APHuG Topic 3.4 Types of Diffusion

APHuG Topic 3.4 Types of Diffusion

By Brittni Beeson

Please make sure to take Cornell Notes on this lesson with Types of Diffusion as your topic. Anything written in white should be added to your notes for today.

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​Types of Diffusion

Types of Diffusion

How do ideas and practices spread around the world?

I will be able to define and explain the different types of diffusion.

​3.4 Types of diffusion

​Objective

Hearth

• Definition = Point of origin, starting point

• The Hearth in the home (the area right in front of the fireplace is known as the hearth)

• In the days before modern technology the Hearth was "ground zero" for the home. Heat and Cooking

Diffusion

• Definition = Spread

• In geography we use this term to describe how ideas, cultural traits, inventions/innovations spread

• There are two major kinds: Relocation and Expansion

• Expansion Varieties: Contagious, Hierarchical, and Stimulus

What is cultural diffusion?

• cultural diffusion - the spread of a culture's beliefs, practices or items from one place to another

• It can include the spread of ideas, religion, food, tools, etc.

Types of Cultural Diffusion

1. Relocation diffusion

2. Expansion diffusion (three sub-types):

   1. contagious

   2. hierarchical

   3. stimulus

1. Relocation Diffusion

• This is when culture spreads by people moving to a new place and bringing their culture with them

• ex: immigration to the United States

a. Contagious Diffusion

• This is when an idea spreads by contact from person to person.

• The number of people influenced by the culture grows, and it spreads across a larger distance.

• Ex: viral videos, the use of social media around the world, the spread of religion, etc.

b. Hierarchical Diffusion

• This is when the leaders or most influential people in a society adopt an idea, then it spread to lower people in society.

• An example would be how fashion trends are first adopted by people in big cities first or by music stars or social media influencers.

c. Stimulus Diffusion

• This is when an idea is adopted and then changed and adapted to the local conditions or culture.

• An example would be different menu items in McDonald's restaurants around the world to meet local tastes and cultures.

Let's Practice

For each of the following scenarios, choose which type of diffusion is represents. Think about why it represents that type of diffusion.

Multiple Choice

Computers were once as big as a closet and only wealthy companies or large research labs could afford to have them. However, as technology improved, smaller computers were purchased for office use. Finally in the 1990s, wealthy American families began purchasing computers for their homes.

• Hierarchical

• Contagious

• Stimulus

• Relocation

Multiple Choice

Most of South America speaks Spanish because Spain, a Western European country, established colonies in South America beginning in the 1500s. Spanish missionaries and conquistadors taught native South Americans to speak Spanish and to adopt Christianity.

• Hierarchical

• Contagious

• Stimulus

• Relocation

Multiple Choice

Jazz music is often described as “America’s gift to the world”. What began in the U.S. in the 1920s is now popular everywhere in the world. Each country that adopts jazz music, improvises their own variety of Jazz based on the different rhythms and instruments from their unique musical traditions.

• Relocation

• Hierarchical

• Contagious

• Stimulus

Multiple Choice

The first underground subway system began in London in 1868. New York City followed in 1907, and Buenos Aires built the first subway in Latin America in 1913. Because subway systems are so expensive, only large cities were able to pay for their construction. However, as the world’s population grew, mid-sized cities saw the value in subways. In 1940 there were only 6 subway systems, all in the world’s largest cities. Today there are over 150 cities with underground transits.

• Hierarchical

• Relocation

• Stimulus

• Contagious

Multiple Choice

Blue Bell Ice Cream started in 1907 in Brenham, Texas. At first, small batches were made for just the people in Brenham. Slowly over the years more towns surrounding Brenham began buying the ice-cream. Eventually Blue Bell had to increase their operation to supply ice cream all over central Texas. By 1970s, Blue Bell was being sold everywhere in the state. Currently the ice-cream is available in 23 different states.

• Hierarchical

• Contagious

• Stimulus

• Relocation

Multiple Choice

In the classic Surfing documentary The Endless Summer, surfers from Southern California travel all over the world in search of the perfect wave. With each stop on their journey, local surfers in Peru gave them a special drink before surfing. In Australian they prepared a veggimite snack after a day on the waves, and in South Africa they built campfires early in the morning.

• Hierarchical

• Stimulus

• Contagious

• Relocation

Multiple Choice

Soccer is the world’s most popular sport. Often times when a famous player, like Neymar, creates a new hair style, other pro soccer players around the world choose a similar hair style. As more pro soccer players adopt that same hair, fans of their teams start to choose the same hair style for themselves. Suddenly, what started as a pro player trend, becomes a world-wide trend, especially for teenagers who want to emulate their favorite players.

• Hierarchical

• Stimulus

• Contagious

• Relocation

Multiple Choice

The Columbian Exchange began in 1492 when colonists from Europe began transporting foods across the Atlantic Ocean

• Hierarchical

• Relocation

• Stimulus

• Contagious

Multiple Choice

There are several traditions surrounding Christmas around the world. From what they call Santa Claus, to what they eat, the songs they sing, and when they open presents.

• Hierarchical

• Relocation

• Stimulus

• Contagious