Which concept refers to the transmission of cultural traits from one group or society to another?

Which concept refers to the transmission of cultural traits from one group or society to another?

• A. Innovation
• B. Invention
• C. Cultural diffusion
• D. Cultural integration

Answer: (C)

Cultural diffusion is the transmission of cultural traits from one group to another. This happens when people interact—through trade, migration, conquest, media, or travel—so practices like foods, technologies, languages, and beliefs spread beyond their places of origin. It’s the idea the question is aiming for because it specifically captures cross-group transfer, not creation inside a single culture or merging two cultures into one. For example, chili peppers moving from the Americas to Europe and Asia, or a dining habit, a word, or a technology spreading to new regions. In contrast, innovation or invention describe creating something new within a culture, while cultural integration refers to blending traits within or across a society, not the cross-cultural transmission itself.

Cultural diffusion is the transmission of cultural traits from one group to another. This happens when people interact—through trade, migration, conquest, media, or travel—so practices like foods, technologies, languages, and beliefs spread beyond their places of origin. It’s the idea the question is aiming for because it specifically captures cross-group transfer, not creation inside a single culture or merging two cultures into one. For example, chili peppers moving from the Americas to Europe and Asia, or a dining habit, a word, or a technology spreading to new regions. In contrast, innovation or invention describe creating something new within a culture, while cultural integration refers to blending traits within or across a society, not the cross-cultural transmission itself.