Psych - sociocultural approach keywords

Emic approach

Focuses on the perspectives and words of participants. Researchers using this approach will use accounts and descriptions given in the very words used by members of the group/culture being studied.

Etic approach

Focuses on the universal. it uses as its starting point theories and concepts from outside of the setting being studied. It allows for a more general cross-cultural concepts to emerge.

Social identity theory (SIT)

The way someone thinks about themselves and evaluates themselves in relation to groups.

→Posits that a person's sense of who they are is based on their membership of social groups.

Categorisation

(A process in the SIT.)

A process of organising objects and people (including ourselves) into groups. Social categories are used as they describe important attributes to that person. Groups consist of their members following norm of behahviour

Social identification

( A process of SIT)

When we adopt the identity of ’our’ group. Our self-esteem is linked to our groups and help define who we are.

Social comparison

(A process of SIT)

Involves comparing your group with others. To maintain or improve your self-esteem, your group needs to compare well with others.

Social representation theory

Now we make sense of the world. Similar to cognitive schemas but are instead applied to a group.

They establish a common understanding between group members and they contain all information about the identity of the group and how it functions in society.

Social cognitive theory

Suggests behaviour is modelled by other members of a group and acquired through observation or limitation based on the consequences of a behaviour.

External reinforcement

If a someone wants approval from parents or friends

Internal reinforcement

Feeling happy about someone's approval.

Vicarious reinforcement

When someone takes into account what happens to other people when deciding whether or not to copy that persons actions.

Self-efficacy

The importance of a person's perception of their chances of success based on their previous experiences.

The theory of stereotype threat

Internalised stereotypes could influence an individual's self-perception and behaviour in negative ways.

Stereotype - cardwell (1996)

A fixed, over generalised belief about a particular group of people.

They can be considered as a schema.

Theory of illusory correlation - Hamilton & Gifford (1976)

Distinguishes between stereotyping as the encoding of new information and stereotyping as the application of existing knowledge.

They focus on the formation of new stereotypes which are the result of illusory correlations. These are triggered when two fairly infrequent situations/events take place at the same time.

Grain of truth hypothesis - cambell (1967)

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

Gatekeeper theory - Campbell (1967)

The gatekeeper decides what information should move to group / individual and what information should not.

→ they use stereotypes to define groups and their members, and these stereotypes became part of the culture and are seen as ‘true’

Matsumoto and Juang’s (2004) definition of culture

A dynamic system of rules, explicit and implicit, established by groups to ensure their survival, involving attitudes, values, beliefs, norms and behaviours.

A dynamic culture

Constantly shifting in response to environment and social changes.

Cultural norms

Patterns of behaviour typical to specific groups and are passed down from generations by ’gatekeepers’.

→ they influence almost every element of life, either visibly or less visibly

Surface culture

Aspects of culture that can be easily observed by members of that culture and by outsiders.

→ eg. Food, dress, music, crafts, literature, language, celebrations and games.

Deep culture

Beliefs, values and thought processes that can be easily understood by members of that culture but may be less accessible to outsiders. These invisible aspects influence the visible aspects of surface culture.

→ concepts of time, ideas about personal space, types and forms of non-verbal communications, ideas about child-reaving, the nature of friendships and the concept of self

Cultural dimensions - hosted (1960’s-1970’s)

Distinguished four ‘cultural dimensions’ by which life in a society is organised.

→ Includes: power distance, individualism vs collectivism, masculinity vs femininity, uncertainty vs avoidance. Two more were added later: long-term vs short-term orientation, indulgence vs restraint

Power distance

The extent to which people in societies accept, or do not accept, a hierarchical order in which everybody has a place and heeds no further justification.

Individualism vs collectivism

The extent to which people prefer a loosely knit social framework that individuals are expected to take care of themselves and their immediate family or a lightly knit framework where individuals can expect their relatives or members of a particular in-group to look after them in exchange for loyalty.

Masculinity Vs femininity

The extent to which society is competitive (masculine) or cooperative (feminine)

Uncertainty Vs avoidance

The extent to which members of a society feel uncomfortable with uncertainty and ambiguity. How society deals with the unknown future. A society high in uncertainly avoidance tries to control people's behaviour through rigid codes of beliefs and is intolerant of unconventional ideas.

Long-term Vs short-term orientation

The extent to which culture values the long term over the short term. Values future rewards, persistence and perseverance, thrift and the ability to adapt to changed circumstances = long-term. Values the past and the present, national pride, respect for tradition, fulfilling social obligations and the role of religion = short-term

Indulgence Vs restraint

The attitude of a culture to the gratification of natural human drives related to enjoying life and having fun. Restraint stands for a society that surpasses gratification of needs and regulates drives by means of street social norms.

Compliance (in regards to individualism/ collectivism)

The act of responding favourably to an explicit or implicit request by others.

Socialisation

A process of learning the social norms of a culture.

Enculturation

A lifelong process that helps a person acquire social values, social norms, behaviours, social roles, expectations, language and other tools of a culture.

This is how we acquire our first culture and it is a conscious and unconscious conditioning process.

(Where you acquire your own culture)

Acculturation

A process of a socialisation and psychological adjustment that takes place when two cultures come into contact.

This is how we acquire our second or third culture.

(The merging of two cultures)

Globalisation

The increasing interconnectedness of people worldwide through growing international exchange.

→ a powerful force comprised of various dimensions, including economic, political, socialcultural, technological and environmental.