Norm

In general, a norm refers to the average or typical performance of a group of

people. This could involve results from a test or refer to phenomena like the
average weight of a population. However, in social research norms refer to
conventionalized ways of acting or behaving (see NATURALIZATION). Social
norms
are usually unwritten expectations about the appropriate ways that people
should behave. They are handed down from generation to generation through
socialization, often via NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION or through discourses.