Slide 1 Psyc 424

What is culture?

Answer explanation

Any type of information acquired from members that exists within a shared context, though social learning/interactions that influences someone's behavior. It includes traditions, practice, values and belief.

What is culture? And give an example of culture.

Answer explanation

Any type of information that is acquired through members that exists within a shared context, through social learning/interactions and that influences someone's behavior. It includes practice, activities, values, tradition, and beliefs.

An example of culture is fan culture. When a new member joins a "fandom" there are practices, values, and traditions that they learn through interacting with other fans that often times where there before them or through observation of different types of interactions within that specific fandom. For example, their shared context/values are loyalty. To show this loyalty they learned through other fans to promote the celebrity through different means (social media posts, fanfictions etc.). These behaviors are reinforced by engaging with other fans, who provide feedback and encouragement, further teaching and sustaining the group’s cultural practices.

IS the mind independent or intertwined with culture?

Psychological processes vary across cultures.

What is a psychological process? And how is related to culture?

Answer explanation

Psychological processes are the way the mind works, it involves cognitive processes such as what we pay attention to, how we think, interpret information. It is influenced by culture because of the context in which we exist guiding these processes from young, influencing our mind. For example, if we look at the psychological universals and levels of analysis, there are functional universals, where the accessibility of certain mental elements such as emotions aren't accessible in similar manners. For some, they will pay attention much more to shame than someone of another culture. In that sense mind and culture are intertwined.

True or false.

Psychological processes do not vary across cultures.

• True

• False

True or false.

Variations in psychological processes can emerge differently around te world.

• True

• False

Are people the same everywhere they go? (advocate for both sides)

Answer explanation

Yes, according to general psychologist human beings operates in similar ways where ever they are. This idea follows the notion that there are universals that all human share such as language and smiling when happy. It looks at the unchanging ways, the mind functions in its basic form for all.

No, opposite to the general psychologist view, the mind exist in context that must be taken into consideration. Since its context will have real influence on the psychological processes not taking them into consideration with leave us with a lot of important informations missing. Understanding the universalities and the uniqueness/variations are important in cultural psychology. People vary in different ways, like humor, which is a variation that is informed by culture.

How do you focus on variations?

Why is it important to look at both content and context in cultural psychology?

Answer explanation

Because culture provides the context to which we can understand and give meaning to different behaviors, feelings, and psychological processes/thoughts.

Name the psychological universals and levels of analysis?