objective method (of measuring social class) a system in which people are ranked according to objective criteria such as their wealth, power, and prestige

objectivity a state of personal neutrality in conducting research

official social deviance a society’s statistics on lawbreaking; its measures of crimes, victims, lawbreakers, and the outcomes of criminal investigations and sentencing

oligarchy a form of government in which power is held by a small group of individuals; the rule of the many by the few

oligopoly the control of an entire industry by several large companies

open-ended questions questions that respondents are able to answer in their own words

operational definitions the way in which a variable in a hypothesis is measured

operationalizing a variable specifying exactly what one intends to measure in assigning a value to a variable

organic solidarity Durkheim’s term for the interdependence that results from people needing others to fulfill their jobs; solidarity based on the interdependence brought about by the division of labour

organizational environment a range of factors external to an organization that affects its operation

organized crime a business supplying illegal goods or services

other-directedness a receptiveness to the latest trends and fashions, often expressed in the practice of imitating others

outgroup a social group towards which one feels competition or opposition