Components of Culture A. Cultural Universals Items like religion and language are found in every culture . They are examples of cultural universals B. Innovation Innovation is the process of introducing an idea or object that is new to culture . C. Diffusion Sociologists use the term diffusion to refer to the process by which a cultural item is spread from group to group or society to society . Diffusion can occur through a variety of means, among them exploration, military conquest, missionary work, etc. D. Material Vs.
Material culture includes weapons, machines, eating utensils, jewelry, hair styles, and clothing .
Anthropologists study material artifacts when exploring cultures which have been extinct for hundreds or thousands of years. All which remains from ancient cultures are artifacts of their material culture. Nonmaterial Often Sociologists will investigate nonmaterial aspects. Nonmaterial culture refers to abstract human creations like language, beliefs, rules, philosophies, customs, governments, and institutions . As people grow, they develop a sense of what to expect in their familiar surroundings.