Sociology: Characteristic Features of Culture

Questions and Answers

Only traditional customs and beliefs

Only physical objects

Only intellectual and moral ideas

The sum total of human creation, including intellectual, technical, artistic, physical, and moral (correct)

To study the impact of culture on the environment

To understand how cultures change over time

To compare cultures with one another

To see how particular culture traits fit into the whole system (correct)

Through random chance

Through instinctual behavior

Through genetic transmission

Through learning and interacting with one's environment (correct)

It allows humans to adapt to any ecological condition Signup and view all the answers

It is shared by at least two people within a society Signup and view all the answers

A living organism Signup and view all the answers

They can be ambiguous and have no necessary connection to what they symbolize Signup and view all the answers

Cultural adaptive kits Signup and view all the answers

It encompasses all aspects of human lives Signup and view all the answers

Enculturation Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Culture is not inherited genetically, but rather acquired through learning and interaction with one's environment.
Human beings rely heavily on learned behavior patterns for their survival, with no instinct genetically programmed to direct behavior.
The process of acquiring culture after birth is called enculturation, where an individual learns the rules and values of their culture.

For a thing, idea, or behavior pattern to be considered "cultural", it must have a shared meaning among at least two people within a society.
Shared culture is essential for a society to operate effectively, enabling communication and cooperation among its members.

Symbolic thought is unique and crucial to human cultural learning, where symbols represent abstract ideas and concepts.
Symbols can be verbal or nonverbal, and their meaning is not always obvious, but they can trigger powerful emotions and behaviors.

Culture encompasses all aspects of human life, including material and non-material elements, such as man-made objects, ideas, and activities.
Culture is the sum total of human creation, including intellectual, technical, artistic, physical, and moral aspects, and is dynamic, changing with environmental conditions.

Cultures are integrated wholes, with interconnected parts that make sense within their context.
A change in one aspect of culture can generate changes in other aspects, similar to a living organism.

Humans have both biological and cultural ways of coping with environmental stresses, using "cultural adaptive kits" to aid adaptation.
Culture has allowed humans to adapt to various ecological conditions, making them unique among species.