Culture Final Exam

Attraction-Mental Health + Exam 1/2

Any kind of information that is acquired from others through social learning, can influence an individual’s behaviors

What is Culture?

No clear-cut boundaries, can also be defined as a group of people, variability across cultures, broad definition

What are some problems with the definition of culture?

The many layers of culture that exist

What does a “Culture Iceberg” symbolize?

Society

A system of interrelationships among people, infrastructure of a collective

Society provides the opportunity to meet needs/reach goals, culture explains how to do that

How do the definitions of society and culture differ?

WEIRD Cultures

An acronym for certain cultures that are often studying in psychological tests

Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, Democratic

What does the W.E.I.R.D acronym stand for?

That the mind of all people operates at a certain natural and universal laws, people’s thinking is the same across all cultures

What is general psychology’s perspective on culture?

An approach to interacting with people of different cultures, looking beyond ethnic or cultural background and focusing on common human nature

What is the “color-blind (culture-blind) approach?

An approach to interacting with people of different cultures, focusing on and respecting the distinctive aspects of different cultural groups

What is the “multiculturism” approach?

Color-Blind focuses on the individual while ignoring their culture, multiculturalism acknowledges that culture is part of an individual

How are the “color-blind” and “multiculturism” approaches different?

Evoked Culture

A way that geography influences culture, information that is brought forth/produced by the environment

A parent acting intimidating towards a perceived threat against their child

What is an example of evoked culture?

Transmitted Culture

A way that geography influences culture, information that is socially learned/imitated

Start planting food crops when you notice that your neighbor is seeing good results by planting crops

What is an example of transmitted culture?

Gene Analogy (Culture)

A way that culture is transmitted, aspects of culture are similar to genes, successful aspects of culture stay for generations, others die out and are forgotten

Longevity, Fecundity, Fidelity

What do successful “genes” (aspects of culture) rely on?

Longevity

An aspect of the gene analogy, the length that an aspect of culture exists/will exist

Fecundity/Frequency

An aspect of the gene analogy, the degree of which an aspect of culture is transmitted

Fidelity

An aspect of the gene analogy, the accuracy of which the aspects of culture are transmitted

Disease Analogy (Culture)

A way that culture is transmitted, aspects of society spread like a disease, the details may change, but the main idea is preserved

Due to each person having distinct mental representations of the aspect of the culture

Why do aspects of culture change in the Disease Analogy?

Stereotypes, Useful Ideas, Emotional Ideas, Unexpected Ideas

What are some ways that cultural information is transmitted?

Individualism

A type of culture that encourages people to prioritize themselves over the culture as a whole

United States, Western Europe

What are some individualistic cultures?

Collectivism

A type of culture that encourages people to prioritize the culture as the whole over themselves

China, Japan, Korea

What are some collectivist cultures?

Potential to overgeneralize, just one of many dimensions in a culture

How are collectivist/individualist limiting?

Tight Culture

A type of culture in which social norms are strict and violators are shunned

More laws, less open media, stricter punishments, religious

What are some behaviors of a tight culture?

Loose Culture

A type of culture in which social norms are lighter, and violators aren’t given harsh punishments

Creativity, looser laws, more expressive

What are some behaviors of a loose culture?

Building on Previous Structures, Influence of Early Conditions, Pluralistic Ignorance

What are some ways that cultures persist?

Word-for-Word Plagiarism

A type of plagiarism in which the writer copies from another source exactly, without using their own words

Paraphrasing Plagiarism

A type of plagiarism in which the writer copies from another source using their own words, without giving proper credit

Accessibility Universal

A type of universal in which aspects of culture have no changes across cultures

Functional Universals

A type of universal in which aspects of culture differ in variation

Existential Universals

A type of universal in which aspects of culture differ in functionality

Non-Universals

A type of universal in which aspects of culture that is exclusive to that specific culture

Operational Definition

Actions/Operations that are used to measure or control a concept being studied

Correlational Studies

A type of study that compare the relationship between two variables without manipulation

Experimental Studies

A type of study that involves the manipulation of a independent variable and the measurement of influence it has on the dependent variable

Independent Variable

A variable in an experiment that is manipulated by the experimenters

Dependent Variable

A variable in an experiment that is the outcome/effect that is studied, depends on the independent variable

Quasi-Experimental Studies

A type of study that compares multiple cultural groups

Method Bias

A type of bias in which an aspect of the methods of an experiment are done incorrectly and lead to misunderstandings and inaccurate responses

Instrument Bias

A type of Method Bias that occurs due to the familiarity with the tools provided in the experiment

Administration Bias

A type of method bias in which the method of distribution is experienced differently by different individuals

Response Bias

A type of bias in which some aspects of the methods of an experiment provoke a certain response pattern that leads to inaccurate responses

Social Desirability Bias

A type of response bias in which the participants answer in a way to make themselves look “desirable” to the experimenters

Acquiescence Bias

A type of response bias in which the participants intentionally seem “agreeable” with what they think the experimenters want

Reference Group Effect

A type of response bias in which a participant may change their response based on knowing how the larger group responded

Cultural Priming

A method used in experiments in which certain cultural aspects are intentionally more accessible to participants

Americans viewed having all children of the same gender in different rooms, Indians viewed having the daughters in the same room as the father/brothers

What were the results of the Sleeping Arrangements Study between Americans and Indians?

Americans value the privacy of their children, Indians value the safety of their daughters from sexual deviancy

How do Americans and Indians cultural differences affect sleeping arrangements?

Secure Attachment Style

An attachment style seen in children in which they seek the comfort of their mother when she is around, show distress when they leave

Avoidant Attachment Style

An attachment style seen in children in which they show little distress when their mother leaves them and avoid her when she returns

Anxious-Ambivalent Attachment Style

An attachment style seen in children in which they show frequent distress when their mother is either present or not

Comfortable around caregiver, shows distress when they leave

How did US children react when put into the Strange Situation under a Secure Attachment Style?

Comfortable with/without caregiver

How did US children react when put into the Strange Situation under an Avoidance Attachment Style?

More dependent on caregiver when present, increased levels of distress when caregiver is not present

How did US children react when put into the Strange Situation under an Anxious/Ambivalent Attachment Style?

Secure

Which Attachment Style is Most Common in the United States?

Anxious-Ambivalent

Which Attachment Style is Most Common in the Japan?

Avoidance

Which Attachment Style is Most Common in the Germany?

Amae

The ability to depend/presume upon another person’s love, basking in another person’s indulgence (being “pampered”)

A large number of caregivers is not really associated with Anxious-Avoidant Attachment, but the time of which care is given

What were the findings of the Sagi studies in Israel?

Authoritarian Parenting Style

A parenting style that places high demands on children, low levels of warmth, and little open dialogue

Authoritative Parenting Style

A parenting style in which parents try to understand their child’s feelings but still encourage them to be independent

Permissive Parenting Style

A parenting style that has a lot of warmth and involvement, but place little restrictions on behavior

Neglectful Parenting Style

A parenting style in which parents usually ignore children, and are indifferent

Those parenting styles feature training, as well as different definitions of how they express love, Western cultures show love explicitly, Eastern cultures show love by providing for their children

Why are parenting styles such as Jiao Xun not under the umbrella of authoritarian parenting?

The encouragement of independence and individualism in western cultures causes rebellion, unlike other Eastern cultures which punish rebellion

How do levels of interdependence affect children during the “terrible twos?”

Functional Universal

What type of universal is adolescence?

Long periods of schooling delays adulthood, many opportunities in the modern-day lead to stressful decisions, cultural emphasis on independence clashes with parental control

What aspects contribute to distress in adolescence?

More personal attributes, such as their traits, attitudes, and achievements

What kind of self-descriptions would more individualistic cultures (United States) give in the Twenty-Statements Test?

Attributes that reflect more of their social identity, roles, and memberships

What kind of self-descriptions would more collectivistic cultures (Kenya) give in the Twenty-Statements Test?

Defined by internal attributes, distinct from others, fewer distinctions between in-group and out-group

What are the characteristics of Independent Self-Construals?

Defined by relationships and groups, self-connected to others, stronger distinctions between in-group and out-group

What are the characteristics of Interdependent Self-Constuals?

Individualistic Cultures (United States, Great Britian, Australia)

In what type of cultures are independent self-construals common?

Collectivistic (China, Japan, Korea)

In what type of cultures are interdependent self-construals common?

Residential Mobility

A situation in which somebody’s self-construals can change, in which a person moves to another place

Socioeconomic Status

A situation in which somebody’s self-construals can change, which is the status of a person’s income and living

Religion, Geography, Urbanization, Individualism/Collectivism

What aspects of culture influence Gender Equality? (William & Best, 1990)

Plow Cultivation

A theory that placed the creation of a certain agricultural tool that shows a noticeable connection with not as many women being in the workforce (Boserup 1970 + Alesina et al., 2011)

Cognitive Dissoance

Psychological discomfort due to experiencing conflicting beliefs or when their actions contradict their values

Cognitive Dissonance breaks our needing of feeling Self-Consistent in our beliefs and actions

How does Cognitive Dissonance relate to Self-Consistency?

Free-Choice Paradigm

A type of quiz given in which a set of options that are ranked by the participants, then are ranked again after more information is given about the objects

Certain choices that people can make in terms of the list can cause cognitive dissonance

How is the Free-Choice Paradigm related to Cognitive Dissonance?

Their given choice usually moved up after the 2nd ranking

How did people in the United States react when it came to the Free-Choice Paradigm?

Their given choice stayed the same after the 2nd ranking

How did people in Japan react when it came to the Free-Choice Paradigm?

Entity Theory of the Self

A theory that states that aspects of the self are resistant to change, and view our traits as fixed and innate

Incremental Theory of Self

A theory that states that aspects of the self are fluid, and respond to the efforts that we make, and that we can change easily

Feeling that you are not intelligent after doing bad on a test rather than reflect on your study habits

What is an example of the Entity Theory of the Self?

Getting a good grade on a test because you studied hard for it

What is an example of the Incremental Theory of the Self?

Accept that this difficulty is unchangeable and part of yourself

How would somebody that believes in the Entity Theory of the Self respond to difficulties?

Work hard to better yourself and do better on the next attempt

How would somebody that believes in the Incremental Theory of the Self respond to difficulties?

More individualistic cultures like the have the Entity mindset, and collectivist cultures have the Incremental mindset

How do the Entity/Incremental Theories of the Self differ across cultures?

Self-Enhancement

The motivation to view yourself positively

Individualistic Cultures

What kind of cultures is Self-Enhancement common?

Its progress to becoming more individualistic

What evidence shows that the United States has the highest scores of Self-Enhancement in the entire world?