4.1.

1 Outline principles that dene the sociocultural level of analysis

Focuses solely on the role of individual
Recognize: human behavior can only be fully understood if the social context in which behavior
occurred is taken into account
Principles - (assumptions)
1. Social animals with a need to belong
- biological and cognitive systems cognitive systems that make up the individual are embedded
in an even larger system of interrelationships with other individuals
Stanford Prison experiment
2. Culture inuences behavior
- can be dened as the norms and values that dene a society
Milgram study
3. Social self which reects group members
- people do not only have an individual identity, but a collective or social one
-The way you behave in a social context
Roles: students, seniors, eldest/youngest, son/daughter, brother/sister, friend, mentor,
religion, gender, race, age (generation), athlete
Factors -
Situational - to do with external factors
Dispositional - do with personal (internal) factors
4.1.2 Explain how principles that dene the sociocultural level of analysis may
be demonstrated in research through theories and/or studies
4.1.3 Discuss how and why particular research methods are used in the
sociocultural level of analysis
Case study
-can be related to the other studies
-subjective and limited
-any individual might not act the same way even though they are in the same culture
-limited in the ability to be generalized
-low generalize ability
-a lot of people in the group
-too much data, not practical
+can be related to a larger grip
+richness of the information
Quasi Experiment
Explanation: naturally occurred di"erence, do not manipulate the variable
+can use a culture as a quasi variable
+can compared between cultures, generalize?
+how each culture inuence di"erent individuals
+the extent to which it is cultural bound/universal
+organized exp. by the cultural dimensions
+signicant di"erences between individuals in each culture
+relate to how culture inuences behavior
-doesnt give a huge richness of data
-doesnt tell anything about specic individual
Observations
+high level of ecological validity
+rich data
+can study social behavior
-researcher bias
-cant truly observe the culture because you are bound by your own culture
-Hawthorne e"ect (participants bias)
-overt(informing)/covert (undercover) issue
-ethics
-is it important to justify the results gained
+best way to get results
+many di"erent ways to go about in di"erent studies
-eg. participants/non-participants
Interviewing
-reliable?
-the truth, might not get an accurate data
Questionnaires
-the Hawthorne e"ects
-no observer
-observer&researcher a"ect
+everyone can do it
+lesser validity issue
+can be anonymous
4.1.4 Discuss ethical considerations related to research studies at the
sociocultural level of analysis
Evaluate studies strength of the study analysis
G eneralizability
R eliability
A pplicability
V alidity
E thics
Discuss the study
M ethodology
C ulture
E thics
G enders
Generalization:
-prisoner raised against the guards (real and one of them in the experiment)
-subjective gender role
-culture, age, gender bound
-uniform, condition and treatment
-symbolism
-applied to real conditions
Applicability
-uniform, condition and treatment
-symbolism
-applied to real conditions
Reliability
-
Validity
-in their role until were told to reect
Ethics
-too into the role
-affected the relationships with parents and children afterwards
-bad treatment
-emotions intensity
-forced to do things without control
Dimensions of Cultures
Geert Hofstede (1980)
-dimensions of culture
-depends on time and place
product or witness to a culture
There are 5 dimensions:
1. Power distance
a. (distance between people who lead the country, normal)
2. individual/collectivist
a. individualist-decisions are made from individual to context
3. long/short term orientation
a. decision making
4. masculine/feminine
5. uncertainty avoidance
How to use dimensions of culture to understand the role of culture
1. culture bound study on behavior
-> conclusions
2. Attach study to one dimensions of culture
3. Repeat the study on other culture
4. Compare results
b. no signicant di"erence=human characteristic
c. signicant di"erence=culture inuence certain types of behavior
Generalizability:
-large sample size, 88000 from around the world
-high number, vast population
-culture varied
Reliability:
-easily copied
-everybody works for IBM in di"erent countries, di"erent kinds of people
Applicability:
-very good, anonymity, di#cult to generalize because of di"erences in agree and strongly
agree
Validity:
-exclude some countries