable exists before addition of dependent variable; be able to rule out influence of
intervening variables
Spurious correlation - answers✔✔relationship between highly statistically significant but not
casual variables (very common)
Reliability measures - answers✔✔measures that are consistent and presumably reflect a
regularity that occurs in nature (obtaining similar results in repeated applications)
Validity - answers✔✔Are we measuring what we think were measuring? (ie, is the
statistically significant correlation relevant)
Real figure - answers✔✔representing the actual number of individuals engaging in a
particular kind of deviance or the total number of deviant acts
Error components - answers✔✔caused by over- or underreporting
Random errors - answers✔✔generally accidental or self-cancelling
Systematic errors - answers✔✔based on systematic biases
Self-reported data (SRD) - answers✔✔allows access to information about uncaught and
unrecorded deviance
Self-report questionnaires - answers✔✔consist of a series of questions answered by
respondents. Can be mailed, administered in a group situation, at a workplace, school,
community centre, etc. (generally kept anonymous)
Structured interviews - answers✔✔following a set pattern for each respondent interviewed
Unstructured interviews - answers✔✔exploratory - allowing greater freedom for respondents
to lead discussion
