Psychology - Sociocultural vocabulary

Social Identity Theory

A theory that explains how individuals define themselves in relation to groups they belong to, emphasizing the importance of group membership in shaping self-concept and behavior.

A person has not just 1 personal self but several social selves that correspond to group memberships

Social categorization

The process of classifying people into groups based on shared characteristics, which influences perceptions and interactions.

in-groups

us as a group

out-groups

them as a group

in-group favouritism

The tendency to prefer and prioritize members of one's own group over those in out-groups, often leading to biased attitudes and behaviors.

social comparison

The process of evaluating oneself in relation to others, often to enhance self-esteem or validate one's social standing.

Benefits of belonging to ingroup vs outgroups

positive distinctiveness

The motivation to achieve a favorable distinction of one's in-group from out-groups, enhancing self-esteem and group identity.

Salient

Having prominence or significance in a particular context, often influencing perceptions or behaviors.

becoming more aware of the aspects of your identity

Social cognitive theory

assumes that humans learn behavior through observational learning

Positive reinforcement

a reward to continue a certain behavior

Vicarious reinforcement

learning for a behaviour through positive or negative consequences

Social cognitive theory factors:

Attention, Retention, Motivation, Potential

Attention:
Retention:
Motivation:
Potential:

Attention: in order to learn a behaviour the learner must pay attention
Retention: observer must be able to remember observed behaviour to produce that behaviour
Motivation: learners must want to replicate the behaviour that they absorbed
Potential: observers must be able to physically and mentally carry out the behaviour

Self-efficacy

Ones belief in ones ability to successfully accomplish a task

Stereotyping

A social perception of an individual in terms of group membership or physical attributes

A generalization made about a group then attributed to members of that group

Out group homogeneity

we see our out groups as all having similar traits

Grain of truth hypothesis

an experience with an individual causes that conclusion to be generalised to a group

illusory correlation

People see a relationship between 2 variables even when there is none

Stereotype threat

occurs when one is in a situation where there is a threat of being judged or treated stereotypically or a fear of doing something that would inadvertently confirm a stereotype

Cultural dimensions

how the values of a society affect behaviour, describes the trends of behaviour in culture

Individualism vs collectivism

the degree to which people are integrated into groups

Ecological fallacy

when 1 looks at 2 different cultures, it should not be assumed that 2 members from 2 different cultures must be different from 1 another

Emic approach

an approach to studying a culture from inside the culture, focusing on internal elements

Enculturation

Learning and maintenance of the behaviours and norms our own culture. Can occur through direct tuition

Values enculturation

the effect of enculturation of cognition: attitudes about social relationships, gender roles, time orientation.

direct tuition

your parent tell you what you are supposed to do

Participatory learning

learning through engaging in activity

Acculturation

Adapting and adjusting to a new culture
Assimilation, Integration, Separation, Marginalization

Assimilation:
Integration:
Separation:
Marginalization:

Assimilation: when an individual abandons their original culture and adopts the cultural behaviors and values of their new culture
Integration:An interest in adopting the behaviours and values of the new culture while maintaining the original culture
Separation: When migrants maintain their own culture and minimise contact with the new culture.
Marginalisation: It is not possible to maintain ones original culture but because of exclusion or discrimination it is not possible to assimilate into the new culture

Acculturative stress

A battle between enculturation and acculturation causing stress

the psychological impact of adapting to a new culture and happens when someone faces challenges while adapting to the culture