Studied by 0 people
Background
the Samoans are a Malayo-Polynesian language-speaking population living on an archipelago of volcanic high islands in the Pacific Ocean. in Samoa, people live close to each other and it is easy to observe others inside their own homes (privacy is not a Samoan value) another aspect of Samoan culture is that status differences between adults and children are huge compared to western standards (high power distance index) children are not likely to ask adults questions. adults normally do not instruct children, though children often accompany their parents to social events and work. parents expect children to observe and to learn. Samoan children are largely left to learn things on their own without adults attempting to motivate or organize their learning. as fishing lines, spears, and nets are limited, children do not practice fishing with adults.
Aim
to investigate how Samoan children were 'enculturated' by obersving their parents, other adults, older siblings, and peers (the role of social cognitive learning on the development of cultural norms in Samoa)
Participants
28 children (4-12 years) in a single Samoan village (as well as their caretakers and other adults surrounding these children)
Procedure
the researchers carried out a longitudinal study for 25 months researchers observed children in different contexts and conducted semi-structured interviews with adults and children the researchers looked at the behavior of line fishing and conceptual understanding of rank and hierarchy the also carried out a multiple-choice test
Results
researchers found through interviews that many of the children's skills (household chores like cooking and washing and fishing) had been acquired through observational learning. they found that young males spent a lot of time watching the adult males fish, receiving no direct instruction. they also found that children of around 10 years old would borrow the adults' fishing equipment and experiment on their own without any adult supervision. by age 12, most children were able to fish on their own children were skilled and learned from observation of adults and older children. Samoan children could learn rather abstract concepts by observing and listening to adults the children also had a reasonably good understanding of the complex hierarchal system although no one had taught them. it appeared that they also learned social rules regarding how to behave with people of higher rank according to observational learning as well. the children had a broad understanding of the concepts and the rituals of their society (according to multiple choice test)
Conclusion
it appears that cultural norms are not taught directly, but rather learned through the active observation by the children of the adults in the community although other cultures may have fewer status differences between parents and children, and although parents may tell and teach children about different aspects of their culture, it can be assumed that observational learning also plays a role in enculturation elsewhere
Method
method triangulation (longitudinal - interviews and observation)
Critical thinking: methodological considerations
strengths:
high credibility, aka internal validity (reliability, authenticity)
high ecological validity (specific to this experiment)
limitations:
time-consuming
difficult to generalize (emic study; low external validity)
low external validity
difficult to replicate
difficult to standardize
researcher bias (researchers might have given more weight to observations that confirmed their hypothesis, and less weight to observations that challenged it --> confirmation bias)
Critical thinking: alternative explanations
as the study did not take into account individual variability or the distinctive levels of closeness within different families (hence affecting the likelihood of teaching and helping each other), some children may have been more or less inclined/motivated to learn the skills depending on their personal expectations/role within the family and the society
as it was unclear exactly how the results were recorded, there may have been some discrepancies between the recorded data and the actual accuracy of the information (higher influence of globalization in one of the cultures)
Critical thinking: gender bias
the study does not exhibit gender bias as both men and women participated in the study, widening the generalizability and the scope of applications (general consequences of gender bias include scientifically misleading results, the upholding of stereotypical assumptions, and validation of sex discrimination)
Critical thinking: ethical considerations
the study was mostly ethical as there was presumably informed consent, the participants were not deceived, their identities remained confidential, they were debriefed, they could withdraw, and they were protected from harm
Critical thinking: cultural considerations
as this was an emic study, the results are difficult to generalize to other cultures despite being applicable to some cultures of similar societal structure bearing the same cultural dimensions; nevertheless, the fact that the islands are not WEIRD, it provides insight into the cultural differences stretching across the globe
Critical thinking: applications
the findings of the study apply to the further examination of enculturation and its impact on human relationships and communication, cultural dimensions on behavior, conformity, and hence explain the root of human behaviors like stereotyping and prejudice
can be used in the improvement of childrearing practices and in the developing understanding of the child mind
(these types of studies may, however, contribute to stereotypes or generalizations as the small sample of participants is not representative of all people within the investigated cultures) --> applies to the teaching of culturally acceptable views on behavior (through media)
How does this study demonstrate the aspects of enculturation?
this study clearly illustrates the aspects of enculturation of the behavior of fishing as Samoa identifies as a collectivist (group-centric) culture, meaning that there is a high power difference. while this influences the navigation of relationships (rooted in the inequality of the social hierarchy), the results imply that children resort to observational learning (based on the lack of communication between the superior adult and inferior child) by observing and ultimately imitating a role model according to oblique, vertical, and horizontal cultural transmission. the findings thus reinforce that child training practices encourage observational learning and participatory learning situations, rooted in the (in)direct tuition from role models.
