The systematic study of relationships between the cultural context of human development and the behaviors that become established in the repertoire of individuals growing up in a particular culture.

-From the Handbook of Cross-cultural Psychology.

Cultural similarities and differences in developmental processes and their outcomes as expressed by behavior in individuals and groups.

Culture

“the cluster of learned and shared beliefs, values, (achievement, individualism, collectivism, etc.), practices (rituals and ceremonies), behaviors (roles, customs, traditions, etc.), symbols (institutions, language, ideas, objects, and artifacts, etc.), and attitudes (moral, political, religious, etc.), that are characteristic of a particular group of people and that are communicated from one generation to another.”

There is a physical component (art, buildings, objects) and a subjective component (roles, attitudes).

Culture is anything man-made

Derived from colare, in latin, which means "to cultivate"

1) Cross-cultural psychology

2) Indigenous psychology

3) Cultural psychology

4) Multicultural psychology

5) Psychological anthropology

1) Test and transport

2) Explore

3) Integrate findings

Transport and test. Extend the generalzations of existing theories by taking what holds true in one culture and transporting it and testing it in another culture.

Exploration. Explore other cultures to understand aspects that may not be a part of our own.

Integrating findings in a way to generate a more universal psychology applicable to a wider range of cultural settings and societies. Ex. refining theories such as various ecological approaches.

1) Increased awareness

2) Increased independent and dependent variables

3) Seperate emics from etics

Increased awareness of other cultures. This helps prevent prejudices stemming from ethnocentrism.

The number of independent and dependent variables to be investigated can be greatly increased.

Helps seperate emics (culture specific) from etics (universal or culture general).

Culture specific concepts

Culture-general or universal concepts.

Presented by Urie Bronfenbrenner. It focuses on specific behavior within its social setting. Bronfenbrenner's model focuses on four nested and interrelated systems or contexts. It allows us to see how patterns of interaction are influenced by the connection between development and culture.

The tendency to judge other cultures by your own cultural standards.

Learning the rituals and practices of your culture. This becomes the filter through which we view and judge other cultures.

Similar to Bronfenbrenner's ecological model, the developmental niche focuses on how aspects of culture affect a childs development by viewing the child as the unit of analysis.

Simply, a focus on how behaviors evolve and change over time as individuals develop over their lifetime.