WEEK 1: CULTURE AND PSYCHOLOGY
- Psychological research has been based on WEIRDOS (Western, educated, industrialised,
rich, and democratic cultures)
- Not representative of all humans
- Cross-cultural research: Tests the cultural parameters of psychological knowledge
- Involves research on human behaviour that compares psychological processes
between two or more cultures
Culture
- Refers to general characteristics of a society
- Refers to heritage or tradition
- Describes rules and norms
- Describes learning or problem solving
- Defines the organisation of a group
- Refers to the origins of a group
Factors that Influence the Creation of Culture
Group Life
- Division of labour
- Efficiency
- Increase survival probability
Environments
- Climate
- Population density
- Arable land
- Diseases
- Previous cultures
- Contact with other cultures
Resources
- Food
- Water
- Money
The Evolved Human Mind
- Basic human needs and motives
- Universal psychological toolkit
, Contents of the Universal Psychological Toolkit
Cognitive Abilities
- Language
- Complex social cognition
- Memory
- Hypothetical reasoning
- Problem solving
- Planning
Emotions
- Basic emotions
- Self-conscious emotions
- Moral emotions
Personality Traits
- Extraversion
- Neuroticism
- Openness
- Agreeableness
- Conscientiousness
Culture
- Function
- Provides guidelines or roadmaps on what to do, how to think, and what to feel
- Ways of living use universal psychological toolkits to meet basic human needs
- Definition
- Unique information system shared by a group, and transmitted across generations
- Allows the group to meet basic needs, pursue well-being, and derive meaning
from life
A Functional Understanding of Culture
, Contrasting Groups that Have Cultures from Social Constructs that are Not Culture
Groups that have cultures
- Countries/Nations
- Language
- Ethnicity
- Gender
- Disability
- Sexual orientations
Constructs that are not culture
- Race
- Personality
- Popular culture
Contrasting Culture, Race, Personality, and Popular Culture
- Race - Social construction or biological basis?
- Culture provides race its meaning
- Racial differences are not useful for scientific or practical purposes
without a clear understanding of the underlying causes of the similarities
and differences observed
- Personality - Unique constellation of traits, attributes, qualities, and characteristics
- Culture is stable across individuals, whereas personality is vastly different
- Popular culture - Trends in music, art, and other expressions that is popular among people
, - Does not involve sharing a wide range of psychological attributes across various
domains
- Values come and go as fads or trends unlike culture, which is more stable over
time
Contents of Culture
- Texts
- Art
- Mass media
- Architecture
- Clothes
- Social media
- Food
- Music
- Advertising
- Eating utensils
Subjective Elements of Culture
Values
- Individualism vs collectivism
- Power distance
- Sacred values
Beliefs
- Dynamic externality
- Societal cynicism
- Religion
Norms
- Etiquette and politeness
- Expressive behaviour
- Tightness vs looseness
Attitudes
- Opinions
- Stereotypes
- Prejudice
- Psychological research has been based on WEIRDOS (Western, educated, industrialised,
rich, and democratic cultures)
- Not representative of all humans
- Cross-cultural research: Tests the cultural parameters of psychological knowledge
- Involves research on human behaviour that compares psychological processes
between two or more cultures
Culture
- Refers to general characteristics of a society
- Refers to heritage or tradition
- Describes rules and norms
- Describes learning or problem solving
- Defines the organisation of a group
- Refers to the origins of a group
Factors that Influence the Creation of Culture
Group Life
- Division of labour
- Efficiency
- Increase survival probability
Environments
- Climate
- Population density
- Arable land
- Diseases
- Previous cultures
- Contact with other cultures
Resources
- Food
- Water
- Money
The Evolved Human Mind
- Basic human needs and motives
- Universal psychological toolkit
, Contents of the Universal Psychological Toolkit
Cognitive Abilities
- Language
- Complex social cognition
- Memory
- Hypothetical reasoning
- Problem solving
- Planning
Emotions
- Basic emotions
- Self-conscious emotions
- Moral emotions
Personality Traits
- Extraversion
- Neuroticism
- Openness
- Agreeableness
- Conscientiousness
Culture
- Function
- Provides guidelines or roadmaps on what to do, how to think, and what to feel
- Ways of living use universal psychological toolkits to meet basic human needs
- Definition
- Unique information system shared by a group, and transmitted across generations
- Allows the group to meet basic needs, pursue well-being, and derive meaning
from life
A Functional Understanding of Culture
, Contrasting Groups that Have Cultures from Social Constructs that are Not Culture
Groups that have cultures
- Countries/Nations
- Language
- Ethnicity
- Gender
- Disability
- Sexual orientations
Constructs that are not culture
- Race
- Personality
- Popular culture
Contrasting Culture, Race, Personality, and Popular Culture
- Race - Social construction or biological basis?
- Culture provides race its meaning
- Racial differences are not useful for scientific or practical purposes
without a clear understanding of the underlying causes of the similarities
and differences observed
- Personality - Unique constellation of traits, attributes, qualities, and characteristics
- Culture is stable across individuals, whereas personality is vastly different
- Popular culture - Trends in music, art, and other expressions that is popular among people
, - Does not involve sharing a wide range of psychological attributes across various
domains
- Values come and go as fads or trends unlike culture, which is more stable over
time
Contents of Culture
- Texts
- Art
- Mass media
- Architecture
- Clothes
- Social media
- Food
- Music
- Advertising
- Eating utensils
Subjective Elements of Culture
Values
- Individualism vs collectivism
- Power distance
- Sacred values
Beliefs
- Dynamic externality
- Societal cynicism
- Religion
Norms
- Etiquette and politeness
- Expressive behaviour
- Tightness vs looseness
Attitudes
- Opinions
- Stereotypes
- Prejudice
