ISSUE 02 - 20/07/2012 The newely elected president of the International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology, Yoshi Kashima.
Incoming IACCP president seeks bigger role for young researchers
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ustralia-based psychologist Yoshi Kashima yesterday took over as the president of the International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology (IACCP), starting a two-year presidential journey that will end in 2014. Kashima (55) had been elected in an online ballot in 2010 by the organisation’s worldwide members, per IACCP’s tradition. The Japanese-born professor at Melbourne University took over from Professor Kwok Leung, who had been at the association’s helm since 2010. “Thank you very much for electing me,” Kashima told delegates attending IACCP’s general meeting here in Stellenbosch. “I know the tradition of the association very well, and I will ensure that we continue to develop and grow it.” Kashima, a professor in social psychology and cross-cultural psychology later explained that he had already started working on measures to encourage the participation of young researchers and improve the organisation’s relationship with other academic associations. “We want to cultivate the involvement of the younger generation,” which includes PhD students and early-career researchers who have obtained their PhD
BY JENNIFER DUBE less than ten years ago. “We are trying to start a youth group and also establish an early-career award, which are mechanisms we have not had so far,” Kashima said. “We will set up a subcommittee to work on this plan in the next six months to a year.” Kashima said involvement of younger people was important as they would carry some of the association’s administrative burden and be in a good position to move the institution forward. The organisation also depends on individual researchers’ participation, which is why a growing membership remains a priority. Kashima said the IACCP also enjoyed connections with large international associations. Renewing those, and building more synergies, is one of his top priorities, he said. Among IACCP’s friends are the Asian Association of Social Psychology and the Students for Industrial-Organizational Psychology. The general meeting also heard that the association was in a sound financial position and its publications are doing well. It was also reported that membership is growing, with 763 members from 71 countries as of 31 May 2012.
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Lines of segregration still visible in South Africa
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outh Africa has progressed well in terms of racially integrating schools and universities post-apartheid, with some former white education institutions having more black students, but the country remains deeply racially segregated, a University of Cape Town study has found. The 10 year research found that while SA universities were more representative of the country’s demographics, South Africans were still not comfortable sharing space with those outside their race and there was still racial prejudice between blacks and whites. The series of observational studies, which were carried out at UCT, some of the Long Street pubs and night clubs, and education institutions in Gauteng, also found that while there was no longer institutional segregation in South Africa and public and leisure spaces were more integrated, there was still very little inter-racial contact. Not enough inter-racial friendships were made in such spaces. While some of the redress policies, including Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) and land restitution were introduced after the first democratic elections in 1994, there was still not enough support. Some white South Africans were found to be likely to oppose the implementation of such policies as they felt they were unjust towards them.
University of Cape Town
BY SIPOKAZI FOKAZI Speaking at the conference, Professor Colin Tredoux, professor of psychology at UCT said data has shown that whites who had more inter-racial contact and had formed relationships and friendships outside their race, were supportive in principle of such policies. When it came to implementation, they were likely to oppose them. Ironically, the black middle-class who had more inter-racial contacts were also found to be resistant to the implementation of some redress policies. Tredoux said this “informal segregation” had been mostly observed in seating arrangements and choices of students in dining halls, public spaces, classrooms and cafeteria. Most students had cited “comfort” as a spontaneous reason for not forming inter-racial contacts. In a survey that was carried out in 2010, researchers observed that the initial seating arrangement of first-year students was in “segregated patterns”. When students sat on the steps outside UCT’s Jamieson Hall, researchers observed that black students were more likely to sit on top of the steps, whites in the middle and coloured students on the sides. Of the 285 new friendships that were formed by students in the first few months, only 51 were cross-race. About 65 percent of participants reported a “great deal” of inter-racial contact while 58 percent said the quality of contact was “mostly positive”. A study that was done in Long Street in 2009 also revealed that while the trendy clubs “proudly reflected diversity and racial mix” of the country’s population, interaction and conversations at these clubs remained mono-racial. Treduoux warned that inter-racial integration could not be forced on people. South Africa shouldn’t ignore the microecological levels of inter-racial contact, he said, as it could lead to reproduction of inequality for younger generations. “Segregation is a linchpin of inequality. If this is continued and ignored, it’s likely to reproduce a society that is highly unequal,” he said.
Does the word “happy” mean the same to all of us? BY ROSALIA OMUNGO W hen was the last time someone got on your nerves, sending you screaming all over the place? You were angry—and that happens to people all over the globe. But still, people may mean very different things when they use words such as “anger” to describe their emotion. Now, researchers have developed an instrument, called GRID, to determine what socalled emotion words, such as anger, joy, hate, and sadness mean, and whether they are comparable across cultures. GRID is the product of a seven-year collaborative research project between institutions in Belgium and Switzerland. The work was presented during a keynote speech today by the lead researcher, Dr Johnny Fontaine of Ghent University in Belgium. We use emotion terms very often,
Fontaine said, but the question is, “what do these terms really mean?” An emotion, Fontaine said, “is not a deep feeling, it is a process” — a package of different effects. “We unpackage the package. We identify the features of that process.” The instrument is called a grid because it has two axes. On one axis are emotion words, such as joy, happiness, hate, guilt, and shame. The other axis contains so-called emotion features, such as “cried,” “sweated,” “increased breathing,” or “felt good.” “People have to link these two together,” Fontaine said. The grid has been tested in 27 different countries, from China to Belgium. The results showed
that the basic emotions, which include joy, happiness, sadness, and fear, have mostly the same features associated with them across countries and languages. “The meaning of emotion appears to be quite stable when we use the grid,” Fontaine said.
Dr Johnny Fontaine
Regional differences in learning patterns in early childhood
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sychologists have confirmed what many parents have often observed: the imitation of their older siblings is an important part of the learning process of young children. Parents may not be aware, however, that the imitation
BY LOMINDA AFEDRARU patterns showed by children in different parts of the world is markedly different. Sonja Borchert, a PhD student from the Goethe University in Frankfurt, Germany, studied 18month-old toddlers in a Cameroon farming community and those from middle class families in Germany. She used toys to elicit a response from the children and found that the toddlers in Cameroon reacted faster than babies from Germany, perhaps because they are not used to playing with toys. Bettina Lamm, a PhD student at the University of Osnabrueck in Germany, studied children aged three, six and nine months old and discovered that “infants from Germany learned language faster while those from Cameroon were
likely to learn to sit and stand sooner”. Joyce S. Pang, assistant professor at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, spoke on “Caring dad/controlling mum: Gender differences in effects of parental warmth and psychological control on aggression of impulsive Singapore children”. She found that the quality of the parental relationship with a child will have an impact on the child’s development. She said controlling mothers had more influence on the behaviour of their sons than their daughters. Girls who are impulsive tend to identify themselves with their father’s warmth rather than to pay attention to their controlling mother. A follow-up study will be carried out to assess behaviour changes during late adolescence.
A vicious cycle of violence in Nigeria C
hildren who are forced to leave their homes as a BY CHINYERE OPIA result of conflicts and violence are more likely to display aggressive behaviour, according to a study children end up in churches or the homes of relatives, among Nigerian children presented on Wednesday at who can only offer short-term assistance. the IACCP congress. The research was carried out by The researchers interviewed 222 boys between 13 Agatha Ogwo of Nasarawa State University, Chinwe and 18 years of age of the Bassa/Igbirra ethnic group Ifeacho of the University of Nigeria, and Solomon who were internally displaced and compared them with Mumah of Kenyatta University in Kenya. 223 who weren’t displaced. They discovered that the Nigeria is a country with over 140 million displaced boys were more prone to aggression. people from about 250 ethnic groups and The researchers mention many possible multiple religions. This often results reasons for this. After a conflict, many in conflicts and people leaving their children suffer flashbacks of scenes of homes to seek a safer place elsewhere murder, rape, and other types of violence. in the country, a process called Many are frustrated and want to retaliate ‘internal displacement.’ Ogwo said for the injustices they experienced. internal displacement often results Ogwo says that this can lead to a in neglect by international vicious cycle, which may be one aid workers, who are more reason why Nigeria continues concerned by the acute to experience conflicts. problems of refugees. Psychological help for As a result of such internally displaced children neglect, most of the would be one solution to the Agatha Ogwo internally displaced aggression, Ogwo said.
Meet the delegates M
Armas Chikongo
BY LEOCADIA BONGBEN
y name is Armas Chikongo. I’m a lecturer at the University of Namibia. I teach courses and do research in psychology. Why did you choose to come to the conference? I am here for my own personal interest in cross-cultural psychology, but also to represent the head of my Department, who could not make the trip. What is the most interesting thing you have heard today?
I attended a couple of presentations focusing on culture and psychology, on how people move from one society to the other. This has stimulated me to go back home and do some research in the field. I will work to present my PhD thesis, which I did in Malaysia, during the next IACCP Congress. The congress is very important for networking and collaborative research; I got a lot of information here.
Meet the delegates M
Ayse Uskul
BY ROSALIA OMUNGO
y name is Ayse Uskul. I am a social psychologist, and a senior lecturer at the University of Essex in the United Kingdom. I am originally from Turkey. Why did you choose to come to this conference? I am attending the conference in my capacity as a member of the IACCP. I always try to come to the conference. What is the most interesting thing you have heard today?
The most important thing today was my trip to an interesting township on the outskirts of Stellenbosch. called Khayamandi. I came face to face with a very different part of Africa. I learned about its history. My daughter also had a chance to mingle with little children. This was fun because since I arrived for the conference, I have not had a chance to look around and enjoy the beauty of South Africa.
English mothers outfox Turkish counterparts in positive parenting BY NTARYIKE DIVINE JR.
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hild upbringing in culturally individualistic Britain brings forth individuals with more self-esteem and self-confidence than the more traditional way in collectivistic Turkey does. That is the conclusion of a comparative cross-cultural psychology study presented on Thursday at the IACCP congress. The research, dubbed The Role of Culture in Shaping the Ecology of Parenting, was headed by Turkish researcher Berna Aytac, a PhD student at the University of Sussex in the United Kingdom. “England is a typical individualistic culture where personal fulfillment and self-maximisation outweigh family relationship concerns,” Aytac explained. “Turkey has a more collectivistic culture in which patriotism and intimate family ties including obedience to parents as authoritative figures are keystone norms.”
However, a study from mothers and kids in both cultural settings has revealed that those cozy and healthy family ties in Turkey don’t guarantee of convivial parent-child relationship and productive childrearing. “Turkish mothers reported more negative relationships with their kids,” Aytac said. “They use more severe methods of discipline and have more conflicts with their children. When they’re cross, they smack the kids and shout at them.” That is in sharp contrast to Britain, where the study found that mothers are calmer in child discipline and express more affection for their offspring. “It’s an interesting and worthwhile comparison,” said Ng Sik Hung, a Professor of Psychology at the Hong Kong City University’s College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences. “I think the practical relevance of this work may not be immediately apparent, but it provides sufficient information on how parents can improve their relations with their kids worldwide.”
Improve existing research with home-grown ideas I
ndigenous research in non-Western cultures can complement and extend Western theories, contributing to their universality, the outgoing president of the International Association for CrossCultural Psychology (IACCP), Kwok Leung said yesterday during his keynote address. Presenting a paper on Indigenous Research and Universal Theories at IACCP’s 21st congress, Professor Leung said researchers should use cultural diversity to improve existing research. “We should take greater advantage of cultural diversity as a valuable resource to improve current and develop new theories,” Leung said. Leung told delegates about his research on harmony, saying it was a typical example of areas that have not been explored by Western researchers. “Harmony is how people get along. It is a very salient concept in the Chinese culture, but Western research does not talk much about it,” he said. “It is not a very popular idea in the West.” He said his ongoing research, which focused on two motives, harmony enhancement and disintegration avoidance, could be used by many cultures in conflict resolution. Leung found that there were two reasons why people got along: Some wanted to build relationships, while others used harmony to avoid conflict. The group in the harmony enhancement category took steps to improve relationships and promoted positive reciprocity, Leung said, while those in the disintegration avoidance group took steps not to irritate or hurt others. He said those in the first category also felt safer communicating with others and saw opportunities for better relations through exchange, while those in the second category felt
BY SIPOKAZI FOKAZI & JENNIFER DUBE unsafe about communication and focused more on problems that might arise from this. The harmony enhancement group was also more likely to share resources like money and to explore opportunities of making more for themselves and others, while the other group was afraid of loss and tended to protect their possessions. Leung added that the two motives were relevant for different cultures and could be used in promoting relationships and avoiding conflict. “Maintaining harmony is very important,” he said. “Everything prospers when there is harmony.”
Professor Kwok Leung
All the news that’s fit to print
Delegates read the first edition of the IACCP newsletter on Wednesday. Hot off the press, the issue was distributed at the start of the presidential address in the Konservatorium.
Why Africa can’t catch up in psychology D
octor Vivian A. Dzokot, a clinical psychologist BY NTARYIKE DIVINE JR. from Ghana, is Assistant Professor at the Department of African-American Studies of Virginia order to do research, you need time, skill and above all, Commonwealth University in Richmond in the funding. There is very little funding for psychological United States. The IACCP newsletter asked her about research in Africa. psychology’s prospects in Africa. I actually did a study looking at available funding How relevant is cross-cultural psychology to Africa for mental health compared to HIV, and found that in a at this point in time? period of five years there were over a hundred research Well, we’re becoming a global village. The opportunities for HIV and less than five for mental Chinese are streaming into Africa and many people health for the whole of Africa. The money comes are beginning to think that perhaps doing business in from external donors and if you have money you get Africa is not such a bad idea. If you want to do business to decide what it’s used for. Funding institutions drive with somebody, it’s probably a good idea to understand research. And because Africa lacks a lot of internal what their cultural norms are, how to communicate funding sources, we’re not going to get a lot of research effectively in that culture, so you don’t offend the on psychology. People are going to fund other things people and are actually able to make as much money as which are perceived to be more pressing. you came there to make. That’s what the missionaries Are there possibilities of catching up in the near did in the pre-colonial era. Psychology is relevant to future? Africa in many other ways. For example, if you’re I honestly do not think that it will be possible for trying to change things like health behaviours, you have Africa to catch up. And the reason is that psychology to understand how people are thinking about illness to has developed and thrived outside of Africa, and unless be able to see if it makes sense to change it and how. African countries themselves decide to fund research There are psychological theories on how to internally, I don’t think there’ll be a chance of change behaviour. catching up. Now, will all of them work in Africa? Another issue is that there could be Probably not; but we have to test them more psychologists, but if a current and maybe find African ways of doing it. university student has a choice to work So despite the relevance, why is in a bank or become a psychologist, there so little psychological research in they’re going to choose the bank Africa? because that way, at least in Ghana, There are lots of universities with you get access to low-interest loans. psychology departments, but their major If you become a psychologist, you business is to teach. For example, the end up as a lecturer and what’s a University of Ghana has a huge student lecturer’s salary compared to that body with lots of them taking of a bank manager, where the psychology at least at the job will probably come Dr Vivian A. Dzokot undergraduate level. But in with a car?
The Black Eyed Peas
The benefits of uplifting music
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an listening to a song with an uplifting, social message about human cooperation and love make you behave better? Research presented on Thursday at the IACCP congress suggests it can. A study showed that so-called prosocial behaviour—aimed at benefitting other people—can be stimulated by songs that stress prosocial values. Psychologists say that music can be a powerful prosocial resource, but that it can also have the opposite effect of stimulating antisocial behaviour and aggression. They have speculated that it may depend on the kind of music you listen to. A study led by Ron Fischer of the University of Wellington in New Zealand appears to confirm that. The study was conducted in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Germany,
BY CHINYERE OPIA and Brazil. The researchers made subjects listen to two songs that have a positive message: Where is the Love by Black Eyed Peas, whose lyrics advocate against war and discrimination, and Keep Ya Head Up by Tupac. They compared the effects of the music to those of two ‘ antisocial’ songs: Imma Be by the Black Eyed Peas, and Tupac’s Hit ‘Em Up, whose lyrics start with: “I ain’t got no motherfucking friends / That’s why I fucked your bitch.” The positive songs made people more likely to bond and unite and caused them to share money more readily. That means music can have a positive effect on society, says Fischer, who suggests musicians could be encouraged to
produce prosocial songs. Of course, freedom of expression is also an important value, and most governments will not dictate what kind of lyrics are acceptable. So despite their bad effects, those aggressive, mean songs won’t be gone from the radio waves anytime soon.
Ron Fischer
About this newsletter
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or the first time this year, the IACCP Congress has a dedicated newsletter, written by a group of science and health journalists from across Africa who are attending the meeting. The newsletter will be printed and distributed to all delegates on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday morning. The journalists are mentees in
SjCOOP, a mentoring program run by the World Federation of Science Journalists to support science journalism in Africa and the Arab world. Their stories are edited by two mentors in SjCOOP who are also at the meeting: Lynne Smit, a science writer and owner of HIPPO Communications in Cape Town, and
Martin Enserink, an Amsterdambased reporter and editor for Science, the weekly U.S. journal. The design and layout is by Simon Wilson from DefineDesign. FOR MORE STORIES, VIDEO AND AUDIO GO TO: IACCP2012.blogspot.com