Cultural Transmission: Psychological, Developmental, Social, and Methodological Aspects

by Ute Schönpflug PhD

Overview

Cultural Transmission covers psychological, developmental, social, and methodological research on how cultural information is socially transmitted from one generation to the next within families. Studying processes of cultural transmission may help analyze the continuity or change of cultures, including those that have to cope with migration or the collapse of a political system. An evolutionary perspective is elaborated in the first part of the book; the second takes a cross-cultural perspective by presenting international research on development and intergenerational relations in the family; the third provides intra-cultural analyses of mechanisms and methodological aspects of cultural transmission. Made up of contributions by experts in the field, this state-of-the-art source book is intended for anyone with interests in cultural issues – especially researchers and teachers in disciplines such as psychology, social and behavioral sciences, and education – and for applied professionals in culture management and family counseling, as well as professionals dealing with migrants.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521880435
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	11/10/2008
Series:	Culture and Psychology
Pages:	512
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.50(d)

About the Author

Ute Schönpflug is a member of the Free University of Berlin's Department of Psychology and Adjunct Member of the Institute of Cognitive Science at the University of Colorado. She is also Associate Editor of the Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology and is author of Psychologie des Erst- und Zweitspracherwerbs (Psychology of First and Second Language Acquisition).

Table of Contents

1. General introduction to cultural transmission: developmental psychological, social and methodological aspects Ute Schönpflug; 2. Cultural transmission: a short history of research and theory Ute Schönpflug; Part I. Evolutionary Perspective: 3. Cultural transmission: a view from chimpanzees and human infants Michael Tomasello; 4. Transmission, self-organization and the emergence of language: a dynamic systems point of view Paul van Geert; 5. Relationship-specific intergenerational family ties: an evolutionary approach to the structure of cultural transmission Harald A. Euler, Sabine Hoier and Percy A. Rohde; Part II. Cross-Cultural Perspective: 6. An ecocultural perspective on cultural transmission: the family across cultures John W. Berry and James Georgas; 7. Intergenerational relations and cultural transmission Gisela Trommsdorff; 8. Intergenerational transmission, social capital and interethnic contact in immigrant families Bernhard Nauck; 9. Developmental processes related to intergenerational transmission of culture: growing up with two cultures in the U.S.A. Amado M. Padilla; 10. The transmission process: mechanisms and contexts Ute Schönpflug and Ludwig Bilz; 11. Accounting for parent-child value congruence: theoretical considerations and empirical evidence Ariel Knafo and Shalom H. Schwartz; 12. Culture, migration, and family value socialization: a theoretical model and empirical investigation with Russian immigrant youth in Israel Ariel Knafo, Avi Assor, Shalom H. Schwartz and Limor David; 13. Immigrant parents' age expectations for the development of their adolescent offspring: transmission effects and changes after immigration Eva Schmitt-Rodermund and Rainer K. Silberseisen; Part III. Intracultural Variations: 14. Intergenerational transmission of moral capital across the family life course Merril Silverstein and Stephen J. Conroy; 15. Similarity of life goals in the family: a three-generations study Alexander Grob and Wibke Weisheit; 16. The intergenerational transmission of xenophobia and rightism in East Germany Bernd Six, Kristina Geppert and Ute Schönpflug; 17. Intergenerational transmission of violence Haci-Halil Uslucan and Urs Fuhrer; 18. 'Don't trust anyone over 25': youth centrism, intergenerational transmission of political orientations and cultural change Tom ter Bogt, Wim Meeus, Quinten Raaijmakers, Frits van Wel and Wilma Vollebergh; 19. Value transmission and Zeitgeist revisited Klaus Boehnke, Andreas Hadjar and Dirk Baier; 20. Epilogue: towards a model of cultural transmission Ute Schönpflug.

Editorial Reviews

Reflecting the interdisciplinary history, research, and theories of cultural transmission, this volume brings together contributions on evolutionary and biological aspects of cultural transmission, cross-cultural perspectives, as well as intergenerational transmission and cultural variation. This timely, engaging volume raises new questions about the models and mechanisms of cultural transmission and identifies important challenges facing researchers investigating this universal process. The scope and significance of the contributions in this volume make it essential reading for social scientists concerned with the role of culture in human behavior.”
—Deborah L. Best, Wake Forest University


“Anyone who wishes to perform research on cultural transmission or family values will need to start here. This volume presents a comprehensive overview of the field and brings the reader up to the present state of the art.”
—William Gabrenya, Florida Institute of Technology


“Ute Schönpflug, an astute observer and chronicler of cultural transmission, has put together a book that provides an array of perspectives on the internationalization of psychology. Its 20 chapters cover evolutionary and cross-cultural perspectives on cultural transmission as well as a collage of intracultural variations. Those who consult this book will be treated to a rich assortment of ways to consider cultural transmission. Without exception, the authors who contributed chapters to this book are experts in areas that together form the corpus of research, theory, and methodology in the study of cultural transmission. The book will instantly become a major reference and an authoritative source of information for future research and perspectives in the area.”
—Walter J. Lonner, Professor Emeritus of Psychology, Western Washington University

From the Publisher