Cultural Psychology

Define and describe culture Objectives Define and describe culture What are the benefits of adding a dimension of culture to studies in psychology? (Reminder: goal of psychology is to describe, explain, predict, and change behavior)

Culture Information received from members of a species through social learning that affects behaviors

Activity (5 minutes) Write down as many as you can think of: Who & what will influence (create, shape, change) our culture? What specifically will they influence?

Reflection Survey (5 minutes) Think about the following questions and write down your relevant thoughts, feelings, and experiences. Be descriptive so that other people get an understanding of your perspective. Why are you in college? Why are you here in this class?

Cultural Psychology Analyze: What do our collective responses tell us about our culture? What do our responses tell us about our psychology? Self-concept & personality Individual vs. collective orientation Motivation, expectations Concept of Intelligence

The Individual in the Group In-group variability Compare averages across groups We know that: No one person is representative of their entire culture People from different cultures may be more similar to each other than people from their own culture Samples must be repeated to be sure they are representative (proper methods and statistics)

Discussion Questions Answer your question Create your own discussion question Create an “interview question” or write down another question that you would like answered Which behaviors seem to be the most influenced by our culture? Why would some behaviors not be influenced by culture? How can we group people into a culture category? What categories make sense? What is it about humans that makes them want to share their thoughts & feelings and teach others when other species do not?

Objectives What are the different perspectives in Cultural Psychology and what are their arguments?

Culture & Psychology Relativist Perspective Different experiences due to culture create different ways of thinking, feeling, behaving Can’t separate the processes of thinking, feeling, acting, from the cultural meaning Theories created in one culture aren’t applicable in other cultures or time periods Must understand the dimensions of a culture that shape psychological processes to understand behavior in that culture

Culture & Psychology Universalist Perspective Core motivations drive all humans to meet the same basic goals Behaviors unique to a culture reflect successful methods to reach those goals rather than different psychological processes Culture should be added to theories As Moderators Individual differences vs. group averages Culture boundaries unclear

Cultural vs. Cross-cultural Cultural Psychology vs. Culture as a dimension of Psychology Ask “What are the cognitive stages of development in this culture?” vs. Ask “How are Piaget’s stages relevant in multiple cultures?”

Universality Accessibility universal Functional universal Ex: hand gestures Functional universal Ex: punishment Existential universal Ex: interpretation of failure Nonuniversal Ex: abascus

Objectives Define and contrast culture, race, and ethnicity Describe how cultural learning occurs Describe how culture is spread

Culture, Race, Ethnicity Outside classification – one primary Biological ancestry / region Ethnicity Personal affiliations / customs Can have multiple

Racial Categories 1. Black, non Hispanic: having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa (except those of Hispanic origin). 2. American Indian/Alaskan Native: having origins in any of the original peoples of North America and who maintains cultural identification through tribal affiliation or community recognition. 3. Asian/Pacific Islander: having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, the Indian Subcontinent, or Pacific Islands. This includes people from China, Japan, Korea, the Philippine Islands, American Samoa, India, and Vietnam. 4. Hispanic: of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Central or South American, or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race. 5. White, non-Hispanic: having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, North Africa, or Middle East (except those of Hispanic origin).

Why is there Culture? Theory of mind Social Brain Hypothesis Neocortex ratio Language

Cultural Learning Imitative learning Communication

Spread of Culture Transmitted Culture Dynamic social impact theory

Objectives Describe the influences on the maintenance of culture Describe the influences on cultural change

Cultures Persist Early influences Innovations vs. inventions Pluralistic Ignorance

Cultures Change Interconnection Intelligence Innovations Exponential growth

Revolutions Roman Republic (400 B.C.)-> Feudalism, monarchy (500 A.D.) -> Democratic Republic (1600 A.D.) England, France, United States Iran B.C. – 1935 monarchy (Greek, Turk, Arab rulers, then Islamic Shah) 1935-1979 Shah (emperor) + Prime Minister (modernization) 1979-present Islamic Republic w/president