IB Psychology HL - Sociocultural SAQ Prompts

Explain Social Identity Theory with reference to one study.

1st paragraph: Behavior is influenced by others, both individual + societal identity that influences behavior, behavior is dependent on interactions + observations, stereotypes affect behavior (social comparison, social influence, conformity)

2nd paragraph: Asch - lines of conformity, test of independence vs. going with majority, # of agreements with wrong answer, P felt unsure but still went with the majority

Explain Social Cognitive Theory with reference to one study.

1st paragraph: Imitation of a model, how other’s behavior influences our own understanding/development (attention/motivation/retention/potential, vicarious reinforcement, social learning, self-efficacy)

2nd paragraph: Bandura - aims: see if children imitate aggression, see if children fall into gender expectations, shown adults punching Bobo to see if children replicate, observation = increased aggression + reinforced gender stereotypes

Explain one theory of the effect of stereotypes with reference to one study.

1st paragraph: When stereotypes/stereotyping affects behavior (stereotype threat, spotlight anxiety, schema, saliency)

2nd paragraph: Steele & Aronson - verbal test that was very difficult, told African American P that it was a genuine test of verbal abilities, AA P performed significantly worse than their Euro-American counterparts, when not told it diagnosed ability, AA P scores weren’t significantly different, identification of AA identity decreased performance (saliency)

Explain one theory of the formation of stereotypes with reference to one study.

1st paragraph: Social perception of an individual (group membership/physically) (schema, in-group/out-group, illusory correlation, grain of truth hypothesis, confirmation bias)

2nd paragraph: P listened to statements about group A (26 pics) vs B (13 pics), statement was either + or -, same proportion in both groups, P asked how many people in each group had + vs. - traits, P tended to overestimate # of - traits in the minority group

Explain one ethical consideration in the study of the individual and the group.

1st paragraph: Undue stress or harm is what stress could potentially be caused that differs from everyday life

2nd paragraph: Bandura (already done) - imitation of aggression, reinforcement of gender norms, children shown adult abuse Bobo, children acted aggressively and demonstrated gender norms

Explain the use of one research method in the study of the individual and the group.

1st paragraph: Lab experiment, manipulable IV + measurable DV, repeated measures design

2nd paragraph: Hamilton + Gifford (already done) - ±statements, majority vs minority group, neg behaviors more distinct in minority group, stereotype formation

Explain one example of a potential influence of culture on one behavior or cognition.

1st paragraph: Individualism vs collectivism, how people’s behavior differs based on whether they were enculturated into a society that is I vs. C (dimensions, “I” vs “We”)

2nd paragraph: Berry - applied version of Asch Paradigm, conformity in two types of societies, Teme = rice farmers (C), Inuits = hunters + fishers (I), Scots = control, the collectivists had the highest rate of conformity, much more likely to conform when in their own group

Explain the role of one cultural dimension in behavior.

1st paragraph: How values of a society affect behavior (dimensions, power distance index, “I” vs “We”, rate of conformity)

2nd paragraph: Berry (already done) - dimensions groups vs control, line test (told that their group chose a specific line), C group chose wrong answer to be the same as their group, I did not

Explain one study of the enculturation of one behavior with reference to one study.

1st paragraph: Learning and maintenance of the behaviors and norms of our own culture (direct tuition, participatory learning)

2nd paragraph: Odden & Rochat - rank, hierarchy, longitudinal study, community = high power distance index, young males spend a lot of time watching fishing but with no direct instruction, children took initiative to mimic adults on their own, active observation of adults to learn cultural norms

Explain acculturation with reference to one study (“assimilation”).

1st paragraph: Learning + adoption of new cultures + norms that is the majority (integration, separation, marginalization, assimilation, relationship with home country vs new country)

2nd paragraph: Lueck & Wilson - variables that may predict accumulative stress, Asian American immigrants vs. 1st gen Americans, assessed many factors such as social status, family, socioeconomic status, 70% of sample had accumulative stress

Explain one ethical consideration in the study of cultural influences on behavior and/or cognition.

1st paragraph: natural experiment, researchers actively involved in the observations, longitudinal study, consent, debriefing

2nd paragraph: Odden & Rochat (already discussed) - children observed fishing from adults, mimicked this behavior on their own based on what they observed, no direct instruction, enculturation when learning how to fish

Explain the use of one research method in cultural influences on behavior and/or cognition.

1st paragraph: Natural experiment, longitudinal, observations

2nd paragraph: Odden & Rochat (already discussed) - children observed fishing from adults, mimicked this behavior on their own based on what they observed, no direct instruction, enculturation when learning how to fish