Tightness-Looseness Across the 50 United States

Vocabulary flashcards covering core concepts, state rankings, ecological correlates, and outcome variables from the study on tightness-looseness across the US states.

Tightness

A cultural state characterized by having many strongly enforced social norms, strict punishment for norm violations, and little tolerance for deviance.

Looseness

A cultural state characterized by having few strongly enforced social norms, weak sanctioning of norm violators, and greater tolerance for deviance.

Mississippi

The top-ranked tightest state in the United States according to the state-level tightness-looseness index, with a score of 78.86.

California

The lowest-ranked state on the tightness index (the loosest state) in the United States, with a score of 27.37.

South Region

The tightest geographic region among the four primary US Census Bureau regions, with a mean tightness score of 63.03.

Conservatism

An individual-level set of beliefs characterized by two key features: resistance to or fear of change, and preferences for inequality.

Green Condition Index

An assessment of state environmental and ecological health based on 179 criteria, which is strongly negatively associated with state tightness ($r(50) = -0.77$).

Residential Mobility

The extent to which individuals are transient, resulting in weaker social ties and more freedom from social constraints.

Cosmopolitanism

An intellectual and aesthetic openness towards divergent cultural experiences, defined as a search for contrasts rather than uniformity.

Social Disorganization Index

An index created by Baron and Straus that assesses relative social instability at the state level using indicators such as divorce rates, population turnover, and family structure.