Exam 1: Conceptual Tools

In Briefing 3, two studies came to opposite conclusions about whether a certain country was becoming more individualistic or less individualistic. The author said he trusted the findings of one study more than the other. Why?

In one study, American and Chinese students observed a ball in a container of liquid. The Americans were more likely than the Chinese to say the ball's movements were caused by something about the ball itself, such as its density or shape.

Which country is either becoming more individualistic or less individualistic, depending on the study?

What are the characteristics of a tight society? A loose society?

What is an unpackaging study? Why is an unpackaging study superior to a study that simply documents a behavioral difference between two cultural groups?

According to one study, the loosest states in the U.S. are more rural and have more deaths each year due to heat, lightning, and floods.

"Different social orientations are associated with different cognitive styles." Fully explain the meaning of this statement.

A swimsuit is part of objective culture, but a group's attitude toward swimsuits is part of its subjective culture.

A stereotype is an overgeneralized belief about a group of people.

A study that seeks to explain observed differences between cultural groups by measuring specific features or "ingredients" of culture is called ___________________.

Compare and contrast individualism and collectivism. How are they similar? How are they different?

Which of the following has NOT been proposed as a definition of culture?

The differences within cultural groups are almost always smaller than the differences between cultural groups.

In studies of different nations, which of the following is statistically associated with having individualistic values?

Researchers have found that about half the countries in the world are becoming more individualistic, whereas the other half are not changing or becoming less individualistic.

Culture, nationality, and race are three terms that basically describe the same thing.

Which of these distributions will have the most variability?

As a group, persons with an interdependent social orientation ______________ than persons with an independent social orientation.

Why do group labels such as "Asian American" reveal little about individual members of the group?

Suppose Democrats and Republicans report their trust of government on a 100-point scale. Further suppose that the average score of Democrats is 70 and the average score of Republicans is 65. Why do we need information about the variability within both groups to determine if the 5-point difference is meaningful?