Questions and Answers
What is culture?
What is cross-cultural psychology?
A study and comparison of two or more groups of people.
Why study cross-cultural psychology?
To extend existing theories, discover variations in behavior, define factors related to development, and distinguish basic human needs.
Factors that influence culture include biological factors, social factors like ______, and ecological factors.
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What is the etic approach?
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What is the emic approach?
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What is the multicultural approach?
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What is nationality?
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What is race?
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What is ethnicity?
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What are the six categories of culture?
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What is unique about human culture?
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What are attributions?
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What is enculturation?
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What are emics?
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What are etics?
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What is the ratchet effect?
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Study Notes
Understanding Culture
- Culture encompasses attitudes, behaviors, and symbols shared by a large group, passed from generation to generation.
- Explicit aspects of culture involve observable actions, such as saying "excuse me" when bumping into someone.
- Implicit aspects include norms like dressing appropriately for various occasions.
Cross-Cultural Psychology
- Cross-cultural psychology studies and compares multiple cultural groups.
- It systematically investigates the relationship between cultural context and human development, influencing behavior throughout an individual's life.
Importance of Cross-Cultural Psychology
- Aims to expand existing theories and identify behavioral variations across cultures.
- Helps define factors linked to developmental processes and basic human needs, instincts, and desires.
Influencing Factors of Culture
- Biological: Gender roles shape cultural interactions.
- Social: Elements like government and technology impact cultural practices.
- Ecological: The dynamic between the individual and their environment influences culture.
Approaches to Cross-Cultural Psychology
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Etic Approach:
- Assumes similarities across cultures, applying a universal standard of normality.
- Challenges arise as behaviors may have different meanings in different cultural contexts.
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Emic Approach:
- Emphasizes understanding psychological phenomena within their cultural context, leading to subjective interpretations.
- Difficulties in making cross-cultural comparisons arise.
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Multicultural Approach:
- Combines etic and emic perspectives but introduces complexity due to varied interpretations.
Concepts Related to Identity
- Nationality: Identification with a group sharing a common geographical origin.
- Race: Grouping based on shared genetically transmitted physical traits.
- Ethnicity: Cultural heritage reflecting common ancestral origins among groups.
Six Categories of Culture
- Descriptive, Historical, Normative, Psychological, Structural, Genetic.
Unique Aspects of Human Culture
- Language, complex social cognition, continuous improvement, sophistication, differentiation, and institutionalization set human culture apart.
Key Psychological Terms
- Attributions: Beliefs about the causes behind behaviors.
- Enculturation: The process of learning and assimilating into a culture.
- Emics: Culture-specific principles and truths that vary across cultures.
- Etics: Universal truths and principles that remain consistent across various cultures.
- Ratchet Effect: The tendency for humans to consistently build upon previous improvements rather than regress.
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Description
Explore the fundamental concepts of culture in psychology. This quiz covers essential definitions, including the nature of culture and its implications in cross-cultural psychology. Test your knowledge on attitudes, behaviors, and shared symbols.
