🧠 Enculturation
📌 Key terms
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Enculturation | The process by which individuals learn and internalize the norms, values, and behaviors of their own culture. |
| Socialization | The broader process through which individuals learn societal expectations via family, peers, school, and media. |
| Cultural transmission | The passing of cultural knowledge, beliefs, and practices from one generation to the next. |
| Norms | Accepted standards of behavior within a culture or social group. |
| Values | Deeply held beliefs about what is right, important, or desirable in a society. |
| Gatekeepers | People or institutions (parents, teachers, media) who transmit culture. |
📌 Notes
Enculturation explains how individuals acquire their cultural identity through interaction and observation within their environment.
It is an ongoing process that begins at birth and continues throughout life, influencing beliefs, values, and behavior.
Through direct tuition, observational learning, and participation, individuals internalize what is appropriate in their society.
Enculturation connects to social cognitive theory (Bandura), as much of cultural learning occurs through modeling and reinforcement.
📌 Key Studies
1️⃣ Odden & Rochat (2004) – Observational Learning and Enculturation in Samoa
Aim:
To investigate how Samoan children acquire cultural norms about fishing and social hierarchy without direct instruction.
Method:
- Naturalistic observation and semi-structured interviews.
- 28 children in a rural Samoan community.
Findings:
- Children learned by observing adults and other children, not through direct teaching.
- Cultural norms (respect, hierarchy, fishing skills) were learned by modeling behavior and trial-and-error.
Conclusion:
Enculturation occurs through observational learning, supporting social cognitive theory.
Evaluation:
✅ Ecologically valid and culturally grounded.
⚠️ Limited generalizability; small sample.
✅ Highlights importance of social context in learning.
2️⃣ Fagot (1978) – Parental Influence on Gender Enculturation
Aim:
To examine how parents reinforce gender-specific behavior.
Method:
- Observed parents of toddlers in their homes.
- Recorded reactions to gender-consistent and inconsistent behaviors.
Findings:
- Parents rewarded gender-consistent behaviors (e.g., girls playing with dolls).
- Negative reactions when behavior did not match gender norms.
Conclusion:
Enculturation of gender roles is reinforced through operant conditioning and direct tuition.
Evaluation:
✅ Real-world setting.
✅ Demonstrates early influence of gatekeepers.
⚠️ Western sample may limit cultural diversity.
🔍Tok link
- Knowledge Question: “To what extent is culture learned rather than inherited?”
- Links to nature vs. nurture debate — enculturation emphasizes nurture.
- Raises epistemological questions: How do we know what is culturally “normal”?
🌐 Real-World Connection
- Understanding enculturation informs education, parenting, and cross-cultural training.
- Helps in reducing ethnocentrism by recognizing diverse ways of learning and socialization.
- Encourages culturally responsive teaching and global citizenship.
❤️ CAS Link
- Conduct an interview-based project comparing childhood cultural practices in different families.
Design a presentation on gender norms and social expectations in your community.
Volunteer in intercultural programs teaching traditional art or language.
🧠 IA Guidance
- Possible experiment: Observe how modeling or reward affects learning of new norms.
- Example IV: Type of feedback (positive/negative).
- Example DV: Accuracy or adoption of modeled behavior.
- Consider cultural sensitivity when designing materials.
🧠 Examiner Tips
- Always connect enculturation to mechanisms of learning (direct tuition, modeling, observation).
- Use Odden & Rochat and Fagot to show different cultural pathways.
- Define key terms precisely — enculturation vs. socialization are often confused.