THE AUTHOR PRESENTS A NUMBER OF RESEARCH STUDIES THAT HE CONCLUDES BRING SOCIAL SCIENTISTS TO THE GENERAL POSITION OF TREATING THE ISSUE OF DETERRENCE AS AN OPEN QUESTION, REQUIRING A GREAT DEAL OF RESEARCH TO UNRAVEL ITS CONSISTENCIES AMID COMPLEX VARIATIONS. THE PROGRESSION OF RESEARCH NEEDED IS PRESENTED AS FOLLOWS: DETERMINING THE INFLUENCE OF TYPE OF NORM ON DEGREE OF DETERRENCE THAT IS LIKELY TO RESULT FROM THE APPLICATION OF SANCTIONS; DETERMINING HOW CHARACTERISITCS OF GIVEN TYPES OF BEHAVIOR AFFECT THE DEGREE OF LIKELY DETERRENCE OF DEVIANCE; SPECIFYING THE WAY IN WHICH DETERRENCE OF DEVIANCE VARIES BY CHARACTERISTICS OF POTENTIAL RULE-BREAKERS; CLARIFICATION OF THE WAY IN WHICH VARIATIONS IN SANCTION CHARACTERISTICS THEMSELVES INFLUENCE THE LIKELY DEGREE OF CONFORMITY; DETERMINING THE INTERRELATIONSHIP OF THE VARIABLES IN THE GENERATION OF CONFORMITY; AND DISCOVERING THE RELATIVE IMPORTANCE OF SANCTION THREATS COMPARED TO OTHER VARIABLES THAT ARE THOUGHT TO BE IMPORTANT IN DETERMINING CONFORMITY OR DEVIANCE....RCB