CULTURAL PSYCHOLOGY STUDY
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
acculturation - ANSWER-The process by which people adopt a new cultural system as they move
from their country of birth (their heritage culture) to another country (the host culture)
analytic thought - ANSWER-A system of thought in which people tend to separate focal objects
from their context, categorize using generic taxonomic rules, and avoid contradictions;
associated with independent and individualistic cultures
artifact - ANSWER-Any object made by a human being
assimilation - ANSWER-An acculturation strategy in which people embrace their host culture but
reject their heritage culture
bamboo ceiling - ANSWER-An unofficial barrier that keeps Asian Americans from rising to the
highest levels of an organization
bicultural individual - ANSWER-A person who has moved from one culture to another and has
internalized two cultural systems
blending - ANSWER-The idea that the thoughts, emotions, and behaviors of bicultural (or
multicultural) individuals are a unique combination of their cultural backgrounds
cognition - ANSWER-Thinking; encompasses the processes associated with perception,
knowledge, problem-solving, judgment, language, and memory
collectivistic cultures - ANSWER-Cultures in which life is experienced as part of the community
and people are expected to place important people in their lives ahead of themselves;
individuals tend to think in terms of "we" instead of "I"
cultural dimension - ANSWER-An aspect of culture that represents how people in a society
respond to a basic challenge in life, such as dealing with uncertainty or fitting into a hierarchy
cultural psychologists - ANSWER-Psychologists who specialize in exploring how culture shapes
both our external lives and our internal lives
culture - ANSWER-The ideas, institutions, and interactions that guide and reflect individuals'
thoughts, feelings, and actions
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
acculturation - ANSWER-The process by which people adopt a new cultural system as they move
from their country of birth (their heritage culture) to another country (the host culture)
analytic thought - ANSWER-A system of thought in which people tend to separate focal objects
from their context, categorize using generic taxonomic rules, and avoid contradictions;
associated with independent and individualistic cultures
artifact - ANSWER-Any object made by a human being
assimilation - ANSWER-An acculturation strategy in which people embrace their host culture but
reject their heritage culture
bamboo ceiling - ANSWER-An unofficial barrier that keeps Asian Americans from rising to the
highest levels of an organization
bicultural individual - ANSWER-A person who has moved from one culture to another and has
internalized two cultural systems
blending - ANSWER-The idea that the thoughts, emotions, and behaviors of bicultural (or
multicultural) individuals are a unique combination of their cultural backgrounds
cognition - ANSWER-Thinking; encompasses the processes associated with perception,
knowledge, problem-solving, judgment, language, and memory
collectivistic cultures - ANSWER-Cultures in which life is experienced as part of the community
and people are expected to place important people in their lives ahead of themselves;
individuals tend to think in terms of "we" instead of "I"
cultural dimension - ANSWER-An aspect of culture that represents how people in a society
respond to a basic challenge in life, such as dealing with uncertainty or fitting into a hierarchy
cultural psychologists - ANSWER-Psychologists who specialize in exploring how culture shapes
both our external lives and our internal lives
culture - ANSWER-The ideas, institutions, and interactions that guide and reflect individuals'
thoughts, feelings, and actions
