socio-cultural studies and topics Flashcards
conformity
1: informational social influence. When we are unsure of how to act or respond to our environment, we engage in social comparison so that we know how to fit in with our social surroundings.
2: Normative social influence. We have a need for social acceptance and approval.
3: Referential social influence. We see ourselves as belonging to certain groups, we do not like arguing within that group, and we protect the group against outside forces. The norms of the group are expected to be upheld even when not all members are present.
Stereotypes study
Hamilton and Gifford
Aim: to determine the impact of illusory correlation on the formation of stereotypes.
sample:35 female 35 male US undergrad students.
Procedure: participants were shown a series of slides with a statement about one of two groups, called group A (26 people) or group B (13 people) which was he minority group. Each statement was about one individual in one of the two groups; the statement was either positive or negative. Each group had the same proportion of positive and negative comments.
Participants were asked to rank members of each group based on a series of desirable traits. Then they were given a book containing a series of statements about members of either group and asked which group it came from. Finally they were asked how many statements for each group had been undesirable. Half of the group changed the order of measuring to control for order effects.
Results: group A was ranked higher than group B for positive traits and lower for negative traits. Participants recalled most positive situations for group A and more negative for group B. Participants overestimated the negative traits in the minority group.
H&G agrued that as the minority group was smaller by nature, negatives stood out more than they did in the positive group, and appears representative of the entire group.
strengths: internal validity (A&B are not real groups, no pre-existing stereotypes)
Limitations: ecological validity. Highly artificial.
Enculturation study
Fagot
Aim: to determine the role that parents may play in gender-role development
Sample: 24 families half with a boy child half with a girl child. each family had one child between 20 and 24 months. all families were white
procedure: researchers observed behavior of children in their home environment using an observation checklist of 46 child behaviors and 19 reactions by parents. Observations of children’s behavior was recorded every 60 seconds and then parents reactions were noted. After observations were concluded parents were asked to rate the 46 behaviors as appropriate for boys, girls or neutral. Each parent also filled out a questionnaire on the socialization of sex roles.
Findings: Parents reacted significantly more favorably to the child when the child was engaged in same-sex preferred behavior; children were more likely to receive negative responses to cross-sex-preferred behaviours. Parents gave girls more positive responses when they engaged in adult-oriented, dependent behavior.
Acculturation, cultural dimensions and conformity study
Berry
Aim: measuring the level of conformity in these two types of societies by applying a version of the asch paradigm
Sample: three distinctly different cultures, Temne of Sierra Leone, Inuit culture from Canada and urban and rural scotts (control). 120 participants in each group. no participant had had a formal western education.
Procedure: participants were brought into a room by themselves and shown a set of 9 lines. First they were asked to match the line below that most closely matched the line on top to ensure they understood the assignment. After the first two trials there were four more. On the third trial they were told they were given a hint, and were told that people from their own culture thought a particular answer was correct. For thr third trial, the correct answer was given. for 4-6, the wrong answer was given.
Findings:
Temne, collectivist culture had a much higher rate of conformity when told what other temne believed. Inuits had the lowest rate. Scots were medium. There was no significant difference within cultures.
Strengths: experimental method, control condition.
Limitations: lacks ecological validity. results may lead to stereotyping about cultures.
Acculturative stress study
Lueck and Wilson
Aim: to investigate the variables that may predict acculturative stress in a nationally representative sample of Asian immigrants and Asian Americans.
Sample: 2095 asian americans. 1271 were first generation who came to the US when they were 18 or older. The rest were second generation.
Procedure: semi-structured interviews were used. Interviewers had similar cultural and linguistic backgrounds to the participants, and interviews were conducted over the internet and face to face.
Interviews measured participants levels of acculturative stress. They also measured the impact of language proficiency, language preference, discrimination, social networks, family cohesion, and socioeconomic status on acculturative stress. In 1433 of the 2095 interviews, participants were found to have acculturative stress according to their acculturative stress score – that is, 70% of the sample.
Findings:
Bilingualism is a predictor of low acculturative stress, but a preference for speaking only English is a predictor of high acculturative stress. Negative treatment – including prejudice, xenophobia, harassment, and threats - significantly contributed to higher acculturative stress.
Sharing similar values and beliefs as a family significantly contributed to lowering acculturative stress
Acculturative stress was significantly lower among those who were very satisfied with their economic opportunities in the US and also among immigrants who, if they would have to make the decision again, would still move to the United States.
Strengths: semi-structured interviews are more personal, may get participants to more truthfully open up.
Limitations: the constructs of acculturative stress and level of acculturation are relatively subjective. difficult to measure. ecological fallacy.
Globalization terms
local culture: The culture we grow up in, including the culture of the people around us who drive our development.
Global culture: the culture we come to learn and adapt to via interactions with other cultures.
Bicultural Identity: combination of both local and global cultures.
Delocalization: When one has a strong global identity but becomes disconnected from their own local culture.
Uchi-Soto: A japanese social doctrine which distinguishes between in-groups and out-groups. Guides public behaiour, dictates that one must be respectful of others even at the expense of one’s own needs. Public affection is not advised.
Amae: A desire to be taken care of by someone and to be loved.
Globalization positives study
increases tolerance between cultures. Contact hypothesis.
Novotny and Polansky
Aim: to investigate how contact hypothesis may explain attitudes towards muslims in the Czexh Republic and Slovakia.
Sample: 716 university students from 7 Czech and Slovak cities. Participants were randomly selected from university rosters and approached to ask if they would like to fill out a survey.
Procedure: The survey was divided into four sections: knowledge about Islam; subjective views of Muslims and Islam; geographic knowledge of the Islamic world; personal characteristics of the participant.
People in the Czech republic and Slovakia have fewer opportunities to interact with muslims than many other cultures, and there has not been significant Muslim immigration.
findings:
only 10% of participants had a muslim friend and 23% said that they had met someone who was muslim. The researchers found that the more knowledge a participant had of muslim culture, the less they percived muslims as a threat. Additionally, when participants had contact with muslims or had traveled to muslim countries the correlation was strengthened. It appears that both education about Muslims and personal contact have an effect on decreasing prejudice.
Strengths: large sample
Limitations: large sample size, however not representative. ‘forced choice’ survey, surveys are open to social desirability and order effects.
Globalization negatives study
Ogihara and Uchida 2010
Aim: to investigate the relationship between individualistic values, subjective wellbeing and the number of close relationships in Japan and the USA
Sample: 114 japanese uni students, 62 US uni studetns.
Procedure: participants were sent a self-reported questionnaire which evaluated their collectivist vs. individualist values, wellbeing and close relationships.
findings: In Japan, having higher individualistic values was negatively related to subjective wellbeing and number of close relationships. The opposite was true in the US.
Seems that when individualist cultural values are manifested in a member of a collectivist society, people feel delocalized from their local culture, ad yet not welcome in the global culture.
Illusory correlation
Illusory correlation is defined as people’s tendencies to overestimate relationships between two groups when distinctive and unusual information is presented. Illusory correlation is based on System 1 thinking - specifically, the availability heuristic - that is, decisions are made based on what first comes to mind.
Acculturative stress
refers to the stressors associated with being an immigrant or ethnic minority and going through the acculturation process. Berry discussed four different types of acculturation. In separation, immigrants keep their original culture and do not adopt the new culture. In marginalization, immigrants do not identify with either their original culture or their new culture. In assimilation, immigrants gradually lose all of the markers of their original culture and fully adopt the new culture. Finally, in integration, an immigrant becomes bicultural - identifying with and being fully functional in both cultures.
