The Sociocultural Approach Flashcards
General
The Sociocultural Approach
Based on the assumption that humans are social beings with a need to belong, and that human behaviour is governed by cultural norms.
SIT
Social Identity Theory
Proposed by Tajfel and Turner, when seeking to explain prejudice and discrimination in humans.
Claims that our identity is at least partly formed through the social groups we belong to.
Social categorisation - Finding one’s in-groups and out-groups.
Social identification - Co-opting norms and attitudes of in-group, creating sense of belonging.
Social comparisons - Meshing perceptions of group memberships.
1. Self esteem is enhanced through positive distinctiveness of in-group (in-group favouritism/out-group prejudice).
2. Out-group homogeneity effect - perception that in-group members view their own as more diverse and out-group members as more similar.
SIT
Social Categorisation
Finding one’s in-groups and out-groups.
SIT
Social Identification
Co-opting norms and attitudes of in-group, creating sense of belonging.
SIT
Social Categorisation
Meshing perceptions of group memberships.
SIT
Out-Group Homogeneity Effect
Perception that in-group members view their own as more diverse and out-group members as more similar.
Stereotype Origins/Effects
Stereotypes
A generalised and rather fixed way of thinking about a group of people.
Involves categorising people into groups based on visual cues (SIT)
A mental shortcut (cognitive schemas).
Stereotype Origins
One Stereotype Origin
The Out-Group Homogeneity Effect.
Explains forming of stereotypes (easier generalisations if similar).
Want to view out-groups as inferior to boost self-esteem.
Stereotype Effects
Biased Evidence Hypothesis
Posits that when racial stereotypes are activated, jurors automatically and unintentionally evaluate ambiguous trial evidence in racially biased ways.
SCT
Social Cognitive Theory
Posits that behaviour is acquired by observation and imitation of behaviour from others, based on its behavioural consequences.
There are several requirements:
Attention - Role model is noticed.
Retention - Behaviour is remembered.
Reproduction - Behaviour is learned and reproduced if within individual’s abilities.
Motivation - Individual wants to imitate behaviour.
There are several factors that may influence decision to replicate:
Consistency - If model’s behaviour is consistent.
Identification - Tendency to imitate similar models.
Liking model - Warmer/friendlier models tend to be imitated rather than cold/uncaring models.
Self efficacy - One’s belief to successfully accomplish a task (ability to replicate).
Cultural origins on Cognition/Cultural Influences on Identity
Culture
Refers to the shared belief and ideals of a group, where a group is characterised by its own cultural norms.
Cultural origins on Cognition
Hofstede’s cultural dimensions
A framework for cultural norms and allows for insight into cultural influence on behaviour.
Cultural origins on Cognition
Individualism
Emphasises on self-autonomy and encourages personal values.
Cultural origins on Cognition
Collectivism
Emphasises the health of one’s extended family and the maintenance of strong kinship networks. The conformation to the expectations of extended groups.
Cultural Influences on Identity
Enculturation
The unconscious process by which people learn the necessary and appropriate skills and norms in the context of their culture.
Socialisation goals align with to be successful, which differs among cultures (humans are social animals).
Cultural Influences on Identity
Delaying gratification
To postpone immediate gratification for the sake of achieving long-term goals constitutes a self-regulation that is fundamental for goal-directed behaviour. (collectivism).
Cultural Influences on Identity
Acculturation
The changing of people as a result of contact with new cultures.
Affects one’s wellbeing/mental health.
Cultural Influences on Identity
Acculturative stress
The tension caused from attempting to assimilate into a new culture.
Cultural Influences on Identity
Berry’s model of Acculturation
Proposition of 4 different acculturation approaches:
Assimilation - Adapting to new culture and discarding original culture.
Separation - Avoiding new culture and keeping original culture.
Integration - Becoming bi-cultural. Maintaining both cultures.
Marginalisation - Discarding original culture, but struggling to integrate in new culture due to discrimination.
Often stressful, however least stressful for those who choose integration approach.
Study
Park and Rothbart
Correlational study
Aim
Investigates the Social Identity Theory in relation to girl sororities and judgement.
Method
Numerous girls from different sororities participated in questionnaires.
Asked to rank ten dimensions and then rank their own sorority and other sororities in terms of how characteristic each of dimensions were for the group (e.g. how much they partied, physical attraction, how sexually active, etc).
Also asked to compare intragroup similarity of dimensions.
Results
Partying and being sexually active as unfavourable, other eight were favourable.
Girls rated own sorority having favourable characteristics. Unfavourable for other sororities.
Girls viewed own sorority members as more dissimilar
- Due to boosting of self esteem through group membership (social self does not align with unfavourable characteristics).
Girls viewed girls from other sororities has more intragroup similarity.
Concludes that out-prejudice (not discrimination).
Study
Levinson
True experiment
Aim
Investigates the Biased Evidence Hypothesis in a jural setting.
Method
Mock-jurors were presented ambiguous evidence and asked to judge how much each piece of evidence indcates whether defendant was guilty/not guilty.
Half had a photo a dark-skinned perpetrator and other had light-skinned.
Results
More supportive of guilty verdict for darm-skinned perpetrator.
Study
Bandura
True Experiment
Aim
Investigates whether aggression can be learned through observation and imitation.
Method
Numerous children were tested for their levels of ‘everyday’ aggression prior.
Observed to match participants in each experimental group with similar aggression levels.
Children were led into a room with toys, and given 10 minutes to play in the room while observed through one-way glass.
Group 1 watched a male/female model behaving aggressively towards a bobo doll (verbal and physical).
Group 2 had a non-aggressive model.
Group 3 was a control group (not shown any model).
Then led into another room containing attractive/exciting toys, where reservation for toys frustrate children and prime aggression.
Then led to another room where they are allowed to play with any toys and had aggression measured.
Results
Children from Group 1 exhibited far more aggressive behaviour than Group 2 and 3.
Often exhibited exact forms of physical/verbal behaviour.
Gender differences
- Boys tended to imitate more physically aggressive acts than girls.
- Boy more likely to imitate models of same gender than girls.
Study
Levine
Cross-cultural survey
Aim
Investigates the importance of romantic love in marriage across different cultures.
Method
Large sample of undergraduates drawn from many countries of varying cultures, including individualistic countries (e.g. US, UK, Australia) and collectivistic countries (e.g. Pakistan and India).
Survey consisted three Qs based on love and marriage, focussed on first question being “whether you will marry a person with all your wanted qualities even if you were not romantically interested.”
Results
People from Individualistic countries answered 5% yes, compared to 50% for collectivistic countries.
Study
Lamm
Quasi Experiment
Aim
Investigates impact of enculturation on children’s ability to delay gratification.
Cultures
Traditional Nso (Cameroonian) community:
- Strict social hierarchy
- Expected children to integrate into hierarchy early.
- Develops social responsibility.
German community:
- Self-autonomous framework which guides parenting, where children are encouraged to express themselves and foster a sense of self.
Method
70% of Nso waited for treat compared to 30% of German.
1/3 of Nso tasted treat compared to 1/2 of German.
Only 1 Nso left to terminate delay period compared to 1/4 of German.
8 Nso fell asleep during delay compared to no German.
Study
Lueck and Wilson
Semi-structured interviews.
Aim
Investigates which linguistic/social factors predict acculturative stress in a nationally representative sample of Asian immigrants and Asian Americans.
Method
A large sample of Asian Americans were interviewed based on acculturative stress, language preferences, discrimination and family cohesion.
Results
70% of participants experienced acculturation stress.
Bilingual language preferences significantly decreased likelihood of accultration stress.
Losing native language contributed to higher acculturation stress.
Sharing similar values/beliefs as a family contributed to lower acculturation stress.
