What Might a Conflict Theorist Conclude About Deviance If an Upper-Middle-Class

question 52

Multiple Choice

What might a conflict theorist conclude about deviance if an upper-middle-class white college student is sentenced to rehab for the same drug crime that a lower-class black man is sentenced to jail for committing?

• A) Different levels of punishment are functional, as they keep the most productive members of society out of jail.
• B) Criminals from the lower class should be more harshly punished, as they are more likely to re-offend.
• C) The two criminals probably had very different motives for committing their crimes, and this explains the difference in punishment.
• D) The rules are applied unequally, and those with power or influence are punished much less harshly than others.

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Definitions:

Confirmation Bias

The tendency to search for, interpret, favor, and recall information in a way that confirms one's preexisting beliefs or hypotheses.

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Illusory Correlation

The perception of a relationship between two variables when none actually exists, often due to cognitive biases.

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Women who are emotionally, romantically, and/or physically attracted to other women.