Butch's car was recently rear-ended by a woman in a parking lot. later his best friend tells him that he, too, was recently in an accident in which a woman driver was at fault. based on these experiences, butch develops a about female drivers that includes the belief that

c. stereotype; all women are bad drivers

Explanation:

The attitude of Butch towards women will act based on a stereotype he believing that all women are bad drivers.

This will significantly shape his future actions with the other gender, and in many cases will hinder a better interaction at least concerned with experiences that appear to match the mentioned one.

Sociologists will see how stereotypes appear among different groups within a social whole.

Often stereotypes are a product of conflicts, inadequate perceptions yet, stereotypes are neither mysterious nor arbitrary, "they usually are grounded in observations of everyday life". This means that even if they don't reflect the reality of the whole social theory, many times they tend to predict or shape and influence the behaviour.

They are socially constructed, and therefore:

When stereotypes are formed, they will be recurrent,

Important is to understand that stereotypes will never be permanently fixed, or rigid since assumptions about others and different social groups will also  change with time.

manifest functions are the recognized and intended consequences of any social pattern, while latent functions are those unrecognized and unintended consequences. to analyze the manifest functions of any social institution, we have to study its contribution to the continuation of a group, community, or society.

d. i assume the underlined word is "role." reformat if it isn't.

explanation:

role is closest to part because when replacing words, "playing a vital decision," "playing a vital activity," and "playing a vital dollar" don't make logical sense. the only meaningful choice is "playing a vital part."

this fits one of merriam-webster's definitions of role: "a function or part performed especially in a particular operation or process."