Culture Conscious Briefings on Culture, Cognition, and Behavior

Discover cultural psychology with this up-to-date introductory text full of bite-sized briefings perfect for undergraduate students 


Culture Conscious: Briefings on Culture, Cognition, and Behavior delivers an insightful treatment of 46 different topics in the cross-cultural study of perception, cognition, personality, social behavior, health and moral reasoning. These stand-alone briefings are ideal for instructors who wish to assign individual topics without requiring their students to read an entire textbook. 

The book presents the newest findings from cross-cultural psychology on both general topics, like cultural dimensions and methodological issues, and more specific subjects, like a 2015 study that compared the definitions of "fairness" used b children in Germany and rural Namibia. 

Split into 11 units that correspond roughly to chapter topics in more typical introductory psychology textbooks, the book contains briefings of roughly 700 to 1000 words each. Every briefing is written in an accessible and practical style for readers who have no background in psychology, research methods or statistics. The book also contains: 

• A fulsome exploration of cross-cultural human experience, as opposed to the token "multiculturalism" and "diversity" content that has been added to competing textbooks. 
• A strong counterbalance to the tendency for psychological research to involve participants from western, educated, industrialized, rich and democratic countries. 
• "Bite sized" and curated research packaged specifically for easy student consumption and learning
• A selection of studies that undergraduate students will find interesting, relevant and accessible. 

Why I Wrote This Book

Chapter 1 – Conceptual Tools

Introduction

1. Unpacking Culture

Arriving at a consensus definition of “culture” is less important than identifying the active ingredients in culture that shape and direct our thoughts and actions.

2. Differences Between and Differences Within

The differences between cultural groups are almost always smaller than the differences within cultural groups.  Why is that important?

3. Is the World Becoming More Individualistic?

Americans are, on average, becoming more individualistic.  But what about people in other countries?  Are historically collectivistic countries like China becoming more individualistic?

4. Like Pants, Some Countries Are Tighter Than Others

Would you like to live in a place where people can sing and kiss and even curse in public?  If so, consider Estonia and Hungary, but cross Pakistan and Singapore off your list.

5. What Can a Cow, Chicken, and Grass Tell Us About How We Think?

Psychologists use verbal triads and other tasks to assess the degree to which a person is an analytic thinker or a holistic thinker.

Chapter 2 – Methodological Considerations

Introduction

6. Making Psychology Less “WEIRD”

Our knowledge of human psychology is based largely on studies of people who live in Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic societies.  That’s a problem, but cross-cultural researchers have a solution.

7. Why Behavioral Scientists Conduct Cross-Cultural Studies

When the generalizability of a theory is in question, or two variables are inextricably intertwined at home, it’s time to go abroad. 

8. Geographical Psychology and the Seductive Allure of Psychological Atlases

Researchers who investigate spatial patterns of psychological phenomena sometimes present their findings in a psychological atlas, a kind of map that can conceal as much as it reveals.

9. Does Speaking a Second Language Make You Smarter?

Studies have found that people who speak more than one language appear to possess superior cognitive ability, but at least one psychologist thinks the “bilingual advantage” is a suspect phenomenon.  The alleged culprit?  Publication bias.

Chapter 3 – Intercultural Communication

Introduction

10. Communication Styles in Estonia and the United States

Estonians describe themselves as reserved, modest, and quiet.  What happens when an outgoing American lives and works with reserved Estonians?

11. Study Abroad and Intercultural Competence

Does an international educational experience boost one’s ability to interact effectively with people who are culturally different?  It’s a straightforward question that’s more difficult to test than you might think.

12. Reading People’s Faces and Between the Lines

Might the First Gulf War have never happened if negotiators for the U.S. and Iraq had better understood each other’s cultural norms?  And why are some cultural groups less expressive emotionally than others?

13. How to Respond to A Cultural Incident

Has a cross-cultural encounter ever left you feeling confused, irritated, and embarrassed?  A few simple steps can help you successfully navigate “the unfamiliar” when interacting with someone who is culturally different.

Chapter 4 – Perceptual Processes

Introduction

14. How Carpentered Is Your World?

Compared to city dwellers, who see hundreds of right angles every day, people who grow up in “uncarpentered” societies are less susceptible to a famous perceptual illusion.

15. Do You See a Smiling Face?  (^_^)

Researchers have known for years that happy and sad facial expressions are easily recognized by people around the world.  Is the same true for happy and sad emoticons?

16. I’m New Here.  Did I Arrive Too Early?

People in different parts of the world have different understandings of what it means to be “early” and “late.”  How we partition the minutes in an hour may explain cultural differences in punctuality.

17. Eyewitnessing and “They All Look Alike to Me”

Maybe you’ve heard someone say, “How should I know if I’ve seen the guy before?  They all look alike to me.”  We’re inclined to think the clueless person is a racial bigot, but multiple studies suggest a different explanation.

Chapter 5 – Cognitive Processes

Introduction

18. I Forgot Your Phone Number Because It Has So Many Syllables

How easily can people memorize a string of numbers or a series of color names?  The answer depends, in part, on the language they speak.

19. Can a Westerner Think Like an East Asian?

Most Westerners are analytic thinkers, and most East Asians are holistic thinkers.  Is it possible for someone to adopt the cognitive style used by people who live halfway around the world?

20. Is “Before” to the Left or Right of “After”?

Our inclinations about where to locate time-related events in space are shaped by cultural values and language.

21. Experiencing the World Inside-Out or Outside-In

Cultural variations in perspective-taking reveal fundamental differences in personal motives and conceptions of self.

22. Do People Everywhere Experience Cognitive Dissonance in the Same Way?

Acting in a way that contradicts a cherished belief produces a state of mental tension and discomfort.  Does one’s cultural background play a role in this process?

Chapter 6 – Human Development and Individual Differences

Introduction

23. Are the Twos Terrible Everywhere?

Maybe parenting a toddler doesn’t have to be such an ordeal—and autocratic parenting might not be as bad as it sounds.

24. Are Young People Growing Up More Slowly?

Recent studies have established links between cultural individualism, the delayed development of a mature personality, and the postponement of adulthood.

25. Solving the Puzzle of National Differences in Self-Esteem

Studies consistently find that people in some countries report higher levels of self-esteem than people in other countries.  Less well understood are the reasons for these differences.

26. Are Muslim Arabs Especially Fatalistic?

Commentators claim that Arabs and Muslims believe that what happens in life is predetermined, in the hands of God, and beyond their control.  Are the commentators’ claims valid?

Chapter 7 – Health and Well-Being

Introduction

27. Emotions, Culture, and Heart Disease

Being angry at other people predicts poor health outcomes in the United States but good health outcomes in Japan.  How can that be?

28. Do American Parents Overreport Symptoms of ADHD?

A recent study found that parents in Australia and the United States are more likely than parents in Norway and Sweden to report symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in their young children.  Now researchers want to know why.

29. Witchdoctors and Psychiatrists

The psychotherapeutic techniques used by Western mental health professionals and native healers look very different on the surface.  At their root, though, they draw upon the same fundamental principles.

30. How Much Is Enough?

In an ideal world, we’d all choose to be maximally happy, healthy, and free.  Right?  Not according to a recent study of people’s preferences in 27 nations.

Chapter 8 – Social Behavior

Introduction

31. The World at 7:00 P.M.

Behavioral scientists know how to measure and describe the characteristics of individuals, but can they measure and describe the characteristics of situations?  In 2016, thousands of volunteers in 20 nations used a new tool to describe what they did last night at 7:00.

32. Do Americans Conform More than People in Other Countries?

Researchers have replicated Solomon Asch’s classic study in 17 countries and discovered large cultural differences in levels of conformity.

33. Southern Comfort

Why are Southerners in the United States so polite?  In cultures of honor, people protect their reputation by avenging insults and slurs, so it pays to be courteous to others.

34. Cities Where Tourists Are More Likely to Receive Help

If misfortune comes your way while traveling abroad, will you be most likely to receive help from a passerby in Amsterdam, Kuala Lumpur, or Rio de Janeiro?

35. Are Americans as Obedient as People in Other Countries?

The results of a notorious psychological experiment suggest that most Americans will obey an authority figure who tells them to shock another person.  Are people in other countries equally obedient?

Chapter 9 – Moral Reasoning

Introduction

36. That’s Not Fair!

Where do standards of fairness come from?  Are they a human universal, part of some evolutionary adaptation that supports cooperation?  Or are they cultural norms, imprinted upon young impressionable minds?

37. Japan Is a Loser’s Paradise

Picture yourself in a large city.  You lose your wallet, cell phone, or something else of value.  Statistics show you have a much better chance of recovering the item in Tokyo than in New York City.  The question is why.

38. Why People Everywhere Cheat (But Only a Little)

Are you 100% honest all the time?  Probably not, but don’t worry.  You’re in good company.  Researchers have documented low levels of cheating in 18 countries on four continents.

39. Do We “Feel Less” When Thinking in a Foreign Language?

When people think in a foreign language, they’re more likely to make rational gambling decisions and utilitarian moral judgments, but the reasons why were unclear until now.

Chapter 10 – Living in A Multicultural World

Introduction

40. What Happens When a Foreigner Adopts an Anglo Name?

When Chinese students come to the United States, they sometimes use an Anglicized name.  Will they, as a result, experience less discrimination?  Or might they lose part of their cultural identity?

41. The Importing and Exporting of Mental Disorders

The evidence is clear: A psychiatric illness can spread, like a virus, from one part of the world to another.  What is less clear is how it happens and how often it happens.

42. Why Are So Many Spelling Bee Champions Indian Americans?

Indian American youngsters have dominated the Scripps National Spelling Bee since 1999.  Do cultural beliefs about the changeability of intelligence lead to success in academic competitions?

43. How to Win an Argument with Your Political Opponent

In the culture wars, it’s difficult to change people’s minds—but maybe not impossible.  Researchers have identified an effective strategy: Reframe your arguments in the moral language of your adversary.

Glossary of Key Terms

Index

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