Sociocultural Unit Studies

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1
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Berry (1967)

Aim

To measure the difference in conformity levels between cultures of varying collectivist/individualist scores.

Method

Quasi-experiment

Procedure

  • Sample of Temne, Inuit, and Scottish participants

  • Participants were shown a set of lines and asked to find which one had the same length as a different line

    • There were a few practice trials of this before researchers collected actual experimental data

  • Researchers told participants that members of their community chose a certain option which happened to be incorrect

    • Participants would then pick the line with the same length again

Results

Temne participants had the highest conformity levels, Scottish participants were in-between, and Inuit participants had the lowest conformity levels.

Conclusion

  • Difference in conformity rates reflects the cultural values of each group

  • Temne individuals value their group membership more (collectivist trait) and will therefore be more likely to change their answer to support their group

  • Inuit individuals value group membership less (individualist trait) and will therefore be less likely to conform with their group

Strengths

  • Translations and pre-trial tests increase the participants’ comprehension of the task and therefore accuracy of their responses

  • Providing consideration of traditional and transitional factors increases relevancy to status quo by demonstrating the limited effect of globalization

Limitations

  • Lacks temporal validity since it is an older study and uses Asch's test which was also developed a long time ago

  • The etic approach reduces operationalization’s efficacy since individuals’ traits may not reflect that of the culture overall

2
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Meeuwsen, van den Brink-Muinen, and Hofstede (2009)

Aim

To investigate if and how Hofstede’s cultural dimensions impact the medical communication and dynamics between patients and doctors.

Method

Naturalistic overt observation

Procedure

  • ~300 medical practitioners and ~6,000 patients from Belgium, Estonia, Poland, ect. participated

  • Researchers used Roter’s interaction analysis system (RIAS) to assess medical communication from videotapes

  • Participants received questionnaires to inform about the demographic

Results

High PDI countries tended to have shorter communication between doctors and patients, less eye-contact, and less unexpected information exchange.

Conclusion

  • The high PDI countries had more strictly defined roles for the doctor and patient where the doctor holds much greater power

  • The resulting communication is thus also more fixed and leads to the results of less overall discussion/back-channeling

Strengths

  • The use of a third-party source to analyze data (RIAS) reduces researcher bias

  • Larger sample size allows for greater generalizability to European population (given that this is the sample used)

Limitations

  • Social desirability effect may impact doctors’ and patients’ actions since they want to be viewed more positively

  • One of the researchers developed the theory being tested, potentially leading to researcher bias

    • This is somewhat reduced by the use of researcher triangulation

3
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Kulkofsky et al. (2011)

Aim

To examine the connection between the cultural dimension of individualism/collectivism on the formation of flashbulb memories

Method

Questionnaire

Procedure

  • Participants had five minutes for a free-recall of public events in their lives

  • They then provided information about these memories including when the event occurred and certain other details

  • They also had to rate how nationally important or personally important the event was

  • Questionnaire also included important information about repetition, an important aspect of flashbulb memories

Results

  • Personal importance and emotional intensity had less predictive value for flashbulb memories

  • Individualistic participants tended to have more personally important memories

Conclusion

  • Collectivist participants de-emphasize individuals’ personal experiences, leading to less rehearsal of personal events

  • This then lowers the chance of developing a flashbulb memory

Strengths

  • Questionnaires were translated and back-translated, allowing for participants to provide more accurate responses

    • Overall, increases the research’s credibility

Limitations

  • Collectivist culture was represented solely by Chinese participants and thus the results may reflect Chinese culture instead of collectivist culture overall

    • Lower generalizability to other populations

  • Ecological fallacy of participants behaving according to a general cultural standard of collectivism/individualism

4
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Bandura, Ross, and Ross (1961)

Aim

To investigate whether behaviours can be learned vicariously through a model and to find if the similarities of the model to the individual influences this learning.

Method

Matched-pairs designed true laboratory experiment

Procedure

  • Participants were ranked on aggression levels and this value was used to determine participant allocation to different conditions

  • Participants were placed in one of eight conditions

    • Aggressive conditions involved participants watching an adult display verbal and physical violence towards a bobo doll

    • Non-aggressive conditions involved participants watching an adult play with toys

    • Participants were either shown a model with the same or different gender as themselves

  • Participants then entered a similar room as the one with the model

    • This room had both non-aggressive (teddy bears, crayons) and aggressive (mallet, dart guns) toys

    • Two researchers made notes on the child’s behaviour over 20 minutes

Results

  • Participants exposed to a violent model were more likely to engage in aggressive behaviour

  • Participants were even more likely to act violently if they were the same gender as the model

Conclusion

  • Exposure to model allowed for the attention and retention aspect of SCT to occur

    • This would then allow for repetition in the future

  • Self-efficacy of participants increases with relatability of model which then enhances the probability of repetition

Strengths

  • The use of researcher triangulation (two observers) and single-blind nature of the study reduces researcher bias

  • The study’s results parallels similar research such as Rosenblith (1959) and real world data, indicating high external validity

Limitations

  • Children tend not to be left alone in laboratory settings, leading to low mundane realism and therefore low applicability to real-world settings

  • The sample only included children of Stanford staff and thus the sample is not representative of the general population

    • The participants are likely wealthier and more educated than the average individual

5
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Kimball (1986)

Aim

To find if access to television can change a community’s level of gender stereotyping.

Method

Natural experiment

Procedure

  • Surveys provided to ~500 children living in three different cities

    • Multitel had multiple TV channels

    • Unitel had one TV channel

    • Notel had no TV reception although they were set to receive it

  • Participants level of gender stereotyping was measured using the Sex Role Differentiation (SRD) scale

    • This scale involved aspects such as appropriateness of certain behaviours for boys vs. girls and how often their parents perform certain tasks

Results

  • Notel participants originally had more egalitarian gender attitudes (lower SRD scale scores)

  • After the introduction of TV, Notel participants had higher SRD scores, indicating stronger gender stereotypes

Conclusion

  • Participants have exposure to a new set of models from TV access

    • These models may act according to gender stereotypes, allowing for these behaviours to be retained by children

    • Children may then exhibit these behaviours as well through learning them vicariously

Strengths

  • High ecological validity due to real-world setting and minimal researcher intervention

Limitations

  • Researchers cannot know what individuals tended to watch on TV and therefore cannot ensure that the models shown actually promoted gender stereotypes

    • This is an example of poor operationalization

  • Self-reported data allows for demand characteristics and social desirability effect

    • Participants are likely to understand the study’s true aim since they can infer from the contents of their questionnaires

6
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Tajfel et al. (1971)

Aim

To investigate if in-group favouritism exists and how it impacts behaviour.

Method

True laboratory experiment

Procedure

  • Participants were artificially categorized into groups

    • Each participant estimated the number of dots on a sheet of paper

    • Individuals who had low estimates were placed in one group while those with high estimates were placed in another

  • Individuals participated in a resource-allocation task where they would distribute a set amount of money between a member of their group and a member of the out-group

  • The second part split participants by their preference of painting

  • An altered resource allocation test was conducted where out-groups would receive more resources if the in-group also receives more resources

Results

  • For the first part of the study, participants tended to give more resources to in-group members

  • For the second part, participants gave less resources overall

    • This allowed for all groups to receive less

Conclusion

  • Preference towards in-group suggests that a social identity is created towards that group

  • The willingness to reduce the in-group’s resources to minimize the out-group’s resources also implies discrimination towards the out-group

    • Further shows that individuals distinguish between in-groups and out-groups

Strengths

  • The highly controlled conditions allows for easier replicability and therefore reliability

  • The study has minimal confounding variables due to laboratory conditions

Limitations

  • Low mundane realism since individuals tend not to have such recently established in-groups and out-groups

  • Demand characteristics and social desirability bias may impact participants’ responses

7
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Abrams et al. (1990)

Aim

To investigate if in-group identity would have an impact on one’s likelihood to conform.

Method

True laboratory experiment

Procedure

  • Participants consisted of first-year psychology students

    • Participants were either told that confederates were other psychology students or history students

  • Asch’s conformity test was used with participants either writing down or speaking their responses

    • Confederates would provide unanimous incorrect answers half of the time

Results

  • Conformity was higher in the in-group condition

  • There was no significant different between the private response conditions

Conclusion

  • Differences in behaviour between conditions establishes that individuals distinguish between in-groups and out-groups

  • The categorization is based on perceived similarities and differences

Strengths

  • The use of actual university students as confederates increases mundane reality

    • This demographic accurately reflects the participants’ peers

  • Greater comparability to other conformity research due to constant use of Asch’s conformity test in this field of research

Limitations

  • Demand characteristics caused by participants’ awareness of Asch’s conformity test

    • Psychology students are likely interested in the field and may have prior knowledge

    • Asch’s conformity test is both old and rather popular

  • High cultural bias due to use of only Western participants

    • Also are university students who are not representative of the general population

    • Students tend to be richer, younger, and more educated than the average individual

8
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Steele and Aronson (1995)

Aim

To investigate the effects of stereotype threat on Black American students and their academic performance.

Method

True laboratory experiment

Procedure

  • Participants took a test from the General Record Examination

    • The test was either framed as a test of intelligence or a problem-solving task

  • Participants were either Black or White

Results

  • There was no significant difference between Black and White participants in the ‘problem-solving’ condition

  • Black participants performed significantly worse in the ‘test of intelligence’ condition

Conclusion

  • The worsened performance can be attributed to stereotype threat

  • The stereotype that Black individuals lack intelligence and therefore experience stress that they will confirm the stereotype

    • This stereotype is enhanced by having be salient after the researchers explicitly stated the test’s purpose

    • The stress then leads to lowered performance

Strengths

  • Although the study is a true laboratory experiment, it still has high external validity

    • Testing situations are also generally very rigidly structured

  • The study’s context is very applicable to real-life situations

Limitations

  • Use of only Stanford students in sample may be unrepresentative

    • Highly successful students may have more self-efficacy overall due to previous successes and therefore suffer less from stereotype threat

  • Operationalization of stereotype threat may be incorrect

    • The study did not test for the salience of the stereotype or racial identity

9
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Stone (2002)

Aim

To find if the way a sport is framed affects the performance of different racial groups based on stereotype threat.

Method

Field experiment

Procedure

  • Students rated their athletic ability relative to their peers’ on a Likert scale

    • Only students with above average athletic ability who did not play golf were recruited

  • Participants then participated in a golfing task that was either framed as a ‘sports intelligence’ or ‘athletic ability’ test

Results

  • White participants practiced less in the ‘athletic ability’ condition

  • Black participants scored lower in the ‘sports intelligence’ condition

Conclusion

  • By practicing less in the ‘athletic ability’ condition, White participants engage in self-sabotage

    • This allows them to have a method to explain their scores if they perform poorly

    • Allows for self-esteem to be maintained, an aspect of social cognition

  • Stereotype threat may cause stress to Black participants in ‘sports intelligence’ condition

    • Leads to lower performance

Strengths

  • The public setting of the experiment makes it more realistic

    • Individuals may feel judged and be more likely to self-handicap to appear better in front of others

Limitations

  • The stereotypes between Black and White individuals is the product of their history and previous events

    • The stereotype dynamic is unique to these groups and cannot be applied to other stereotypes

  • Interpretation may be subject to researcher bias

    • White participants’ lack of practice was interpreted as self-handicapping

    • May also reflect their confidence in performing well

10
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Smith and Lloyd (1978)

Aim

To investigate if the effects of gender labelling would impact toy choices.

Method

True laboratory experiment

Procedure

  • A set of primiparous mothers interacted with cross-dressed babies

    • Babies were given names and outfits indicating the opposite gender

  • Within the room, several masculine, feminine, and gender neutral toys could be used

    • These gender designations were provided by third-party individuals

  • Videotapes and written records were used to collect data

Results

  • Participants tended to use toys with the associations of the child’s perceived gender

  • Mothers tended to encourage physical activity more often with perceived male babies

Conclusion

  • These actions imply that enculturation of gender may be learned directly through parent figures

Strengths

  • Use of babies as confederates improves internal validity

    • There cannot be any demand characteristics since the baby cannot understand the study

  • Similar research has yielded the same results, increasing reliability

Limitations

  • Mothers may not be adequately deceived by the cross-dressing

    • Studies such as Doucet et al. (2009) suggest that information exchange may occur through pheromones

    • This may indicate about the baby’s actual sex

  • Demand characteristics may impact how participants treat the children

    • They may act in a manner they believe is more socially acceptable since they are being watched

11
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Fagot (1978)

Aim

To determine the influence of parents in the development of gender-roles in young children.

Method

A series of overt, naturalistic observations and a questionnaire

Procedure

  • A sample of 24 families with a child between 20 and 24 months old

  • Observers noted child’s behaviour every 60 seconds from a list of possible behaviours

  • A questionnaire collected information on parents’ views on gender stereotypes and sex role socialization

Results

  • Parents reacted more favorably when their children engaged in same-sex preferred behaviour

  • Parents reacted less favorably when their children engaged in cross-sex preferred behaviours

Conclusion

  • These reactions may help perpetuate gender stereotypes and norms in children

  • An example of direct tuition adding to children’s enculturation

Strengths

  • The naturalistic setting of a playground adds to mundane realism, increasing external validity

    • This situation also mitigates social desirability bias

    • Similar to the observers in the study, parents may also feel judged by other families in public settings

  • Use of researcher triangulation during observation helps reduce researcher bias

Limitations

  • Results cannot be extrapolated to more personal situations (eg. at home) where parents do not feel judged

  • Parents were all affiliated with the university and are therefore likely wealthier and more educated than the average person

12
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Lueck and Wilson (2010)

Aim

To investigate the variables that may predict acculturative stress in Asian American immigrants

Method

Semi-structured interviews

Procedure

  • The sample included both first and second-generation immigrants

    • Allows for acculturation gap to be examined

  • Interviewers familiar with participants’ language and culture conducted interviews

  • The interviews asked about the level of acculturative stress experienced and possible risk/protective factors

  • A sample of participants then reviewed their responses for correctness later

Results

  • 70% of participants indicated experiencing acculturative stress

  • Bilingualism and sharing similar beliefs/values with family reduced stress

  • Discrimination and a strong preference for only speaking English increased stress

Conclusion

  • Being able to speak multiple languages allows for connection in both cultures and may lead to integration instead of assimilation

  • Similar beliefs as family helps maintain connection to original culture, providing support for issues of acculturation

  • An inability to fit into both cultures (monolingualism and discrimination) increases the negative impacts of acculturation

Strengths

  • Semi-structured interview structure allows for unexpected information to be collected, increasing the credibility of data

  • Use of multiple interviewers reduces researcher bias

Limitations

  • Interviewers may interpret or misinterpret answers based on pre-existing beliefs and schema

    • Somewhat mitigated by having some participants review their responses and validate their correctness

  • Levels of acculturative stress may lack some construct validity

13
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Shah et al. (2015)

Aim

To study the association between acculturation and obesity rates in South Asian immigrants.

Method

Questionnaire

Procedure

  • 1375 male migrant workers who had lived in the UAE for over 6 years had their BMI calculated

    • These values were based on WHO’s standards

  • Participants were enrolled at a health examination centre where each third person was asked to join the study

Results

  • Migrants had a higher BMI than native citizens and those from the immigrants’ home country

  • The longer a migrant had lived in the UAE, the higher their BMI was

Conclusion

  • Acculturation is known to cause unhealthy eating behaviours which could lead to conditions such as obesity

    • Immigrants may be unable to access their cultural food and be unaccustomed to the UAE’s food

    • They may then eat more fast food which leads to the increased BMI

Strengths

  • Large sample sizes allows for improved internal validity

  • The focus of South Asia is uncommon for much of psychology research

    • Allows for a broader view of acculturation in multiple cultures when viewed in conjunction with other research

Limitations

  • Lowered construct validity since time spent in the new culture is not the only factor impacting acculturation levels

    • Connections with other individuals and ties to original culture were not measured

  • May not be very generalizable since the sample excludes other immigrant populations such as women and children

14
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Buchan et al. (2011)

Aim

To determine if one’s identification with global culture can influence willingness to cooperate.

Method

Quasi-experiment

Procedure

  • 1122 participants from various cultures were found via quota sampling

  • Participants could allocate tokens representing money to themselves, participants in their community, participants in their country, or participants in other parts of the world

    • Tokens provided to the broader population would have a greater monetary value overall

    • The tokens for the larger community would be split among a larger amount of people

    • Investing in the greater community would lead to less returns for oneself but the greatest overall benefit for all participants

  • Participants filled out a questionnaire pertaining to their concern on local, national, and global issues

    • This questionnaire helped inform the extent of their global social identity

Results

  • Those with higher global social identity scores tended to invest more in the global community

    • These participants tended to forgo personal interest to provide more resources for the broader population

Conclusion

  • High global social identity participants may view all people as part of their in-group

    • This causes them to feel more connected to them and therefore act more altruistically

    • Overall, this indicates that globalization and the global identity caused by it can change individual’s behaviour

Strengths

  • The large and cross-cultural sample allows for the results to be generalized

    • This is especially important for research on globalization since this is an inherently universal concept

    • The use of participants from both urban and non-urban regions help provide information on people with varying degrees of global social identity

  • The operationalization of global social identity used is common in other research, allowing for them to be more comparable

    • Ensures that determining experimental reliability is possible

Limitations

  • Having participants fill out the questionnaire after they made their choices would increase their identity saliency towards the options they chose

    • This may artificially exacerbate the statistical significance found

  • Participants may not be as engaged in the study as with real life

    • The amount of money distributed may be considered insignificant to many participants and they therefore will not put much effort into their choices

    • The value of the money may vary from location to location, reducing consistency across participants

15
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Norasakkunkit and Uchida (2014)

Aim

To find if globalization has an effect on the rise of hikikomori in Japan.

Method

Questionnaire

Procedure

  • A set of 195 Japanese students were tested for risk of developing hikikomori

  • They also filled out a survey on their alignment with the values of Japanese culture and their community

    • This test examined their perceptions of their current self, ideal self, and general Japanese society

    • They were also tested on identification with Japanese and global culture

Results

  • Participants considered high-risk for hikikomori rated their current self as having low social harmony, an important trait in Japanese culture

    • All participants considered social harmony to be valued highly by their society

  • High-risk students did not identify with local or global culture

Conclusion

  • Having a lack of local and global culture alienates students from both populations, leading to stress

    • This may manifest as hikikomori as individuals isolate themselves from the cultures that do not align with their own

Strengths

  • The study uses an emic approach of understanding the underlying causes of a specific, culture-bound phenomenon

    • This allows for a more in-depth understanding of the topic

Limitations

  • Study uses an analogous approach where participants do not actually have hikikomori

    • Does not properly represent the target population and results may not be applicable

  • Does not explain why hikikomori is mostly a culture-bound phenomenon