Psychological Universals: What Are They and How Can We Know?

Norenzayan, Ara; Heine, Steven

doi:10.1037/0033-2909.131.5.763

Cited by 648 publications

(559 citation statements)

References 179 publications

(295 reference statements)

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“…As the extent of behavioural diversity becomes appreciated, and in the face of evidence that even apparently basic cognitive processes vary greatly between cultures [93][94][95], the challenge becomes how to delineate the boundaries of evolved psychological mechanisms in human beings. While evolutionary psychologists have assumed the existence of universal evolved psychological mechanisms, these researchers have only rarely sought evidence for universality.…”

Section: (I) Variation and Universalsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolutionary accounts of human behavioural diversity

Brown

Dickins

Sear

et al. 2011

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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Human beings persist in an extraordinary range of ecological settings, in the process exhibiting enormous behavioural diversity, both within and between populations. People vary in their social, mating and parental behaviour and have diverse and elaborate beliefs, traditions, norms and institutions. The aim of this theme issue is to ask whether, and how, evolutionary theory can help us to understand this diversity. In this introductory article, we provide a background to the debate surrounding how best to understand behavioural diversity using evolutionary models of human behaviour. In particular, we examine how diversity has been viewed by the main subdisciplines within the human evolutionary behavioural sciences, focusing in particular on the human behavioural ecology, evolutionary psychology and cultural evolution approaches. In addition to differences in focus and methodology, these subdisciplines have traditionally varied in the emphasis placed on human universals, ecological factors and socially learned behaviour, and on how they have addressed the issue of genetic variation. We reaffirm that evolutionary theory provides an essential framework for understanding behavioural diversity within and between human populations, but argue that greater integration between the subfields is critical to developing a satisfactory understanding of diversity.

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Section: (I) Variation and Universalsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolutionary accounts of human behavioural diversity

Brown

Dickins

Sear

et al. 2011

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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“…For example, anthropologists and economists have collaborated to study whether and to what extent people across cultures play standard economic games in the same ways (see, for example, Henrich et al 2005). Scholars (including psychologists and sociologists) are comparing the results of lab experiments across countries in order to increase our understanding of cultural differences (and human universals) (see, for example, Norenzayan and Heine 2005). Most recently, an experimental economics laboratory has been established in Nairobi, Kenya to facilitate the use of laboratory experiments in that region (Busara Center for Behavioral Economics).…”

Section: Experimental Methodology and Population-based Survey Experimmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lab experiments in demographic fieldwork

Dodoo

Horne²,

Dodoo³

2014

DemRes

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BACKGROUNDAnthropological literature has long linked bridewealth payments to decision-making about fertility. Recent research underscores the significance of men's preferences regarding women's reproductive behavior, and suggests that bridewealth payments place constraints on women's reproductive autonomy. Yet because survey data on bridewealth are rare, and the collection of new survey data on bridewealth presents serious challenges, this explanation could not be tested. OBJECTIVEOur objective in this paper is to highlight the potential utility of lab experiments (in particular, vignette experiments) for improving our understanding of gender relations in Africa, using the hypothesized effect of bridewealth on normative constraints on women's reproductive autonomy as an illustration. METHODSWe discuss our reasons for turning to lab experiments, and to vignette experiments in particular. We also summarize a series of studies (Horne, Dodoo, and Dodoo 2013; Dodoo, Horne, and Biney 2014) which have implemented our experimental approach. RESULTSOur experimental evidence shows that bridewealth payments are associated with greater normative constraints on women's reproductive autonomy. We also find that these negative effects of bridewealth are consistent across participant ages, and do not appear to be ameliorated by female schooling. CONCLUSIONSWe conclude that lab experiments in general (and vignette experiments in particular) are underutilized methodological tools that may be useful for helping us gain a better understanding of the cultural context of gender relations in Africa; and that demographic research more generally may benefit from taking advantage of the strengths of experimental methods.

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“…Other cross-cultural research has also shown that the general structure of motivational aims, including values, is subsumed by a similar two-dimensional structure (Fontaine et al, 2008;Grouzet et al, 2005). Following a hierarchical taxonomy of psychological universals that can be observed across cultures (Norenzayan & Heine, 2005), the two-dimensional value structure can be regarded as a functional universal, given that it arguably describes the same phenomenon and the same functional expression of the value system across cultural groups.…”

Section: Cross-cultural Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Guiding Actions and Expressing Needs: On the Psychological Functions of Values

et al. 2015

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Values are often used to examine cultural variability. Yet, little research has focused on the functions that values fulfill and the implications of these functions for understanding cultural variability. This paper describes a theoretical analysis of the functions of values based on 2 widely accepted pan-cultural functions: values guide actions and express needs. The theoretical model proposes that the first function differentiates values according to the goals pursued (personal, central, or social goals), whereas the second function differentiates values according to the needs expressed (survival or thriving needs). A combination of these 2 functions yields 6 basic values (structural hypothesis) with specific marker values (content hypothesis). Support for the hypotheses was obtained in a large convenience national sample (N = 5,176) of Brazilian university students with confirmatory factor analysis and multidimensional scaling. Central values were located between personal and social values, and survival and thriving values separated into 2 regions. Theoretical and cross-cultural implications of the findings, especially the universality of the general structure of motivational aims, are discussed, along with interpretations of existing value scales from a functional perspective.Keywords: human values, functions, structure, content, Brazil Los valores se emplean para examinar la variabilidad cultural, pero ha sido escasa la investigación centrada en las funciones de los valores y sus implicaciones para comprender la variabilidad cultural. El artículo analiza teóricamente las funciones de los valores basado en 2 funciones panculturales ampliamente aceptadas: los valores guían acciones y expresan necesidades. El modelo teórico propone que la primera función distingue a los valores según las metas perseguidas (personales, centrales o sociales); la segunda función los diferencia según las necesidades (de supervivencia o crecimiento). La combinación de estas funciones arroja 6 valores básicos (hipótesis estructural) con valores marcadores específicos (hipótesis de contenido). Estas hipótesis fueron apoyadas en una muestra intencionada nacional amplia (N = 5.176) de estudiantes universitarios brasileños, por medio de análisis factorial confirmatorio y escalamiento multidimensional. Los valores centrales se situaron entre los valores personales y sociales y los de supervivencia y de crecimiento se separaron en 2 áreas. Se discuten las implicaciones teóricas y transculturales de los resultados, especialmente la universalidad de la estructura general de metas motivacionales, junto con interpretaciones de escalas de valores existentes.Palabras clave: valores humanos, funciones, estructura, contenido, BrasilResearch investigating the interplay between culture and psychology has grown markedly in the last few decades and individual and cultural values are one of the main psychological constructs used to understand and access cultural variability (Matsumoto & Yoo, 2006). In the present article we report an empirical study t...

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Psychological Universals: What Are They and How Can We Know?

Cited by 648 publications

References 179 publications

Evolutionary accounts of human behavioural diversity

Evolutionary accounts of human behavioural diversity

Lab experiments in demographic fieldwork

Guiding Actions and Expressing Needs: On the Psychological Functions of Values

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