Lecture 11 Flashcards
Why is it important to study the role of culture in development?
To understand what the effect of the environment has on our development - specifically social cultural environment, not just the physical environment
Discuss cross-cultural psychology
The cultural unit is very much conceptualised as nation-based with comparisons across different nations in a specific domain to examine the extent to which it is universal or open to environmental influence. Most research on cross-cultural psychology is based on a distinction between two types of cultures and focuses on difference/universality rather than how/what social cultural factors influence the aspect in question
What is collectivists culture
Mostly Eastern cultures (India, China etc.) and focus on group goals and norms and duties. Focuses also on maintaining interpersonal relationship with interdependent self-definitions
What is individualistic culture
Mostly Western cultures and focuses on individual goals with personal needs and rights. Also focuses on maintaining interpersonal relationship only if they are personally advantageous. Independent self-definitions
Discuss the problems with cross-cultural psychology
It is far too simplistic - the distinction between cultures are too simple. Countries within the west and the east are different themselves. Eastern cultures (Alpuria, 1997) = Hindu Indians practice diffuse mothering whereas Japanese mothers encouraged to establish very close infant mother bonds.Western cultures (Takahashi, 1999) = In USA and UK 2/3 of childen are classified as securely attached with the strange situation paradigm whereas in Germany over 50% are classified as avoidant
Discuss cultural psychology
This focuses more on which and how specific cultural practices/beliefs or constructs influence cognitive, social and emotional development. Culture is not understood at high levels of country but more as practices within a context. A key idea is that human biology and human culture have co-evolved together over a long period
What is Enculturation and discuss
The role of culture - the world that the child encounters is social and is culturally prepared to provide cognitive solutions to the child, but the child needs to actively acquire these resources. E.G. Repeated everyday activities, usually joint activities - bedtime, sleeping, feeding, classrooms etc
Discuss the motor development milestones
Within first month they can lift head and by 5 months they can roll over and use arms for support. By 8 months they can sit up without support and support some weight with legs. By 10 months they can pull self to stand and stand with support. By 13 months they can walk using furniture for support and by 14 months they can walk alone and stand alone easily
Discuss the cultural differences in crawling and the order of motor development
In Jamaica 29% compared to 17% of infants skip crawling. Whereas in US 40% skipped crawling. The order of rolling, sitting, crawling, walking is not universal and varies considerably
What are the cultural differences with bathing
US and Europe babies are bathed lying down and dabbing softly, whereas in Mali they hold their baby by armpits, scrub them and shake them dry
What are the cultural differences with sitting and standing
Aided sitting = Kun-San sit babies in lap and prop them in sand/cloth. Aided walking = from 2/3 months Kipsigis hold babies standing by the arms. French infants spend 50-60% time lying down, In Uganda, Botswana and Mali they spend between 40-90% either sitting or standing
Why are the differences in motor development cross cultures important
These practices lead to accelerated motor development. Immigration studies show that children from Jamaican mothers who still practice home cultural practices sit and walk earlier. Vertical posture linked to strengthening of muscles, increased adrenal medullary hormones, blood pressure and ACTH which leads to increased attention
Discuss studies in motor and cognitive development
Piek et al (2008) = longitudinal study showing that motor development predicts complex cognitive abilities. Iverson (2010) = motor development predicts language development. Rigoli et al (2012) = motor development linked to development of executive functioning, particularly working memory
Discuss the methods used to examine difference between collectivism and individualism
Visual illusions are often used in cross-cultural research.
What is change blindness
If you show someone the same image repeatedly, then change something about the image most people won’t notice this. In the lab the effects are much more noticeable. Simons & Levin (1997) and Nisbett et al (2001) = Asians more accurately detect changes in background and find it more difficult to detect changes on focal objects in the foreground. Europeans more easily detect changes in objects in foreground but find it difficult to detect changes in the background scene
