Humans and Cultural Learning PDF

Introduction: Humans and Cultural Learning Humans are intrinsically able to learn from one another and collaborate together as a group From the moment we are born, children are ready to learn culture. One of the most important thinking abilities that humans have is the ability...

Introduction: Humans and Cultural Learning Humans are intrinsically able to learn from one another and collaborate together as a group From the moment we are born, children are ready to learn culture. One of the most important thinking abilities that humans have is the ability to share intentions with one another. In other words, humans can get into another person’s mind, follow things from that person’s point of view, understand the intentions of that person, and recognize that the person understands our own intentions too Humans are capable of creating and transmitting a culture that is more sophisticated and differentiated than any other animal engaging in shared intentionality allows cultural learning – Learning not only from others but through others Enculturation and Socialization  Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory Human development is influenced by a range of interconnected systems that interact with each other and with the individual. Who you are today is a result of interactions with the people in your family, classmates in school, friends and neighbors in your community, policies and institutions of the country (or countries) that you were raised in, and the particular point in history in which you live. – Studying children in relation to their particular contexts is key to understanding development – Children contribute to their own development by interacting with and influencing people around them  We are active producers and architects of our own culture and development. We can select, interacting with, and influence people, groups, and institutions us.  Culture, Parenting, and Families Family - Most important microsystem to child’s development Observing parents enables understanding: – The essence of a culture – How cultural rules and values are reinforced and passed on from generation to generation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWtolkxHIlk Global Parenting Styles https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyO8pvpnTdE Authoritarian parent – Expects unquestioned obedience and views the child as needing to be controlled Permissive parent – Allows children to regulate own lives with few firm guidelines Authoritative parent – Promotes a firm, fair, reasonable and affectionate parenting style Uninvolved parent – Does not respond appropriately to children and is indifferent  Which of the four parenting styles is optimal for a child’s development? AUTHORITATIVE PARENTING STYLE U.S. American and European children indicates that children benefit from the authoritative parenting style. Compared to children of other parenting styles, children of authoritative parents demonstrate better school performance, more positive mood, self-reliance, self- confidence, higher emotional and social skills, and secure attachment to caregivers This style appears to promote psychologically healthy, competent, independent children who are cooperative and at ease in social situations. AUTHORITARIAN PARENTING STYLE Children of authoritarian parents, in contrast, are found to be more anxious and withdrawn, lacking spontaneity and intellectual curiosity. PERMISSIVE PARENTING STYLE Children of permissive parents tend to be immature; they have difficulty controlling their impulses and acting independently. Children of uninvolved parents fare the worst, being noncompliant and demanding. A study of almost 3,000 Arab adolescents from eight Arab societies revealed that authoritative parenting was associated with greater family connectedness and better adolescent mental health Studies in China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong found that authoritative parenting was related positively, and authoritarian parenting negatively, to children’s adjustment within the school and family  Parenting Behaviors and Strategies Parenting goals may lead to variation in parenting behaviors across cultures Keller et al. ’s study (2010) found different parenting goals in Berlin and Delhi - shown by how the way mothers talked and played with their infants. In Germany, an important goal of parenting is to raise children who are autonomous. During infancy, parents recognize and emphasize that their child is a separate person with unique thoughts, wishes, desires, and needs. In India, an important goal of parenting is to raise children who are autonomous, but also closely interdependent with other people, especially the family. During infancy, parents emphasize physical contact, emotional closeness, and indulgence. Areas in which cultures vary as per studies that have used HOME Inventory – Warmth and responsiveness – Discipline – Stimulation/teaching Congruent with developmental goals dictated by culture  Siblings, Extended and Multigenerational Families Play a pivotal role in the enculturation of children – May be biologically or nonbiologically related based on cultures Roles - Tutors, buddies, playmates, and caretakers Skills learnt from siblings – Perspective-taking, social understanding, and conflict negotiation Repeated and prolonged interaction makes older siblings influential role models to younger siblings Extended families - Members other than parents and children Multigenerational families - Grandparents in addition to parents and children or just children Role in child-rearing process – Presence of a maternal grandmother cancels the negative outcomes in teen mothering – Share resources, emotional support, and caregiving  Environment and Temperament Biologically based style of interacting and responding to the environment that exists from birth Easy temperament: Adaptable, mild Difficult temperament: Intense, irregular Slow-to-warm-up: Infant needs time to make transitions  Attachment Styles Children who can trust that a caretaker will be there to attend to their practical and emotional needs develop a Secure Attachment Style. Children who feel uncared for or abandoned develop either an Insecure/Anxious or an Avoidant Attachment Style In adulthood, a secure attachment style involves trust that the relationship will provide ongoing emotional and social support. An insecure/anxious attachment style entails concern that the beloved will disappear, a situation often characterized as “fear of abandonment. Someone with an avoidant attachment style dodges emotional closeness either by avoiding relationships altogether or demonstrating ambivalence, seeming preoccupied, or otherwise establishing distance in intimate situations David Matsumoto | Linda Juang | Hyisung C. Hwang, Culture and Psychology, 7th Edition. © 2023 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, co Figure 3.4 - Differing Levels of Peer Influence on Enculturation  Exposure to Peer Groups Cultures vary in exposure that children have to their peer groups – In industrialized countries, children spend significant time with same- aged peers – In solitary farm settlements, children have limited options to interact with a wide range of playmates – In hunting and gathering societies, children socialize with multiple-age peers  Peers and Bullying Why is Bullying on the rise? Bullying by peers is recognized as a serious public health issue Olweus’s criteria for defining bullying – Intentional physical or psychological harm – Based on a power imbalance between the bully and victim – Repeated over time Rate of bullying varies across cultures Cyberbullying: Bullying through electronic means Cross-national comparisons may become difficult, if cultures define bullying in different ways  Culture and Educational System Educational system - Formalized mechanism of instruction in many societies and cultures – Teaches and reinforces cultural values School systems – Content taught in schools reflect the choices regarding what a culture believes is important to learn Parental and familial values – Cultural differences in parenting beliefs about education impact children’s educational experiences Attitudes and appraisals of students – Students around the world approach their academic work with different worldviews, attitudes, and attributional styles Differences can be attributed to parental variations Teaching practices and school environment – Differences exist in the classroom in terms of teaching style, and expectations across cultures – Actual behaviors contribute to children’s academic achievement  Reflecting on Educational System Think about your educational experience from childhood through now. What kinds of teaching practices and school environments did you experience? How did they contribute to your cultural perspective  Conclusion Each culture's way of raising children represents that culture's way of ensuring values and norms are transmitted to those children Practices are ritualized to transmit information from generation to next generation Contemporary theories – Children's active processing of information results in reproduction of culture and production of new elements Enculturation is a life-long process