enculturation Flashcards
definition
the process by which individuals learn and internalise their cultures, thus integrating themselves into society
how is cultural knowledge passed down?
this transmission of cultural knowledge is passed down generations via the process of observation, direct tuition, rewards & consequences or direct personal experiences
values of enculturation have effects on?
values of enculturation have effects on behaviour such as musical preferences, food choices, language use and participation in community rituals, as well as effects on cognition since enculturation shapes our social relationships, beliefs on morality, gender roles and time orientation.
what is one of the key behaviors that is encultured?
gender roles: social role encompassing a range of behaviours and attitudes that are generally considered acceptable or desirable for people based on their biological or perceived sex
what is one theory through which enculturation takes place? & how is it studied?
direct tuition; studied by fagot et al (1978) which studied the parental role in subconsciously integrating gender roles in their children through direct tuition and praise or criticism
fagot et al (1978) aim -
to investigate the role parents may play in gender role development
method & sample -
overt, naturalistic observation of the sample of 24 families. 12 families had a girl as an only child and the other 12 had a boy as an only child
children: b/w ages of 20-24 months
parents: b/w ages of 20-30 years lived at home and were white
observation procedure -
observers used an observation checklist of 46 child behaviours & 19 reactions by parents
while observing, they used time sampling, making note of children’s behaviors every 60 secs and noting parent reactions
two observers were used to establish inter-coder reliability
post observation procedure -
each parent was asked to rate thr 46 behaviours as more appropriate for girls, for boys or neutral
they also filled in a questionnaire on the socialisation of sex roles
results -
boys were more likely to be left alone by parents than girls
parents gave boys more positive responses when they played with blocks than girls
parents gave girls more negative reactions when they manipulated an object than they did boys
parents gave more positive responses to girls than boys for playing with dolls and more negative responses to boys
conclusion
results coincide with enculturation since parents influenced children’s behaviour through direct tuition and with rewards (which in this case were positive responses) or the punishments (which were the negative responses)
thus, internalisation of culturally appropriate norms & behaviours occurs
