Cultural origins on behaviour/cog

• 2 topics?

  Cultural dimensions - Berry 1967

  
  

  Culture and its influence on cognition - Brown and Kulik 1977
• What is cultural dimensions?


  Looks at culture based on values and norms, where they can be collectivistic or individualistic.

  
  

  Hofstede = cultural dimensions model:

  - Indiv vs collect

  - Masc vs fem

  - LT vs ST

  - Restraint vs indulgent

  - Power distance

  - Uncertainty avoidance
• Collectivistic vs individualistic?

  Collectivism - identity defined by group (China, Peru, Sierra Leone).

  
  

  - self defined by group membership, shared responsibility through interdependence and social harmony valued.

  
  

  Individualism - identity defined by self (Canada, UK, US).

  
  

  - speaking ones mind is important, everyone has the right to privacy and is influenced by individuals achievements.
• Changing behaviour to fit into a group. Asch line study where people agreed with others even when they knew it was wrong.
• Berry 1967

  aim - investigate conformity levels between individualistic and collectivistic groups/cultures.

  
  

  participants:

  1) Temme of Sierra Leone - collectivist, farmers rely on each other to eat.

  2) Inuit of Canada - Individualistic, hunting and fishing alone

  3) Scots - control group where they are both.

  
  

  Procedure - 120 in each group given a set of lines and asked to compare the lines and see which matched to the main line. Were 6 trials, and on the 3rd to the 6th trial the participants heard what most people in their culture chose.

  
  

  Findings:

  Temne = had a higher rate of conformity.

  Inuits = lower rate of conformity than the Scots.

  
  

  Conclusion - Once reminded of cultural identity, cultural dimensions influence an individuals chance to conform.
• what is a FB memory?

  A vivid memory which is associated with high levels of emotions. Making details such as where the person was and what time they found out about the event. Associate it with it being a photo.

  
  

  OIPOOA

  
  

  O - Own emotions.

  I - Informant (how they found out).

  P - Place.

  O - Other emotions.

  O - On going events.

  A - Action afterwards.
• What is culture? and its different types?

  Culture = ideas, beliefs, attitudes and traditions which we share in a group which gives us identity.

  
  

  Surface culture = visible elements (music, clothes).

  Deep culture = invisible (beliefs, attitudes).
• Brown and Kulik 1977

  aim - investigate if significant events can create FBM.

  
  

  procedure - 80 US (40 white, 40 African American). Questionnaire asked them about memories of 10 major events (e.g., John F Kennedy and Martin Luther King assassinations).

  
  

  Asked 5 questions:

  - where they was.

  - what time of the day.

  - how did they learn it occurred.

  - what were they doing.

  - who were they with.

  
  

  results - John F Kennedy had more FBM. However African American participants recalled more FBM for black civil right leaders like Martin Luther King. With 75% of black participants recalling everything and only 33% of white.

  
  

  conclusion - showed the importance of relevance of information between different cultures.
• American culture?

  Individualistic = importance of freedom of speech.

  
  

  Link to Brown + Kulik 1977 = remember political leader assassinations better due to it going against their individualistic values of freedom of speech.