Chapter 3.1

Culture Knowledge, language, values, customs & physical objects that are passed from generation to generation among members of a group Material: physical objects Nonmaterial: beliefs, rules, customs, family systems, economies…

Importance of Culture 1) help explain human social behavior 2)provide the blueprint that people use to guide their relationships with others *MUST BE LEARNED*

Society Group of people who live in a defined territory and participate in a common culture Culture and society cannot exist without the other

Heredity Instincts: inherited patterns of behavior they provide us with a little of a base, but culture expands it Ex: we want shelter (instinct), but the type of shelter we choose (culture) Genetic factors play a role in general intelligence & in personality traits; sets broad parameters for the development of some behaviors and traits (nature vs nurture)

Heredity con’t Reflexes: simple, biologically inherited automatic reactions to physical stimuli Drives: impulses to reduce discomfort Ex: eat when hungry

Heredity con’t Inherited personality traits, reflexes & drives do not control human social behavior, it channels the expression of those characteristics Ex: genes influence intelligence, but intelligent parents often provided an intellectually stimulating environment, helping the children excel academically

Sociobiology They system of how biology influences human behavior Sociobiologists assume the behaviors that best help people are biologically based Ex: behaviors that would contribute to human survival include parental affection, friendship, sexual reproduction, & education

CAUTION Could be used as a justification to label specific races as superior or inferior Where we typically get our stereotypes from Too much variation in societies for human behavior to be explained on strictly biological grounds

Chapter 3.2

Symbols Cultural transmission depends heavily on the use of symbols *most powerful symbol is language Range from objects to sounds, smells & tastes Allows humans to pass their experiences, ideas and knowledge to others Can you think of a symbol that could have different meanings based on the culture?

Sapir-Worf Hypothesis/Hypothesis of Linguistic Relativity Language is our guide to reality How we think about a thing relates to the number & complexity of words available to describe it Our perceptions depend in part on the language we learn *since language differs, so does perception Exposure to other languages or words can alter our perception *Nonverbal language is just as important

Chapter 3.3

Norms Rules that define behavior Anything can be considered appropriate if norms approve of it Ones norms are learned, members of a society use them to guide their behavior Ex: standing in line

Norms con’t 3 factors that cause change in social norms: 1)invention: new cultural elements 2)discovery: better understanding of something already known 3)diffusion: spread of cultural elements from one culture to another

3 Types of Norms Folkways-Rules that cover customary ways of thinking, feeling and behaving, but lack moral overtones ex: sleeping in a bed, not floor Mores-norms that have a moral dimensions and should be followed for the well-being of a society ex: able-bodied men should work Laws-norms that are formally defined and enforced by officials *folkways can become mores or laws ex: smoking in public places

Enforcing the Rules Sanctions: rewards and punishments used to encourage people to follow norms 1)formal sanctions: imposed by persons given special authority; can be positive or negative ex: judges, teachers 2)informal sanctions: rewards or punishments that can be applied by most members of a group; can be positive or negative

Values Broad ideas about what is good or desirable and shared by people in a society Form that basis for norms

What Values shape the lives of Americans? Read pages Make a list of 15 things, both material and nonmaterial that you value Rank your list in order of most valuable (1) to least valuable (15) If I give you a $1000 to spend on these values, divide up what you would give to each value

Chapter 3.4

Why Beliefs Matter Beliefs: ideas about the nature of reality; can be true or false Provide a sense of community

Material Culture Uses and meanings of physical objects can vary among societies Objects that make up material culture can carry meanings not related to their actual use Ex: automobiles are designed to transport people and goods, but the type of automobile a person drives can also have social meaning

Ideal and Real Culture a gap sometimes exists between cultural guidelines and actual behavior IDEAL: cultural guidelines publicly embraced by members of society REAL: the actual behavior patterns Ex: ideal culture is honesty, real culture is we all lie at times (cheating on assignments/tests) Ideal culture can provide unrealistic expectations, but provides us with a guideline and allows us to see if others stray too far and need a sanction

Chapter 3.5

Cultural Change Norms, values and beliefs are relatively stable, but they do change over time 3 Reasons: Discovery-the process of finding something that already exists ex: female athletes Invention-creation of something new ex: cell phone Diffusion-borrowing of aspects of culture from others ex: food

Diversity The condition of being made up of different elements, such as racial identities, ethnicities, religious beliefs, and so on Can be a result of social categories: grouping of persons who share a social characteristic ex: age, gender, religion Factors that promote diversity include immigration, globalism, better/faster communication, travel, cultural relevance

Diversity con’t Folk culture: cultural patterns practiced by traditional groups Pop culture: cultural patterns that are widespread among a society’s population Culture shock: feeling of surprise and confusion people may feel when they encounter cultural practices different from their own

Diversity con’t Groups that differ in particular ways from the larger culture; they participate in the larger culture, but have some ways of thinking, feeling and behaving that set them apart Subcultures: part of the dominant culture but differs from it in some important respects ex: Chinatown; can create stereotypes Countercultures: a subculture deliberately and consciously opposed to certain central beliefs or attitudes of the dominant culture ex: gangs, hippies

Ethnocentrism Once people learn their culture, they tend to become strongly committed to it Ethnocentrism: May judge others in terms of their own culture Advantages-group loyalty, confidence, patriotism, maintain traditions/values Disadvantages-divide people, lead to hatred and violence

Cultural Universals General traits that exist in all cultures Identified more than 70 Ex: sports, cooking, division of labor, education, funeral rites, family, government, housing, joking, language, medicine, marriage, music, caring for children Cultural particulars: the ways in which a culture expresses universal traits Biological similarities shared by all humans helps account for many cultural universals