This topic contains a solution. Click here to go to the answer

Author Question: Why are culture, race, and ethnicity hypothetical constructs? In what sense are they useful and in ... (Read 92 times)

Yolanda

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 757
Why are culture, race, and ethnicity hypothetical constructs? In what sense are they useful and in what sense are they limited?
 
  What will be an ideal response?

Question 2

Explain how ethnic, cultural, and racial categories are too simplistic to account for most behavior.
 
  What will be an ideal response?



Related Topics

Need homework help now?

Ask unlimited questions for free

Ask a Question
Marked as best answer by a Subject Expert

SAUXC

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 318
Answer to Question 1

Culture, race, and ethnicity are hypothetical constructs because they are concepts that psychologists have constructed to help explain and understand behavior. They are hypothetical because we hypothesize that they exist and that they are going to be useful, explanatory concepts.
Sometimes these constructs are helpful because, when measured appropriately, they might be helpful in our understanding of why people in some groups act one way, whereas people in another group act differently. Not everybody in a group acts and thinks the same way, but the hypothetical constructs of culture and ethnicity can give some insights into group processes.
On the other hand, none of these concepts can be precisely defined and measured, which is why we rely on external markers (e.g., skin color) to represent them. These external markers may not really be very helpful in understanding behavior because they are only imperfectly correlated with thought and behavior. People within a given group differ from one another in many ways, so trying to figure out how a single person thinks is not feasible.

Answer to Question 2

Not all members of a given category are alike. In fact, degree of acculturation is a better predictor of some behaviors than is ethnicity. In addition, different variables may interact to generate behaviors and attitudes that are unpredictable from the variables individually. Further, the use of categories is inconsistent, so we aren't always sure what a category means or why an individual is placed in it. Finally, different behaviors and attitudes within groups are often better attributable to variables like socioeconomic status, fluency in English, nature of one's peers, etc.




Yolanda

  • Member
  • Posts: 757
Reply 2 on: Jul 13, 2018
Great answer, keep it coming :)


  • Member
  • Posts:
Reply 3 on: Yesterday
Thanks for the timely response, appreciate it

 

Did you know?

Human stomach acid is strong enough to dissolve small pieces of metal such as razor blades or staples.

Did you know?

Calcitonin is a naturally occurring hormone. In women who are at least 5 years beyond menopause, it slows bone loss and increases spinal bone density.

Did you know?

In Eastern Europe and Russia, interferon is administered intranasally in varied doses for the common cold and influenza. It is claimed that this treatment can lower the risk of infection by as much as 60–70%.

Did you know?

The first successful kidney transplant was performed in 1954 and occurred in Boston. A kidney from an identical twin was transplanted into his dying brother's body and was not rejected because it did not appear foreign to his body.

Did you know?

The first documented use of surgical anesthesia in the United States was in Connecticut in 1844.

For a complete list of videos, visit our video library