DSC: CH 5 Social Disorganization Theory

Question 1

What is the Broken Windows Theory?

Answer 1

Broken windows theory:
basically the notion that social and physical disorder lead to greater disorder and other forms of crime and deviance.

Question 2

Central business district

Answer 2

Central business district:
the commercial area of a city where most of the business activity occurs.

Question 3

Collective efficacy:

Answer 3

Collective efficacy:
conditions of some neighborhoods or groups where there is trust, cohesion, and a willingness to act for the common good.

Question 4

Concentric zones:

Answer 4

Concentric zones:
a model of urban cities, generally consisting of and moving out from the central business district, the zone in transition, the zone of the working class, the residential zone, and the commuter zone.

Question 5

Cross-sectional designs:

Answer 5

Cross-sectional designs:
involves data that are collected at only one point in time, such as a survey distributed in a classroom.

Question 6

Individual efficacy:

Answer 6

Individual efficacy:
an individual’s ability to achieve specific goals.

Question 7

Longitudinal data:

Answer 7

Longitudinal data:
comes from a series of observations of the same phenomena over time.

Question 8

Parental efficacy:

Answer 8

Parental efficacy:
parents’ ability to control their children’s behavior through parent–child attachment, rules, supervision, and social support.

Question 9

Physical disorder:

Answer 9

Physical disorder:
condition of some neighborhoods with high levels of, for example, litter, graffiti, vandalism, and “broken windows.”

Question 10

Population turnover:

Answer 10

Population turnover:
also referred to as residential instability and often measured as the percentage of the population that did not reside in the neighborhood five years earlier.

Question 11

Poverty:

Answer 11

Poverty:
a lack of resources or financial well-being.

Question 12

Racial/ethnic heterogeneity:

Answer 12

Racial/ethnic heterogeneity:
refers to a mixture of different races and ethnicities in a given area.

Question 13

Social cohesion:

Answer 13

Social cohesion:
neighborhoods characterized by positive social interaction, trust, and a sense of community.

Question 14

Social disorder:

Answer 14

Social disorder:
conditions of some neighborhoods with high levels of, for example, unmonitored youth misbehaving, drug dealers, people openly and illegally using alcohol or other drugs, and fighting.

Question 15

Social disorganization theory:

Answer 15

Social disorganization theory:
neighborhoods that lack the ability to control delinquent youth and other potentially problematic populations.

Question 16

Zone in transition:

Answer 16

Zone in transition:
an area of a city that usually borders the central business district. The name comes from the notion that the poorest groups (often recent immigrants) are forced to live there, and as they secure financial stability, they move out, so it is an area in transition between different populations.