PSY331 - 8. Culture and Emotions Flashcards

Question

The Social Construction of Emotion: Mascolo et al. (2003)

Answer 1

China: “Mother asks 3 year old Lin to sing song for guests. smiles and exaggerated expressions, guests say, “Wonderful! You sing nicer than my child!” Mother replies, “she is O.K. kind of off the tune, though.” To Lin, “You did all right, but now you need more practice. Play down your success!”

Answer 2

US: take more pride in little achievement China: exaggerate praise for other children. tell own children not to feel proud, they can do better. so they feel less proud and harmonize through self-effacement

Answer 3

US: exciting + adventure stories - more ideal China: calm stories - ideal children learn emotional restraint through socialization

Answer 4

some cultures have different/no words for basic emotions | Disgust: missing polish and chewong

Answer 5

Ps in U.S. + Eastern India (Oriya) saw photos of several emotional facial expressions. shame + embarrassment = lajya schemas are driven by culture and language

Answer 6

But, came up with similar situations to describe expression as U.S. Ps did. can cognitively differentiate betw shame + embarrassment despite not having diff words

Answer 7

Hyper-cognize: compartments (terms) for ideas, more elaborated schemas more central to culture = more elaboration

Answer 8

Hypo-cognize: less constructs, networks, less words for intensity - concept not as elaborated

Answer 9

subtle influence - culture influences communication + categorization in our mind differences in words, but not to say they can’t experience the diff shades of emotions

Answer 10

individualism/collectivism continuum | Western cultures high on individualism: independence, uniqueness, own values, talk more about selves

Answer 11

Most other cultures (South + East Asian) high on collectivism: value group, deference, harmony, social connection, value more interdependent emotions

Answer 12

interdependence, talk more about family and friends | more important to show emotions that maintain group harmony

Answer 13

My happiness depends on happiness of those around me. I will sacrifice my self-interest for benefit of the group It is important to me to respect decisions made by the group.

Answer 14

comfortable with being singled out for praise or rewards able to take care of myself is a primary concern for me. enjoy being unique + diff from others in many respects.

Answer 15

continuum of mindset - culture tells you what’s most appropriate way Ps were Chinese American young adults Some were more acculturated than others depending on how acculturated, topics differed

Answer 16

less acculturated => spoke more about social or collective topics (friends, family, getting advice) culture you are a part of influences worldview more

Answer 17

NA + Asians described experiences from memory NA described how they felt Asians described how they thought people around them felt

Answer 18

Chinese and American Ps completed the phrase “I am …” 20 times Chinese Ps were 3 times more likely than Americans to list group membership as part of their identity

Answer 19

Americans mainly listed things that made them different from others… Chinese participants listed similarities

Answer 20

Ps describe behaviour of fish in front Americans = leading Chinese = being chased

Answer 21

diff attribution of emotion experience of fish from diff interpretation of situation

Answer 22

American + Chinese university students read several scenarios: rated pride, guilt, shame P/P’s brother caught cheating P/P’s child accepted to prestigious university

Answer 23

chinese felt more guilt and shame overall | collectivistic: more shame and guilt on behalf of brother

Answer 24

interdependent cultures see other ppl entangled with social relationships independent: less shame and guilt when bro got busted

Answer 25

Americans equally proud if self/child was accepted Chinese more proud if child was accepted indicated more appropriate to feel pride for others’ accomplishments than own

Answer 26

for interdependent - activity of family members can lead to more self-conscious emotions even may be stronger than for self

Answer 27

American + Japanese Ps: | IV: Recalled (Study 1) or imagined (Study 2) personal success/failure situation

Answer 28

DVs: Reported agency appraisals + emotions (for success) Americans had stronger self-agency emotions (pride) Japanese had stronger situation-agency emotions (luck)

Answer 29

Interdependent cultures report more intense socially engaged emotions (friendliness, respect, guilt, shame…) more about harmony, respect

Answer 30

Independent cultures report more intense socially disengaged emotions (pride, anger, frustration)

Answer 31

Ps recalled positive, offensive, and immoral experiences. Collectivist cultures: More aware of how situations would be perceived by others; felt emotional meaning of situations was more obvious more attuned to social pressures of situation

Answer 32

Individualistic cultures: Thought interpretations, feelings, and actions were personal, non obvious, and unlikely to be shared

Answer 33

Emotional situations are interpreted in-line with cultural norms Collectivistic cultures appraise situations in terms of how the emotions affect the group

Answer 34

Individualistic cultures appraise situations in terms of how the emotions impact their own internal states/needs.

Answer 35

Vertical societies emphasize social hierarchy; encourage emotions/behaviours that reinforce status differences Horizontal societies minimize attention to status differences (egalitarianism)

Answer 36

emphasize emotions relative to power positions show respect to older sibling, honour authority appropriate for powerful ppl to express emotions

Answer 37

seldom acknowledge power differences authority is limited to certain domains (cop) ppl seldom talk about income - pretending to be egalitarian

Answer 38

Rural Nepal: Brahman Hindu children higher status than Tamang (Buddhist) children Brahman children more likely to say they would feel and express anger in many situations

Answer 39

Tamang children said they almost never would feel anger; instead, feel shame or “just okay” Status could play a role, or Buddhist teachings to maintain calm, balanced attitude

Answer 40

Epistemology = Theories about what it means to understand something Linear epistemology = knowing involves understanding: what is constant and unchanging about something

Answer 41

how it differs from other things: individual properties seperate from others elements that makes up these things what is true vs. false, right or wrong western: linear

Answer 42

Dialectical epistemology emphasizes that true knowledge involves understanding: reality is changing daoism, confucism

Answer 43

all things are interrelated | same proposition can be true and false, from different perspectives

Answer 44

no consistency or seperation true from one angle and false from another angle diff realities

Answer 45

Cultures with a linear epistemology are less likely to experience mixed emotions. positive and negative emotions are mutually exclusive - bipolar scale

Answer 46

Ps from dialectical East Asia (vs. linear America) are more likely to report simultaneously feeling positive & negative emotions monopolar scales and independent

Answer 47

Japanese feel more mixed emotions than Americans in | pleasant situations but not in unpleasant or mixed situations

Answer 48

East Asian immigrants to Canada filled out questionnaire 3 times for 10 days When with Canadians of European ancestry speaking English, positive + negative affect were inversely associated

Answer 49

When with Asians speaking an Asian language, the inverse association disappeared when with asians - reverted to dialectical interact with others in a way more culturally consistent

Answer 50

Same-ethnicity Asian + European-American dating couples videotaped during structured conversations. After every conversation, each person rated his/her emotions during the conversation.

Answer 51

European Americans reported feeling either love or corresponding negative emotion. Asian Americans reported feeling love and negative emotion at same time.

Answer 52

asian: positively correlated EA: negatively correlated

Answer 53

Asian participants more likely to use midpoint of scale when reporting feelings on scale from very pleasant to very unpleasant to account for feelings of both

Answer 54

Americans reported high pleasant feelings much more than high unpleasant feelings inclined to respond with more pleasant part of bipolar scales asians go in middle

Answer 55

Cultures of honour (South American countries; American South and West) experience + react more angrily + violently to insults to honour

Answer 56

ppl from south were more apt to respond to insult with higher levels of cortisone + testosterone aggression to regain honour

Answer 57

more dominant posturing and behaviour | ppl in cultures of honour who go right up to their face before moving out of the way

Answer 58

party when Jill pulled Steve aside. “What’s wrong?” asked Steve “Larry, knows that you and I are engaged, but he’s already made two passes at me tonight.” Steve decided to keep his eye on Larry. Within five minutes, Larry was reaching over and trying to kiss Jill.

Answer 59

Little did Larry know that Steve was packing heat. Ol' | Steve went out to his car to get his Remington Semiautomatic that was the end of Larry.

Answer 60

Enjoying each other in an upstairs bedroom the two had nothing to worry about, until Psycho Steve came through the door with a meat cleaver and a .38. Larry got the meat cleaver in the chest seven times and once in the right thigh. Jill got two rounds from the .38 in her head.

Answer 61

"Hey Larry, I think you've had a little too much to drink, try to remember that Jill's engaged. Larry told him not to worry, that he was just being friendly. Larry turned to walk away and muttered "prick" under his breath.

Answer 62

when not insulted - no honour hurt northerner more aggressive once insulted, aggression increases significantly aggression is more appropriate once insulted in cultures of honour

Answer 63

Events may elicit particular appraisals/interpretations => an emotion sequences are innate, embedded as program in brain situation X interprets it, which lead to ….

Answer 64

emotion involves biological features like ANS | changes, cognitive biases, and facial expressions initiated by universal facial action programs

Answer 65

With effort, we can override expressions triggered by biological facial action program. actions that follow from experience of an emotion can vary from culture to culture

Answer 66

Display rules prominent part of the cultural system, helping to guide a consistent pattern of social interaction actions from emotion changes, not in experience + physical reaction

Answer 67

cultural diff are automatic patterns interpretation may be diff to same stimulus but emotional hardware is still universal

Answer 68

Emotion sequences socially constructed scripts Cultural scripts can differentially emphasize + change emotional components Some combinations more common than others = universal recognition practiced patterns of behaviour learned from environment

Answer 69

diff cultures emphasize diff things - perceived causes - supernatural elements, mental illness similar problems we deal with in same ways universality because of similar ways of reacting to similar situations

Answer 70

evolution vs. social construction conflicts occur because of confusion over levels of analysis work together to impact emotional experience Function at 4 levels of analysis:

Answer 71

Intra-individual level = emotions help individuals survive/reproduce small diff - fight or flight

Answer 72

Dyadic level = emotions help two people form/maintain mutually beneficial relationship (nurturing love) doesn’t seem to show much cultural diff a lot of innate natural emotional phenomenons oxytocin - nurture

Answer 73

Small groups = emotions help negotiate social roles | diff in power structures, how emotions are used

Answer 74

Level of the culture = teaching society’s values large cultural diff stories to teach values

Answer 75

first two levels more evolution last two more culture - allow more room for variation discourage emotions that break down group genders are diff encouraged in emotions to maintain roles

Answer 76

Appraisal => Emotional experience Emotional experience/physiology => Behaviour Frequency of various appraisals differs by culture

Answer 77

nervous system changes - less likely for behaviour Behaviour is under conscious control, so there should be more cultural rules regarding emotional responses

Answer 78

Aspects of culture are socially constructed (hyper + hypo-cognized emotions) Cultural differences involve different emotion processes (appraisals/expressions)

Answer 79

Aspects of culture predict differences in emotion (power distance, epistemology, collectivism) Keltner & Haidt’s levels of analysis integrates evolutionary and cultural approaches

Answer 80

language tells us which emotions are more important | yes at culture and group level its more social constructionist