Psychology: Defining and Understanding Culture
17 Questions
100 Views

Choose a study mode

Play Quiz
Study Flashcards
Spaced Repetition
Chat to lesson

Podcast

Play an AI-generated podcast conversation about this lesson

Questions and Answers

What is culture?

  • A set of attitudes and behaviors shared by a small group of people.
  • An individual's personal beliefs and values.
  • A set of attitudes, behaviors, and symbols shared by a large group of people. (correct)
  • A random collection of behaviors.

    • 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.

    <p>government</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the etic approach?

    <p>An approach that assumes aspects are similar and that normality can be applied.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the emic approach?

    <p>An approach that assumes meaning and function of psychological phenomena can only be understood within the cultural context.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the multicultural approach?

    <p>An approach that combines the etic and emic perspectives.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is nationality?

    <p>People who share a common geographical origin.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is race?

    <p>People with similar and genetically transmitted physical characteristics.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is ethnicity?

    <p>Cultural heritage and people with a common ancestral origin.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What are the six categories of culture?

    <p>Descriptive, Historical, Normative, Psychological, Structural, Genetic.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is unique about human culture?

    <p>Language, complex social cognition, ability to build upon improvements, complexity, differentiation, and institutionalization.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What are attributions?

    <p>Beliefs about the underlying cause of behavior.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is enculturation?

    <p>The process of learning about and being indoctrinated into a culture.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What are emics?

    <p>Aspects of life that appear to differ across cultures and are culture-specific.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What are etics?

    <p>Aspects of life that appear to be consistent across different cultures.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the ratchet effect?

    <p>The concept that humans continually improve on improvements and do not revert to a previous state.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    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

    • Etic Approach:

      • Assumes similarities across cultures, applying a universal standard of normality.
      • Challenges arise as behaviors may have different meanings in different cultural contexts.

    • Emic Approach:

      • Emphasizes understanding psychological phenomena within their cultural context, leading to subjective interpretations.
      • Difficulties in making cross-cultural comparisons arise.

    • Multicultural Approach:

      • Combines etic and emic perspectives but introduces complexity due to varied interpretations.
    • 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.

    Studying That Suits You

    Use AI to generate personalized quizzes and flashcards to suit your learning preferences.

    Quiz Team

    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.

    More Like This

    Use Quizgecko on...
    Browser
    Open
    Browser
    Browser