MCAT Psychological Social Foundations Flashcards: 9a Culture Elements Variations

What this deck covers

This deck focuses on 9a Culture Elements Variations, giving you a quick way to review the definitions, rules, and examples that matter most for MCAT Psychological Social Foundations.

How to use these flashcards

Work through these flashcards in short sessions. Try to answer each prompt before flipping the card, then revisit any cards you miss until the explanation feels automatic.

Flashcard 1: What is a cultural universal?

Answer: A cultural element found in all known human societies. Examples include language, family structures, and religious practices.

Flashcard 2: What is language as an element of culture?

Answer: A symbolic communication system that transmits culture. Language preserves and evolves culture by encoding values, norms, and knowledge across generations.

Flashcard 3: What is a mores?

Answer: A strongly held norm tied to morality, with serious sanctions. Violations trigger strong social condemnation or legal consequences.

Flashcard 4: What is counterculture?

Answer: A subculture that rejects or opposes dominant cultural values. Countercultures challenge societal norms, often driving social change or highlighting inequalities.

Flashcard 5: What is culture in sociological terms, as tested on the MCAT?

Answer: Shared beliefs, values, norms, and practices transmitted socially. Culture encompasses all learned behaviors and ideas passed between generations.

Flashcard 6: What is cultural diffusion?

Answer: Spread of cultural traits from one group or society to another. Occurs through trade, migration, media, and other contact.

Flashcard 7: What is acculturation?

Answer: Adopting elements of another culture after prolonged contact. Involves selective adoption while maintaining original cultural identity.

Flashcard 8: What is a taboo?

Answer: A norm so strong that violation provokes extreme condemnation. Taboos are the strongest norms, like incest prohibitions.

Flashcard 9: What is material culture?

Answer: Physical objects and technologies that reflect a culture. Includes artifacts, buildings, clothing, and tools of a society.

Flashcard 10: What is a belief as an element of culture?

Answer: A conviction a statement about the world is true. Beliefs form the cognitive foundation of culture, shaping perceptions and justifications for actions.

Flashcard 11: What is assimilation in the context of cultural change?

Answer: Adopting the dominant culture with reduced distinctiveness. Assimilation facilitates social integration but may erode minority cultural identities over time.

Flashcard 12: What is a cultural universal?

Answer: A cultural element present in all known human societies. Examples include language, family structures, and religious practices.

Flashcard 13: What is a belief in cultural analysis?

Answer: A conviction that something is true, regardless of evidence. Forms worldviews and assumptions about reality and human nature.

Flashcard 14: What is a folkway?

Answer: Informal norm; violation brings mild social disapproval. Folkways ensure casual social harmony without severe consequences for minor infractions.

Flashcard 15: What is counterculture?

Answer: A subculture that rejects and opposes dominant cultural values. Actively challenges mainstream norms, like hippies in the 1960s.

Flashcard 16: What is a value in cultural analysis?

Answer: A culturally defined standard of what is desirable or important. Shapes priorities and goals, like individualism vs. collectivism.

Flashcard 17: What is a subculture?

Answer: A group within a society with distinct norms and values. Subcultures allow diversity within a larger society while maintaining overall cultural coherence.

Flashcard 18: What is a folkway?

Answer: An informal norm governing everyday behavior and etiquette. Violations result in mild disapproval, like wearing pajamas to work.

Flashcard 19: What is a value in culture?

Answer: A shared standard about what is desirable, good, or important. Values guide behavior and judgments about right and wrong.

Flashcard 20: What is cultural relativism?

Answer: Evaluating a culture by its own standards and context. Avoids bias by understanding practices within their context.

Flashcard 21: What is multiculturalism (cultural pluralism) as a societal approach?

Answer: Coexistence of distinct cultures with equal respect and status. Multiculturalism fosters social harmony by valuing diversity and promoting inclusive policies.

Flashcard 22: Identify the cultural term: A society enforces rules through formal written codes.

Answer: Law. Laws are formalized norms enforced by governmental authority.

Flashcard 23: What is assimilation in the context of cultural change?

Answer: Full incorporation into a new culture with loss of prior traits. Results in complete cultural transformation and identity change.

Flashcard 24: What is cultural lag?

Answer: When nonmaterial culture changes more slowly than technology. Creates social strain as values struggle to adapt to new technologies.

Flashcard 25: What is a more in sociology?

Answer: A strongly held norm tied to morality with strong sanctions. Mores reflect deep moral values like honesty or loyalty.

Flashcard 26: What is a folkway?

Answer: An informal norm governing everyday behavior with mild sanctions. Examples include table manners or greeting customs.

Flashcard 27: What is the definition of material culture?

Answer: Physical objects and technologies a group uses and values. It refers to tangible aspects that reflect a society's technological and economic adaptations to the environment.

Flashcard 28: What is a cultural particular (cultural specificity)?

Answer: A trait or practice unique to a specific culture or group. Such traits highlight how cultures adapt uniquely to their environments and histories.

Flashcard 29: What is a value in cultural analysis?

Answer: A culturally defined standard of what is good or desirable. Values serve as guiding principles that influence individual and collective decisions in a culture.

Flashcard 30: What is a belief in cultural terms?

Answer: A conviction that something is true, often shaping interpretation. Beliefs form the cognitive basis for cultural worldviews.

Flashcard 31: What is socialization in relation to culture?

Answer: Process of learning norms, values, and roles of a society. Socialization integrates individuals into society by internalizing cultural elements essential for functioning.

Flashcard 32: What is a norm?

Answer: A socially defined rule or expectation for behavior. Guides appropriate behavior within specific social contexts.

Flashcard 33: What is culture in the sociological sense as tested on the MCAT?

Answer: Shared beliefs, values, norms, and practices learned socially. Encompasses the collective patterns that guide social behavior.

Flashcard 34: What is a value in sociology?

Answer: A shared standard of what a group considers desirable or important. Values guide behavior and serve as criteria for judging actions.

Flashcard 35: What is material culture?

Answer: Physical objects and technologies that reflect cultural values. Artifacts and tools embody cultural knowledge and priorities.

Flashcard 36: What is a norm?

Answer: A shared expectation about appropriate behavior in a group. Norms guide social interactions and maintain order within groups.

Flashcard 37: What is a belief in the context of culture?

Answer: A conviction that something is true, often culturally shared. Beliefs shape worldview and influence behavior within cultural contexts.

Flashcard 38: What is the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis (linguistic relativity)?

Answer: Language influences thought and perception of reality. Suggests language structure affects cognitive processes and worldview.

Flashcard 39: What is a sanction in sociology?

Answer: A reward or punishment used to enforce norms. Can be positive (rewards) or negative (punishments) for norm compliance.

Flashcard 40: What is cultural transmission (cultural learning)?

Answer: Passing culture to others through socialization and interaction. This process ensures cultural continuity and adaptation through interpersonal and institutional means.

Flashcard 41: What is cultural lag?

Answer: Slow adaptation of nonmaterial culture to changes in material culture. Cultural lag explains social tensions arising from rapid technological changes outpacing value adjustments.

Flashcard 42: What is language as an element of culture?

Answer: A structured symbolic system used to communicate meaning. Enables transmission of culture across generations through communication.

Flashcard 43: What is acculturation?

Answer: Adoption of aspects of another culture after sustained contact. Involves selective borrowing while maintaining core identity.

Flashcard 44: What is a sanction in the context of norms?

Answer: A reward or punishment used to enforce social norms. Sanctions maintain conformity through social pressure.

Flashcard 45: What is a symbol in culture?

Answer: Something that represents an idea and carries shared meaning. Includes flags, religious icons, and gestures with cultural significance.

Flashcard 46: What is a subculture?

Answer: A group with distinct norms/values within a larger culture. Shares broader cultural framework but maintains unique characteristics.

Flashcard 47: What is assimilation?

Answer: Process by which a minority group becomes indistinguishable from a dominant group. Often involves loss of original cultural identity.

Flashcard 48: What is a value in cultural terms?

Answer: A culturally defined standard of what is good or desirable. Values shape priorities and judgments about worth within a culture.

Flashcard 49: What is a symbol in sociology, and why is it culturally important?

Answer: Anything with shared meaning used to communicate within a culture. Symbols enable efficient communication and cultural cohesion through shared interpretations.

Flashcard 50: What is a symbol in culture?

Answer: Anything that represents something else with shared meaning. Symbols convey complex meanings efficiently, like flags or logos.

Flashcard 51: What is the definition of nonmaterial culture?

Answer: Ideas, beliefs, values, norms, and language of a group. It captures the intangible elements that guide social interactions and worldview within a society.

Flashcard 52: What is a taboo?

Answer: A norm prohibiting behavior seen as extremely offensive. Taboos protect societal boundaries by forbidding acts that could undermine cultural integrity.

Flashcard 53: What is a norm in cultural terms?

Answer: A shared expectation for appropriate behavior in a group. Norms guide social interactions by establishing behavioral standards.

Flashcard 54: What is the difference between folkways and mores?

Answer: Folkways: mild norms; mores: morally significant norms. Violating folkways causes mild disapproval; violating mores causes outrage.

Flashcard 55: What is ethnocentrism?

Answer: Judging other cultures by the standards of one's own culture. Often leads to prejudice and misunderstanding of others.

Flashcard 56: What is a norm in the context of culture?

Answer: A shared rule or expectation for behavior in a group. Norms function to maintain social order by guiding expected behaviors in various contexts.

Flashcard 57: What is nonmaterial culture?

Answer: Ideas, beliefs, values, norms, and symbols of a group. These intangible elements shape behavior and social organization.

Flashcard 58: What is culture in the MCAT sociological sense?

Answer: Shared beliefs, values, norms, and practices learned socially. Encompasses all aspects of social life transmitted through interaction.

Flashcard 59: What is a symbol in culture, and what does it do?

Answer: Anything representing something else; conveys shared meaning. Symbols enable abstract communication through shared cultural understanding.

Flashcard 60: What is a belief in cultural terms?

Answer: A conviction accepted as true by an individual or group. Beliefs form the cognitive foundation of cultural worldviews.

Flashcard 61: What is a sanction?

Answer: A reward or punishment used to enforce norms. Sanctions maintain conformity through social control mechanisms.

Flashcard 62: What is assimilation as a cultural process?

Answer: Complete adoption of a new culture with loss of original culture. Results in minority groups becoming indistinguishable from dominant culture.

Flashcard 63: What is a folkway, and what is the typical sanction for violating it?

Answer: Informal norm; violation usually brings mild disapproval. Examples include etiquette rules like table manners or dress codes.

Flashcard 64: What is language as an element of culture?

Answer: A symbolic communication system that transmits culture. Language enables cultural transmission across generations.

Flashcard 65: What is multiculturalism?

Answer: Maintaining multiple cultural traditions within one society. Promotes cultural diversity and equal respect for different traditions.

Flashcard 66: What is multiculturalism as a societal approach to diversity?

Answer: Maintaining multiple cultural traditions within one society. Promotes cultural diversity and equal respect for all traditions.

Flashcard 67: What is culture in the sociological sense as tested on the MCAT?

Answer: Shared beliefs, practices, norms, and symbols transmitted socially. This encompasses the foundational sociological view of culture as a socially transmitted system shaping group behavior and identity.

Flashcard 68: What is the difference between formal and informal sanctions?

Answer: Formal: institutional; Informal: interpersonal/social reactions. Formal involves laws/policies; informal involves peer pressure.

Flashcard 69: What is acculturation?

Answer: Adopting traits of another culture after sustained contact. Involves partial cultural change while maintaining original identity.

Flashcard 70: What is a taboo?

Answer: A norm that forbids a behavior viewed as highly offensive. Often culturally specific, like incest or cannibalism prohibitions.

Flashcard 71: What is culture shock?

Answer: Disorientation and stress after exposure to an unfamiliar culture. Culture shock arises from the psychological challenge of navigating unfamiliar norms and symbols.

Flashcard 72: What is language as a cultural element?

Answer: A symbolic communication system that transmits culture. Language preserves and passes cultural knowledge across generations.

Flashcard 73: What is nonmaterial culture?

Answer: Ideas and meanings such as norms, values, beliefs, and symbols. The intangible aspects that shape behavior and social organization.