Introduction to a Theory of Sociocultural Models, its Main Propositions, and Applications (Part I)

Our double symposia will introduce a theory of sociocultural models (TSCMs), outline its main propositions, and demonstrate its application in different domains of cultural psychological research. These symposia are comprised of six presentations and a discussant’s reflection on them. In the introductory presentation, Dr. Chirkov will provide the conceptual analysis and outline main propositions of a TSCM. He will highlight that this theory has a good explanatory power to address many theoretical and applied issues of cultural and cross-cultural psychology. Dr. Bosky will address methodological challenges of investigating the taken-for-granted nature of SCM. A series of field experiments will illustrate his attempts to overcome these challenges. Drs. Li and Yamamoto will discuss East Asian and Western SCMs of learning and their role in shaping immigrant children behaviour and experience at schools. These presenters will provide empirical evidence of these models and discuss implications for childrearing and education. Dr. DeZutter applied a SCMs approach to study discrepancies in SCMs of teaching that exist in African-American teachers and are propagated by classroom management textbooks. Empirical evidence and practical applications will also be discussed. Drs. Blodgett and Schinke used a TSMC to reflect on and explain their data on acculturation of Aboriginal athletes to mainstream cultural contexts. Upon discovering serious challenges of these athletes, the researchers will contemplate on using a TSCM to understand the mechanisms of Aboriginal athletes’ acculturative stress. Wang and her colleagues will discuss the results of extracting Chinese immigrants’ SCMs of mental health and illness using comprehensive literature review.