IB Psychology

Paper 1
Sociocultural level of analysis

SAQ

2016-01-13

Culture and
cultural norms
(13)
Learning outcome:
Define the terms culture and cultural
norms.
Course Companion: 124-125
Past exam questions: This question has never been asked. Expect Define the terms (as
a part of an ERQ or as an SAQ). Also expect SAQs asking you to Distinguish between the
terms, to Describe one study related to culture och cultural norms maybe, or to Explain the
term culture and/or cultural norms. In you answer, you need to state the definitions and
explain each part of each, just like in the handout and in the sample answers.

CULTURE = a dynamic system of rules, explicit and implicit, established by

groups in order to ensure their survival, involving attitudes, values, beliefs,
norms, and behaviors.
CULTURAL NORMS = rules which regulate behavior within a particular
culture or the behavioral expectations within the group defined by the culture.
Videos and websites:
- Youtube: Define the terms culture and cultural norms https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=pfpo0FeYfyU
- Youtube: The difference between Western culture and Eastern culture https://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=cytr0MOH4tY
- Sex change surgery, Youtube, about the Samoan faafafine http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=EronVtKYr0c
- Wikipedia on the faafafine http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fa'afafine
- Aladdin ad 2001/2002 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiGDZdonqNk

DEFINITION OF CULTURE

Culture is difficult to define because it is a complex

phenomenon and there are many definitions. Most definitions include the following:
Culture is
a dynamic set of rules
which regulate the behavior of the culture
They are explicit and implicit,
They are established and shared by groups in order to ensure their survival
They involve attitudes, values, beliefs, norms, and behaviors.
Culture is learned through socialization
Culture can be divided into subjective and objective culture
-

EXPLANATION OF THE DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE DEFINITION

DYNAMIC SET OF RULES means that culture changes over time in response to
environmental and social changes. For example, when when smoking was banned by
law in Swedish restaurants, behavior and attitudes changed.

THE RULES REGULATE BEHAVIOR OF THE CULTURE

The rules regulate the behaviors of the group means that the rules tell people what is
appropriate in terms of behavior.

THE RULES ARE EXPLICIT AND IMPLICIT

Some rules are implicit (simply understood) and some are explicit (written).
Examples of implicit rules in Sweden are that you should never brag, that you should wait
in line for your turn, that you should only take one piece of chocolate from an Aladdin box
and never from the second layer if there are chocolates left in the first layer.
Examples of explicit rules are those that are determined by law, for example, that parents
are not allowed to hit their children. Laws are a formal body of rules enacted by the state
and backed by the power of the state.

THEY ARE ESTABLISHED AND SHARED BY GROUPS IN ORDER TO

ENSURE SURVIVAL
Culture is established by the group. This means that the culture itself establishes the
rules. They dont come from outside. They develop throughout time and they change with
time.Culture enables the group to interact, communicate and function. This means
that it would be very difficult for people to communicate and function as a group if no-one
had any rules to follow and you never knew what to expect.

THEY INVOLVE ATTITUDES, VLAUES, NORMS, BELIEFS, BEHAVIORS

Culture is a set of attitudes, behaviors and symbols shared by a group, for example,
political, religious and moral beliefs, values, superstitions, and stereotypes, norms,
customs, traditions and fashions (such as child-raring practices. Children are brought up to
be independent or dependent, for example).

CULTURE IS LEARNED THROUGH SOCIALIZATION

Culture is learned through socialization, from the members of the group (by imitating
them and being rewarded and punished for the right and wrong behaviors). This can be
illustrated using Banduras social learning theory, according to which we learn behaviors
by being reinforced and by modeling others. When individuals break social or cultural

norms, they may be punished, marginalized, stigmatized, or-more positively-seen as

creative and affecting change in the society. Culture is actually cultural schemas that have
been internalized so that they influence thinking, emotions and behavior. It is shared by
the members of a sociocultural group and learned through daily interactions and by the
feedback of other members of the group.

SUBJECTIVE AND OBJECTIVE CULTURE

Objective culture is surface culture, that is visible characteristics and manifestations of
a culture, such as food, eating habits, clothing, rituals, communication patterns, religion,
use of various technologies.
Subjective culture is deep culture (which is what Hofstede measured) = beliefs, norms,
attitudes and values groups consider important enough to pass on to future generations
(moral codes, religious beliefs and social etiquette).These underpin cultural manifestations

CULTURAL NORMS

are rules which regulate behavior within a particular

culture. They are culturally shared beliefs about how a person within that culture
should behave. Cultural norms are behaviors that are typical of specific, established
groups (ethnic groups, peer groups, etc.)
For example, there are different cultural norms concerning how marriage partners are
chosen (see Buss), concerning attitudes towards alcohol consumption, and concerning the
acceptance (or rejection) of spanking children, etc. See culture above. Americans, for
instance, maintain fairly direct eye contact when conversing with others. Asians, on the
other hand, may avert their eyes as a sign of politeness and respect.
Cultural norms are passed down from generation to generation by observing parents,
teachers, religious leaders, and peers (through the process of socialization)
They regulate behavior in accordance with the groups beliefs about acceptable and
unacceptable ways of thinking, feeling and behaving.
Members of a culture must conform to its norms for the culture to exist and function.
Hence, members must want to conform and obey rules. They first must internalize the
social norms and values that dictate what is normal for the culture; then they must
socialize, or teach norms and values to, their children. If internalization and socialization
fail to produce conformity, some form of social control is eventually needed. Social
control may take the form of ostracism, fines, punishments, and even imprisonment.

Sample answer
SAQ: Using one study or theory, define/explain the terms culture and
cultural norms.
Since they ask for a study, you should both define both terms AND outline a study AND connect the study to the
definitions.

One study that investigates culture and cultural norms is Hofstedes survey from 1973.
Culture is a set of common rules (involving attitudes, values, beliefs, norms and behaviors) shared by
groups and that the rules regulate behaviors, attitudes and beliefs of the group. Culture is dynamic,
which means that it changes over time in response to environmental and social changes. Some rules are
implicit. These are guidelines that are simply understood, such as the way we great people. Some are
explicit rules that are written, such as laws. Culture is established by groups and it enables the group to
interact, communicate and function. It is learned through socialization. Cultural norms are a special kind of
social norm. They are rules which regulate behavior within a particular culture.
Hofstedes (1973) conducted a survey to investigate norms in different cultures. 100,000 employees in
a large international company (IBM) with sites in more than 40 countries answered 126 questions clustered
around four major themes: satisfaction, perception, personal goals and beliefs, and demographics. He then
analyzed the answers using a content analysis focusing on the key differences between cultures. He
noticed trends that he called dimensions. Cultures were ranked in terms of how strongly they
embraced the values of for example individualism or masculinity. For example, North American and
Western European nations tended to be relatively individualistic (meaning that the goals of the individual are
valued more than the goals of the group), whereas more collectivism was found in Asian, African, and Latin
American countries. Each country was rank-ordered by the degree to which people endorsed IC values. The
US, Australia, and Great Britain were the most individualistic. Colombia, Venezuela, and Pakistan were the
most collectivist.
The survey indicates that there are differences between cultures and therefore one could conclude that
culture does regulate behavior and that it is shared by groups (as the definition of culture suggests). When it
comes to cultural norms, the different cultures seemed to have different norms, for example in their
emphasis on the goals of the individual or the group.

SAQ: Define the terms culture and cultural norms.

See answer from InThinking.