Chapter 2

Cultural Processes
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ARGUMENT OF ALEX SPATIAL TERMS FOR

MESOUDI (2009) CULTURAL TRANSMISSION

Cultural
Learning and
Transmission
(1 of 6)

TWO PHASES OF SOCIAL CULTURAL TRANSMISSION

TRANSMISSION IN TERMS OF THE
QUALITIES OF THE MODEL
OR BEHAVIOR

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Social transmission involves two phases:

• Learning, in which a new individual stores a process in memory, and
reproduction, when the learned pattern is replicated by the new
individual.
• Transmission fuels continuity because a new generation carries on
the knowledge and changes when the learner innovates (Tamariz &
Kirby, 2014).
Social , spatial
cultural Spatial terms for cultural transmission:
transmission
• Vertical transmission: It goes from parent to offspring.
• Oblique transmission: It goes from a parental generation to members
of an offspring generation who do not have a familial connection to
the source.
• Horizontal transmission: It describes transmission between members
of the same generation (Mesoudi, Whiten, & Dunbar, 2006; Cavalli-
Sforza & Feldman, 1981).

Cultural transmission in terms of the qualities of the

model or behavior:
• Conformist transmission: It emphasizes copying the most common
or popular behavior.
• Prestige or success bias: In it, the learner copies the cultural trait of
the most prestigious model (Boyd & Richerson, 1985).

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Enculturation and
Socialization

Enculturation

Cultural
Learning and Humanization during
enculturation

Transmission
(2 of 6) Natural pedagogy as
a human universal

Cultural activities
sometimes provide
the provide setting
for enculturation

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Enculturation: When a person acquires or

adopts the characteristics appropriate to a
culture or group, learning the functions
and usage of physical objects and the
meaning of symbols, along with the
practices enacted in daily life such as
greeting a friend, or of greater events
such as religious ritual.

Enculturation
Csibra and Gergely (2011) prefer the
term natural pedagogy, to include the
many ways children learn and
information is transferred by
communication outside of schools.

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Cultural Dynamics Cultural

diffusionism

Cultural
Learning and
Transmission Cultural dynamics
and its core concepts
Grounding of the
information

(3 of 6)

Content information

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The core concepts of cultural
dynamics are as follows:
3. The receiver learns (or relearns
if the receiver has already learnt it
before) cultural information via a
communicated form.
Content information: It includes
concepts about objects, events,
practices, and other matters of the
world context.
1. There exists cultural
information.
4. The distribution of cultural
information within a population
results in this population’s group
characteristics.
Identity information regards
interpersonal relationships,
including memberships in groups
and who one is in those groups.
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2. Cultural information is
instantiated in a material form that
can be communicated from a
sender to a receiver.
For a discovery or external idea to
spread and become part of a
culture, people must share the
information and reach some
agreement on what the
information is and on its value.
The agreement establishes
common ground between the
people interacting. This can be
described as grounding of the
information.
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Cultural Dynamics

Identity information
Cultural
Learning
and Rules for sharing

Transmissio Repeated learning simplifies

n (4 of 6) system

Culturally consistent and

inconsistent ideas

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Three rules apply:

1. Sharedness: Members share some but not all
information.
2. Perceived sharedness: What information is taken for
granted as shared.
3. Perceived endorsement: The extent to which people
value and agree with information.

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Cultural Learning and Transmission (5 of 6)

Content Information
Favoring certain
Biases and Biases in informational
qualities of shared
Counterintuitive content
information
Elements

Stereotype-consistency-
Information as
Easier transmission,
narration of experiences
low informational value

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Cultural Learning and Transmission (6 of 6)
Content Information Biases and
Counterintuitive Elements
Minimally counterintuitive ideas (MCI)
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Stories as a widespread method of natural
pedagogy
Minimally counterintuitive ideas (MCI):
A great story mixes normal life, needed
so people can relate, with unexpected or
strange elements, referred to as minimally
counterintuitive ideas (MCI; Boyer, 1994;
Chaudière & Mercier, 2017; Norenzayan,
Atran, Faulkner, & Schaller, 2006).
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 Importance of psychological interdependence of group

members
Identity
Informatio
n and
Cultural
Processes
(1 of 7)

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Identity
Information
and Cultural
Processes (2
of 7)

Layers of Groups

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Social Identity Theory

Identity
Information Social identity describes a
and Cultural sense of self based on group
Processes (3 of membership
7)
Social identity theory

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Shared Reality

Combined work of relational and

Identity epistemic motives to share reality
Information
and Cultural
Processes (4 of Possible definitions of share and
7) how they apply to social relations

Collaboration and cooperation

generate shared reality

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Combined work of relational and epistemic motives to share reality:

The relational motive simply refers to our drive to feel connected

to others, and this connectedness supports our well-being.

The epistemic motives arise from our need to find meaning and to
develop an effective way of understanding the world and our place
in it, the inherent epistemology of our culture. The relational and
epistemic drives work together.

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Identity Information and Cultural Processes (5 of 7)

Social reality- : Degree of

Shared Values Opinions, physical reality
and Beliefs attitudes, and vs. validity from
beliefs. sharing

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Identity Information and Cultural Processes (6 of 7)

Dimensions of Cultural Variation

Dimensions of cultural variability

They include individualism–collectivism (I-C), power distance,

uncertainty avoidance, and masculinity–femininity.

Degree of physical reality vs. validity from sharing

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Identity  Concept of guanxi and its importance

Informatio  Guanxi: The term refers to reciprocal relationships and

networks developed via common origins, interests, and

n and experience, nurtured by exchange of favors and

consideration.

Cultural  What about “Wasta” in UAE

 Xinyong- : Refers to personal trust

Processes
 Collectivist way of living in Polynesian cultures

of 7)

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Cultural  Reasons of cultural change:

Change (1 of 


External forces
Internal forces

3) 
Environmental changes
Novel challenges from new conditions
 Demographic alterations

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Cultural Change (2 of 3)

Effects of Modernization

Socioeconomic and lifestyle shifts cause deep changes in cultures

Gemeinschaft -Typically rural, agrarian, and low tech, with a subsistence economy
and no formal education
and Gesellschaft-Groupings are urban, large scale, and hi tech, with formal
education

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Intercultural Transmission

Acculturation- It is defined as the

psychological processes of accommodation
in prolonged exposure to a culture not your
Cultural own.
Change (3 of
3) Cultural change

Humans historically met in several ways-

migration, trade, war, religious
proselytization, or conquest and
colonization

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Arts and Culture: Creating, Transmitting, and

Leading the Changes (1 of 2)

Visual Arts
 Subject matter of visual arts drawn from culture; varies
across cultures
 Visual iconography in politics for unifying supporters

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Musical Arts
 Synthesis of cultures over years built

Arts and enormous variety of current music styles

 Connectedness among people in different
Culture: music styles
 Effect of music on the body
Creating,  Music fosters cultural values and
Transmitting, interpersonal relationships

and Leading
the Changes
(2 of 2)

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 Choose a country and explain its culture - all

symbols , language , shared meanings etc
need to be shared to the class 
Discussion BB  explain enculturation and acculturation and
learn as groups cultural transmission in that country . 

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