A statistical norm measures actual conduct, while a cultural norm describes what?

A statistical norm measures actual conduct, while a cultural norm describes what?

• A. Laws of behavior
• B. How people are supposed to act
• C. Genetic dispositions
• D. Individual preferences

Answer: (B)

Statistical norms describe what people actually do, based on observed behavior and how it tends to occur in a group. Cultural norms, on the other hand, are about what people are expected to do—the shared expectations about appropriate conduct within a community. They act as informal rules that guide behavior through social approval or disapproval rather than formal enforcement. For example, greeting people in a culturally appropriate way or waiting your turn are actions shaped by these expectations. Laws impose formal rules with official penalties, genetic dispositions are biological traits, and individual preferences are personal tastes that may or may not align with what others expect. So, cultural norms describe how people are supposed to act.

Statistical norms describe what people actually do, based on observed behavior and how it tends to occur in a group. Cultural norms, on the other hand, are about what people are expected to do—the shared expectations about appropriate conduct within a community. They act as informal rules that guide behavior through social approval or disapproval rather than formal enforcement. For example, greeting people in a culturally appropriate way or waiting your turn are actions shaped by these expectations. Laws impose formal rules with official penalties, genetic dispositions are biological traits, and individual preferences are personal tastes that may or may not align with what others expect. So, cultural norms describe how people are supposed to act.