Exam 3 Indigenous Cultures PDF

**Week 3 Exam Notes: Diverse Cultures, Indigenous, and Transgender Research** **Psychological and Behavioral Variability** - **Human variability** in responses to stimuli includes: 1. **Intensity**: How strongly individuals respond. 2. **Presence**: Whether they respond at all....

**Week 3 Exam Notes: Diverse Cultures, Indigenous, and Transgender Research** **Psychological and Behavioral Variability** - **Human variability** in responses to stimuli includes: 1. **Intensity**: How strongly individuals respond. 2. **Presence**: Whether they respond at all. 3. **Direction**: The way they respond to the stimulus. **WEIRD Population (Henrich, Heine, Norenzayan, 2010)** - **WEIRD** stands for: - **W**estern - **E**ducated - **I**ndustrialized - **R**ich - **D**emocratic - **Key Findings**: - 68% of participants in psychology studies are from the USA. - 96% of studies are based on WEIRD populations. - WEIRD participants represent **only 12%** of the global population. - **WEIRD studies** fail to account for cultural differences in psychology. - **Limitations** of WEIRD: - Miss important cultural variations. - Focus on uncommon behaviors, skewing global understanding. - Findings may not apply to non-WEIRD populations. **Psychological and Behavioral Variability across Cultures** - **Non-industrialized societies**: - **Visual perception**: Can easily detect equal line lengths. - **Risk behavior**: Prefer immediate, smaller rewards over waiting for larger ones. - **Industrialized societies**: - **Visual perception**: Need more significant differences to detect line length disparities. - **Risk behavior**: More risk-averse, prefer waiting for larger rewards. **Categories of Industrialized Societies** 1. **Non-Western Industrialized** 2. **Western Industrialized** (further divided into): - **Non-USA Western** - **USA Western** **Differences in Cultural Psychologies** 1. **Industrialized Non-Western Cultures**: - **Holistic thinking**: See objects as interconnected. - Moral reasoning is **relationship-based**. - **Interpersonal relationships** are central. - Cultural practices often linked to **divinity** and **spirituality**. 2. **Industrialized Western Cultures**: - **Analytical thinking**: Focus on objects and their individual attributes. - Moral reasoning emphasizes **justice** and **harm**. - **Individualism**: Focus on autonomy, uniqueness, and personal choice. - More **risk-averse** in financial decision-making. 3. **USA Western Culture**: - **Individualist**: More choices are preferred (e.g., more ice cream flavors). - **Self-focus**: Less conforming, more rationalization in decision-making. - **Higher susceptibility** to attitude change and social influence. **Transgender, Non-binary, and Gender-Diverse Research** - **Cameron & Stinson (2019)**: - Most studies use **binary gender categories** (male/female), erasing non-binary identities. - This **misclassifies participants**, resulting in **invalid** findings. - Misclassification is **harmful**, causes psychological distress, and is **ethically problematic**. **Consequences of Misclassifying Gender** 1. **Psychological harm**: Trans and non-binary individuals may feel **erased**. 2. **Invalid results**: Gender misclassification distorts demographic representation. 3. **Changes in participant behavior**: Binary measures can alter responses in studies. 4. **Ethical issues**: Misclassification can lead to **reactance** and invalid conclusions. **Indigenous Psychology** - **Definition**: Indigenous psychology is **culture-specific** psychology that uses methods and concepts relevant to indigenous cultures. - **Key Features**: - Focuses on **local cultural perspectives**. - Builds from **indigenous knowledge** rather than importing Western frameworks. - Aims to create **psychological theories** grounded in indigenous **sociocultural values**. **Two Types of Indigenous Psychology** 1. **Philippines, Taiwan, India**: - Indigenous psychology applies to **all people** in the country, regardless of origin. - Developed since the **1970s**, integrating both local and Western ideas. 2. **Australia, New Zealand, Canada**: - Focuses on **first inhabitants** (e.g., Aboriginal Australians, Maori). - Indigenous psychology is **newer**, with less historical development. **Martinez Cobo (1986): Criteria for Indigenous Peoples** 1. **Historical continuity** with pre-colonial societies. 2. **Distinct identity** from dominant society. 3. **Non-dominant** status in the current social system. 4. **Preserve cultural traditions** for future generations. 5. **Ethnic identity** tied to ancestral lands. 6. **Own cultural patterns** of social systems and law. **Key Features of Indigenous Peoples (Martinez Cobo, 1995)** 1. **Ongoing impact of colonization** on indigenous ways of life. 2. **Survival** and **adaptation** within a colonized society. 3. **Connection to land** and **cultural practices** as key to identity. **Indigenisation Process** - **Indigenisation** is the development of psychology that reflects indigenous cultures. 1. **Acknowledge limitations** of Western psychology. 2. **Adapt or replace** Western theories with indigenous knowledge. 3. Indigenous psychology becomes **self-perpetuating** and **autonomous**. **Enriquez (1993) - Two Approaches to Indigenisation** 1. **ETIC (Outside)**: - Adapt Western theories to indigenous contexts. - Modify theories to fit **local realities**. 2. **EMIC (Inside)**: - Develop theories **from within** indigenous cultures. - Focus on **local knowledge**, creating new, indigenous-centered theories. **Cosmology in Indigenous Cultures** - **Cosmology** is the set of beliefs about the **origin** of the universe and humanity's purpose within it. - Indigenous cultures have diverse cosmologies, each explaining: - **Who am I?** - **Where do I fit in?** - **Where am I going?** **Indigenous Australians' Cosmology** - **Spiritual interconnectedness** of all life (land, animals, people). - Emphasize **kinship**, **family**, and **connection to country**. - Each person has a **predefined role** within the larger spiritual and social system. **The Self in Psychology** 1. **Self-awareness**: Reflecting on and thinking about oneself. 2. **Self-concept**: The knowledge and beliefs about oneself, including traits, relationships, and culture. **Types of Self-Construal** - **Self-construal** refers to how individuals define themselves in relation to others. 1. **Independent Self-Construal** (common in Western cultures): - **Focus** on personal traits (e.g., \"I am smart\"). - **Value** autonomy, uniqueness, and self-reliance. 2. **Interdependent Self-Construal** (common in non-Western cultures): - **Focus** on relationships with others (e.g., \"I am a daughter\"). - **Value** group harmony, family, and collective well-being. **Self-Construal Studies** 1. **Singelis (1994)**: Found that both **independent** and **interdependent** self-construals exist in cultures like Hawaii, supporting the idea that self-definition is shaped by cultural context. 2. **Hamilton & Biehal (2005)**: - **Independent self-construal**: Riskier financial decisions. - **Interdependent self-construal**: More risk-averse, prioritizing **group well-being**. **The Self-Concept of Indigenous Australians** - Indigenous Australians have a **holistic** view of self that includes: - **Self**, **kin**, **family**, **community**, **traditional lands**, and **spiritual existence**. - This is in contrast to the Western individualistic approach to **self-concept**, which emphasizes personal traits and achievements. **Summary** - **Indigenous psychology** seeks to **decolonize** psychology by developing culturally relevant theories that reflect indigenous ways of knowing. - **Gender diversity** in research must be **accurately measured** to avoid misclassification and psychological harm. - Cultural influences play a significant role in shaping how people **define themselves**, how they **perceive the world**, and how they **respond to stimuli**. Understanding these cultural differences is crucial for conducting ethical and valid psychological research. 4o mini