hard · MCAT psych-soc
A sociologist compares two neighborhoods with identical median income, poverty rates, and racial composition. Neighborhood A has far lower rates of violent crime. Surveys show A's residents are no more likely to know each other personally, but they are far more willing to intervene when they see local teens skipping school or vandalizing property.
Which construct most precisely explains A's lower crime, and why does it outperform the obvious alternative?
- Collective efficacy, because shared willingness to act for the common good predicts crime independently of the density of personal ties
- Social capital, because the dense web of personal relationships among residents lowers crime by increasing mutual interpersonal trust levels
- Strong network closure, because tightly interlinked acquaintances enforce conformity through repeated ongoing mutual social surveillance
- Mechanical solidarity, because shared values and basic likeness bind residents together into one cohesive collective moral order
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