Which statement distinguishes a cultural norm from a statistical norm?

• A. They are identical
• B. Cultural norm describes how people are supposed to act
• C. Statistical norm describes how people are supposed to act
• D. They have no relation

Answer: (B)

The main distinction is that cultural norms prescribe how people should act, while statistical norms describe what is typical or average in a population. Cultural norms express expectation and social approval or sanctions for behavior, so they guide how people ought to behave in a given context. For example, greeting someone with a handshake or removing shoes before entering a home are cultural norms—they indicate expected behavior. A statistical norm, on the other hand, would describe common behavior or measurements, like the average time people take to finish a task or the typical height of adults, without prescribing what anyone must do. Therefore, the statement that cultural norms describe how people are supposed to act best captures the difference. The other ideas either treat them as identical, assign prescriptive qualities to statistical norms, or claim there’s no relation, which misses this important distinction.