Introduction to The Sociocultural Approach (assumptions + research methods)

What is the sociocultural approach?

views individual behaviour and mental processes as being shaped by social interactions, cultural context, and group influences

5 assumptions of the sociocultural approach

1. culture influences human behaviour

2. Human beings are social animals and we have a basic need to “belong”

3. Our behaviour is influenced by others, even when we believe that we are acting independently

4. Social context are situational factors play a key role in human behaviour

5. We have an individual and a social self

• People do not only have an individual identity but also a collective or social identity depending on their various group relationships

• Social identities can define who we are and many of an individual behaviour are determined by their membership in groups (family, community, club, nationality)

What is reciprocal determinism?

• proposed by Albert Bandura

• bidirectional relationship between the individual and a group

• the individual is affected by being part of the group and can also affect behaviour in the group

What is culture?

the norms and values that define a specific group or even a society

What is the goal of research in the sociocultural approach?

to see how people interact and influence each other

Do researchers studying in the sociocultural approach use qualitative or quantitative research?

• qualitative research

• tends to be more holistic, reporting much richer detail about the lives of individual participants

• allows researchers to better understand the participants’ perspective

What is a naturalistic study?

• study conducted in an environment in which the behaviour is most likely to occur allowing for behaviour to be realistic 

• cannot control for extraneous variables

• no manipulation of IV so they cannot determine a cause-and-effect relationship

  • however, can examine trends within several similar studies which may be representative of a certain group in a specific context

What are observations?

• Participant (observation):

  • when the researcher immerse themselves in a social setting for an extended period of time to observe behaviour

• Overt (observation): 

  • researcher gains trust and consent of a group that is being observed

  • the group is aware that they’re being observed

• Couvert (observations):

  • done through deception and without the consent of the people being observed

  • sometimes used within small groups that would be hostile to outsiders observing their behaviour

  • the group is unaware that they’re being observed