Peer Influence Children, like adults, attempt to fit into a group by conforming. Peers are influential in such areas as learning to cooperate with others, gaining popularity, and developing interactions. Nature, Nurture, and Human Diversity Cultural Influences Variations Across Cultures Variations Over Time Culture and the Self Culture and Child-Rearing Developmental Similarities Across Groups Preview Question 2: How do cultural norms affect our behavior? Cultural Influences Humans have the ability to evolve culture. Culture is composed of behaviors, ideas, attitudes, values and traditions shared by a group. Variation Across Culture Cultures differ. Each culture develops rules for accepted and expected behavior. Men holding – hands in Saudi Arabia is the norm (closer personal space), but not in American culture. Variation Over Time Cultures change over time. The rate of this change may be extremely fast. In many Western countries, culture has rapidly changed over the past 40 years or so. This change cannot be attributed to changes in the human gene pool because genes evolve very slowly. Preview Question 3: How do individualist and collectivist influences affect people? Culture and the Self If a culture nurtures an individual’s personal identity, it is said to be individualist, but if a group identity is favored then the culture is described as collectivist. A collectivist support system can benefit groups who experience disasters such as the 2005 earthquake in Pakistan. Culture and Child-Rearing Individualist cultures (European) raise their children as independent individuals whereas collectivist cultures (Asian) raise their children as interdependent. Developmental Similarities Across Groups Despite diverse cultural backgrounds, humans are more similar than different in many ways. We share the same genetic profile, life cycle, capacity for language, and biological needs.
Peer Influence Children, like adults, attempt to fit into a group by conforming. Peers are influential in such areas as learning to cooperate with others, gaining popularity, and developing interactions. Nature, Nurture, and Human Diversity Cultural Influences Variations Across Cultures Variations Over Time Culture and the Self Culture and Child-Rearing Developmental Similarities Across Groups Preview Question 2: How do cultural norms affect our behavior? Cultural Influences Humans have the ability to evolve culture. Culture is composed of behaviors, ideas, attitudes, values and traditions shared by a group. Variation Across Culture Cultures differ. Each culture develops – rules for accepted and expected behavior. Men holding hands in Saudi Arabia is the norm (closer personal space), but not in American culture. Variation Over Time Cultures change over time. The rate of this change may be extremely fast. In many Western countries, culture has rapidly changed over the past 40 years or so. This change cannot be attributed to changes in the human gene pool because genes evolve very slowly. Preview Question 3: How do individualist and collectivist influences affect people? Culture and the Self If a culture nurtures an individual’s personal identity, it is said to be individualist, but if a group identity is favored then the culture is described as collectivist. A collectivist support system can benefit groups who experience disasters such as the 2005 earthquake in Pakistan. Culture and Child-Rearing Individualist cultures (European) raise their children as independent individuals whereas collectivist cultures (Asian) raise their children as interdependent. Developmental Similarities Across Groups Despite diverse cultural backgrounds, humans are more similar than different in many ways. We share the same genetic profile, life cycle, capacity for language, and biological needs.