Toward a Contextualized Cultural Framework

Abstract

This chapter provides a theoretical framework that emphasizes the importance of examining how (1) internal values, attitudes and beliefs, and (2) features of the environment shape psychological processes and behaviors within and across cultures. We define and describe how internal and external sources influence human behavior across societies, both independently and in combination. The framework presented can be used to guide theoretical and empirical work that aims to better understand the relationship between values, attitudes, beliefs and aspects of the external environment on determining human behavior. Additionally, the approach used to develop our framework may not only be useful to social scientists, but to scholars who use techniques such as computational modeling and scenario-based media studies to describe or understand responses of individuals, with varying cultural value, beliefs, and attitudes, who are embedded within particular physical settings and social situations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)