Introduction Flashcards
A shared way of life of a group of people
Culture
Explicit culture exists…
Outside the individual
Explicit culture includes
Language, behaviour, customs, cultural products, institutions, etc.
Culture is both
Explicit and implicit
Implicit culture exists…
Inside the mind of individuals
Implicit culture consists of
Intangible, unobservable aspects that can often be inferred from self-report measures
Implicit culture includes
Values, beliefs, meaning
Cross-cultural psychology is
The scientific study of variations in human behaviour, taking into account the ways in which behaviour is influenced by cultural context.
Cross-cultural psychology takes both
A comparative approach and contextualizes phenomena within a particular time and place.
Mainstream psychology focuses on
The western world
96% of psychology study participants were from
Western industrialized countries
Mainstream psychology is culture blind because
It ignores cultural influences on behaviour
What are the factors established by Hofstede’s typology
Individualism vs collectivism, power distance, uncertainty avoidance, masculinity vs femininity
Power distance is
The level of acceptance of authority, hierarchy, inequality between citizens
In a group where there is a high power distance
Everyone has their place in the status hierarchy, and inequality is expected and justified
In a group where there is a low power distance
It is standard to seek equality and require justification for status hierarchies
Uncertainty avoidance is
The level of tolerance towards ambiguity
High uncertainty avoidance
Ambiguity is not tolerable as it dictates a future that is uncertain and, therefore threatening. Rigid codes of conduct are imposed to reduce uncertainty and ambiguity.
Low uncertainty avoidance
Ambiguity is tolerable and it dictates an uncertain and exciting future. Rigid codes of conduct are not imposed as uncertainty does not need to be avoided.
Masculine cultures strive for
achievement, assertiveness, competition, financial reward for success
Feminine cultures focus on
relationships, cooperation, caregiving, quality of life
Long term orientation
Prefer to maintain traditions, emphasize saving for the future, frugality, and persistence in the face of failure to achieve results (e.g., China, Japan)
Short term orientation
Emphasize spending rather than saving for the future, instant gratification (e.g., Nigeria, UK)
Indulgent groups allow
free gratification of human desires and enjoyment of life
Restrained groups
Suppress gratification and regulates it by mean of strict social norms
What are the 6 dimensions established by Hofstede’s typology?
Individualism vs collectivism, power distance, uncertainty avoidance, masculinity vs femininity, orientation, acceptance of indulgence
Social axioms are
General beliefs about the relationship between two entities
Social cynicism (social axiom)
Negative view of humanity, mistrust of social institutions, engaging in unethical practices.
Social complexity (social axiom)
Belief that human behaviour is complex, multifaceted, and inconsistent
In groups where there is a high reward for application (social axiom), what is rewarded
Persistence, skill, and hard work
religiosity is another social axiom that measures
level of belief in the existence of supernatural agents and the benefits of practicing religion
Fate control (social axiom)
Fate is predetermined but people can still influence their own outcomes
Tight cultures have…
strong norms and a low tolerance of deviant behaviour
Loosw cultures have…
Weak social norms and a high tolerance for deviant behaviour
Verbal interaction in low context cultures is
direct, explicit, open and precise
What type of information do low-context cultures use
Factual
In low-context cultures the responsibility of communication lies on
Speakers
Verbal interaction in High context cultures is
Implicit, indirect and ambiguous
In high-context cultures communication relies on
Contextual cues
In high-context cultures, the responsibility of communication lies on
listeners
According to modernization theory, shifts towards economic modernization are accompanied by
Value shifts from collectivism to individualism
Pathogen Prevalence theory
High pathogen prevalence results in collectivism as defense
Pathogen Prevalence theory
High pathogen prevalence is associated with greater collectivism as a defence
Subsistence Style Theory
Argues that different subsistence economies produce cultural differences in psychology
According to Subsistence style theory, herders have
A more individualistic (analytic) cognitive style
Verbal interaction in low-context cultures is
direct, explicit, open and precise
