How does culture shape who I am?

Question 1

What is culture?

Answer 1

• Socially transmitted and historically derived ideas that are instantiated in practices, products, and institutions, and may be considered products of action and conditioning elements of further action
• things created by humans that have influenced/will influence humans

Question 2

Cultural consequences (Hofstede, 1980)

Answer 2

-IBM study 
Five dimensions:
-power distance
-uncertainty avoidance
-masculinity-femininity
-long-term orientation
-individualism-collectivism

Question 3

Individualism and collectivism

Answer 3

-nation level

Question 4

Culture and Self (Markus, Kitayama, 1991)

Answer 4

• Independent model
• interdependent model
• I am study

Question 5

Independent model of self

Answer 5

• person is separate, stable, consistent
• actions are under personal control
• priority: personal needs
• ideal self: stands out, unique, expresses self

Question 6

Interdependent model

Answer 6

• persona fundamentally connected to others
• actions guided by social norms and roles
• priorities: maintain group harmony (over personal needs and beliefs)
• ideal self: meets obligations, expectations, norms, fits in

Question 7

I am study

Answer 7

• Americans describe themselves more in terms of pure attributes
• Japanese tend to use more social responses (define themselves in terms of group membership)

Question 8

How are these models of self reflected in cultural artifacts?

Answer 8

• American magazines show more independent themes

- Korean magazines show more interdependent themes

Question 9

How are culture and personality linked?

Answer 9

• Individualism and extroversion are correlated
• European Canadians more extroverted than chinese canadians
• for Chinese Canadians:
  
  • if immigrated earlier, more extroverted than those that immigrated later

Question 10

How does culture shape personality and emotion?

Answer 10

Affect valuation theory

- ideal affect verus actual affect     - culture teaches us what emotions we should feel/want to feel  - EA value HAP more than CH - CH value LAP more than CH

Question 11

Facebook smiles

Answer 11

• EA more excitement smiles

- EA list more high arousal activities than AsA

Question 12

Age and change in ideal affect

Answer 12

• older EA still value HAP as much as younger EA

- older ChA value HAP less than younger ChA

Question 13

Kids and display roles (what is an appropriate emotion to show?)

Answer 13

• EA kids perceive excited smile as happier than TwCh
• EA kids prefer more exciting activities
• cultural products :
  
  • more excited smiles in American children’s books and advertisements

Question 14

Social judgments and ideal affect

Answer 14

• if you value a state and you see someone in that state, you are more likely to judge as positive
• e.g., EA rate excited target as friendlier

Question 15

Focusing on Negative (German versus American views of negative emotion)

Answer 15

• Americans more comfortable with sending positive cards, less comfortable sending negative cards
• Germans more comfortable coding negative cards
• German more acceptance of negative emotion
• avoided versus actual affect

Question 16

Affect Valuation Theory (avoided versus actual affect)

Answer 16

-EA avoid negative more than Germans

Question 17

Mechanisms for cultural differences

Answer 17

• heritable traits shape cultural values
• cultural values selected for heritable traits
• heritable traits and cultural values co-evolve
• select migration