Sociocultural Approach is a core part of IB Psychology. Revise the key concepts and common mistakes below, then lock them in with the free games.
Key concepts
SITTajfel & Turner 1979 — group identity
Social categorisationSorting people into groups
Social identificationAdopting in-group norms
Social comparisonBoosting in-group vs out-group
In-group biasFavouring one's own group
Minimal groupArbitrary group still triggers bias
IndividualismSelf over group (USA, UK)
CollectivismGroup over self (China, Japan)
ConformityYielding to group pressure
Asch 1951Line judgement; 37% conformity
EnculturationLearning one's own culture
AcculturationAdjusting to a new culture (Berry)
SCTSocial cognitive theory (Bandura 1986)
Vicarious learningLearning by observing others
Common mistakes to avoid
Questions where students often pick the tempting wrong answer — make sure you know the right one:
What does the behaviourist approach study?✗ The unconscious mind and dreams. ✓ Observable behaviour and how it is learned.
Do all psychological approaches explain behaviour the same way?✗ Yes, all approaches agree on causes. ✓ No — they differ (e.g. behaviourist, cognitive, biological, psychodynamic).
Practise Sociocultural Approach — free games
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