Functionalist Theories of Deviance

question 92

Multiple Choice

Functionalist theories of deviance

• A) fear that deviance creates the breakdown of society.
• B) view deviance as necessary in order to clarify what the norms of society are.
• C) believe that punishment of deviance is dysfunctional because it prevents the deviance that is necessary for society.
• D) assume that norms are largely meaningless.

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Definitions:

Operant Conditioning

A process of influence in learning where the magnitude of behavior is adjusted by means of rewards or corrections.

Lever Pressing

An experimental task used in behaviorism to study learning and conditioning, where subjects press a lever to receive a reward.

Dependent Variable

The variable in an experiment that is tested and measured, often seen as the effect or outcome influenced by the independent variable.

Classical Conditioning

A learning process that occurs through associations between an environmental stimulus and a naturally occurring stimulus, famously demonstrated by Pavlov's dogs experiment.