SOC101Y1 Chapter Notes - Chapter 3: Kike, Nonverbal Communication, Cultural Diversity
Document Summary
Culture is the knowledge, language, values, customs and material objects that are passed from person-to-person and from one generation to the next in a human group or society. We must learn about culture through interaction, observation and imitation in order to participate as members of the group. Culture is both essential for individuals and the survival of society. Culture is a common denominator that makes the actions of individuals in intelligible to the group. Societies need rules to survive, human nature, is the assumption that human beings are determined by nature rather than nurture, that our behavior is instinctive. An instinct is an unlearned, biologically determined behavior pattern common to all members of the species that predictably occurs whenever certain environmental conditions exist. Humans do not have instincts what we often think of as instinctive behavior can be attributed to a reflex or drive. A reflex is an unlearned, biologically determined involuntary response to a physical stimulus.
