Interpersonal and Group Practises

Question 1

What have previous lectures looked at?

Answer 1

People live in different nations, which have different cultures and values

Individual internalisation - internalises the belief

Causing them to think and behave in certain ways

Question 2

Why look at behavioural norms across cultures?

Answer 2

Can think of it in terms of practises - the norms they have might be due to the cultures they have come from. This might influence how they display behaviour

Question 3

What are the different communication styles?

Answer 3

Low context communication - this is direct, saying what you mean. The goal is to maximise clarity and self-expression. The more clear and explicit, the better ‘can I have some water please’

High context communication - this is indirect, ‘would you like some water’. Don’t want to risk harmony, emphasis on reading between the lines, maximise interpersonal harmony.
Collectivist cultures are thought to be high in context, whereas low context are characteristics of individualistic

Question 4

How can our rules for emotions be displayed in different cultures?

Answer 4

Expression of emotion among US and Japan - watched short film of bodily mutilation. 2 conditions: alone vs others presents. Facial expressions were videod and coded. Results:
alone - both nationalities showed disgust
Others present: Americans still showed it but Japanese didn’t show disgust, showed embarrassment or awkwardness, Japan more concerned about the negative effects on social harmony with expressing a bad emotion
Japan - have more stronger rules for not showing emotions

This supports US - Japan differences - across US, individualism-collectivism accounted for 30% of CC differences in display rules

Question 5

How do cultures differ on reading emotions from different cultures?

Answer 5

US participants judged high intensity expressions as indicating less intense experience than expression - judged them as showing less intense, they are exaggerating

Japanese judged low intensity expressions as indicating more intense experience than expression - showing they hide some emotions, experiencing, they are more intense than they think

I-C measure accounted for individual but not cultural differences

Question 6

What is the difference between tightness and looseness?

Answer 6

Tight cultures - have many strong norms and low tolerance of deviant behaviour

Loose cultures - weak social norms and a high tolerance of deviant behaviour

Question 7

Why do different cultures have different tightness?

Answer 7

Because of adaptations to physical and natural environment
ecological and human made threats increase the need for strong norms and punishment of deviant behaviour in the service of social coordination for survival
less threatening - relaxed norms
if threatening situations - adaptive to tighter norms

Question 8

What are the examples of tight and loose norms?

Answer 8

In this country, there are very clear expectations for how people should act in most situations - tightness
People in this country have a great deal of freedom in deciding how they want to behave in most situations - looseness
In this country, if someone acts in an inappropriate way, others will almost always disapprove
Looked at responses to items on world value, everyone in cultures give the same responses to each other

Question 9

What situations was tightness more prevalent in?

Answer 9

Ecological and historical threats - when population bigger and growth, lower food and water supplies, lower air quality, more natural disasters, more territorial threats from neighbours, more disease and infant mortality
Societal institutions - autocratic rule, closed media, fewer political rights, stricter punishments, lower crime, more religion, less collective action
Psychological adaptations - if inhabit cautiousness, dutifulness, self-regulations, need for structure, self-monitoring

Question 10

How many marriages are arranged?

Answer 10

Over 50% of the world - marrying for love is very unusual, continuum of arrangement - individual freedom

Question 11

What are the benefits of arranged marriages?

Answer 11

Preserve social harmony
Create political and economic links between families
Social and economic protection - marrying wrong person might be threatening
Relational rather than emotional choice - marrying emotional might be good but only in less threatening environment

Question 12

Do people get married without love?

Answer 12

Students were survey, asked if a man had all the other qualities you desired, would you marry this person if you were not in love with them?
higher score = no
Individualism-collectivism r=.56
stronger correlation with affluence r=.75 - the richer you are, less likely to marry without love
correlated with marriage rate r=.70 and fertility rate r=.56 - less likely to lose children if richer

Question 13

What are the characteristics of a desirable mate?

Answer 13

Buss et al. (1990) studied preferences in selecting mates in 37 cultures
Relatively similar profile across cultures
Most desirable characteristics:
Mutual attraction—love
Dependable character
Emotional stability and maturity
Pleasing disposition
Education and intelligence
Greatest cultural variation in value of chastity - if virgin or not

Question 14

Are there characteristics of a desirable mate at an individual level?

Answer 14

Factor analyses Buss et al at individual level
Found 4 factors, if you prioritise one thing, you won’t prioritise the other
1. love vs status and resources
2. dependability and stability vs health and good looks
3. education and intelligence vs desire home and children
4. sociability vs similar religion

National averages correlated with affluence. prioritised first things more in richer countries, second things more in poorer countries

Question 15

Does love mean the same thing everyone?

Answer 15

Suggestion: companionate love in collectivism cultures, friendship
Contrasted with individualistic focus on romantic love. Compared portrayal of romantic love in US and Chinese pop songs:
both showed expression of intense desire
US: wanted positive qualities of loved ones, happiness
Chinese: suffering, context where love occurs, sometimes easier

Question 16

What are the love styles across cultures?

Answer 16

Studied endorsement of 6 love styles among students in 8 countries:
small cross cultural differences: no differences in passionate love, self sacrificing, possessive love

Found differences in terms of companionate love (collectivist), practical love, more easier in collectivist cultures, and game playing love, fickleness (highest in individualistic)
Different meanings of love, related to culture

Question 17

What are the reasons for having children?

Answer 17

Economic development
Psychological value
Economic value - work in family business, look after when old
Fertility

Found affluence influenced reasons:
richer countries: want children for psychological fulfilment of children, so have lower fertility rates as don’t need as many
poorer: have them for economic gain, important to have more children

Question 18

Why do poorer countries have more children?

Answer 18

Because they have them for their economic value

Question 19

What are the differences in ways children are brought up?

Answer 19

Parental control:
collectivist- higher power distance, poorer cultures, socialisation for obedience, based on norms
individualistic - lower power distance, richer countries, socialisation for autonomy (learning to make own decisions)

Question 20

What are the similarities between the ways children are brought up?

Answer 20

Warmth - parents in all cultures protect and care for the young

Question 21

What is the relationship between parental control and warmth?

Answer 21

It is moderated by culture
In western nations (US, Germany) - greater control is associated with less warmth, not good to be controlling
In non western nations (Japan) greater control is associated with more warmth - lack of control perceived as neglect

Question 22

What are the differences in family structures?

Answer 22

Nuclear family, mother, father and children: prevalent in North America and Northern Europe - also in hunter gatherer societies, makes more sense have a smaller family to move around

Extended families, grandparents, father, mother, children, cousins etc: most of the rest of the world, especially agrarian societies (maintaining land) - live in a place for land

Question 23

What is relational mobility?

Answer 23

Relational mobility is “a socioecological variable that represents how much freedom and opportunity a society affords individuals to choose and dispose of interpersonal relationships based on personal preference”

Question 24

What are the characteristics of high and low relational mobility?

Answer 24

Low - don’t get to know many other people, don’t form friendships
High - group could move for different friends, freely choose who they associate with

Question 25

What is the relationship between relational mobility and ecological factors?

Answer 25

Lowest RM in rice-farming cultures (don’t want to move), higher RM in herding cultures (producing food)
Ecological and historical threats: RM lower in harsh climates, higher pathogen prevalence, population density, historically poorer nations
Greater investment in relationships: higher RM predicts trust in strangers, higher self esteem, self disclosure, close friendships, help a friend

Question 26

What are the consequences of relational mobility?

Answer 26

Higher RM predicts trust in strangers, higher self esteem, self disclosure, close friendships, help a friend

Question 27

What is the eco-cultural framework?

Answer 27

Aim to map context of cultural differences using culture level rather than aggregated indicators: wanted to see how ecological context (ambient temperature, rainfall, natural resources) and socio-political context (education, economics, communication, religion) would relate to cross cultural variables

Question 28

What did Georges et al find on ego-cultural clusters of nations?

Answer 28

Predicts psychological dimensions: used Hofstede and Schwartz nation scores and life satisfaction scores

Affluence was associated with greater individualism and life satisfaction, with low power distance

Different religious clusters differed especially in power distance, hierarchy and uncertainty avoidance

Question 29

How did cultures relate to ecological threats?

Answer 29

Pathogen prevelence - societies which are high in collectivism are the ones which historically have had more germs in them places

Climato-economic interactions: climate interacted with income to predict happiness. If really hot or really cold, richer countries showed higher happiness. If low income and really hot or cold, were sad. If the temperature was just average, doesn’t matter if rich or poor country.
If higher income and really cold or hot, higher altruism, but not as big of an effect
Physical environment, interacting with economic to predict outcomes

Question 30

How did cultures relate to means of subsistence?

Answer 30

Farmers and fishers vs headers in Eastern Turkey
If were farming - had a holistic cognitive style
if were herding style - bigger cognitive style

Southern rice grown
vs northern where wheat is grown

Question 31

What did a pace of life study show?

Answer 31

Levine & Norenzayan (1999) studied ‘pace of life’ in 31 countries
Pace of life index (measured in large cities)
Average walking speed in downtown city locations
Average speed of 8 postal clerks to sell a stamp
Accuracy of 15 clocks in downtown banks
Fast: Switzerland, Ireland, Germany, Japan
Slow: Mexico, Indonesia, Brazil, El Salvador

Question 32

What predicted pace of life?

Answer 32

Predictors’ of pace of life
Economic indices (r = .51 to .74, β = .79)
Individualism (r = .59, β = .30ns)
Colder climate (r = .58, β = .36ns)

Question 33

What are the consequences of pace of life?

Answer 33

‘Consequences’ of higher pace of life
Greater subjective well-being (r = .59)
Higher percentage of smokers (r = .52**)
Higher death rate from CHD (r = .35)

Question 34

What else impacts the national culture?

Answer 34

Ecological context
Economic development
Political system
Religious heritage