Sociocultural approach Flashcards
Give one example of an individualistic society
~USA
~UK
~Inuits
Give one example of an collectivistic society
~Japan
~China
~Russia
~Temne
Can you name at least 3 characteristics of an individualistic society?
~self reliant
~competition
~individual responsibility
~privacy
~emotion
Can you name at least 3 characteristics of a collectivist society?
~fewer displays of emotions
~social good
~less emphasis on privacy
What is enculturation?
The way in which an individual learns the norms and rules of the society they belong to.
What is acculturation?
Cultural modification of an individual, group, or people by adapting to or borrowing traits from another culture
What does Berry’s model of acculturation consist of?
~assimilation
~marginalisation
~ integration
~ separation
What is globalisation?
- the process by which cultures can influence one another and become more alike.
Study: Becker (2002)
Researcher(s): Anne Becker
Aim: To investigate the effect of Western television on body image and eating behaviours among adolescent girls in Fiji.
Method: Naturalistic study, longitudinal
Participants: Adolescent girls in Fiji, studied before and after the introduction of Western TV.
Procedure: Two surveys were conducted, in 1995 (pre-TV) and 1998 (post-TV). Body image, eating behaviors, and attitudes towards body size were measured.
Results: After TV introduction, there was an increase in eating disorder symptoms and a shift towards a desire for thinness, previously uncommon in Fiji.
Conclusion: Media exposure significantly impacts body image, supporting theories on cultural influence on eating disorders.
Evaluation:
Strengths: Highlights the impact of media on cultural values.
Limitations: Self-report bias; findings may not apply universally beyond the Fijian context.
Study: Ogihara & Uchida (2014)
Researcher(s): Ogihara & Uchida
Aim: to investigate the effect that working in an individualistic workplace would have on the subjective well-being of Japanese women.
Method: Survey-based study
Participants: 34 adult Japanese women who worked for a large insurance company in Japan where performance and achievement-oriented goals were posted on the walls of the offices.
Procedure: The participants answered surveys related to individualistic and collectivistic orientation, subjective well-being, and the nature of their relationships.
Results: suggest that even in the study’s achievement-oriented environment, Japanese participants who were achievement-oriented reported lower well-being and had fewer close friends.
Conclusion: The lower levels of well-being in the Japanese sample may be due to the transition that Japan is currently experiencing, where globalisation is promoting individualism in the workplace while the local culture is maintaining traditional collectivistic values.
Evaluation:
Strengths: Emphasizes cultural variation in self-concept and well-being.
Limitations: Correlational study; causation cannot be established.
Study: Tajfel (1970)
Researcher(s): Henri Tajfel
Aim: To investigate ingroup favouritism and discrimination using minimal group categorization.
Method: Laboratory experiment
Participants: British schoolboys
Procedure: Boys were divided into arbitrary groups (e.g., preference for paintings) and asked to allocate points to members of their own and the other group.
Results: Participants favored their own group even when groups were meaningless, showing ingroup bias.
Conclusion: Minimal group categorization can lead to ingroup favoritism, supporting social identity theory.
Evaluation:
Strengths: Demonstrates basic mechanisms of group bias; foundational for social identity theory.
Limitations: Artificial setting; may not reflect real-world group dynamics.
Study: Schaller (1991)
Researcher(s): Mark Schaller
Aim: To explore how stereotypes serve as cognitive heuristics to process information.
Method: Experimental study
Participants: College students
Procedure: Participants were presented with stereotypical information about certain groups and asked to recall details.
Results: Stereotypes facilitated faster information processing and recall, acting as cognitive shortcuts.
Conclusion: Stereotypes may help simplify information processing, supporting the heuristic function of stereotypes.
Evaluation:
Strengths: Provides insight into cognitive basis of stereotypes.
Limitations: Potential for overgeneralization; does not address social factors in stereotype formation.
Study: Hamilton & Gifford (1976)
Researcher(s): Hamilton & Gifford
Aim: To investigate illusory correlation and its role in forming stereotypes.
Method: Laboratory experiment
Participants: Adults presented with information about two groups
Procedure: Participants read statements about Group A (majority) and Group B (minority), with negative behaviors equally distributed across both groups. They then rated each group.
Results: Participants perceived Group B as more negative, illustrating illusory correlation.
Conclusion: People overestimate the association between minority groups and negative traits, contributing to stereotype formation.
Evaluation:
Strengths: Explains cognitive bias in stereotype formation.
Limitations: Artificial task; may not fully represent real-world social dynamics.
Study: Bandura (1963)
Researcher(s): Albert Bandura
Aim: To examine aggression as learned behaviour through social modelling.
Method: Laboratory experiment
Participants: Children (ages 3-6)
Procedure: Children observed an adult model behaving aggressively toward a Bobo doll and then had a chance to play with the doll.
Results: Children who observed aggressive behavior were more likely to imitate it, supporting social learning theory.
Conclusion: Observational learning significantly impacts behavior, especially aggression.
Evaluation:
Strengths: Demonstrates observational learning; foundational for social learning theory.
Limitations: Ethical concerns; may encourage aggressive behaviour.
Study: Odden & Rochat (2004)
Researcher(s): Odden & Rochat
Aim: To examine cultural transmission of skills in a Samoan village, focusing on observational learning.
Method: Observational study
Participants: Samoan children in a rural village
Procedure: Observed children over two years as they acquired knowledge about fishing and social norms through observation rather than direct teaching.
Results: Children learned complex tasks (e.g., fishing) by watching adults without direct instruction, showing social learning through observation.
Conclusion: Cultural skills and knowledge can be transmitted effectively through observational learning in community settings.
Evaluation:
Strengths: High ecological validity; insight into cultural learning.
Limitations: Limited generalizability; findings may be unique to the Samoan cultural context.
Study: Fagot (1978)
Researcher(s): Fagot
Aim: To investigate how parents reinforce gender roles in children through differential treatment.
Method: Observational study
Participants: Parents and their toddlers (ages 2-4)
Procedure: Observed parent-child interactions, noting differences in responses to boys’ and girls’ behaviors.
Results: Parents were more likely to reinforce gender-typical behaviors (e.g., independence in boys, nurturing in girls), reflecting gender socialization.
Conclusion: Parental behavior contributes to gender role development from an early age.
Evaluation:
Strengths: Highlights early socialization processes.
Limitations: Possible observer bias; only reflects parent-child interactions, not peer influences.
Study: Correll et al. (2002)
Researcher(s): Joshua Correll and colleagues
Aim: To investigate racial bias in decisions to shoot potentially armed or unarmed individuals in a simulation.
Method: Experimental study using a computerized simulation
Participants: College students in the U.S.
Procedure: Participants were shown images of Black and White individuals holding either a gun or a harmless object. They were instructed to “shoot” armed individuals and “not shoot” unarmed individuals. Reaction times and accuracy were measured.
Results: Participants were faster and more accurate in “shooting” armed Black individuals than White individuals, showing a racial bias in threat perception.
Conclusion: Racial stereotypes can lead to implicit bias in split-second decision-making situations, such as those involving perceived threats.
Evaluation:
Strengths: Highlights the role of implicit racial biases in decision-making under pressure; relevant for law enforcement contexts.
Limitations: May not fully represent real-world complexity; results could be influenced by social desirability bias despite being computerized.
Study: Allport & Postman (1947)
Researcher(s): Gordon Allport & Leo Postman
Aim: To explore how stereotypes influence the transmission of information and memory through the “telephone game” (serial reproduction).
Method: Experimental study
Participants: Primarily American participants
Procedure: Participants were shown a picture of a White man threatening a Black man with a razor. In groups, participants whispered the description of the image to each other, and the final recall was compared to the original image.
Results: The final description often reversed roles, with participants recalling the Black man as the one holding the razor, reflecting racial stereotypes affecting memory.
Conclusion: Stereotypes can distort memory recall, especially in ambiguous situations, contributing to misinformation.
Evaluation:
Strengths: Demonstrates the influence of social stereotypes on memory distortion.
Limitations: Cultural bias; findings reflect the social climate of the time and may not generalize universally.
Study: Berry (1967)
Researcher(s): John W. Berry
Aim: To compare levels of conformity between collectivist and individualist cultures.
Method: Quasi-experimental study
Participants: Members of the Temne (collectivist agricultural society) in Sierra Leone and Inuits (individualistic hunting society) in Canada
Procedure: Participants were given a task similar to Asch’s conformity paradigm, where they were shown a series of lines and asked to identify which line matched a standard line. A “wrong answer” was provided by the experimenter to test if participants would conform.
Results: The Temne participants (collectivist) showed higher conformity compared to the Inuit participants (individualist), aligning with cultural expectations.
Conclusion: Cultural orientation influences conformity; collectivist societies show higher conformity due to social cohesion, while individualist societies value independence.
Evaluation:
Strengths: Supports the influence of cultural dimensions on behavior.
Limitations: Possible observer bias; findings may not account for other cultural variables.
Study: Kulkofsky et al. (2011)
Researcher(s): Kulkofsky and colleagues
Aim: To investigate the impact of culture on flashbulb memory (vivid memory of shocking events).
Method: Cross-cultural survey study
Participants: Participants from five different countries: China, the USA, the UK, Turkey, and Germany
Procedure: Participants were asked to recall events that were important to them and to rate the personal importance, surprise, and emotional impact of each event. The researchers analyzed how cultural dimensions affected the recall.
Results: In collectivist cultures (e.g., China), personal importance and emotional engagement were less predictive of flashbulb memories than in individualist cultures (e.g., USA), where personal significance played a larger role.
Conclusion: Cultural values influence the formation of flashbulb memories, with individualist cultures placing more emphasis on personal memories.
Evaluation:
Strengths: Provides cross-cultural insight into emotion and memory.
Limitations: Self-report bias; relies on participants’ subjective interpretation of emotional impact.
Name one example of globalisation
globalisation is the spreading of cultural values through things like technology (e.g. internet, TV), trade and immigration.
What are the 3 components of social identity theory?
~Social identity
~Social comparison
~Social categorisation (ingroups)
Front: Study: Zaidi and Shuraydi Researchers: Zaidi & Shuraydi
Aim: To investigate the perceptions and views of arranged marriages in a group of second generation, Pakistani, Muslim women.
Method: Qualitative research (unstructured interviews, surveys, or focus groups)
Participants: 20 single Pakistani women aged between 16 and 30 using unstructured interviews. about the beliefs and feelings of young women towards arranged marriage.
Procedure: The study may involve gathering personal testimonies or conducting structured interviews to understand women’s experiences with societal expectations, education, and gender roles.
Results: Growing up in Western society is an agonising, stressful process for Muslim females. In one of the participant’s words, the situation was no win: “Both cultures to me emphasises the exact opposite things, which creates a rift in my thinking pattern.” Acculturative stress indeed!
Conclusion: The study could conclude that sociocultural pressures (e.g., patriarchy, family expectations) significantly shape the psychological well-being and opportunities for women in Pakistan.
Evaluation:
Strengths: Rich qualitative data offering deep insight into the lived experiences of Pakistani women.
~Researchers were also Muslim and Pakistani women
Limitations: Limited generalisability due to sample size or regional focus. Potential bias in reporting or responses, as participants might feel pressure to conform to social norms.
Front: Study: Leuk & Wilson (1979)
Researchers: Leuk & Wilson
Aim: To investigate how people attribute their own behaviours versus the behaviors of others, particularly in the context of success and failure.
Method: Quasi-experiment (field study)
Participants: 40 male and female university students
Procedure: Participants were asked to complete a series of tasks. After completing each task, they were asked to rate the reasons for their success or failure on these tasks. They were either asked about their own performance or asked to rate the performance of another person (a confederate) completing the same task.
Results: Participants tended to attribute their successes to internal factors (such as ability) and their failures to external factors (such as task difficulty or bad luck). This bias was more pronounced when they were rating their own performance rather than the performance of others.
Conclusion: The study supported the idea that people tend to make self-serving attributions—taking credit for their successes and blaming external factors for their failures.
Evaluation:
Strengths:
~Field experiment with higher ecological validity than a controlled lab setting.
~Clear demonstration of self-serving bias, a common cognitive bias in social psychology.
Limitations:
~Small sample size (only 40 participants), limiting generalizability.
~Potential demand characteristics—participants may have suspected the true purpose of the experiment or felt social pressure to give certain types of responses.
