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Culture, Society & Social Behaviour —
University Lecture Notes
1. What is Culture?
Culture is a shared system of meanings, information, values and behaviours within a
group. It is transmitted between generations and helps groups:
Meet basic survival needs
Coordinate social behaviour
Maintain successful patterns of behaviour
Pursue happiness and wellbeing
Create meaning in life
Culture is therefore more than nationality. It can influence how people think, behave,
communicate, form relationships and understand themselves.
Why is culture important in psychology?
Psychological behaviour cannot always be assumed to be universal.
Some social-psychological findings may apply broadly across human beings, whereas others
may only occur within particular cultural environments.
Therefore, cross-cultural comparison is important because it allows psychologists to:
1. Identify whether psychological findings generalise across cultures.
2. Identify cultural differences in behaviour.
3. Establish the limits of psychological theories.
4. Understand how social and cultural environments influence behaviour.
2. Cross-Cultural Replication
Definition
Cross-cultural replication involves testing whether the findings of a psychological study are
reproduced when the research is conducted in a different cultural context.
The key question is:
Would we obtain the same psychological result in another culture?
,This is particularly important in social psychology because behaviour can be influenced by:
Cultural norms
Group expectations
Social roles
Values
Individualism/collectivism
Relationships between groups
Conformity
Authority
Why does replication matter?
If a study produces the same findings across several cultures, this provides stronger evidence
that the underlying psychological process may be relatively general.
If findings differ substantially between cultures, this suggests that culture may influence the
psychological process.
3. Group Dynamics and Deviation-
Rejection
Schachter's deviation-rejection research
Research into group dynamics examined what happens when an individual disagrees with
the majority of a group.
Participants took part in student discussion groups.
An accomplice was instructed to adopt a position that was opposed to the majority view.
Prediction
The prediction was that the deviant group member would:
1. Initially receive attention from the group.
2. Continue to receive less attention over time.
3. Eventually be rejected by the group.
The findings supported the hypothesis.
What does this demonstrate?
Groups can exert pressure on their members to maintain group norms.
, A person who consistently violates the group's expectations may experience:
Reduced communication
Social exclusion
Rejection
This demonstrates how conformity and group membership can influence behaviour.
4. Cross-Cultural Replication of Group
Dynamics
When the deviation-rejection research was replicated across different European countries, the
same general experimental hypothesis produced different results in different countries.
This is important because it demonstrates that:
Group processes may not operate identically across cultures.
The cultural context may affect:
How disagreement is viewed
The importance placed on group harmony
Tolerance of deviant opinions
Communication within groups
Responses to individuals who challenge group norms
Therefore, psychological theories should be evaluated in relation to the cultural context in
which behaviour occurs.
5. Classic Cross-Cultural Research
Several classic areas of social psychology demonstrate cultural variation.
Leadership
Research into leadership styles found differences between cultures.
Some research suggested that participants in the United States showed a preference
for democratic leadership, whereas research involving participants in India and Hong Kong
showed greater preference for autocratic leadership.
Key point
Culture, Society & Social Behaviour —
University Lecture Notes
1. What is Culture?
Culture is a shared system of meanings, information, values and behaviours within a
group. It is transmitted between generations and helps groups:
Meet basic survival needs
Coordinate social behaviour
Maintain successful patterns of behaviour
Pursue happiness and wellbeing
Create meaning in life
Culture is therefore more than nationality. It can influence how people think, behave,
communicate, form relationships and understand themselves.
Why is culture important in psychology?
Psychological behaviour cannot always be assumed to be universal.
Some social-psychological findings may apply broadly across human beings, whereas others
may only occur within particular cultural environments.
Therefore, cross-cultural comparison is important because it allows psychologists to:
1. Identify whether psychological findings generalise across cultures.
2. Identify cultural differences in behaviour.
3. Establish the limits of psychological theories.
4. Understand how social and cultural environments influence behaviour.
2. Cross-Cultural Replication
Definition
Cross-cultural replication involves testing whether the findings of a psychological study are
reproduced when the research is conducted in a different cultural context.
The key question is:
Would we obtain the same psychological result in another culture?
,This is particularly important in social psychology because behaviour can be influenced by:
Cultural norms
Group expectations
Social roles
Values
Individualism/collectivism
Relationships between groups
Conformity
Authority
Why does replication matter?
If a study produces the same findings across several cultures, this provides stronger evidence
that the underlying psychological process may be relatively general.
If findings differ substantially between cultures, this suggests that culture may influence the
psychological process.
3. Group Dynamics and Deviation-
Rejection
Schachter's deviation-rejection research
Research into group dynamics examined what happens when an individual disagrees with
the majority of a group.
Participants took part in student discussion groups.
An accomplice was instructed to adopt a position that was opposed to the majority view.
Prediction
The prediction was that the deviant group member would:
1. Initially receive attention from the group.
2. Continue to receive less attention over time.
3. Eventually be rejected by the group.
The findings supported the hypothesis.
What does this demonstrate?
Groups can exert pressure on their members to maintain group norms.
, A person who consistently violates the group's expectations may experience:
Reduced communication
Social exclusion
Rejection
This demonstrates how conformity and group membership can influence behaviour.
4. Cross-Cultural Replication of Group
Dynamics
When the deviation-rejection research was replicated across different European countries, the
same general experimental hypothesis produced different results in different countries.
This is important because it demonstrates that:
Group processes may not operate identically across cultures.
The cultural context may affect:
How disagreement is viewed
The importance placed on group harmony
Tolerance of deviant opinions
Communication within groups
Responses to individuals who challenge group norms
Therefore, psychological theories should be evaluated in relation to the cultural context in
which behaviour occurs.
5. Classic Cross-Cultural Research
Several classic areas of social psychology demonstrate cultural variation.
Leadership
Research into leadership styles found differences between cultures.
Some research suggested that participants in the United States showed a preference
for democratic leadership, whereas research involving participants in India and Hong Kong
showed greater preference for autocratic leadership.
Key point
