10- Tight and Loose Cultures

Question 1

How are tight societies characterised?

Answer 1

Strong social norms + low tolerance of deviant behaviour

Question 2

How are loose societies characterised?

Answer 2

Weak norms + high tolerance of deviant behaviour

Question 3

What does a norm system specify?

Answer 3

What is acceptable and what isn’t in a society or group

Question 4

What kind of rules are social norms?

Answer 4

Informal rules

Question 5

What do social norms govern?

Answer 5

People’s behaviour in groups and societies

Question 6

What did Pelto observe?

Answer 6

Differences in different cultures following norms- tight vs loose

Question 7

What is tightness vs looseness independent of?

Answer 7

Other cultural dimensions

Question 8

Who investigated norms between tight and loose cultures?

Answer 8

Gelfand et al, 2011

Question 9

What did Gelfand et al measure?

Answer 9

Cultural tightness + looseness

Question 10

What did Gelfand et al find?

Answer 10

People generally agree about tightness or looseness of their culture

Question 11

Which countries have a tighter structure?

Answer 11

Ones with greater historical and ecological hardships

Question 12

What are people in tight nations less likely to do?

Answer 12

Participate in collective action

Question 13

Which cultures were able to contain the spread of COVID-19 more efficiently and effectively?

Answer 13

Tighter cultures

Question 14

Who were Liu et al’s participants?

Answer 14

Facebook users from different US states

Question 15

What were the methods used in Liu et al’s study?

Answer 15

Comparison of Facebook users from different US states in terms of emotional expression on social media

Question 16

What were participants from tight US states more likely to do?

Answer 16

Express positive vs negative emotions of Facebook especially with a dense network

Question 17

What may individuals from tight cultures use more and why?

Answer 17

More impression management strategies to maintain a positive image in online communities

Question 18

What was the aim of Jamshed et al’s study?

Answer 18

To examine sexual double standards and violence against women in the US and Pakistan

Question 19

What are sexual double standards?

Answer 19

Patterns of gendered expectations where men are expected to be sexually active, assertive and dominant in terms of sexual activity whereas women are expected to be submissive, shy and passive

Question 20

What theoretical model did Jamshed et al use?

Answer 20

Social dominance theory

Question 21

What does social dominance theory believe?

Answer 21

Human societies tend to be organised as group-based social hierarchies

Question 22

What did Jamshed et al find?

Answer 22

Social dominance orientation was positively associated with endorsing sexual double standards across both cultures, regardless of tightness/looseness

Question 23

How are Pakistan and US cultures similar?

Answer 23

Both are patriarchal societies

Question 24

What was Stamkou et al’s rationale?

Answer 24

Norm violations seen as being considered a threat to social order in tight cultures

Question 25

What was Stamkou et al’s main hypothesis?

Answer 25

Collectivism and tightness will be positively associated with moral outrage in response to moral violation

Question 26

What was shown by those with higher collectivism levels (Stamkou et al)?

Answer 26

People showed higher moral outrage in response to norm violations

Question 27

How was the norm violator perceived when collectivism levels were higher?

Answer 27

Less powerful

Question 28

What was shown by those with lower collectivism levels (Stamkou et al)?

Answer 28

Lower moral outrage in response to norm violations

Question 29

How was the norm violator perceived when collectivism levels were lower?

Answer 29

More powerful

Question 30

What did respondents in tighter cultures express (Stamkou et al)?

Answer 30

A stronger preference for norm followers as leaders

Question 31

Hofstede’s 6 dimensions of culture

Answer 31

1. Power distance
2. Individualism- collectivism
3. Masculinity- femininity
4. Uncertainty- avoidance
5. Long- short term orientation
6. Indulgence- restraint

Question 32

What is the power distance dimension?

Answer 32

Extent that less powerful members of institutions and organisations within a country expect and accept that power is equally distributed

Question 33

What is the individualism- collectivism dimension?

Answer 33

How individuals integrate into primary groups

Question 34

What is the masculinity- femininity dimension?

Answer 34

Division of gender roles between women and men

Question 35

What is the uncertainty- avoidance dimension?

Answer 35

Level of stress experienced in a society in the face of an unknown future (tolerance for ambiguity)

Question 36

What is the long- short term orientation dimension?

Answer 36

Choice for focus for people’s efforts: future, or present and past

Question 37

What is the indulgence-restraint dimension?

Answer 37

Gratification vs control of basic human desires related to enjoying life