Welcome to the HL Extension: Culture and Behaviour
Hello, HL Psychology students! Since you are taking the Higher Level course, you get to dive deeper into the forces that shape who we are. One of the most powerful forces is culture. In this chapter, we explore how the invisible "rules" of our society influence our thoughts, feelings, and actions across different areas of life. This isn't just about food or festivals; it's about the deep-seated values that dictate what we consider "normal."
Why is this important? In the IB Psychology course, you are building psychological literacy. This means you aren't just memorizing facts; you are learning to understand how culture interacts with biology and cognition to create the complex puzzle of human behaviour.
What do we mean by "Culture"?
In psychology, culture is often described as a set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterize a group. Think of culture as the "software" that runs on our biological "hardware." It provides us with a perspective through which we view the world.
A Key Distinction: Surface vs. Deep Culture
Surface culture includes things we can see, like clothing or music. However, psychologists are more interested in deep culture—the unspoken rules about respect, personal space, or how we should treat our elders. These are the elements that truly shape behaviour.
Culture Across the Four Contexts
To master this chapter, you need to be able to explain how culture influences the four contexts of the IB syllabus. Let’s look at some examples of how culture "shows up" in each:
1. Health and Well-being
Culture shapes what we define as "healthy." In some cultures, mental health struggles might be seen as a responsibility of the individual, while in others, they are seen as a matter for the whole family. Culture also influences the measurement of health; for instance, some cultures express emotional pain through physical symptoms (like a stomach ache) rather than saying "I feel sad."
2. Human Development
From the moment we are born, culture influences how we develop. Different cultures have different "developmental milestones." For example, some cultures value independence early on (sleeping in a separate room), while others value interdependence (co-sleeping). This changes the way children learn to interact with the world.
3. Human Relationships
How do we choose a partner? How do we handle conflict? In individualistic cultures, relationships are often based on personal choice and "romantic love." In more collectivist cultures, the perspective of the family might carry more weight. Culture sets the "scripts" for how we behave in social groups.
4. Learning and Cognition
Even how we think and learn is cultural! Some cultures emphasize rote learning (memorization), while others value critical inquiry. Culture can even influence causality—how we explain why things happen. Someone from one culture might blame a failure on their own lack of effort, while someone from another might blame external circumstances.
Quick Review: Culture isn't a separate "thing"—it is woven into every context of our lives, from how we learn to how we fall in love.
Connecting the Six Concepts
As an HL student, you need to use the six core concepts to analyze the role of culture. This is especially important for Paper 2 Section B and Paper 3.
1. Bias
Psychological research has historically been "WEIRD" (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic). This creates a bias because we assume Western behaviour is the "universal" norm. When we study culture, we try to reduce this bias by looking at diverse populations.
2. Perspective
Culture provides the lens through which we interpret behaviour. A behaviour that looks "disrespectful" in one culture (like making direct eye contact) might be a sign of "honesty" in another. Understanding perspective is the heart of cultural psychology.
3. Measurement
How do we "measure" a culture? Psychologists use tools like surveys and questionnaires to look at cultural dimensions (like Individualism vs. Collectivism). However, we must be careful: can a simple survey truly capture the complexity of a person's heritage?
4. Change
Cultures are not static; they change. Through globalization and technology, cultures are constantly interacting and shifting. This is a key area of inquiry: how does moving to a new culture change a person's behaviour (acculturation)?
Research Methodology in Cultural Studies
How do psychologists actually study culture? You will see these methods used in the research you choose to support your arguments:
Surveys and Questionnaires: Often used to compare values across large groups of people. For example, asking 1,000 people from two different countries about their views on family loyalty.
Observations: Watching how people behave in their natural environments to see cultural "norms" in action.
Emic vs. Etic Approaches: An Emic approach looks at a culture from the inside (using that culture's own unique terms), while an Etic approach looks for universal behaviours that are the same across all cultures.
Did you know? Many early psychology studies were only done on university students in the USA. This is why HL students must look at the "Role of Culture"—to see if those famous theories actually apply to the rest of the world!
Preparing for Assessment: HL Paper 3
Remember, "The role of culture" is one of the three HL extensions that can be the focus of Paper 3. In that exam, you will be given 4–6 sources (like graphs or interview transcripts) about a specific topic—possibly culture.
You will need to:
1. Interpret data: Look at findings related to cultural groups.
2. Analyze research considerations: Discuss bias or sampling in cultural research.
3. Synthesize: Combine information from different sources to draw a conclusion about how culture is shaping the behaviour described in the text.
Summary and Key Takeaways
Culture is Pervasive: It influences all four contexts: health, development, relationships, and cognition.
Concepts Matter: Always use terms like perspective, bias, and measurement when discussing cultural research.
Beyond Stereotypes: Culture is complex and changing. Avoid the mistake of assuming everyone in a culture acts exactly the same way.
HL Focus: Be ready to draw conclusions. Don't just say "culture has an effect"—explain how and why it shapes behaviour using psychological terminology.
Don't worry if these cultural theories feel a bit abstract at first! As you look at specific research in your class, you'll start to see these patterns everywhere in your own life.
Cross-reference: To see how these cultural patterns are influenced by modern tools, see the chapter on "The role of technology in shaping behaviour."