Influence of culture and media Flashcards
Define socialisation
The way in which social norms are transmitted and communicated
Define culture
The ideas, customs, and social behaviour of a particular group of people or society
Define media
Tools used to store and distribute information e.g., books, films, TV, commercials etc.
What is a study which shows the cross-cultural differences in gender roles?
Margaret Mead (1935) – tribes in Papua New Guinea
What is a study which shows cross-cultural similarities in gender roles?
Buss (1995)
What is a research study which shows the influence of the media on gender roles?
Furnham and Farragher (2000)
How does the media influence self-efficacy?
Seeing other people in the media perform gender-appropriate behaviours increases a child’s belief that they are capable of carrying out such behaviour in the future
What is Margaret meads (1935) cultural differences study?
Research evidence for culture
Cultural differences (nurture)-
Margaret Mead (1935) carried out a detailed cross-cultural, ethnographic study by living with three cultural groups in the Sepik region of Papua New Guinea for two years.
Mead found that both Arapesh men and woman were femenine. They were both very expressive, gentle, caring and co-operative. Both the male and female took to bed when the female was pregnant as they were both said to ‘grow a child’.
The Mundugumor (both sexes) were masculine and demonstrated assertive, arrogant, and hostile behaviour. Men did not want children and became annoyed when their wives got pregnant. As a result, maternal rejection was common, and the babies did not experience love. Children were seen as an inconvenience and such were forced to mature rapidly.
Tchambuli gender roles were seen as reversed compared to Western / industrialised society. The females were dominant and independent, and took care of trade arrangements, whereas the males were seen to be emotionally dependent on their wives and incapable of making decisions.
What is Buss’ (1995) cultural similarities study?
Cultural similarities (nature):
Buss (1995) found several consistent patterns in mate preferences in 37 countries that he described as ‘evolved psychological mechanisms’ – processes that solved a specific problem relating to survival or reproduction recurrently throughout human evolutionary history.
Women sought economic resources (wealth and tangible possessions) in their mates, whilst males’ mate preferences were youth , physical activeness, and waist-to-hip ratio.
What was Furnham and Farragher (2000) rigid stereotypes in media study?
Research evidence for media
Rigid stereotypes in media:
Furnham and Farragher (2000) investigated the use of sex-role stereotypes in advertising.
Men tended to be shown in autonomous roles within professional contexts, whereas women were often seen in familial roles within domestic settings.
male actors accounted for 81% of voiceovers suggesting they are deemed to speak with more conviction and authority.
What is vicarious reinforcement and self efficacy?
Vicarious reinforcement and self-efficacy:
The media does more than simply model and affirm gender-typical behaviours, it also provides males and females information about the likely outcomes of adopting those behaviours. Seeing similar individuals succeed in carrying out gender-appropriate behaviours raises a child’s beliefs in their own capabilities of carrying out such behaviour in the future (self-efficacy).
What is the strength of the influence of culture on gender roles?
Supporting cross-cultural research evidence- Margaret Mead’s (1935) research in Papua New Guinea provides support for the cross-cultural differences and the role that nurture plays in gender role development.
In addition, Hargreaves (1986) observed that in some cultures, men weave, and women make pots, whereas in others these roles are reversed – women are the major agricultural producers in some but prohibited from agricultural work in others.
The gendered division of labour varies between cultures highlights the influence of culture on gender roles and that this concept is not culturally universal.
What are the two limitations of the influence of culture on gender roles?
Imposed etic- Cross-cultural research is typically undertaken by those from Western / industrialised societies. This can lead researchers, armed with theories and methods that have been developed in the West, to impose their own cultural interests and understanding upon the people they are studying.
It has been proposed that we should include at least one member of the local population within the research team as a way of guarding against this possibility of carrying out research which is assumed to be universal and actually may be meaningless when transferred to other cultures.
Criticisms of Mead’s research- Despite the extensive work Mead conducted in the field of cultural anthropology, and her significant contribution to feminist research and the sexual revelation movement in the 1960s and 1970s, her work was heavily criticised.
Freeman (1983) criticised Mead’s research, suggesting that the data was not valid. He raised concerns over apparent anomalies in Mead’s research and claimed she did not give enough emphasis to the role of biology on behaviour. He also argued Mead did not spend enough time in Samoa and that she was not familiar enough with the language. Freeman, who worked with native Samoans in his own anthropological research, asserted that Mead had created a false picture of their behaviour.
This suggests that Mead’s research and interpretations may suffer from subjectivity, and therefore demonstrate her researcher bias and ethnocentrism.
What is the strength of the influence of media on gender roles?
Research support- Williams (1985) carried out a longitudinal study on a Canadian community (code-named ‘Notel’) which wasn’t able to get television signal. She compared children’s stereotypes before and after TV was introduced. It was found that children’s views became significantly more sex-stereotyped after TV arrived.
Counter-argument- Charlton et al. (2000) looked at the effects of TV on a community previously without it and found no changes in aggressive behaviour and concluded that this was because of pre-existing community values that reduced the effect of exposure to media. Although this study did concern aggression rather than gender it does suggest that simply exposing children to stereotypes is not sufficient to change attitudes.
What is the limitation of the influence of media on gender roles?
Backlash to counter-stereotyping-
Exposure to non-stereotypical information in the media has not always been effective in changing expectations.
In more recent years there has been an introduction to counter-stereotypes in the media. For example, Disney films such as Brave challenges traditional notions of masculinity and femininity. But not all research has shown the effectiveness of such counter-stereotypes in changing expectations.
Pingree (1978) found that pre-adolescent boys displayed stronger stereotypes after exposure to the non-traditional models. It is possible that this ‘backlash’ occurs because boys of that age want to maintain a view that ran counter to the adult view.
