quiz 1 Flashcards
Hofstede + individualism versus collectivism
Hofstede investigated the specific traits/behavioral patterns seen across different cultures by establishing the concept of cultural dimensions. One of the cultural dimensions he identified was individualism versus collectivism. Individualism is a social theory that values individual achievement, freedom, and self-reliance. Collectivism is a social theory that believes in social harmony, helping others, and sharing responsibility.
Asch study
The aim of Asch’s study was to test the power of the group in someone’s likelihood to conform. The study involved male students taking a vision test. The participants were shown a set of lines and asked to match the lines of the same length together. The 6 confederates within each experimental group unanimously gave the wrong answer. The results found that 75% of participants conformed at least once.
Berry study
The aim of Berry’s study was to compare the level of conformity between 2 societies. The study involved showing the Temnes (rice farmers, collectivists) and the Inuits (hunters, individualists) a set of lines and asking them to match the lines of the same length. On the third out of six rounds, they were told that either the Temnes or Inuits, depending on the group they belonged to, were more like to guess a specific line pairing together. The suggested line pairing was incorrect, however this was kept unknown to the particpant. The results found that the Temnes had a higher level of conformity than the Inuits.
Kulkofsky study
The aim of Kulkofsky’s study was to test the role of culture on flashbulb memories. The study involved adults from either China, Germany, Turkey, the U.K., or the U.S. recalling as many memories regarding public events as they could. Then, they were asked questions about the event. The results found that individualist cultures placed greater emphasis on personal involvement and emotional experiences in FBM than collectivist cultures.
Social Identity Theory
Social identity theory states that a person has multiple personal identities that correspond to group membership. Social identity theory predicts that when one of our social identities becomes salient (meaning we become more aware of that part of our identity), it will influence our behavior.
Tajfel study
The aim of Tajfel’s study was to investigate if intergroup discrimination would take place from specific groupings. The study involved asking teenage boys to rate paintings, where they were then allocated to a group based on the painting they chose. Then, the boys were asked to assign points to a boy from their in-group and a boy from their out-group. The results found that the boys generally awarded more points to the members of their in-group rather than to members of their out-group.
Druy study
The aim of Druy’s study was to test the effect of in-group bias. The study involved self-identified Manchester United fans being told to walk to a location, during which a confederate would fall over in front of them. The confederate was either wearing a Manchester United, Liverpool, or plain shirt depending on the experimental group. The results found that the participants were more likely to help the Manchester United fan than the Liverpool fan or person wearing a plain shirt.
Social Cognitive Learning Theory
The social cognitive learning theory was developed by Albert Bandora. It suggests that behavior is learned from the environment through modeling and reinforcement.
Bandura study
The aim of Bandura’s study was to investigate whether children could learn aggressive behavior by watching the behavior of adults. The children in the study were subdivided into groups based on their pre-established “aggression level”. The children first individually observed the behavior of the adult model, which would either act aggressively or not aggressively to a Bobo doll, based on the condition. Then, the children were taken into an alternate room where they were left alone with a Bobo doll and their behavior was observed. The results found that children exposed to the aggressive condition made more aggressive acts towards the doll than children who were in the non-aggressive condition.
Joy, Kimball, & Zabrack study
The aim of Joy, Kimball, & Zabrack’s study was to investigate the impact of television on children’s aggressive behavior. The study involved 3 towns, 2 with previous exposure to television and 1 with no exposure to television. The children’s behavior was observed before the study began and 2 years after the television and/or a specific channel was introduced to the towns. The results found that aggressive behavior increased after introducing the channel to the town with no previous exposure to television, but the aggressive behavior did not increase in the other 2 towns.
Charlton et al study
The aim of Charlton et al’s study was to investigate the effect of introducing television to children. The procedure involved the children’s behavior being observed before the introduction of television and 5 years afterwards. The results found that there was no increase in aggressive behavior.
