What is Culture 1A Flashcards
What is culture?
- Any kind of socially transmitted information between species members that can influence their behaviours
- A group that share temporal, spatial and linguistic context
Is culture unique to humans?
No, many other species of animals also transmit knowledge socially
What is ‘the ratchet effect’?
Social-cognitive skills permit knowledge transmission, accumulation of knowledge and improvement over time
What does social-cognitive skills enable?
- Theory of mind - understanding another’s thought
- Joint attention - Sharing attention in order to collaborate
- Language
What are some mechanisms of cumulative cultural learning?
- The motivation to bond
- Sensitivity to social information
Foundational Social-Cognitive Skills:
What is the ‘Theory of Mind’?
Seeing yourself and others as having ‘mental states’ like goals, intentions, strategies, emotions
Foundational Social-Cognitive Skills:
What is ‘Mentalising’?
Imagining another’s internal state
What does Dunbar’s Social Brain Hypothesis state?
Humans large prefrontal cortex is an adaptive outcome of community living. Facilitated by social-cognitive skills like motivations to bond and share.
Is cultural accumulation accelerating?
Yes, facilitated by increasing volume of social connections on a global scale.
What is ‘Cultural Accumulation’?
The gradual process of acquiring, learning, and preserving cultural knowledge, practices, and beliefs across generations.
Societies collect, transmit, and evolve their cultural elements through social interactions, education, traditions, and shared experiences.
What are the goals of psychology as a discipline?
- To build a body of knowledge about people (through scientific research)
- To allow others to take and use that knowledge and apply it to peoples lives (therapists, psychologists etc)
What are two things that Cross-Cultural Psychology tests for in psychological theories and principles?
If they are:
- Universal - true for all people of all cultures
- Culturally specific - true for some people of some cultures
Discuss how human cognitive skills are unique compared to other non-human animals
Human cultures are:
- Cumulative
- Have specialised socio-cognitive skills
- Have language
- Transmission is fast and robust
- Allows the learner to reproduce the knowledge accurately
- Groups accumulate and improve knowledge over time
- Sustain knowledge
What are the three characteristics that differentiate human from non-human cultures?
Three major dimensions:
Complexity
Differentiation
Institutionalisation
What is cultural learning made possible by? (2)
- Human sociality (motivation to interact; sensitivity to social information)
- Socio-cognitive skills (theory of mind, joint attention, language).
What is an example of ‘indirect causes’?
Ecology
Geography
What is an example of ‘direct’ causes?
Cultural
- Guns, ships, steel
- Political organization of wars
- Germs
According to the ‘Out of Africa’ hypothesis how long ago did humans start migrating out of Africa?
150k years ago
What is the ‘Universal Psychological Toolkit’?
A set of basic psychological skills and abilities that people can use to meet their needs.
These include complex cognitive
skills, language, emotions, and personality traits in which to adapt to survive
Dimensions of culture:
What is ‘individualism’ and ‘collectivism’?
Individualism has an emphasises on person goals over group goals
Collectivism emphasises group goals over personal goals
Dimensions of culture:
What is ‘cultural tightness’?
Cultures that have clear rules and harsh penalties for non-compliance
Dimensions of culture:
What is ‘honour culture’?
Maintain reputation, dignity and social standing
Relational Mobilitys:
What is the difference between High vs. Low RMs?
High RM cultures provide greater freedom to choose friends and partners and promote expanding social networks to gain access to diverse perspectives, opportunities and resources
Low RM cultures value long-lasting, deeply interdependent relationships and emphasise traditional norms and expectations regarding social relationships
What group uses a holistic thinking style and collaborative traditions?
Asian communities
What group uses an analytical thinking style and independent traditions?
Western communities
