The sociocultural Approach Flashcards
Participant Observation
When researchers immerse themselves in a setting and observe participants behaviors.
Overt observation
Informed consent in gained from partcipants.
Covert Observations
Settings where gaining consent is not feasible/ would affect the findings of the study.
Outline Festinger et al (Covert observation):
Method:
1) Found a doomsday cult that believed the world would end on December 21, but that they would be saved.
2) Joined the cult as researchers.
3) Monitored participants’ responses when nothing happened.
Findings: Cult members changed their beliefs to reduce feelings of dissonance, which is in line with cognitive dissonace theory.
Conformity
A change in behavior in response to imagined or real group pressure or norms.
Which cognitive process is SIT based on?
Social Categorization
Social Categorization
The process of classifying individuals into groups based on similar characteristics.
In-group favoritism
Members of a social category favoring other members of the same social category.
Cognitive dissonance
A state of mental discomfort that arises from holding two different beliefs/values.
What does SIT propose?
Individuals have social selves and individual selves. Sometimes, social selves can become more salient, which has an influence on behavior.
'’SAQ’’ SIT Explanation.
- SIT = Based on assumption of individual and ‘‘social’’ selves.
- Self-esteem comes from group membership.
- The three steps of SIT (by Tajfel): Social Categorization, Social Identification, and Self-esteem by social comparison with out-group.
Social identification
Adopting to the norms/ characteristics of a group.
Outline Abram et a;l (use for SIT, indiv and group)
A: To determine if in-group identity would affect the level of conformity.
M:
1) IV: Whether confederates were from an in-group or out-group.
DV: Conformity Levels
2) Confederates were introduced either as psych (in-group) or as history (out-group) students. Instructed not to talk to each other.
3) Show 3 lines and ask which one aligned with the stimulus line.
4) In 9/18 trials, confederates have wrong answer, and the right answer in 9/18 trials.
R
- Higher mean of conformity (5.23) in in-group condition, lower in out-group (0.75) condition.
F:
- Social categorization plays a role in conformity. Participants social selves’ became salient when other members of the same in-group showed up.
Drury et al (for applications of SIT):
Aim: Investigate the effect of group identification on helping behavior in emergencies.
M:
1) 40 uni students experienced a virtual reality simulation of emergency in london metro.
2) Allocated to 2 conditions: group- identification (wore same colour vests). Individual-identification: diff colour vests.
R:
- in-group identification condition participants provided more help and pushed others less.
F:
- Group identity plays a role in promoting pro-social behavior.
Evaluation of Abram et al:
- Low eco validity
- deception
- Sampling bias (YAVIS)
- culturally biased, individualistic society
- Other variables have an effect.
SIT in TEACUP
- Testable under lab conditions and not naturalistic conditions> low ecological validity
- has empirical evidence
- high heuristic validity, explains variety of human behaviors.
- construct validity; can be difficult to measure salience of identity, boundaries of identity, self-esteem
- does not portray a particular bias
- higher explanatory power than predictive power.
The two types of observational learning are:
1) Direct experience:
2) Observation of others.
four processes of observational learning (ARMP)
- Attention: observers must attend to modeled behavior.
- Retention: remembering features of the behavior.
- Motivation: observers must want to reproduce the behavior. (CIL)
- Potential: physically or mentally able to reproduce the behavior.
Traidic Recipirocal Determinism
The environment has an impact on internal biological or cognitive factors, which can affect behavior.
Self-efficacy
An individual’s belief in their ability to accomplish a particular task successfully. Individuals with high individual efficacy are more likely to attempt to imitate a model’s behavior.
Bandura et al (for SCT), (B for Boba Doll):
A: Determine if children would imitate a model’s aggression and if they were more likely to imitate same sex behavior.
M:
1) Children aged 3-6 were divided into two groups; shown aggression to boba ball or not shown aggression.
2) third group served as a control and did not see a model.
3) Were placed in a room with toys and told that the toys were for other kids to ensure all children experienced some level of frustration. Children were placed in a room with the boba ball.
F:
- Those who observed aggression were more aggressive with the boba ball. Girls were more likely to imitate verbal aggression, boys were more likely to imitate physical aggression.
Kimball (SCT)
Aim: Investigate the impact of television on gender stereotyping in children.
M:
1) 540 children from 4 canadian communities.
2) Divided into four groups (No TV, one station, multiple stations) Vancouver was used as a control.
3) Notel gender stereotyping increased after an introduction to television.
Stereotype
Social perception of an individual in terms of group membership or physical attributes.
Outline the formation of stereotypes:
- develop indirectly, as a result of culture, or directly as a result of experience.
- Grain of truth hypothesis: The experience with an individual from a group can be generalized to that group.
- Illusory correlation: a false relationship between two unrelated variables.
Hamilton and Gifford (fo stereotypes):
Aim: To investigate the effect of a group’s size on the extent to which a stereotype is generalized to the group.
M:
1) Participants listened to a series of statements made about people from two groups (A and B)
2) Group A was twice as large
3) Each group had the same proportion of negative and positive comments.
4) asked how many of the people had the positive traits.
R:
- overestimated the number of negative traits for the minority group.
Negative traits appeared to be more representative of group B as they are a smaller group.
Stereotype Threat
One is in a situation of being judged or treated stereotypically or fearing doing something that would confirm that stereotype.
Martin and Halverson (For stereotype threat)
Aim: To see if gender stereotyping would affect the ability to recall in 6-year-olds.
M:
1) abt 50 kids (5-6 aged) from local kindergarden/
2) SERL test was used to measure gender stereotyping at baseline.
3) Children viewed 16 pics of males and females in gender-consistent and gender-inconsistent activities.
4) A probed recall procedure assessed the memory of these pics.
R:
- Gender-consistent activities were recalled by females.
- Gender-consistent activities were recalled more with males, more rigid male stereotypes.
- Distorted memories of gender-inconsistent activities.
F:
- Gender stereotypes influence the encoding and retrieval of information.
Culture
A set of rules that regulate interactions between a certain group.
Cultural Norm
A set of rules on how an individual should behave to be accepted by a certain group.
Surface Culture
What can be seen as different when we come in contact with a group.
Emic Approach
- Studies a single culture in depth, inductive approach.
- Takes a long time to complete.
- cannot be replicated
Etic Approach
- Universal rules that could be applied to all cultures.
- The deductive approach aims to validate/falsify pre-existing theories.
- Can be replicated easily
- research may seem foreign to the culture tested.
Berry (culture dimensions):
Aim: To determine if cultural dimensions play a role in conformity.
M:
1) Temne of Sierra Leone (rice farming = collectivist), Inuit people (individualistic = hunting and farming)
Some never had a western education, and some were in transition.
2) Asked them to choose a line out of 9 lines that fit the best with a ‘‘stimulus line’’.
4) In 4 trials, they were told that a member of a group chose a certain answer (the incorrect one).
R:
The Temne had a much higher rate of conformity than the Inuit. There wasn’t a relationship between participants’ relationship with their culture and their level conformity.
Cultural Dimension
Values of a society that affect behavior.
I vs C
Self is defined by individual identity vs Defined by group membership.
Kulkosfsky et al (2010)
- To see if there was a difference in flashbulb memories in collectivistic and individualistic societies.
- M:
- 270 adults from 5 different cultures, all from ‘‘the middle class’’.
- 5 minutes to recall as many memories as possible of public events.
- Created a memory questionaire where they were asked about the details of the event (time/day, what were you doing, when did u learn, etc.)
- Another set of questions: the national and personal relevance of the event.
- Questionnaires were back-translated by the participants to ensure that the translators were not a confounding variable.
F: - In collectivist cultures, personal importance and intensity were less of predictors of FBM.
- Individualistic society > greater emphasis on individual’s personal involvement and emotional experiences > more rehearsal
- national importance was equally linked to FBM
Encultration
Learning and Maintenance of behaviors from one’s own country.
Values encultration
The effect of encultration on cognition, when discussing the attitudes about social relationships rather than cultural traditions.
Direct tuition
next msh hena
Factors that lead to encultration
- (Direct Intuition)Direct instruction by parents (a way by which enculturation can develop).
- SCT
- ## Participatory learning
Acculturation
Adopting the new norms or behaviors of another culture.
Assimilation
Abandoning ones culture and adopting a new culture.
Seperation
Minimizing contact with new culture and maintaining one’s old culture.
Integration
Maintaining ones new culture while learning about the new culture.
Acculturative Stress
Feeling like one does not belong due to psychological, somatic, and social differences.
Acculturative Gaps
generational differences in acculturation and how this leads to conflict within the family
Lueck & Wilson (2010)
A: To predict variables that may predict acculturative stress. (more than half of the sample were first generation immigrants who were older than 18 years when they immigrated).
F:
1) Semi-structured interviews (interviewers of similar language) (either face-to-face/online), validated the results with a random sample of participants.
2) Measured levels of accultrative stress, impact of langauge proficiency and preference, discrimination, social networks, family cohesion, socioeconomic status on accultrative stress.
3) Bilingualism preferred> lower accultrative stress
2) Preferance of english only > Higher AS
3) Negative treatment (Xenophobia, prejudice, harrassment»_space; higher AS).
4) Sharing similar values/beliefs with the family > Lower levels of AS
5) Better economic oppurtunity > lower AS
Wang et al
A: A study on 120 cuban American students living in miami. (All with one cuban parent, 20% born outside).
M: Online survey with likert scale to measure to measure the relationship between accultration dimensions (relationship with CUBAN CULTURE, relationship with USA Culture, ethnic identification) and positive psychological functioning (depression, anxiety, self-esteem).
Limitations of Berry’s model of acculturation
- Focuses on the behavior of the individual rather than the host culture.
- Implies a hierarchy between cultures.
- Assumes there are only 4 patterns of behavior>changes/dependent on social context, can use an alternation model.
- Too simplistic: (migration, cultural dimensions of the individual, etc, may all play a role).
SCT Evaluation
- Explains why behaviors may be passed down in a family or within a culture.
- explains why can acquire some behavior without trial and error.
- Sometimes observed behaviors are not always demonstrated.
- Does not explain why some ppl never learn a behavior despite the criteria above being met.
