The Specificity Principle in Acculturation Science

Abstract

The Specificity Principle in Acculturation Science asserts that specific setting conditions of specific people at specific times moderate specific domains in acculturation by specific processes. Our understanding of acculturation depends critically on what is studied where, in whom, how, and when. This article defines, explains, and illustrates the Specificity Principle in Acculturation Science. Research hypotheses about acculturation can be more adequately tested, inconsistencies and discrepancies in the acculturation literature can be satisfactorily resolved, acculturation interventions can be tailored to be more successful, and acculturation policies can be brought to new levels of effectiveness if the specificity principle that governs acculturation science is more widely recognized.

Parenting in acculturation: two contemporary research designs and what they tell us

“…A universal model of acculturation that dictates uniform patterns of acculturation for all cognitions and practices appears inappropriate. Instead, acculturation of parenting appears to be influenced by the cultural groups being compared and the cognitions and practices being evaluated, supporting specificity views of parenting and acculturation [9,10**].…”

Drivers of human development: How relationships and context shape learning and development1

“…When the framework incorporates a phenomenological component (Spencer, 1995(Spencer, , 2007, it allows us to examine the role of context, culture, intra-subjective experiences, and social and emotional states, appraisal, meaning making, and other factors in explaining human development. In particular, the framework allows us to examine the variability and stability in developmental range, sequencing, and pacing of behavior, complex skill acquisition, adaptive capacities, resilience, and performance, and how these become stable and transferable to new situations over time (Bornstein, 2017;Fischer & Bidell, 2006). Skill development and meaning making are contextually and culturally circumscribed.…”

Adolescent Health Development: A Relational Developmental Systems Perspective

“…Thus, adaption is not treated as a categorical concept (as something that either exists or not) but, instead, as a multivariate concept comprised of ordinal or interval dimensions. Researchers studying adaptation would not ask, then, whether it exists or not; rather, the question would be how beneficial is the developmental regulation (the individual⇔context relation) for specific people or specific social institutions of the context, at specific times and in specific places (e.g., see Bornstein 2006Bornstein , 2017 Consider nutrition more closely. How do adolescents' diets influence their cardio-metabolic risk as adolescents and adults?…”