matsumoto juangchapter4
TRANSCRIPT
Culture and Developmental Processes
Chapter 4
Outline
Culture and Temperament Culture and Attachment Cognitive Development Moral Reasoning Other Developmental Processes Conclusion
CULTURE AND TEMPERAMENT
Traditional Knowledge
Temperament: Biologically based style of interacting with world
Easy: regular, adaptable, mildly intense style
Difficult: intense, irregular, withdrawing style
Slow to warm up: need time to make transition
Goodness of fit: interaction of child’s temperament with that of parents
Cross-cultural differences in temperament
Temperament: Biologically based style of interacting with world
Easy: regular, adaptable, mildly intense style
Difficult: intense, irregular, withdrawing style
Slow to warm up: need time to make transition
Goodness of fit: interaction of child’s temperament with that of parents
Cross-Cultural Studies on temperament
Differences in temperament Chinese American babies Japanese and Navajo babies
Cross-cultural studies using the Neonatal Behavior Assessment Scale Differences due to cultural practices of
caregiving, cultural goals for appropriate behavior, cultural ideas on capabilities of babies
Cross-Cultural Studies on temperament
Temperament and learning culture Differences in temperament may reflect cultural
values on appropriate ways of acting and being
The goodness of fit between temperament and culture “Difficult” temperament may be adaptive in one
culture Need to interpret infant disposition and behavior
in cultural context
Cross-Cultural Studies on temperament
Sources behind temperamental differences Cultural values, environmental demands, cultural
experiences (diet and culture-related practices), physiological aspect of mother
CULTURE AND ATTACHMENT
Attachment: Special bond between infant and caregiver Provides child with emotional security
Bowlby’s Theory of Attachment
Infants must have preprogrammed, biological basis for becoming attached to caregivers
Attachment is survival strategy
Ainsworth’s Classification System of Attachment
Ainsworth’s study in Uganda Three attachment styles: secure, ambivalent,
avoidant
Replicated in Baltimore
Similar distribution of attachment styles in other cultures
But, in Dogon of Mali, no avoidant infants; in Israel,more ambivalent babies
Cross-Cultural Studies on Attachment
Hundreds of studies on attachment conducted in cultures all over the world
Weak association between parent sensitivity and security of attachment
Cultures differ in conceptualization of sensitive parenting
Cross-Cultural Validity of Assessing Attachment
Meaning of Strange Situation Meaning of separation different across different
culturesex) Japanese babies
Avoidant attachment as an indicator of insecure attachment Reliance on nonparental caregivers for Chinese
may account for avoidant attachment behavior Subtle attachment behaviors difficult for coders
from different cultures
Is secure attachment a universal ideal?
In United States, secure attachment ideal
Some cultures differ in what is considered ideal
Ex) German mothers, Israeli children, Japanese children
Nonetheless, many cultures consider secure attachment ideal
Attachment and Child Development
Attachment predicts child competence and health
Relationship between temperament and attachment
More research needed in this area
COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
Piaget’s Theory
Cognitive Development: How thinking skills develop over time
Piaget’s theory based on observations of Swiss children Sensorimotor stage: birth to 2 years Preoperational stage: 2 to 6-7 years
Conservation, centration, irreversibility, egocentrism, animism
Concrete operations stage: 6-7 to 11 years Formal operations stage: 11 years to adulthood
Piaget’s Theory
Mechanisms for moving from one stage to next Assimilation: fitting new ideas into preexisting
understanding of world Accommodation: changing one’s understanding
of world to accommodate ideas that conflict with existing concepts
Piaget believed these stages are universal
Piaget’s Theory in Cross-Cultural Perspective
Do Piaget’s stages occur in the same order in different cultures? Yes
Are the ages that Piaget associated with each stage of development the same in all cultures? No, cultural variations exist (but children may
have potential to solve tasks sooner)
Piaget’s Theory in Cross-Cultural Perspective
Are there variations within, rather than between, Piaget’s stages? Yes, cultural variations in order in which acquire
skills within one stage
Do non-Western cultures regard scientific reasoning as the ultimate developmental end point? No
Ex) Islamic educational systems
Piaget’s Theory: Summary and Discussion
In some cultures, very few complete fourth-stage Piagetian task Cultural appropriateness of tasks Skills being tested Role of previous knowledge and cultural values
Universality of fourth stage has not been demonstrated
Other Theories of Cognitive Development
Great divide theory Separates Westerners from those in primitive
societies Non-Westerners’ development seen as inferior Justification of colonial imperialism, ethnocentric
Non-westerners also have ethnocentric assumptions
MORAL REASONING
Kohlberg’s Theory of Morality
Kohlberg’s theory of moral development
Preconventional morality: compliance with rules to avoid punishment and gain rewards
Conventional morality: conformity to rules defined by others’ approval or society’s rules
Postconventional morality: moral reasoning on basis of individual principles and conscience
Cross-Cultural Studies of Moral Reasoning
Cross-cultural studies suggest many aspects of Kohlberg’s theory of morality are universal Snarey (1985), Ma (1988)
Cross-cultural studies also raise questions about universal generalizability of Kohlberg’s higher stages Cultural biases Moral reasoning at higher stages is culture-
specific
Cross-Cultural Studies of Moral Reasoning
Miller Moralities of community Moralities of divinity
OTHER DEVELOPMENTAL PROCESSES
Developmental research offer insights into causes and contexts of ontogenesis of cultural differences
Cross-cultural developmental research in many areas such as future-oriented goals and commitments, social expectations, affective and romantic relationships in adolescence, etc.
Universal:
Order of stages
Culture-specific: Age of 3rd and 4th stage
Ex) Children who constantly move were better accomplished spatial task sooner than conservation task whereas children who had to fetch water and store grain, they accomplished grain task sooner
Culture-specific:
Importance of scientific reasoningEx) Islamic educational system: transmit faith,
general knowledge and appreciation for poetry and literature
Reaching 4th stage