(IB) Sociocultural Psychology - SL

(IB) Sociocultural Psychology Flashcards For Standard Level

What are the topics in the sociocultural approach?

The Individual and The Group, Cultural Origins, and Cultural Influences

What are the content underneath The Individual and The Group?

Social Identity Theory, Social Cognitive Theory, Stereotypes (Formation), Stereotypes (Effect), and Conformity

What are the content underneath Cultural Origins?

Culture and it’s Influence on Behaviour and Cognition, and Cultural Dimensions

What are the content underneath Cultural Influences?

Enculturation and Acculturation

What is the study for Social Identity Theory?

Tajfel and Turner

What is the study for Social Cognitive Theory?

Bandura et al

What is the study for Stereotypes (Formation)?

Hamilton and Gifford

What is the study for Stereotypes (Effects)?

Shih

What is the study for Conformity?

Asch

What is the study for Culture and it’s influence on behaviour?

Berry

What is the study for Culture and it’s influence on cognition?

Kufolsky

What is the study for Cultural Dimensions?

Berry

What is the study for Enculturation?

Odden and Rochat

What is the study for Acculturation?

Lueck and Wilson

Who was behind the theory of Cultural Dimensions?

Hofstede

What is the Social Identity Theory?

It is the theory of how individuals strive to higher their self esteem and self concept in relation to their in-group through social comparison with their out-groups. The individual goes through four stages:

1) Social Categorization - The individual categorizes themself into a group.

2)Social Identification - The individual starts to take on the characteristics of their group.

3) Social Comparison - The individual compares their group (in-group) with other groups (out-group).

4) Positive Distinction - The individual may behave discriminatorily by making the out-groups look bad, in order to raise their in-group to a higher pedestal and, thus, higher their self-esteem. If the in-group looks good, so does the individual!

What is the Social Cognitive Theory?

Also known as the Social Learning Theory, it is when an individual learns behaviour through a model. Said model could be a peer or a parent, for example. The individual would observe the model and identify how they behave in order to imitate that behaviour. Humans learn through observational learning. The process goes through three stages:

1) Modelling - This is who the observer/learner observes. They provide examples of behaviours to observe/imitate.

2) Identification - The individual identifies with the model, saying things like “Oh, I want to be like them.”

3) Imitation - The individual carries out the actions of the model at any given time.

What are some Influencing Factors and Mediating Cognitive Factors of the Social Cognitive Theory?

Influencing Factors:

1) Attractiveness of the Model

2) Authority of the Model

3) Desirability of the Behaviour

4) Types of Model (Things in common)

5) Vicarious Reinforcement (Observer sees a model being punished or rewarded for an action and copy them based on the outcome they want)

6) Consistency of Behaviour

Mediating Cognitive Factors:

1) Attention (The observer must first pay attention to the model)

2) Retention (The observer must be able to remember the behaviour to reproduce it)

3) Motivation (The observer must want to replicate the behaviour and understand it)

4) Potential (The observer must be capable of repeating it both physically and mentally)

5) Self Efficacy (The observer must believe they can do it)

What are Stereotypes?

Stereotypes are defined as a social perception of an individual in terms of group membership or physical attributes. It is a generalization that is made about a group and then attributed to members of that group. Such a generalization may either be positive or negative. Often, they are acquired indirectly from other people and social norms and not from personal experience. 

Discrimination = The behaviour based on stereotypes and prejudice.

Prejudice = The attitude of the individual is combined with emotions that give way to (usually negative) thoughts and opinions.

What is the theory of Stereotype Formation?

Illusory Correlation plays a role in the formation of stereotypes. It is essentially a phenomenon which causes individuals to overestimate a link between two variables. It is an example of cognitive bias.

For example, when a soccer fan bakes something every time their team plays a match and they win, but when they don’t bake and their team loses, the individual will create a relationship between baking and their team winning.

What is the theory of Stereotype Effects?

There are two effects:

1) Stereotype Boost - Positive stereotypes can lead to a boost in an individuals confidence, resulting in high performance and attitudes.

2) Stereotype Threat - Negative stereotypes can lead to a decrease in an individuals confidence, resulting in a hurt performance due to, for example, anxiety impacting it as a result of the negative stereotypes.

What is theory of Conformity?

Conformity is yielding to group pressure. It is essentially when an individual and their behaviour is influenced by other individuals. A type of conformity is compliance where people change their public behaviour but not their private beliefs.

Normative Social Influence is when a person conforms to be accepted, or belong to a group. A person would conform because it is socially rewarding, or in order to avoid social punishment, for example, being ridiculed for not fitting in.

What are Cultural Dimensions?

Culture = A set of common rules that regulate interactions and behaviour as well as a number of shared values within a group.

Cultural Dimensions = How the values of a society affect behaviour. It essentially describes the trend of behaviour in a given culture.

Values = Principles or standards of behaviour; one’s judgement of what is important in life.

Examples of Cultural Dimensions:

1) Collectivism vs Individualism

2) Masculinity vs Femininity

3) Power vs Distance

Note: There are 6, only the first is highly relevant.

What is Enculturation?

The process by which individuals learn the necessary and appropriate norms in the context of their own culture. An individual is able to learn the norms of their culture through, for example, observing others, reinforcement, and direct tuition (Social Cognitive Theory)!

Think “E” for “in” - People take in their own culture (It kind of rhymes…)

What is Acculturation?

The process of internalizing the dominant norms of a different culture that has been migrated to by an individual.

There are different types of acculturation including:

1) Assimilation - Taking on the new norms of the new culture and rejecting the old culture.

2) Separation - The individual rejects all cultural changes involved with the new culture and retain only the old culture’s beliefs and behaviours.

2) Integration - Retains some of their own cultural values and behaviours, but also adopts the new culture

2) Marginalization - Less common and happens when an individual rejects both the new culture and the old.

Acculturative stress may come with acculturation. This is the psychological, somatic, and social difficulties accompanying acculturation, often resulting in anxiety, depression, and other forms of mental and physical stress.

Think “A” for “out” - People take in outside/foreign cultures (It kind of rhymes again…)