Games and enculturation: A cross-cultural analysis of cooperative goal structures in Austronesian games

While most animals play, only humans play games. As animal play serves to teach offspring important life-skills in a safe scenario, human games might, in similar ways, teach important culturally relevant skills. Humans in all cultures play games; however, it is not clear whether variation in the characteristics of games across cultural groups is related to group-level attributes. Here we investigate specifically whether the cooperativeness of games covaries with socio-ecological differences across cultural groups. We hypothesize that cultural groups that engage in frequent inter-group conflict, cooperative sustenance acquisition, or that have less stratified social structures, might more frequently play cooperative games as compared to groups that do not share these characteristics. To test these hypotheses, we gathered data from the ethnographic record on 25 ethnolinguistic groups in the Austronesian language family. We show that cultural groups with higher levels of inter-group conflict and cooperative land-based hunting play cooperative games more frequently than other groups. Additionally, cultural groups with higher levels of intra-group conflict play competitive games more frequently than other groups. These findings indicate that games are not randomly distributed among cultures, but rather relate to the socio-ecological settings of the cultural groups that practice them. We argue that games serve as training grounds for group-specific norms and values and thereby have an important function in enculturation during childhood. Moreover, games might server an important role in the maintenance of cultural diversity.

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Data Management and Cross-Cultural Descriptive Analysis

10.1093/oso/9780190888510.003.0003 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 27-56

Author(s):

Thanh V. Tran ◽

Keith T. Chan

Keyword(s):

Data Management ◽

Research Evaluation ◽

Descriptive Analysis ◽

Cultural Analysis ◽

Cross Cultural ◽

Descriptive Statistics ◽

Cultural Groups ◽

Practical Applications ◽

Cultural Research ◽

Cross Cultural Research

Quantitative cross-cultural analysis requires the application of statistics to study the variability of a phenomenon (variable,) across cultural groups. This chapter aims to provide practical applications of descriptive statistics to describe the variables used in a cross-cultural research/evaluation project. We use statistical methods to describe the variables of interests and to test the hypotheses derived from theories for understanding cross-cultural comparisons. More specifically, we address the importance of examine the variables of interest across selected comparative groups. It is our position that in order to describe and to test hypotheses, we need first to know how the variables of interest are measured. We illustrate the use of STATA for data management and descriptive statistics throughout the chapter.

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The Austronesian Game Taxonomy: A cross-cultural dataset of historical games

Humanities and Social Sciences Communications ◽

10.1057/s41599-021-00785-y ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Sarah M. Leisterer-Peoples ◽

Susanne Hardecker ◽

Joseph Watts ◽

Simon J. Greenhill ◽

Cody T. Ross ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cross Cultural ◽

Competitive Interactions ◽

Cultural Variation ◽

Goal Structure ◽

Language Family ◽

Cultural Groups ◽

Rule Based ◽

Austronesian Language ◽

The World ◽

Research Findings

AbstractHumans in most cultures around the world play rule-based games, yet research on the content and structure of these games is limited. Previous studies investigating rule-based games across cultures have either focused on a small handful of cultures, thus limiting the generalizability of findings, or used cross-cultural databases from which the raw data are not accessible, thus limiting the transparency, applicability, and replicability of research findings. Furthermore, games have long been defined as competitive interactions, thereby blinding researchers to the cross-cultural variation in the cooperativeness of rule-based games. The current dataset provides ethnographic, historic information on games played in cultural groups in the Austronesian language family. These game descriptions (Ngames = 907) are available and codeable for researchers interested in games. We also develop a unique typology of the cooperativeness of the goal structure of games and apply this typology to the dataset. Researchers are encouraged to use this dataset to examine cross-cultural variation in the cooperativeness of games and further our understanding of human cultural behaviour on a larger scale.

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A cross-cultural analysis of work values and moral reasoning

SA Journal of Industrial Psychology ◽

10.4102/sajip.v22i1.599 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 22 (1) ◽

Author(s):

A. Hugo ◽

L. J. Van Vuuren

Keyword(s):

Moral Reasoning ◽

Cultural Differences ◽

White Students ◽

Work Values ◽

Cultural Analysis ◽

Cross Cultural ◽

Cultural Groups ◽

Tertiary Institutions ◽

Sample Group ◽

Black And White

The principal aim of this study was to explore the cultural differences with regard to work values and moral reasoning in the context of the management of diversity. A secondary aim was to determine whether individuals in the various stages of moral reasoning, differ with regard to the work values espoused. The sample group (N=182) consisted of black and white students at under-graduate and post-graduate levels. Statistical analyses revealed significant differences between cultural groups with regard to work values and moral reasoning, but indicated no difference in stages of moral reasoning with regard to work values. The implications of the findings for work organisations and tertiary institutions are discussed. Opsomming Die hoofdoel van die studie was om vanuit 'n bestuur-van-diversiteit konteks vas te stel of daar interkulturele verskille bestaan ten opsigte van werkwaardes en morele redenering. 'n Sekondere doelwit was om te bepaal of individue in verskillende fases van morele redenering verskil ten opsigte van werkwaardes. Die steekproef (N=182) is saamgestel uit swart en wit studente op voor- en nagraadse vlak. Statisties-beduidende verskille tussen kultuurgroepe ten opsigte van werkwaardes en morele redenering het na vore gekom, maar geen verskille tussen fases van morele redenering ten opsigte van werkwaardes is gevind nie. Die implikasies van die bevindinge soos dit werkorganisasies en tersiere instellings raak, word bespreek.

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