What does the term cultural lag refer to in sociology?

Cultural lag refers to the phenomenon where there is a gap between advances in technology and the societal institutions—such as laws, values, and norms—that adapt more slowly to these changes. This concept highlights how, as new technologies are developed and implemented, the legal and moral frameworks governing society may struggle to keep pace. For example, innovations like social media or genetic engineering may raise ethical and legal questions that society is not immediately prepared to address, creating a lag between the new possibilities offered by technology and the societal norms that regulate behavior.

The other choices touch upon aspects of cultural evolution but do not fully encapsulate the essence of cultural lag. A delay in the acceptance of new cultural practices is a related but distinct concept that does not specifically address the technological aspect. The idea that culture progresses faster than technology is contrary to the definition of cultural lag itself, and a period of cultural transition does not specifically denote the technological and institutional gap that cultural lag addresses.