IB Psychology Yr 2 Vocab

culture

behaviors, attitudes, and identities that are common among a group of people that claim some form of unity

cultural norms

unique set of attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors specific to a particular culture

social norms

standards of expected behavior by groups, which appears to be a smaller subset of cultural norms

surface culture

culture we can observe, behavior and artifacts (architecture, culture, and traditions)

deep culture

cognitive elements of culture - Norms, Assumptions, Beliefs, Values (eg. gender roles, respect for authority, & rules/concepts of social identity and the self)

etic approach

studying culture from an outside perspective, good for cross-cultural study such as Hofstede and Schwartz

emic approach

trying to understand a culture from within, good for anthropologists, tries to understand culture specific behaviors

culture of honor

a culture where physical strength and social reputation are paramount and when they are threatened a violent response is expected

enculturation

the process by which individuals learn their own culture

acculturation

the process of psychological and cultural change that happens with different cultures

dimensions of culture - individualism-collectivism

individualistic cultures define identity based on personal characteristics. autonomy, competitiveness, & self-sufficiency are values vs. collectivist cultures identity is more connected to social groups where one’s responsibilities to the group holds more importance than traits from an individualistic culture

dimensions of culture - masculinity-femininity

cultures high in masculinity value masculine concepts, such as achievement, competitiveness, and autonomy vs. cultures high in femininity value concepts like cooperation, caring, and compassion. “Femininity stands for society in which gender roles overlap: both men & women are supposed to be modest, tender, & concerned w/ the quality of life” - Hofstede

dimensions of culture - power distance index

measures the level to which the less powerful (cultures high in power distance) accept and expect power to be distributed unequally. cultures low in PDI don’t accept inequality w/out justification & members prefer an equal distribution of power

dimensions of culture - uncertainty avoidance 

describes how cultures tolerate uncertainty/anxiety in which a culture high in uncertainty avoidance likes to avoid anything that makes them uncertain/anxious, thus being less risky, more organized, etc.

dimensions of culture - long-term vs. short-term orientation

describes how a culture values time, with long term emphasizing the future & makes decisions that consider the future, while short term focus on the past & tradition for guidance

dimensions of culture - indulgence vs. restraint

describes a society’s approach to satisfying human desires. an indulgent society values the enjoyment of natural human drives (freedom, fun, sex, etc) vs. restrained society focus on conservative personal gratification, self-control & hard work

social cognitive theory

explains how people learn by watching & observing others, especially if they get rewarded or punished

stereotypes

oversimplified & fixed ideas about a group of people, often based on assumptions and can lead to unfair judgments

social identity theory

states that part of our identity comes from the groups we belong to, favoring our own group (in-group) and may view other groups (out-groups) less positively

conformity

when someone changes their behavior or beliefs to match those of a group, often to fit in or avoid standing out