Research Studies for the Sociocultural Level of Analysis
GENERAL LEARNING OUTCOMES
Outline principles that define the sociocultural level of analysis (8 marks)
n/a
Explain how principles that define the sociocultural level of analysis may be demonstrated in research (8 marks)
Solomon Asch - Asch's Paradigm experiment on conformity
Aim was to investigate the exitence of conformity by placing a participant in a room with 6 confederates before asking which line on one card matched the line on another card
Confederates answered correctly on some but incorrectly on most
Those who wished to identify themselves with the majority in-group conformed
Smith and Bond - meta-analysis of 133 conformity studies
Found that conformity is lower in individualist cultures (America, UK) and higher in collectivist cultures (China, Africa, South America)
Albert Bandura - Bobo doll experiment
Aim was to demonstrate that learning can occur through observation (vicariously) of role models
36 boys / 36 girls divided into 3 groups, 1 that observed an aggressive model, 1 that observed a no-aggression model, and control group that did not see any models
children who observed the aggressive model were more aggressive physically and verbally
Henry Tajfel - intergroup discrimination experiment
Aim was to test Tajfel's Social Identity Theory; 48 boys divided based on their preference for Klee or Kandinsky and were asked to rate in- and out-group on qualities e.g. likeability
Found that out-groups were rated less likeable
Lee et al. - Audience and game show experiment
Aim was to demonstrate fundamental attribution error, subjects were randomly split into hosts, audience, and contestants, and hosts were asked to design their own intelligence for the contestants while audience watched the show
Asked audience to rank intelligence of hosts and contestants
Audience consistently rated hosts as being smarter, failed to acknowledge the situation
Discuss how and why particular research methods are used at the sociocultural level of analysis. (22 marks)
Philip Zimbardo - Stanford Prison Experiment
aim was to prove situational factors can affect behaviour, 22 male participants were randomly assigned as prisoners or wardens, not given any instructions except to maintain order without physical violence
Situation affected behaviours of all participants involved, prisoners believed they were prisoners / wardens believed they were wardens
Supports SIT - categorisation, development of identity within each in-group
Charlton et al. - St Helena TV violence
Investigate the effect of the introduction of television on aggression in children, covert observation through cameras set up in the playgrounds of 2 primary schools
After 5 years, level of aggression had not increased
Discuss ethical considerations related to research studies at the sociocultural level of analysis (22 marks)
Philip Zimbardo - Stanford Prison Experiment
aim was to prove situational factors can affect behaviour, 22 male participants were randomly assigned as prisoners or wardens, not given any instructions except to maintain order without physical violence
Situation affected behaviours of all participants involved, prisoners believed they were prisoners / wardens believed they were wardens
Supports SIT - categorisation, development of identity within each in-group
ethics - psychological harm, deceived, could not give informed consent, but were debriefed
Charlton et al. - St Helena TV violence
Investigate the effect of the introduction of television on aggression in children, covert observation through cameras set up in the playgrounds of 2 primary schools
After 5 years, level of aggression had not increased
ethics - deception, privacy / confidentiality, no informed consent, no right to withdraw
SOCIOCULTURAL COGNITION
Describe the role of situational and dispositional factors in explaining behaviour (8 marks)
Philip Zimbardo - Stanford Prison Experiment
aim was to prove situational factors can affect behaviour, 22 male participants were randomly assigned as prisoners or wardens, not given any instructions except to maintain order without physical violence
Situation affected behaviours of all participants involved, prisoners believed they were prisoners / wardens believed they were wardens
Supports SIT - categorisation, development of identity within each in-group
Milgram - Obedience study
Situational factors - the participants were under pressure from the authority figure to continue, many said they would never have continued if the researcher wasn't there
Solomon Asch - Asch's Paradigm experiment on conformity
Aim was to investigate the exitence of conformity by placing a participant in a room with 6 confederates before asking which line on one card matched the line on another card
Confederates answered correctly on some but incorrectly on most
Those who wished to identify themselves with the majority in-group conformed
Lee et al. - Audience and game show experiment
Aim was to demonstrate fundamental attribution error, subjects were randomly split into hosts, audience, and contestants, and hosts were asked to design their own intelligence for the contestants while audience watched the show
Asked audience to rank intelligence of hosts and contestants
Audience consistently rated hosts as being smarter, failed to acknowledge the situation
Discuss two errors in attribution (22 marks)
Lee et al. - Audience and game show experiment
Aim was to demonstrate fundamental attribution error, subjects were randomly split into hosts, audience, and contestants, and hosts were asked to design their own intelligence for the contestants while audience watched the show
Asked audience to rank intelligence of hosts and contestants
Audience consistently rated hosts as being smarter, failed to acknowledge the situation
Jones and Harris - Castro essay evaluations
Aim was to demonstrate fundamental attribution error, participants were university students split into 2 groups, asked to read pro- and anti-Fidel Castro essays, then asked to rate pro-Castro attitudes of writers
When they believed writers had free choice, rated them as having a more pro-Castro view, when participants were told the writer's stances were determined by coin toss, they still rated writers as being pro-Castro
Kashima and Triandis - Cultural differences in self-serving bias
Aim was to identify cultural factors that affect attribution in Japanese and American students, students were given pictures of unfamiliar countries and asked to remember details from images
American students attributed success to their own dispositions, while Japanese students attributed failures to their dispositions
Evaluate social identity theory, making reference to relevant studies (22 marks)
Henry Tajfel - intergroup discrimination experiment
Aim was to test Tajfel's Social Identity Theory; 48 boys divided based on their preference for Klee or Kandinsky and were asked to rate in- and out-group on qualities e.g. likeability
Found that out-groups were rated less likeable
Cialdini et al. (1976) - football game observation
Aim was to demonstrate social comparison, observed the responses of student fans of winning school football team by observing what they wore the day after a successful match
Students more likely to wear clothing representative of school's colours / symbols the day after a successful match
Philip Zimbardo - Stanford Prison Experiment
aim was to prove situational factors can affect behaviour, 22 male participants were randomly assigned as prisoners or wardens, not given any instructions except to maintain order without physical violence
Situation affected behaviours of all participants involved, prisoners believed they were prisoners / wardens believed they were wardens
Supports SIT - categorisation, development of identity within each in-group
Explain the formation of stereotypes and their effect on behaviour (8 marks)
Aronson and Steele - African- and European-American study
Aim was to demonstrate the effect of stereotype threat where African-Americans and White-Americans were asked to take a difficult multi-choice test
Split into 2 groups, one was told it was a genuine test while the other was told it was a lab test to study how certain problems are solved
African-Americans scored lower in group 1, scored equal in group 2
Spencer et al. - Stereotype threat maths experiment
Aim to demonstrate the effect of stereotype threat, gave a difficult maths test to male and female students, it was predicted that women would underperform - stereotype threat stems from common negative stereotype that women are less capable at mathematics
Women underperformed compared to equally qualified men, however a literature test yielded both groups performing equally well because neither groups were under stereotype threat
SOCIAL NORMS
Explain social learning theory making reference to two relevant studies (8 marks)
Albert Bandura - Bobo doll experiment
Aim was to demonstrate that learning can occur through observation (vicariously) of role models
36 boys / 36 girls divided into 3 groups, 1 that observed an aggressive model, 1 that observed a no-aggression model, and control group that did not see any models
children who observed the aggressive model were more aggressive physically and verbally
Charlton et al. - St Helena TV violence
Investigate the effect of the introduction of television on aggression in children, covert observation through cameras set up in the playgrounds of 2 primary schools
After 5 years, level of aggression had not increased
ethics - deception, privacy / confidentiality, no informed consent, no right to withdraw
Discuss the use of compliance techniques (22 marks)
Dickerson et al. (1992) - "Take a Shorter Shower" (FOOT IN THE DOOR)
Aim was to investigate the effect of compliance on behaviour by using foot-in-the-door technique, asked university students to sign a poster saying conserve water by taking shorter showers
Students who signed had a significantly lower shower time than the average across dorms
Cialdini - juvenile day trip / social worker study (DOOR IN THE FACE)
Aimed to investigate the effect of door in the face on compliance, experimenters pretended to be officials from a youth counselling programme and stopped uni students, asking if they would look after some juvenile delinquents on a day trip
Another day, experimenters asked if they would be willing to take part in a "2 hours per week, for 2 years" counselling programme before asking them the first request
83% refused request A, 100% refused request B but then 50% accepted the follow-up request
Evaluate research on conformity to group norms (22 marks)
Solomon Asch - Asch's Paradigm experiment on conformity
Aim was to investigate the exitence of conformity by placing a participant in a room with 6 confederates before asking which line on one card matched the line on another card
Confederates answered correctly on some but incorrectly on most
Those who wished to identify themselves with the majority in-group conformed
Moscovici and Lage - shades of blue study
Aimed to investigate whether a minority group can influence majority through conformity, 4 subjects placed in a room with 2 confederates and were asked to judge if different shades of blue / green were blue or green, confederates instructed to give wrong answer consistently
Minority were able to influence 32% of participants to give wrong answers, and these subjects continued to give wrong answer even after confederates had left
Discuss factors influencing conformity (22 marks)
Solomon Asch - Asch's Paradigm experiment on conformity
Aim was to investigate the exitence of conformity by placing a participant in a room with 6 confederates before asking which line on one card matched the line on another card
Confederates answered correctly on some but incorrectly on most
Those who wished to identify themselves with the majority in-group conformed
Moscovici and Lage - shades of blue study
Aimed to investigate whether a minority group can influence majority through conformity, 4 subjects placed in a room with 2 confederates and were asked to judge if different shades of blue / green were blue or green, confederates instructed to give wrong answer consistently
Minority were able to influence 32% of participants to give wrong answers, and these subjects continued to give wrong answer even after confederates had left
CULTURAL NORMS
Define the term culture and cultural norms (8 marks)
n/a
Examine the role of two cultural dimensions on behaviour (22 marks)
Geert Hofstede (1971) - IBM employee correlation study
Aimed to identify traits through the classification of behaviour according to culture, had 60,000 IBM employees from over 50 different countries as participants, asked to fill out surveys
Hofstede found 4 bipolar cultural dimensions: individualism-collectivism, masculinity-femininity, power distance, uncertainty avoidance
Smith and Bond - meta-analysis of 133 conformity studies
Found that conformity is lower in individualist cultures (America, UK) and higher in collectivist cultures (China, Africa, South America)
Kashima and Triandis - Cultural differences in self-serving bias
Aim was to identify cultural factors that affect attribution in Japanese and American students, students were given pictures of unfamiliar countries and asked to remember details from images
American students attributed success to their own dispositions, while Japanese students attributed failures to their dispositions
Mead - New Guinea anthropological study
Aimed to compare masculine and feminine traits in different cultures in New Guinea, used covert observation on 3 different tribes
In tribe 1, both male and females were more aggressive / ruthless, in tribe 2 both males and females were more sensitive, in tribe 3 females were more dominant and males had more feminine traits
Using one or more examples, explain “emic” and “etic” concepts (8 marks)
World Health Organisation Study on Depression (ETIC)
Studied diagnosis and classification of depression in Switzerland, Canada, Japan and Iran, 576 patients studied using one standard diagnosis system
40% of patients displayed symptoms that were not in standard classification system
Smith and Bond - meta-analysis of 133 conformity studies
Found that conformity is lower in individualist cultures (America, UK) and higher in collectivist cultures (China, Africa, South America)
