10. Psychology and Culture

Question 1

What is the textbook definition of culture? and what is wrong with this definition?

Answer 1

the shared rule that govern the behaviour of a group of people and enable members of that group to co-exist and survive

too strong/narrow - message that culture tells us what we must do

Question 2

what is Kashima’s definition of culture

Answer 2

systems of meaning shared by a group of people

how the group works
what its about
how things are done

reproduction and transmission of these meanings through action

Question 3

what problems does culture help groups addresses?

Answer 3

coordination and understanding

Question 4

how are cultures and groups different?

Answer 4

culture is not the same as a group

groups like countries are often used to denote cultures (as a proxy). e.g. chinese culture, australian culture

cultures can exist for non-country groups. e.g. organisational culture, hipster culture

Question 5

what is culture specificity

Answer 5

the specifics of a culture

Question 6

what is WEIRD according to Heinrich?

Answer 6

W estern
E ducated
I ndustrialised
R ich
D emoncratic countries

Question 7

what did the article ‘the weirdest people in the world’ address?

Answer 7

that the database in the behavioural sciences is drawn from an extremely narrow slice of human diversity

behavioural scientists routinely assume, at least, implicitly, that their findings from this narrow slice generalise to the species

Question 8

what are examples of how cultures differ in many ways?

Answer 8

the human values they find most important

their social conventions and norms for behaviour

Question 9

what is analytic cognition?

Answer 9

pay attention to focal / key objects
use strict categories for objects
rely on formal rules and logic

(if there are two opposing views, if one is right then the other is wrong)

Question 10

what is holistic cognition?

Answer 10

pay attention to the entire field
dont use strict categories for objects
rely on ‘dialectical reasoning’

(if there are two opposing views, both can be correct)

asian cultures

Question 11

what is dialectical reasoning?

Answer 11

allowing multiple perspectives and logical contrasictions

Question 12

what is included in spatial orientation?

Answer 12

egocentrism, geocentrism, allocentrism

Question 13

what is egocentrism

Answer 13

self as main reinforcement point

“can you please move to MY left?”

Question 14

what is the geocentrism

Answer 14

cardinal directions as main reference points

“can you please move to the south?”

Question 15

what is allocentrism

Answer 15

‘non-self’ objects as main reference point

“can you please move to the back of the room”
“can you please go sit next to Lauren?”

Question 16

what is the EMIC approach to understanding culture?

Answer 16

understanding driven by cultural members

attempts to understand a culture from the perspective of members of that culture - what culture members find important and meaningful

Question 17

what is the ETIC approach to understanding culture?

Answer 17

understanding driven by researches/general theories

examine ‘culture-neutral’ theories developed by researchers to one or more cultures - what researchers find important and meaningful

Question 18

what are the 5 dimensions of culture? (Etic approach)

Answer 18

1. power distance
2. individualism (v. collectivism)
3. Masculinity
4. uncertainty avoidance
5. long-term orientation

Question 19

what is power distance

Answer 19

level or acceptance of inequality between people in society

Question 20

what is individualism

Answer 20

degree to which society reinforces individual achievement instead of collective achievement and interpersonal relationships

Question 21

masculinity

Answer 21

degree to which societies reinforce the traditional masculine work role model of achievement, control of power

Question 22

uncertainty avoidance

Answer 22

level of avoidance of uncertainty and ambiguity within a society

Question 23

long-term orientation

Answer 23

degree to which societies embraces, or does not embrace, long-term devotion of traditional values - expectations that changes society occur

Question 24

cultural psychology

Answer 24

examine features of cultures, and processes of culture maintenance and change within cultures

could use emic or etic approach

Question 25

cross-cultural psychology

Answer 25

identify areas of similarities and difference between cultures

associated with etic approach

Question 26

what is culture and self?

Answer 26

the significance and the exact functional role that the person assigns to the other when defining the self depend on the culturally shared assumptions about the separation or connectedness between the self and other

Question 27

what is the independent self?

Answer 27

unique, autonomous, self-contained, individualistic, idiocentric

Question 28

what is the interdependent self?

Answer 28

connected, relational, holistic, collective, allocentric, other-oriented

Question 29

what is culture shock?

Answer 29

a feeling of disorientation and anxiety that occurs as people from one culture encounter and adapt to the practices, rules and expectations of another culture

Question 30

what are the 4 phases of culture shock?

Answer 30

honey moon
disenchantment
beginning resolution
effective functioning

Question 31

what is the honeymoon stage?

Answer 31

initial euphoria and excitement

Question 32

disenchantment

Answer 32

disillusionment and even hostility towards new culture as values and habits conflict with local attitudes and beliefs

Question 33

beginning resolution

Answer 33

recovery as confidence an understanding of the new culture grows

Question 34

effective functioning

Answer 34

adjustments as the individual learns how to fit into new cultural environment

Question 35

what is acculturation?

Answer 35

decisions facing immigrants and sojourners

assimilation, integration, marginalisation, separation

Question 36

how is acculturation style affected by the majority group (host culture)

Answer 36

through their attitudes and policies

e. g. separation fostered by majority attitudes and policies supporting segregation (smetimes resulting in the establishment of ‘ghettos’)
e. g. integration fostered by majority attitudes and policies supporting multiculturalism

Question 37

what are the consequences of acculturation styles?

Answer 37

depression
social adjustment
stress

Question 38

depression as a consequence of acculturation?

Answer 38

integration -> lowers depression

Question 39

social adjustment as a consequences of acculturation

Answer 39

assimilation -> high social adjustment

Question 40

stress as a consequences of acculturation

Answer 40

integration -> lowers stress
assimilation -> moderate stress
separation / marginalisation -> high stress