Child Development and Culture Quiz

Chapter 2: Culture, Race/Ethnicity, Socioeconomic Status, and Technology

• This chapter examines the multifaceted influences on child development.
• Culture is defined by behavior patterns and beliefs passed down through generations.
• Cultural factors are significant in studying children, impacting how people interact with them.
• Cross-cultural comparisons reveal that people often favor their own cultural group.
• Individualism prioritizes personal goals over group goals, while collectivism prioritizes group benefit.
• Examples of individualistic and collectivistic cultural traits are outlined in Figure 1.
• Figure 2 illustrates contrasting self-conceptions between American and Chinese individuals.

Race and Ethnicity

• Ethnicity is a cultural dimension based on various factors like race, religion, and language.
• Immigration is a significant factor influencing children's development.
• The immigrant risk model suggests potential risks associated with immigration, while the immigrant paradox model highlights the high well-being of many immigrants.
• Figure 3 presents projected U.S. adolescent populations segmented by race and ethnicity from 2000 to 2100.

Immigration

• Immigrants face specific stressors, such as language barriers and cultural adaptations.
• Bicultural orientation is a crucial aspect of adapting to new cultures.
• Collectivist cultures often emphasize family obligations.
• Individual family experiences and responses to stress vary widely.
• Familism is a value system that emphasizes family support.

Differences and Diversity

• Historical, economic, and social experiences contribute to differences between groups.
• Recognizing and respecting these differences is vital.
• Diversity exists within each ethnic group, yet there are shared experiences.
• Children's perspective-taking skills can increase empathy for others.
• Prejudice is an unjustified negative attitude toward an individual based on group membership.
• An example of racial/ethnic discrimination faced by Black American adolescents is presented in Figure 4.

Academic Success and Cultural Influences on Peer Groups

• Peer and parental influences significantly impact adolescents.
• Authoritative parenting styles are associated with fewer problems in adolescents.

Preparing Educators for Teaching in a Multicultural Classroom

• Teachers need awareness and cultural knowledge to effectively teach diverse students.
• Courses on multicultural education and personal experience are crucial.
• Educators must acknowledge social and cultural gaps between students and themselves.

Socioeconomic Status (SES)

• SES implies societal inequalities.
• Generally, individuals in a society have varying occupational prestige, educational attainment, economic resources, and power to influence community institutions.
• Most research on SES categorizes individuals as low or middle SES.
• Low SES is sometimes associated with low income, working class, or blue-collar occupations.
• Middle SES encompasses middle income, managerial, and white-collar occupations.
• A parent's SES is linked to neighborhoods and schools attended and influences children's adjustment.
• A socioeconomic status comparison between low-SES and higher-SES families is exemplified.

Poverty

• Poverty significantly influences children's development, posing risks for low achievement and emotional problems.
• Children from low-income families face many challenges in education and psychological health.
• Poverty impacts adolescents differently depending on various factors such as ethnicity and single motherhood.
• Multi-generational interventions (e.g. the New Hope project) are a possible solution to combat poverty's effects.

Technology

• Many adolescents spend more time engaged with screens than interacting directly with family or participating in school.
• This is categorized as screen time.
• Digital technology influences education in both positive and negative ways.
• Screen time accompanied by social media can negatively impact mental and behavioral health.
• Figure 6 provides data on the amount of time US 8-18 year olds spend on various media-related activities.

Media Multitasking

• Media multitasking, when considered in total media use, can significantly increase the amount of time exposed to media (ex: 11-14 year olds spend nearly 12 hours a day exposed).
• Multitasking is linked to attention problems.
• The presence of phones during face-to-face interaction interferes with social engagement.

Television and Electronic Media

• Television and media use can positively or negatively affect children's development.
• TV can expand knowledge of the world and encourage prosocial behavior.
• It also contributes to passivity and distractions..
• Violent video games can foster aggression.
• Electronic media usage affects learning and achievement differently depending on age.

Educational TV Viewing and GPA:

• Educational TV engagement during early childhood is correlated with high school GPA for boys is shown in Figure 7).