Cultural origins of behaviour and cognition Flashcards
How do Matsumoto & Juang (2004) define culture?
Culture is a dynamic system of rules, both explicit and implicit, created by groups to ensure survival. It includes attitudes, values, beliefs, norms, and behaviors, and is constantly evolving in response to social and environmental changes.
What are cultural norms and how are they passed down?
cultural norms are the shared patterns of behavior typical of a specific group. They are transmitted through gatekeepers such as parents, teachers, elders, and media, and shape both visible and invisible aspects of life.
What is the difference between surface and deep culture?
- Surface culture includes visible elements like food, clothing, music, language, and celebrations.
- Deep culture includes values and beliefs such as concepts of self, time, personal space, and nonverbal communication. Deep culture is less visible but strongly influences behavior and cognition.
Why is culture described as dynamic?
Culture is dynamic because it is constantly changing in response to social and environmental influences, rather than remaining fixed or static.
What are the cultural dimensions?
- Power distance
- Individualism vs Collectivism
- Masculinity vs femininity
- Uncertainty vs avoidance
- Long-term vs short-term orientation
- Indulgence vs restraint
What is a cultural dimension?
A cultural dimension is a framework developed by Geert Hofstede (1980) that describes how the values of a culture influence the behavior of its members.
Each dimension represents a continuum between two cultural extremes. Cultural dimensions refer to the values of members of a society living within a particular culture.
Cultural dimension - power distance
The extent to which people in societies accept, or do not accept, a hierarchical order in which everybody has a place and which needs no further justification
Cultural dimension - Individualism vs collectivism
The extent to which people prefer a loosely knit social framework in which individuals are expected to take care of themselves and their immediate families or a tightly knit framework where individuals can expect their relatives/members of in-group to look after them in exchange for loyalty. A society’s position on this dimension is reflected in whether people’s self-image is defined in terms of ‘i’ or ‘we’.
Cultural dimension - masculinity vs femininity
The extent to which a society is competitive (masculinity) or cooperative (femininity)
Cultural dimension - uncertainty vs avoidance
the extent to which the members of a society feel uncomfortable with uncertainty and ambiguity. The issue here is how a society deals with the unknown future. A society high in uncertainty avoidance tries to control people’s behavior through rigid codes of belief and is intolerant of unconventional ideas
Cultural dimension - long-term vs short-term (added later)
The extent to which a culture values the long term over the short term. This dimension is also referred to as confucian dynamism. Long-term cultures value future rewards, persistence and perseverance, thrift and the ability to adapt to changing circumstance. Societies with short-term orientation value the past and the present, national pride, respect for tradition, fulfilling social obligations and the role of religion
Cultural dimension - indulgence vs restraint (added later)
it expresses the attitude of a culture to the gratification of natural human drives related to enjoying life and having fun. Restrain stands for a society that suppresses gratification of needs and regulates drives by means of strict social norms.
What is compliance in psychology?
Compliance is the act of responding favorably to an explicit or implicit request made by others. It can range from a direct ask (e.g., donation) to subtle influence (e.g., advertising).
How is compliance linked to the cultural dimension of individualism vs. collectivism?
Researchers examine how cultural values influence a person’s willingness to comply. Collectivist cultures may show greater compliance due to group harmony, while individualist cultures may show lower compliance due to personal autonomy.
What is the principle of reciprocity in compliance?
Reciprocity is the tendency to return a favor — if someone gives you something (e.g., a free sample), you feel obliged to do something in return, such as making a purchase.
What is the commitment principle in compliance?
People are more likely to agree to larger requests after making smaller commitments. This is based on the desire to appear consistent.
What are some techniques used to enhance compliance?
-Foot-in-the-Door: Start with a small request, followed by a bigger one.
- Door-in-the-Face: Start with a large, unreasonable request, then make a smaller one.
- That’s-Not-All: Add extra incentives or bonuses to make the deal more attractive.
What is ingratiation in compliance?
Ingratiation involves making the target person like you first (e.g., through flattery or similarity), increasing the likelihood of compliance with a request.
What did Petrova et al. (2007) study?
Petrova et al. (2007) investigated cultural differences in compliance, particularly how individualism and collectivism influenced participants’ willingness to comply with a request.
How is individualism/collectivism related to subjective well-being?
Studies show that adapting to a culture with different values (e.g., collectivist students in individualist educational systems) can affect interpersonal relationships and happiness, sometimes leading to lower subjective well-being.
What is one critique of Hofstede’s cultural dimensions?
Some psychologists argue that focusing only on cultural values (like individualism vs. collectivism) oversimplifies cultures. Researchers like Bond (1997) suggest that other factors—such as the structure of society—also influence behavior.
What is the tightness–looseness framework (Gelfand et al., 2006)?
This framework classifies societies based on how strictly they enforce social norms:
- Tight societies: Strong norms, low tolerance for deviance (e.g., Japan).
- Loose societies: Weak norms, higher tolerance for deviance (e.g., USA).
How is tightness–looseness different from Hofstede’s dimensions?
Tightness–looseness is distinct from dimensions like individualism–collectivism or power distance. It emphasizes the degree of norm enforcement rather than shared values.
Where can the tightness–looseness framework be applied?
It can be applied to both entire societies and sub-groups (e.g., regions, ethnic groups, or organizations like the military or gangs) to understand differences in behavior and expectations.
