sociocultural approach

What is culture?

A set of shared values, norms, attitudes, and rules that regulate behaviour and social interactions within a group;

What are cultural dimensions?

How the values of a society affect behaviour. A cultural dimension describes the trends of behaviour within a given culture.

What is individualism?

The cultural dimension that every individual is unique and self-reliant. An individualistic person believes that they should have their own personal freedom of choice, and behaviour.

What is collectivism?

A cultural dimension where people see themselves as part of a larger group rather than focus on individuality. Collectivist societies usually value group harmony, loyalty to the group, and interdependence

How do individualism and collectivism influence behaviour?

They shape identity, responsibility, and social obligations, influencing conformity and helping behaviour;

Give one behavioural example of collectivism

Individuals conform to group norms to maintain social harmony;

Which study investigates cultural dimensions?

Berry;

What research method did Berry use?

Quasi-experiment;

What was the aim of Berry’s study?

To investigate whether conformity rates differ between individualistic and collectivist cultures;

What was the sample of Berry’s study?

120 participants per group from the Temne of Sierra Leone, Inuit, and Scots (urban and rural);

What was the procedure of Berry’s study?

Participants completed a line-matching task while being told a member of their group chose an incorrect answer to measure conformity;

What is enculturation?

The process through which individuals learn cultural norms and behaviours through social interaction;

How is enculturation explained by Social Cognitive Theory?

According to Bandura, behaviour is learned through observation, imitation, and reinforcement from cultural role models;

How does enculturation influence behaviour?

It promotes culturally appropriate and prosocial behaviours such as cooperation and responsibility;

Which study demonstrates enculturation?

Odden and Rochat;

What research method did Odden and Rochat use?

Longitudinal study using naturalistic observations and interviews;

What was the aim of Odden and Rochat’s study?

To investigate how Samoan children learn cultural norms and skills through observation;

What was the sample of Odden and Rochat’s study?

28 Samoan children and their caregivers;

What was the procedure of Odden and Rochat’s study?

Researchers conducted 25 months of observations and interviews examining cultural learning and skill acquisition;

What were the results of Odden and Rochat’s study?

Children learned complex skills through observation with little direct instruction and showed strong understanding of norms;

What is acculturation?

Cultural change that occurs when individuals come into contact with another culture;

What is assimilation?

Adopting the new culture while rejecting the original culture;

What is separation?

Rejecting the new culture while retaining the original culture;

What is integration?

Retaining aspects of the original culture while adopting aspects of the new culture;

What is marginalisation?

Rejecting both the original and new cultures;

What is acculturative stress?

Psychological stress resulting from adapting to a new cultural environment;

Which study investigates acculturation?

Lueck and Wilson;

What research method did Lueck and Wilson use?

Semi-structured interviews;

What was the aim of Lueck and Wilson’s study?

To investigate predictors of acculturative stress in Asian immigrants to the US;

What was the sample of Lueck and Wilson’s study?

2095 Asian immigrants from different countries and generations;

What was the procedure of Lueck and Wilson’s study?

Interviews focused on language, family relationships, identity, discrimination, and economic stress;

What were the results of Lueck and Wilson’s study?

Bilingualism and social support reduced stress, while language difficulty and discrimination increased it;

What is conformity?

Changing behaviour or beliefs due to real or perceived group pressure;

What is normative social influence?

Conforming to be liked or accepted by the group;

What is informational social influence?

Conforming to be correct in ambiguous situations by relying on others;

What is compliance?

Public behaviour change without private belief change;

What is identification?

Conforming because group membership is valued;

What is internalisation?

Deep conformity involving genuine belief change;

Which study investigates conformity?

Asch;

What was the aim of Asch’s study?

To examine conformity to an incorrect majority when the correct answer is obvious;

What research method did Asch use?

Laboratory experiment;

What were the IV and DV in Asch’s study?

IV: majority response; DV: level of conformity measured by incorrect answers;

What was the sample of Asch’s study?

50 male American undergraduate students;

What was the procedure of Asch’s study?

Participants judged line lengths with confederates giving incorrect answers on some trials;

What were the results of Asch’s study?

Participants conformed on about 32 percent of critical trials and 74 percent conformed at least once;