4. Culture Dimension
Introduction:
Cultures are made up of a set of attitudes, behaviors, and symbols shared by a large group of people, and usually communicated from one generation to the next
Culture dimension: the values and norms within a culture that influence behavior and cognition. It describes the trends of behavior in each culture.
One of the culture dimensions is individualism and collectivism
· Individualism: Focus on “I”, Emphasize personal identity, Loose tie between individuals
· Collectivism: Focus on “We”, Emphasize social identity, Strong in-group bonds are formed.
Body:
Berry
Aim: if the I-C dimension plays a role on the level of conformity
Participants: 3 cultures (Temne, Inuits, Scots)
Procedure:
· Each participant was tested alone. Directions were given in their native language.
· Use a version of Asch paradigm: show a series of lines and asked to pick the line that most closely matched a target line.
· The participant was told, “Most Temne (or Inuit/Scots)” say that this line matches the line at the top. What do you think? (Some trials correct, some incorrect)
Result: Temne were more likely to conform to the incorrect answer than the Inuits.
Conclusion: Culture dimension plays a role in one’s level of conformity.
Linkback: Temne-social harmony, Inuits-independence, speaking one’s mind.
Evaluation-strength:
· Test in native languages of the different groups, less confounding variable
· Highly standardized-replicable-test reliability
Evaluation-limitation:
· low ecological validity (Highly artificial)
· Temporal validity (Inuit people’s living habit has changed)
Kulkofsky
Aim: to see if there was any difference in the rate of flashbulb memories in collectivistic and individualistic cultures
Participants: adult from five different countries
Procedure:
· Recall events: five minutes to recall memories of public event
· Memory questionnaire: answer a series of questions to determine the level of FBM
· Answer questions about personal importance & emotional intensity of the event
Result: In a collectivistic culture like China, personal importance and intensity of emotion played less of a role in predicting FBM than individualistic cultures
Linkback:
· Individualistic cultures: greater emphasis on an individual’s personal involvement and emotional experiences
· Collectivistic cultures: de-emphasize personal experience and -less rehearsal-fewer FBM.
Evaluation-strength:
· High ecological validity
· Back translation of questionnaires to native languages: control confounding variable
Evaluation-limitation:
· Self-report & retrospect: cannot verify the accuracy of memory, intensity of emotion when the event happened.
Conclusion:
· Etic approach compare culture, use standardized tests developed in western culture to measure behavior in different culture.
· Ecological fallacy: a trend in a culture rather than individuals, might lead to stereotypes.
· Application: understand culture in the age of globalization.
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