Main Definitions (SCATB) Flashcards
Social Identity Theory
Tajfel
Dobbs and Crano
individual’s sense of self is developed on basis of group membership, and this identity is shared with other group members
Leads to the formation of in-groups (us) and out-groups (them)
Benefits: self-enhancement, self-esteem, predictability
Social categorization, social identification, social comparison, positive distinctiveness
Minimal Group Paradigm-
Implies the mere fact of being categorized into a group produces an us vs. them mentality. Categorization. The minimal group condition needed for group favoritism.
Conformity
Stereotype Formation
Social Cognitive Theory
^Social Learning Theory (sub-theory of SCT)
Bandura
Huesmann
SCT: Theory that behavior is acquired from either
(1) observing/imitating other members of the group (SLT) OR
(2) from interactions between the individual, social environment, and behavior itself
Basically, we learn behavior from others & in the context of our environment
Core ideas of SCT:
Behavior & social norms learned from observation
Behaviors are acquired, maintained, & changed in social context
people learn from environment via observational learning, specifically
Attention, Retention, Reproduction, Motivation
Stereotype Formation
Stereotype Effects
Steele and Aronson
Spencer
Lee & Zhou
Social categorization leads to in-groups and out-groups, with the in-groups favoring themselves (social comparison), leading to…
Positive stereotyping of in-group
Negative stereotyping of out-group
Stereotype threat-
the idea that people feel at risk of conforming to stereotypes about themselves; fear of confirming negative stereotype of group through individual behavior leads to behavior that confirms stereotype (self-fulfilling prophecy, in a way)
Stereotype promise-
the idea that positive stereotypes may improve an individual’s performance on certain tasks; offers the idea that stereotypes allow us to simplify information about the world and are therefore advantageous
Grain of truth hypothesis
Gatekeeper theory
Conformity (SIT)
Sherif
Asch
Moscovici
Conformity - behavior that goes along with social conventions, norms, standards, etc.
Can occur in any stage of SIT, but especially Social Identification & Social Categorization
Informational conformity
When people conform to be “right”
Usually in ambiguous/uncertain situations
Observe others & internalize behavior
Normative conformity
When people want to be liked or “fit in”
Culture and Cultural Norms
Perrin and Spencer
Neto
Bond and Smith
Ayoun and Moreo
Surface culture: language, food, clothing, greetings, etc. (observable)
Deep culture: beliefs, thought processes, assumptions, etc. (things that can’t be observed by the naked eye)
A cultural norm is a specific pattern of behavior that is typical for a particular group of people
LEARNED from parents, siblings, peers, etc.
Standards, expectations, rules
Not always in our conscious awareness…
Culture & cultural norms affect our everyday thought processes
and behaviors, and thus may affect the results of
studies/experiments.
Perspectives in cultural research
Mullen (1994)
Mullen (1995)
influence of individualism/collectivism on the specific behavior of formation of memories, in order to determine this dimension’s influence on behavior.
Enculturation
Process by which people learn appropriate & necessary skills/norms in their culture
How culture gets “passed on” across generations
Usually via parents’ beliefs and styles
Similar to socialization, but more broad & less direct (e.g., individualism isn’t taught but American children still learn individualistic worldview/behaviors)
Enculturation is the broad & indirect process in which we learn about the cultural norms and behaviors within our culture
Key figures: parents/guardians (later: peers)
Can connect to multiple theories (SIT & SCT) & can explain multiple behaviors (conformity & memory)
Acculturation
Norasakkunkit and Uchida
Berry et al
The changing of a person’s behavior and characteristics as a result of contact between different cultures
Focus on intergroup relations
Different strategies of how people acculturate
Connects to…
SIT (theory)
Conformity (behavior)
Memory (cognition/behavior)
Focus: psychological changes resulting from adaptation to new cultural situations
Internal (emotions, cognition, identity)
External (social interactions & social groups)
Connects to SIT & identity of individuals
Integration - individuals maintain heritage culture, but interact with other groups & adopt some norms of new culture
Assimilation - individuals adopt norms of the new culture & do not maintain their heritage culture identity
Separation - individuals maintain the norms of their heritage culture & do not adopt the norms of new culture
Marginalization - individuals do not maintain heritage culture, do not interact with other groups, & do not adopt norms of the new culture
Some limitations to acculturation framework:
Schwartz et al. (2010): Too simplified
Multiple ways of integrating, assimilating, etc.
“One size fits all” → do all migrants from all countries & cultures, and all circumstances, acculturate the same way?
Is it possible to completely assimilate or completely separate, esp. in a globalized world?
Methodological issues
Who do we compare acculturating groups to - non-acculturating groups, members of new society, other acculturating groups? All of them?
How do we operationalize acculturation & adaptation? Quality of life, self-esteem, antisocial behaviors? No universally accepted measure
Need for longitudinal studies
Influence of Globalization
Chiu
How globalization affects identity
Cheng
Norasakkunkit and Uchida
Globalization-process by which businesses or other organizations develop international influence or start operating on an international scale.
Methods:
Correlations-The key point is that correlations establish a mathematical relationship between two variables, and use statistical analysis to determine the strength of this relationship.
Experiments-Experiments manipulate an independent variable and measure a dependent variable while attempting to hold extraneous variables constant.
Limitations—
Sampling bias
American youth as the norm
Need for longitudinal researc
