Chapter 3, Culture Key Terms
culture The knowledge, language, values, customs and material objects that are passed from person to person and from one generation to the next in a human group or society. material culture The physical or tangible creations that members of a society make, use, and share.
nonmaterial culture The abstract or intangible human creations of society that influence people’s behavior. cultural universals Customs and practices that occur across all societies.
symbol Anything that meaningfully represents something else. language A set of symbols that expresses ideas and enables people to think and communicate with one another.
Sapir-Whorf hypothesis Language shapes the reality of its speakers. values Collective ideas about what is right or wrong, good or bad, and desirable or undesirable in a particular culture.
norms Established rules of behavior or standards of conduct. sanctions Rewards for appropriate behavior or penalties for inappropriate behavior.
folkways Informal norms or everyday customs that may be violated without serious consequences within a particular culture. mores A particular culture’s strongly held norms with moral and ethical connotations that may not be violated without serious consequences.
taboos Mores so strong that their violation is considered extremely offensive and unmentionable. laws Formal, standardized norms that have been enacted by legislatures and are enforced by formal sanctions.
technology The knowledge, techniques, and tools that allow people to transform resources into useable forms and the knowledge and skills required to use what is developed. cultural lag A gap between the technical development of a society and it’s moral and legal institutions.
discovery The process of learning about something previously unknown or unrecognized. invention The process of reshaping existing cultural items into a new form.
diffusion The transmission of cultural items or social practices from one group or society to another. subculture A category of people who share distinguishing attributes, beliefs, values, and /or norms that set them apart in some significant manner from the dominant culture.
counterculture A group that strongly reflects dominant societal values and norms and seeks alternative lifestyles. culture shock The disorientation people feel when they encounter cultures radically different from their own.
ethnocentrism The practice of judging all other cultures by one’s own culture. popular culture Activities, products and services that are assumed to appeal primarily to member so the middle and working classes.
cultural Imperialism The extensive infusion of on nation's culture into other nations.