Psych IB Sociocultural Theorists (Paper One)

Asch (1951)

Asch (1951)

Aim: What is needed for normative conformity to occur and how can it be reduced?
Design: Lab Experiment, Independent Samples
Participants: 50 Swarthmore Undergraduates, opportunity
Procedure:
1. Opportunity Sampling Method
2. The standard line test (one standard line with three comparison lines) is administered to three different testing groups: confederates, allies, and the control group.

Results: Three or more confederates are needed for normative conformity to occur (37%). However, when allies are introduced, normative conformity is reduced by 2/3. The control group had an error rate of 1% and would agree with the confederates 5% of the time when writing their answers on paper.

Berry and Katz (1967)

Aim: To investigate if cultural differences in individualism vs collectivism affect conformity.
Design: Quasi Experiment, Independent Samples
Participants: Temne people of Sierra Leone and Inuit people of Northern Canada, Purposive
Procedure:
1. Purposive sampling method
2. The standard line test is shown to the Temne people and a group of confederates. The same thing is done to the Inuit people.

Results: The Temne people would accept the answer of the majority (collectivists) while the Inuit people would not be affected by the answer of the majority (individualists)

Finkelstein (2010)

Aim: To investigate the relationship of culture on volunteer behavior.
Design: Structured Interview
Participants: 194 U.S. undergraduates, opportunity
Procedure:
1. Opportunity sampling method
2. Participants are given an online questionnaire regarding volunteering in exchange for extra credit.
3. ICA

Results: Collectivism is related to altruistic motivations, wanting to strengthen social ties, and sustaining role identity as a reason for volunteering. Individualism is related to career advancements as a reason for volunteering.

Tajfel (1971)

Aim: To explore Social Identity Theory.
Design: Field experiment, independent samples
Participants: 64 Male students (ages 14-15), convinence
Procedure:
1. Sample of convinence
2. Participants are shown 40 slides with dot clusters and are told to estimate the number of dots on each slide in less than a second. Then, they were sorted into two groups: "Overestimaters" and "Underestimaters". Participants are then taken into a room and put in separate cubicles and are given a booklet with 18 matrices. They are then told to distribute rewards and penalties to other participants.
3. In-group favoritism and Out-group discrimination

Results: The mean choice in different group matrices was 9.3 compared to 7.5 (max fairness). The choices in group conditions were seen to be closely clustered around the point of max fairness (7.5)

Rosenthal & Jacobson (1968)

Aim: To investigate if students who are expected to have greater intellectual growth will meet those expectations in a 1-year timeslot (SELF FULFILLING PROPHECY)
Design: Field experiment, independent samples (w/ random sorting)
Participants: Teachers, 320 students from the same school in grades 1-6 (255:65), purposive
Procedure:
1. Purposive sampling method
2. Teachers in a public school were told that a select number of students would be "growth spurters" based on an IQ test (THIS IQ TEST WAS NOT REAL, RANDOM SORTING). A year later, students were given a real IQ test.

Results: IQ points for the control group grew by 8.4. IQ points for the experimental group grew by 12.2 (self-fulfilling prophecy)

Steele & Aronson (1995)

Aim: To investigate test performance as a function of stereotype threat in white and black participants
Design: Quasi, independent samples
Participants: 114 Stanford undergraduates (male and female, black and white), purposive
Procedure:
1. Purposive sampling method
2. Administer stereotype threat
3. A 30-minute verbal test was given to black and white college students which was considered to be difficult for most participants. The experimental group was told that the test would determine intellectual ability while the control group was not.

Results: White and black students performed equally as well in the non-diagnostic conditions while the white participants scored better in the diagnostic conditions.

Kearins (1981)

Aim: To investigate if Aborigines would perform better on tests that took advantage of their ability to encode with visual cues.
Design:
Participants: 44 Aborigines and 44 white Australian adolescents, purposive
Procedure:
1. Purposive sampling method
2. Kearins placed 20 objects on a board with 20 divided sections (a grid) and told the Aborigines and Australians to study where the objects were on the board for 30 seconds. After 30 seconds, Kearins moved the objects to a pile in the middle of the grid and told the participants to put the objects back in their original spots. This test was run four times with different objects for each test.

Results: The Aborigines did better on every test run due to being taught visual cues/growing up in a visual environment

Ross & Millsom (1970)

Aim: To investigate how a culture's emphasis on how information is taught can influence how information is recalled.
Design: Quasi experiment, independent samples
Participants: Students from a college in Ghana and students from NYU, purposive
Procedure:
1. Purposive sampling method
2. Students from two colleges were read "War of the Ghosts" in English. 16 days later, they were told to recall (in writing) as much of they story that they could.

Results:
Ghanaians could remember themes 80% better than the New Yorkers
Ghanaians could remember words 70% better than the New Yorkers.

Odden & Rochat (2004)

Aim: To investigate the role of observational learning as a mechanism of children's culture in a non-western cultural context
Design: Semi-structured interview, participant observation
Participants: 28 children and their parents from a rural Samoa village, convenience
Procedure:
1. Convenience sampling method
2. Caretakers, pastors, chiefs, and teachers were given a parental belief questionnaire.
3. ICA

Results:
The interviews and observations showed high specificity of Samoan attitudes towards education and enculturations.
Questioning someone of a higher power than you was seen as a sign of disrespect, so children would have to learn many things on their own.

Demorest et al (2008)

Aim: To investigate how enculturation influences cognition.
Design: Quasi experiment, independent samples
Participants: 150 USA and 150 Turkey participants, purposive
Procedure:
1. Purposive sampling method
2. Participants listened to several musical excerpts from Western, Turkish, and Chinese cultures.
3. Memory Recognition test

Results:
Participants could remember the music from their native culture better.

Adams (2003)

Aim: To investigate whether cultural Canadian values would gradually take in U.S. values
Design: Structured interview
Participants: 14000 representatives from U.S. and Canadian populations, random
Procedure:
1. Random sampling method
2. Surveys were administered in 1992, 1996, and 2000 (longitudinal study)
3. ICA

Results:
Globalization is not a straightforward process in which dominant cultures subsume non-dominant cultures.
The outcome of globalization depends on the acculturation strategy chosen (for this study, it was cultures/nations being in contact with each other and deciding on their own things).

Buchan (2009)

Aim: To investigate the effects of globalization on cooperation strategies.
(A. Globalization prompts reactionary movements.
B. Globalization strengthens people's cosmopolitan attitudes.)
Design: Structured interview
Participants: 190 people from 6 countries, purposive
Procedure:
1. Purposive sampling method
2. Structured interview
3. Game
4. Correlation
5. ICA

Results:
The higher the score on the structured interview, the greater the degree of globalization attitudes, and participants are more likely to share game tokens with other players.
Globalization influences cooperation strategies.

Social Identity Theory

Idea that ones self esteem is in the identity of a group
(being apart of/forming a group can boost self esteem)

Realistic Conflict Theory

Conflict between groups is caused by competition and cooperation is possible if there are larger goals.

Sherif (1961)

Aim: To investigate group dynamics and RCT (vs SIT)

Design: Field experiment, independent samples

Participants: 24 white lower-middle-class 12 year old boys, purposive sample