Which term denotes the lag between when a material item is created and when it becomes widely used?

• A. Culture lag
• B. Diffusion
• C. Globalization
• D. Preindustrial societies

Answer: (A)

Cultural lag arises when material innovations occur quickly, but the nonmaterial aspects of culture—norms, values, laws, and institutions—adjust more slowly. This creates a delay between the creation of a new material item and its widespread, normalized use in society. The concept captures the tension you see when a invention or technology becomes possible before society is ready to fully incorporate it into everyday life. For example, the automobile changed transportation, but social rules, road laws, urban design, and even work schedules took time to adapt.

Diffusion focuses on how a feature spreads from one group to another, globalization on interconnectedness on a global scale, and preindustrial societies describe a type of society, not a timing lag. So the term that best fits the described lag is culture lag.