The sociocultural approach to behaviour looks at:

• the individual and the group (SL and HL)
• cultural origins of behaviour and cognition (SL and HL)
• cultural influences on individual attitudes, identity and behaviours (SL and HL)
• the influence of globalization on individual attitudes, identities and behaviour (HL only).

Relevant to all the topics are:

• the contribution of research methods used in the sociocultural approach to understanding human behaviour
• ethical considerations in the investigation of the sociocultural approach to understanding human behaviour.

The sociocultural approach to behaviour investigates the role of social and cultural influences in shaping thinking and human behaviour. An increasing body of culturally informed research has made cross-cultural psychology as well as cultural psychology a contemporary topic of debate among psychologists working in the field. Theories, concepts and research studies provide the background for a more nuanced understanding of the variety and complexity of human behaviour. This is important in the modern globalized world where issues related to migration and integration are on the rise.

Key figures in the field of modern social psychology have often favoured experimental methods to understand how social context influences behaviours, identities, attitudes and cognitions, however, by studying acculturation in terms of intergroup relations, we can start to understand that the same processes may be seen in the interaction between cultural groups. Social and cultural psychologists are now also using qualitative research methods in order to get a better understanding of intergroup relations as well as the process of acculturation.

Approaches To Learning

Topic: The individual and the group

• Social identity theory
  • Social identity theory refers to the way someone thinks about themselves and evaluates themselves in relation to groups. Social identity theory posits that a person’s sense of who they are is based on their membership of social groups.
• Social cognitive theory
  • Social cognitive theory suggests behaviour is modelled by other members of a group and acquired through observation or imitation based on consequences of a behaviour.
• Stereotypes
  • A stereotype is a generalized and rather fixed way of thinking about a group of people.

Topic: Cultural origins of behaviour and cognition

• Culture and its influence on behaviour and cognition
  • Cultures are made up of a set of attitudes, behaviours, and symbols shared by a large group of people, and usually communicated from one generation to the next. Cultural groups are characterized by different norms and conventions.
• Cultural dimensions
  • Cultural dimensions refer to the values of members of a society living within a particular culture. They include: • individualism/collectivism • uncertainty avoidance • power/distance • masculinity/femininity • long term/short term • time orientation • indulgence/restraint.

Topic: Cultural influences on individual attitudes, identity and behaviours

• Enculturation
  • Enculturation is the process by which people learn the necessary and appropriate skills and norms in the context of their culture.
• Acculturation
  • People may change as a result of contact with other cultures in order to assimilate with a new culture.

Topic: The influence of globalization on individual attitudes, identities and behaviour

For all three topics in the sociocultural approach, and with reference to research studies, HL students should study the following.

• How globalization may influence attitudes, identities and behaviour.
• The effect of the interaction of local and global influences on behaviour.
• Methods used to study the influence of globalization on behaviour.