Culture and Social Interactions, Gender, and Emotions
Dr. K. A. Korb
University of Jos
1 June 2009
Universals in Social Behavior(Aberle et al. 1950)
Assignment of Roles Communication Shared set of goals Regulations of how to achieve goals Regulation of emotions Socialization Control of misbehavior
Dr. K. A. KorbUniversity of Jos
A.
B.
Asch-type task (Asch, 1956)
Dr. K. A. KorbUniversity of Jos
Conformity Conformity: Degree to which individuals will go
along with the group norms Conformity varies across cultures
More conformity in societies with high compliance training Densely populated and highly stratified societies High values of conservatism, collectivism, and preference for
status ascription Less conformity in societies with low compliance
training Sparse and unstratified societies High values of autonomy, individualism, and status achievement
Dr. K. A. KorbUniversity of Jos
Values Values: Broad tendency to prefer certain
states of affairs over others More general than attitudes Relatively stable in individuals and cultures
Dr. K. A. KorbUniversity of Jos
Values Three basic concerns of all societies:
How individuals relate to their group Embedded or independent
How people consider the welfare of others Vertical or Horizontal
Relationship of people to their national world Dominate and exploit or live within it
Dr. K. A. KorbUniversity of Jos
Individualism and Collectivism Individualism: Primary concern is for oneself Collectivism: Primary concern is for one’s in-
group Dimensions:
Definition of self as personal or collective Personal goals or group goals having a priority Emphasis on exchange or communal relationships Importance of personal attitudes or social norms in
behaviorDr. K. A. KorbUniversity of Jos
Individualism and Collectivism Correlation between individualism score
and Gross National Product (GNP) is .82 (Hofstede, 1980) Directionality of Correlation Measurement issues: Collectivist societies
might be more prone to social desirability, acquiescence bias, and extremity set than individualist countries
Dr. K. A. KorbUniversity of Jos
Gender Key Question: Are societies similar or different in
how they interpret initial biological differences between males and females?
Gender stereotypes: Widely shared beliefs within a society about typical males and females University students in 27 countries (Africa, Europe, Asia,
North and South America) 300 Adjective Check-List – Determine whether the
adjective is more frequently associated with men or women “Report the characteristics generally said to be associated with
men or women in your culture.”Dr. K. A. KorbUniversity of Jos
Gender Stereotypes Adventurous Daring Affectionate Strong Sentimental Stern Submissive Emotional
Progressive Sensitive Dominant Pleasant Boastful Loud Attractive Softhearted
Dr. K. A. KorbUniversity of Jos
Gender Stereotypes Consensus of adjectives attributed to males and
females across countries was so large that researchers concluded psychological universals in gender stereotypes (Williams & Best, 1990) Interpretation: Original biological differences
influence cultural practices of treating males and females similarly across cultures
Limitation: Acculturation of sample
Dr. K. A. KorbUniversity of Jos
Psychological Differences in Gender by Culture Key Question: Are differences between males and
females on psychological variables the same across cultures?
Males tend to be better at spatial tasks than females Only true in agricultural societies No differences (or reversed) in nomadic and hunting
societies Conclusion: Gender differences in spatial abilities are
not universal. Ecological and cultural factors influences gender differences
on spatial abilities
Dr. K. A. KorbUniversity of Jos
Psychological Differences in Gender by Culture Females are more susceptible to
conformity than males Large differences in conformity between
males and females in tight, agricultural societies
No differences in conformity between males and females in loose, nomadic societies
Dr. K. A. KorbUniversity of Jos
Emotion Emotion: A feeling state that results in
physiological arousal and expressive behaviors Six basic emotions reflected in the face
Happiness, Sadness, Anger, Fear, Surprise, Disgust Most cultures can identify these six emotions in
photographs of individuals of other cultures
Participants can also identify emotion in the voice without understanding the language
Dr. K. A. KorbUniversity of Jos
Emotional Expression Display rules: Cultural norms about the expected
management of facial display of emotions Japanese and American participants were shown a stressful
film (Ekman, 1973) Half viewed the film alone, half viewed the film with an
experimenter When viewing the film alone, the Japanese and American
participants showed the same facial expression When viewing the film with an experimenter, the Japanese students
showed fewer negative expressions than the Americans
Conclusion: Cross-cultural similarities in underlying emotions but cultural differences in display of emotions
Dr. K. A. KorbUniversity of Jos
Revision What are some social conventions that are similar
across cultures? What are some social conventions that are different across cultures?
What are some gender differences that are similar across cultures? What are some gender differences that are different across cultures?
What are similarities and differences in emotion between cultures?
Dr. K. A. KorbUniversity of Jos