key concepts and processes of cultural transmission

define culture

shared way of life of a group of people. includes norms, values, beliefs and language.

define cultural relativity

the idea that what is normal in one culture, is different in another

define cultural universal

social behaviours that can be found in all cultures

define norms

expected behaviour in a particular situation or culture, social rules for correct behaviour

define values

shared beliefs that societies see as important and worthwhile. generalised beliefs and goals on how to behave. powerful beliefs that most people agree on

define morals

ideas about what behaviour is right and wrong

define roles

expected behaviour by someone in a situation

define role models

someone who is respected or looked up to by someone

define status

position/ level of importance or prestige in society

define identity

how you see yourself and how others see you

what transmits norms and values? (4)

school, family, peer group, media

how does school transmit norms and values?

formal social control (discipline within lessons and by staff), informal social control (peer group pressure)

what did Durkheim think was one of the main functions of education?

passing on society's norms and values

how does the family transmit norms and values?

children imitate family members as they are seen by them as role models, children are rewarded for socially accepted behaviour, children are punished for socially deviant behaviour

how do peer groups pass on norms and values?

peer groups have their own norms and values and so can influence the choices of members, can alter behaviour of members as they can conform to fit in

how does the media pass on norms and values?

children are influenced by role models in media, can copy behaviour shown in the media, can alter the way people think about other groups in society depending on how they are presented.

how are norms taught through primary socialisation?

gender norms are learnt via canalisation and manipulation, norms related to ethnicity are learnt within the family

what is manipulation?

when parents deter child's behaviour in regards to gender

give an example of how when norms related to ethnicity are learnt?

Ghuman found that first generation Asian parents socialised their children into Asian values rather than British ones.

how do norms and values relate?

norms teach what behaviour is appropriate to achieve values.

what is an ascribed status?

A status that is inherited or involuntarily applied to an individual.

what is an achieved status?

a voluntary status that is acquired via education and work.

who created the concept of achieved and ascribed statuses?

Ralph Linton

outline 5 key beliefs of the nature over nurture theory:

behaviour is innate/ natural, instincts are evident that some behaviour is innate, some behaviour is a part of our genetic make up, animals with the same genes look and behave the same way, twins often share similar characteristivd

outline 5 key beliefs of the nurture over nature theory:

behaviour is learnt through agencies of socialisation and is a result of our upbringing in society, feral children do not have basic skills naturally and therefore must be taught them, cultural diversity shows that cultures are different all over the world and so people must be taught this., human behaviour has changed over time and throughout history, women are supposed to have maternal instinct but some abuse and abandon their babies.

what is socialisation?

socialisation is the process of learning the expected rules, norms and values of society

what is primary socialisation?

Socialisation from birth - occurs within the family, learn fundamental norms and values

what are five things that make primary socialisation important?

norms and values, teaches what behaviour is acceptable, feral children demonstrate that w/o primary socialisation, it is difficult to fit into society, teaches children what is expected of them, without socialisation, there would be chaos in society

what is canalisation?

the way parents channel their child's interests in activities or toys in conjunction with gender as deemed appropriate

what are verbal appellations?

Words used to describe children that have an association to their gender like "brave boy", Oakly found this

what are 5 ways that children learn society's norms through primary socialisation?

manipulation, canalisation, negative and positive sanctions, verbal appellations, role modelling and immitation

What can happen if a child is not effectively socialised at a young age?

it can produce feral children

what happens to primary socialisation as you get older?

the family can become less influential, young people begin to spend a great amount of time at school, meaning that it can become very influential, children are exposed to more forms of media as they grow up

A03 about whether primary socialisation has an impact on gender socialisation:

not all children accept the gender stereotypes that they are raised with, many children are raised in feminist households and therefore not a gender stereotypical way

what is an agency of socialisation?

people, groups or institutions that play a part in the process of socialisation

what is secondary socialisation?

this is where people learn expected norms and values and behaviours outside of the family. it usually occurs later in childhood and adulthood

what is formal socialisation?

socialisation that deliberately set out to change how others behave

what is informal socialisation?

what a person learns about their culture, norms and values as they go about their daily life. these happen by chance and are not deliberately set out to socialise people.

what are three ways that the media socialises people?

advertisements can enforce gender stereotypes and influence social attitudes towards class, age etc e.g adverts such as "mums go to Iceland" can reinforce gender roles, it could be argued that media has a direct influence on those who watch it, especially when it comes to violence, Susie Orbach and Naiomi Wold claim that media can influence our ideas of norms with the female body as women are portrayed unrealistically online

what is A03 for the media causing negative socialisation?

Jock Young believes that seeing the effects of violence in he media can prevent people from being violent because they can see the pin that it causes others, a study in St Helena by Charlton et al showed that there was no difference between children's behaviour before and after television was introduced to the colony, some sociologists such as Joke Hermes believes that people can reject media messages and therefore influences about gender stereotypes

how is religion an agent of socialisation?

religion can teach norms, values and behaviours depending on the following of that religion, can provide a moral code (e.g Ten Commandments in Christianity), informal control as they reinforce the norms of good or bad actions, religion can reinforce social class with beliefs that God made these positions in society for a reason

what is A03 for the belief that religion is an important agent of socialisation?

Parsons ignore the side of religion that causes conflict and divisive societies, memberships of churches has decrease of there last twenty years by over 1 million, the number of people who marry in a Church is getting lower and lower, secularisation has affected society's views on divorce and cohabitation

what does Frank Furedi say about gender stereotypes and education?

he says that studying isn't viewed as masculine and so boys can internalise this, even though these norms are generally unconscious, they are very influential and can cause boys to have low expectations in education, this is shown when 30k more girls were excepted for university than boys

what is a feral child?

a child that has been neglected by their family or may have been raised by animals or may have ben brought up in isolation without human contact

what are the three types of feral children?

isolated children, confined children, children raised by animals

why might feral children find it hard to fit in in society?

may not walk like other humans, may not be able to speak, may find other humans frightening and therefore not want to mix with other humans, may not eat like other people in society

why do cases of feral children support the nurture side of nature vs nurture?

feral children often walk on all fours and eat raw meat, they often have no language skills, some cannot learn language or speak in full sentences as they have been neglected so severely

Give a case study on a feral child:

.

what is gender?

a social construct that is defined by society and refers to the norms and characteristics that are associated with being male or female.

what is gender identity?

how we think of ourselves and how others think of us in terms of gender.

what is the difference between sex and gender?

Sex is biological and physiological; gender is socially constructed and learned.

what is identity?

a sense of self, how we see ourselves and how others see us. they are largely socially constructed by the agents of socialisation

identify and explain two ways in which schools pass on gender identities:

some subjects are portrayed for certain genders. for example, humanities and English often have female teachers…portraying this role for females and sciences and maths may be dominated by male teachers, textbooks can contain gender stereotypes. books in the scheme of work can portray women or men in different roles or doing different tasks

what is gender socialisation?

children are taught how to act as society deems appropriate according to their sex

how do schools socialise people into their gender roles?

uniforms -- in some schools, only boys can wear trousers, subject- boys are often encouraged more to choose sciences and maths, gendered regimes - girls play netball and boys play rugby, teaching has become more feminine as women are more likely to be teachers…this gives girls positive role models, labelling theory, careers advice and encourage women and men into certain jobs/roles

how do peer groups socialise people into their gender roles?

peer pressure to conform to social norms, need to fit in and imitation, informal sanctions for not following gender norms

how does mass media socialise people into their gender norms?

stereotyping portrayals, role modelling, children's tv shows/interacting games, imitating stereotypical gender roles

how does the workplace socialise people into their gender norms?

sanctions and rewards (e.g promotions), types of work can socialise people, income, glass ceiling

how does religion socialise people into their gender norms?

norms, values and beliefs, key holy figures, dress codes, moral codes

What was Margaret Mead's major finding while studying three Papua New Guinea Cultures?

the Tchambuli tribe had gender roles that were the opposite of the western world, men were quiet and gossiped, women were bossy and looked after finances, she found that gender was different between each tribe, suggesting that gender roles are influenced by culture

how is class identity found?

family-restricted or elaborated codeschool- through setting or streaming, labelling and teacher expectations, media- soap operas, documentaries and the news, school- through setting or streaming, labelling and teacher expectations, media- soap operas, documentaries and the news

how is ethnic identity found?

family- food eaten, religion followed, school- they my teach the language of the country, media- some ethnic minorities may be portrayed negatively

how is national identity found?

family-language spoken at home, festivals celebrated, films watched together, school-assemblies, school holidays, national festivals, media- shows national sporting events, important occasions such as Remembrance Day

what is social control?

ways in which society tries to make sure that its members conform to laws, rules and norms

how does the family control its members?

sanctions

how do peer groups control their members?

sanctions such as leaving certain friends out when they go against the peer's norms and values

how does the local community control its members?

there can be disapproval of other members in the community

how do schools control its students?

disapproval of teachers, criticism, sanctions such as detentions, warnings and isolations teach students the behaviour that is and isn't accepted in the school

how does the media act as an informal agent of social control?

the media perpetuates the views that it wants you to see, TV news and online news varies from site to site, some news isn't reported on or is less emphasised as the media only wants to show you certain stuff, talk about murderers and criminals going to prison keep people in line as they learn about the terrible stuff other people do

what are some of the formal agents of social control?

police, courts, government, prisons and other sanctions

how does the police control society?

right to arrest means they can enforce the law, can investigate crime

how does the government control society?

the government controls society by making laws and regulating society's behaviour

how do the courts control society?

the courts control society by deciding what punishment people receive

how do prisons and other legal sanctions control society?

the prisons punish people and deter others from breaking the law

what are three ways that the formal agents of social control are considered powerful?

they can bring about very serious and negative consequences for those who break the law, the government is the one who actually is able to make these laws and punishments and therefore determine the future of law breakers, the courts can implement these laws and sentence people to prison

what are three ways that informal agents of control have power???

people can go against the formal agents of social control (e.g Croydon Riots), if the other agencies of social control where effective then we would not need prisons, the family has a closer relationship with people and therefore can be more effective

give A02 for whether the prison system is effective?

"Women in Prison" believes that prison is failing women as 46% of women who enter prison re-offend within a year of leaving prison, in 2017 84% of women had committed non-violent offences, Women in Prison argues that women who do not create a risk to society should not be imprisoned