Sociocultural Approach - Cultural Origins of Behaviour and Cognition - Cultural Dimensions Flashcards
Culture
A set of attitudes, values, beliefs and behaviours shared by a group of people, but different for each individual, communicated frmo one generation to the next
Cultural Norms
Unique set of attidues, beliefs and behaviours specific for a particular culture.
Cultural Dimensions Developed By…
Geert Hofstede (1973)
Cultural Dimensions
- An aspect of culture that can be measured relative to other cultures.
- Works on continuum = e.g. a culture is never 100%
collectivistic, but are different levels of preference for
one set of behaviours over another
- Works on continuum = e.g. a culture is never 100%
- 4 dimensions:
- Individusalism vs Collectvism
- Uncertainty Avoidance
- Power Distance
- Masculinity vs Femininity
- Later added 2
- Short-term vs Long-term orientation
- Indulgence vs restraint
Individualism
- Characteristics
- Self-image of ‘I’
- Self seperated from society
- Personal identity based on thier own characteristics,
succes and unique features - Individual goals
- Personal freedom
- Own oney
- Personal challenge
- I-embarassment
- Own decisions
- Personal autonomy
- Competitiveness
- Self-sufficiency
- Categories
- Horizontal individualism
- Vertical individualism
Horizontal Individualism
Members are unique and mostly of the same status
Vertical Individualism
Members are unique but it is possible to distinguish yourself and enjoy high status in a social hierarchy
Collectivism
- Characteristics
- Self-image of ‘we’
- self in terms of group membership
- Social identity linked to the social group
- Group goals
- Harmony, conflict and confrontations avoided
- Resources shared
- Loyalty
- We-embarassment
- Obedience and proper behaviour
- Values associated with belonging to a group take
priority over personal values
- Categories
- Horizontal collectivism
- Vertical collectivism
Horizontal collectivism
Members merge themselves with the ingroup and enjoy largely the same status
Vertical Collectivism
Members merge themselves with the ingroup and submit themselves to an authority in that ingroup
Conformity
A change in behaviour or belief as a result of real or imagined group pressure in order to git in with group norms
Berry & Katz (1967)
Aim:
- Investigate whether there is a difference in degree of conformity between the Temne people and the Eskimo people.
Pps: - Traditional people without western education & people in transition to western life - 90 Temne traditional - 32 Temne transitional - 91 Eskimo traditional - 31 Eskimo transitional \+ 62 Scots from a rural area \+ 60 Scots from an urban area
Procedure:
- Pps shown a paper with 9 different lines
- line at the top - standard line
- Pps had to identify the line out of the other eight, that had the same length as the standard line
- difference between the 8 lines
1. 1 mm
2. 2 mm
3. 3 mm
- One of the 8 lines had a cross on it
- pps were told the most people had identified that line
as the one equal of length to the standard line
- none were the correct answer
- Conformity score was the number of lines away from the correct one they identified as the one
Results:
- Average conformity score
- higher in the Temne sample
- lower in the Eskimo sample than the Scottish sample
- transitional & urban samples < traditional or rural
samples within each culture
- however not a significant difference
The Temne People
- Rice farmers
- therefore high on food accumulation
- high need for discipline
- may affect child-rearing practices
- therefore degree of conformity
- individualism could be and collectivism high
- may affect child-rearing practices
- high need for discipline
- required cooperationg with larger group
- therefore high on food accumulation
- Harvest once a year
- are dependent on harvest
The Eskimo People
- Fish and hunt
- therefore low on food-accumulation
- requires individual skill and creativity