Behavioral Modeling and Simulation From Individuals to Societies (2008) / Chapter Skim
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3 Verbal Conceptual and Cultural Models
3 Verbal Conceptual and Cultural Models
Pages 97-121
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From page 97... ...
Although they may use mathematical terms -- for example, Kurt Lewin's statement that all behavior is a "function" of the person and the situation (1951) -- the nature ote that, in general, both conceptual models and cultural models can be articulated in N formal logical, mathematical, algorithmic, or computational forms.
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From page 98... ...
In psychology and the social sciences, theorizing about a problem typically begins with verbal conceptual models, which then may be elaborated and adjusted over time as relevant empirical data accumulate. Formal mathematical models, computational models, statistical models, etc.
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From page 99... ...
Computational models are often used to model complex processes that unfold over time, so verbal conceptual models that include attention to dynamics are particularly useful as a resource for the implementation of more formal models. Verbal conceptual models of groups and organizations can be arrayed along a continuum of increasing complexity using the four different levels of complexity in time research of Ofori-Dankwa and Julian (2001)
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From page 100... ...
The conceptual model is the crosscultural framework of Fiske (1991, 2000) , which proposes that human beings in all cultures coordinate their social interactions using a mix of fundamental relational models: communal sharing, authority ranking, equality matching, and market pricing.
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is. Particular cultural implementations of these models organize social exchange, distribution, contribution, decision making, social influence, moral judgment, aggression, and conflict (Fiske, 1991)
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In psychology and the social sciences, the grand metaphors of conceptual models often govern the whole direction of a field, but metaphors always direct attention to some features and lead to the neglect of o thers. Once a broad conceptual framework such as this becomes pervasive, scholars tend to forget that a metaphor is involved.
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From page 103... ...
and not for thinking. This can encourage the proliferation of low-level, poorly specified, ad hoc conceptual models that get spawned in discussion sections of journal articles to explain the results of a single set of studies and, if they survive, are later herded together in introduction sections of subsequent articles without actually being systematically integrated into more comprehensive integrated models.
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From page 104... ...
Finally, it is appropriate to note that perhaps the most fundamental verbal cultural models are those that are implicit in a region's or society's language and history. It is abundantly clear -- from Laurence of Arabia's exploits to today's attempts to "democratize" Iraq -- that deep and broad knowledge of the local history and language are still fundamental for the
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From page 105... ...
State of the Art of Culture Models There are four basic types of descriptive culture models popular today: cultural inventory models, dominant trait models, semantic models, and cultural domain models. Cultural Inventory Models Cultural inventory models are a way of describing cultures by listing which of a list of traits they do or do not possess.
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From page 106... ...
The ability to compare features across societies is critical for both developing models and testing theories concerning patterns of and associations among cultural traits, categories, and features. Table 3-1 provides examples of some of the 22 cultural categories and associated variables and their codes.
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From page 107... ...
VERBAL CONCEPTUAL AND CULTURAL MODELS 107 TABLE 3-1 Continued Examples of Cultural Categories Examples of Labels for Variables Within Categories Political organization Political power -- most important source Direct subsistence production Warfare wealth Tribute or taxes Slaves Contributions of free citizens Large landholdings Political office Foreign commerce Capitalistic enterprises Priestly services Cultural complexity Fixity of residence Nomadic Seminomadic Semisedentary Sedentary, impermanent Sedentary Sexual attitude and Frequency of premarital sex -- male practice Universal Moderate Occasional Uncommon Relative status of Mythical founders of the culture women All male Both sexes, but the role of men more important Both sexes, and the role of both sexes fairly equal Both sexes, but female role more important, or solely female Cultural theories of Theories of soul loss illness Absence of such a cause Minor or relatively unimportant cause An important auxiliary cause Predominant cause recognized by the society Female power and male Female economic control of products of own labor dominance Absent Present Political decision Conflict between communities of the same society making and conflict Endemic: high physical violence, feuding, and/or raiding occur regularly Moderately high, often involving physical violence Moderate: disputes may occur regularly but tendency to manage them in a more or less peaceful manner Mild or rare Nature of warfare Value of war: violence/war against nonmembers of the group Enjoyed and considered to have high value Considered to be a necessary evil Consistently avoided, denounced, not engaged in SOURCE: Adapted from Murdock and Morrow (1970)
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From page 108... ...
Group is willing to use violence and therefore generally operates in opposition to the power structure or without its overt support Military Goal is to defend existing system by threat of or actual physical force. Individual members may have joined voluntarily, due to social pressure, or been forced SOURCE: Hudlicka (2004, Table 5.1-1 from Psychometrix Technical Report 0412, p.
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From page 109... ...
Whereas cultural inventory models are based on ethnographic assessments of the culture as a whole, dominant trait models are based on individuals' responses to survey questions about themselves. This approach is based on the concept of modal personality developed by the cultural and personality school of psychological anthropology (Benedict, 1934; LeVine, 1982; Hsu, 1972)
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From page 110... ...
The specific data of interest for a particular modeling effort depend on the objective of the model (a training system designed to teach cultural awareness should provide information about acceptable expressions of particular emotions; a decision aid designed to improve behavior prediction needs to represent emotion elicitors, etc.)
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Americans versus Chinese Fundamental attribution (mass murderers, computer animations of fish) Americans attributed behavior to individual dispositions Chinese attributed behavior to environment Lee, Hallahan, and Herzog (1996)
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perception Hong Kong Chinese versus Americans Judgment of self as fixed versus changing Americans assume fixed, enduring traits Chinese assume changing self Peng et al.
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among Chinese than Americans Social Americans tended to blame one side versus Chinese tended to see fault contradictions/ in both conflicts SOURCE: Hudlicka (2004, Table 3.2.2-2 from Psychometrix Technical Report 0412, p.
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. Semantic models are qualitative or conceptual rather than computational models.
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. Cultural Domain Analysis Cultural domain analysis refers to perspectives on and methods for analyzing culture drawn from cognitive anthropology (Borgatti and Everett, 1992)
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The model allows for a test of the degree to which cultural knowledge is shared, who has more or less of this cultural knowledge, and how it varies among a group of people in terms of, for example, gender, levels of human capital, and social class. It also allows for the construction of the culturally correct answers by working backward via Bayesian statistical techniques from the patterns of agreement concerning a series of related cultural propositions or statements.
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A partial exception is cultural domain analysis, which posits that people behave similarly to nderstanding intercultural variations has benefited significantly from the approach taken U by Heinrich et al.
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These data have to be obtained from willing natives of the culture, and the data have to be updated over time because cultures change. Future Research and Development Needs In a certain sense, cultural models are critical for all the computational models discussed in this volume, because the cultural models provide the principles to be embedded in those models.
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. Cultural domain analysis.
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. The uncertain connection between verbal theories and research hypotheses in social psychology.
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From page 121... ...
Quinn (Eds.) , Cultural models in language and thought (pp.
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