1. Cultural Psychology

2. 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)

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

4. 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?

5. 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?

6. 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

7. 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)

8. 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?

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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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?”

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

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

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

16. 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).

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

18. Cultural Learning
Imitative learning
Communication

19. Spread of Culture
Transmitted Culture
Dynamic social impact theory

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

21. Cultures Persist Early influences Innovations vs. inventions
Pluralistic Ignorance

22. Cultures Change Interconnection Intelligence Innovations
Exponential growth

23. 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)
Shah (emperor) + Prime Minister (modernization)
1979-present Islamic Republic w/president