Week 13 - Acculturation

Question 1

What is acculturation?

Answer 1

The psychological and behavioral changes that happen when adapting to a new culture.

Question 2

Psychological effects of Acculturation

Answer 2

Changes in self-concept, emotions, attitudes, identity, and cultural fluency due to long-term contact with a new culture.

Question 3

Define: Migrant, Sojourners, & Immigrants

Answer 3

Migrants: People who move from their heritage culture to a host culture

• Sojourners: people who intend to stay temporarily
• Immigrants: people who intend to stay permanently

Question 4

Examples of explicit changes in acculturation

Answer 4

Changes in cultural identity, attitudes, preferences, and self-definition.

Question 5

Examples of implicit changes in acculturation

Answer 5

Shifts in thinking, feeling, behavior, and personality to better “fit” with the new culture.

Question 6

What is culture shock?

Answer 6

A crisis stage when first moving

• homesickness & emotional distress before adjusting over time

Question 7

What is cultural fluency?

Answer 7

How well someone can understand and navigate cultural norms and behaviors

• adjusting to a new place involves rebuilding this fluency

Question 8

What factors influence acculturation success?

Answer 8

1. Language learning
2. Cultural distance (how different the cultures are)
3. Cultural fit (how well a person’s traits align with the new culture)
4. Acculturation strategies

Question 9

Cultural Distance

Answer 9

How much two cultures differ from each other

• More similarities = less acculturative stress

Question 10

Cultural Fit

Answer 10

How well ones individual trains (ie: emotions, thinking, behavior) match the traits valued in the host culture

• better fit = easier adjustment

Question 11

Cultural Fit - Example: U.S. vs Japan

Answer 11

Extraverted People: fit better in the U.S. than in Japan.

Independent vs. Interdependent: Independent ppl adjust better in the U.S. than interdependent ones.

Question 12

John Berry’s model of Acculturation

Answer 12

Berry’s acculturation model breaks down acculturation into 4 main strategies.

• the model uses two dimensions of attitude to determine which of the 4 strategies someone is likely to adopt.

Question 13

John Barry’s 4 Acculturation Strategies?

Answer 13

1. Integration
2. Separation
3. Assimilation
4. Marginalization

Question 14

John Barry — What two dimensions predict the acculturation strategy?

Answer 14

1. Attitudes toward the host culture (adopt or reject)
2. Attitudes toward the heritage culture (maintain or discard)

Question 15

Explain the table:

Answer 15

The table has two dimensions:

1. Attitudes towards Host Culture
2. Attitudes towards Heritage Culture

attitudes towards home & new culture yields four strategies people use to adjust

Positive attitudes of both (Integration) = best outcomes

Question 16

Berry Acculturation Model: Assimilation

Answer 16

Table: (+/-)

Embracing the host culture while abandoning the heritage culture.

Question 16

Berry Acculturation Model: Integration

Answer 16

Table: (+/+)

Maintaining heritage culture while also participating in the host culture

associated with best outcomes

Question 17

Berry Acculturation Model: Seporation

Answer 17

Table: (-/+)

Maintaining the heritage culture while rejecting the host culture.

Question 18

Berry Acculturation Model: Marginalization

Answer 18

Table: (-/-)

Rejecting both the heritage and host cultures

least common & linked to worst outcomes, often leads to alienation.

Question 19

Is Berry’s Acculturation Model supported by research?

Answer 19

Yes, a study across 13 countries found similar patterns: integrated, separated, assimilated, and diffuse (non-integrated mix).

Question 20

What influences which acculturation strategy people adopt?

Answer 20

• The national context—countries that promote multiculturalism (ie: Canada) encourage integration
• Countries with rejection/discrimination often push people toward separation.

Minorities will only opt for integration when the
national context endorses multiculturalism

Question 21

How does Social Identity Theory relate to acculturation?

Answer 21

SIT says open group boundaries lead to more integration/assimilation, while closed boundaries lead to segregation and low cultural adoption.

• SIT influences how people identify with their heritage & host cultures
  
  • and how they interpret the status & acceptance of their group

that influences which acculturation strategy is adopted

Question 21

How do majority and minority perceptions influence each other?

Answer 21

A feedback loop:

• Minorities are more likely to integrate if they feel welcomed.
• Majorities are more welcoming if minorities show willingness to participate.

Question 22

Implicit Acculturation

Answer 22

Unconscious psychological changes that happen over time due to sustained exposure.

• ie: shifts in self-esteem or personality

Question 23

Implicit Acculturation -- Japanese Example

Answer 23

Japanese students who studied in Canada developed higher self-esteem the longer they stayed * More exposure to North American culture → unconscious psychological changes over time = more self-esteem

Question 24

Is being bi-cultural truly possible?

Answer 24

**Yes**—while early theories saw biculturalism as temporary or conflicting, current research shows it is common, sustainable, and often a final identity state.

Question 25

What are common strategies for juggling dual cultural identities?

Answer 25

* Intersection (ie: Asian-American) * Either/or identity (ie: Asian or American) * Compartmentalization (ie: Asian at home, American at school) *Merge/situated-ness (shifting identity depending on the context)

Question 26

What is frame switching?

Answer 26

The ability to shift between cultural mindsets in response to environmental or cultural cues Frame Switch = Defined by **Hong et al. (2000)**

Question 27

What did Hong et al.’s (2000) frame switching study find?

Answer 27

Bicultural students from Hong-Kong gave different explanations for the same image depending on cultural cues. * After seeing American images, they gave individualist explanations * After seeing Chinese images, they gave collectivist explanations. ***showing that cultural context can shift how people think.***

Question 28

Can monocultural people frame-switch too?

Answer 28

**Yes**—priming can activate cultural ideas in anyone if the mental networks are available * **but multicultural individuals show stronger effects.**

Question 29

How can language affect personality expression?

Answer 29

* Mexican Americans = more extraverted and agreeable in English vs. Spanish. * Hong Kong bilinguals acted differently depending on whether they spoke to a white or co-ethnic interviewer. **This is called the _Interlocutor Effect_**

Question 30

What is Bicultural Identity Integration (BII)?

Answer 30

How much someone sees their two cultural identities as **compatible** and can live with both. **High BII** = more seamless switching **Low BII** = more conflict between identities.

Question 31

How does multicultural experience affect creativity?

Answer 31

Living in and adjusting to a new culture (not just visiting) increases creativity, especially when there is high integration and large cultural distance.

Question 32

What is integrative complexity?

Answer 32

The ability to consider multiple perspectives on an issue * Ability is often strengthened by multicultural experiences.

Question 33

What does Heine say about the idea of “culture”?

Answer 33

Cultures are not clear-cut or homogenous * all societies include people with diverse backgrounds and identities.