Berry (1967)

Participants

3 cultures: Temne of Sierra Leone - based in rice farming (collectivism) Inuit of Baffin Island, Canada - based in hunting and fishing (individualism) Urban and rural Scots (control group)

Ethical considerations

Lack of briefing Necessary use of deception

Strengths

Controlled environment: causality Cross-cultural (etic): demonstrates conformity is not limited to a single cultural group

Results

The Temne had high conformity levels. The Inuit had the lowest conformity rates

Aim

To investigate conformity levels between two types of societies (specifically with differences in social norms and socialization practices)

Limitations

low ecological validity

Conclusion

High conformity among the Temne because they had an agricultural economy and needed to depend on cooperation in farming. Also, their culture emphasized obedience in child-rearing practices. Lower conformity among the Inuit results from them often hunting alone. As such, they must be able to make their own decisions. Also, Inuit child-rearing practices emphasize self-sufficiency since that is needed within their culture. Cultural dimension of individualism vs. collectivism affected conformity levels

Method

Individuals were placed in rooms and were asked to choose a line out of a set of lines that was most similar to a given line (similar to Asch's experiment) On the third trial, experimenter gave the individual a "hint" of what others in their culture chose Observed if the participants conformed to the answers of their peers

Applicable to

Explain how principles that define the sociocultural level of analysis may be demonstrated in research (studies or/or theories): The social and cultural environment influences behavior Evaluate research on conformity to group norms Discuss factors influencing conformity (cultural dimensions) Examine the role of two cultural dimensions on behaviour (individualism vs. collectivism) Using one or more examples, explain "emic" and "etic" concepts.