culture and cognitive process
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Culture and Cognitive Process. What are Basic Cognitive Processes?. Cognition includes all mental processes used by humans to transform sensory input into knowledge. Sensation Perception. CULTURE AS COGNITION. Most scholars view culture itself as cognition. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Culture and Cognitive Culture and Cognitive Process Process
What are Basic Cognitive Processes?What are Basic Cognitive Processes?
Cognition includes all mental processes used by humans to transform sensory input into knowledge.
Sensation Perception
CULTURE AS COGNITIONCULTURE AS COGNITION
Most scholars view culture itself as cognition.
Hofstede (1980): culture is “mental programming” Berry et al. (1992): culture defined as norms,
opinions, beliefs, values and worldviews, which are all cognitive products
Matsumoto & Juang (2007): culture is a knowledge system
Bottom line: it is cognitive skills that allow humans to have culture.
CULTURE AND PERCEPTIONCULTURE AND PERCEPTION
Perception and Physical RealityPerception and Physical Reality
Our perceptions of the world do not necessarily match the physical realities of the world or of our senses.
Ex) Blind spot
Change in perception of lukewarm water
Primary vs. Secondary properties of “physical” objects
Cultural Influences on Visual PerceptionCultural Influences on Visual Perception
Optical illusions: perceptions involving apparent discrepancy between how an object looks and what it actually is
The Mueller-Lyer Illusion The Horizontal-Vertical Illusion
Cultural Influences on Visual PerceptionCultural Influences on Visual Perception
Theories on reasons for optical illusions: Carpentered world theory Front-horizontal foreshortening theory
According to both theories, what we see is affected by what we learn about how to see things (which is developed mostly through cultural experiences)
Cultural Influences on Visual PerceptionCultural Influences on Visual Perception
Cross-cultural studies have challenged traditional notions about optical illusion.
Rivers (1905): Compared English, Indians and New Guineans
English more fooled by Mueller-Lyer illusion Indians and New Guineans more fooled by
horizontal-vertical illusion
Segall et al (1963, 1966): Compared industrialized vs. nonindustrialized groups Same results as Rivers
Cultural Influences on Visual PerceptionCultural Influences on Visual Perception
Theory on cultural differences in visual perception Symbolizing three dimensions in to theory
Other studies also show that physiology, in addition to learning, can play a role in observed cultural differences. Stewart (1973)
Cultural differences also exist in depth perception .
Cultural Influences on Visual PerceptionCultural Influences on Visual Perception
The question of whether these study findings would generalize to three-dimensional world remains.
Cultural Influences on Visual PerceptionCultural Influences on Visual Perception
Attention: Masuda & Nisbett (2001)
When asked to recall objects in a scene, Americans and Japanese both recalled focal object of scene; Japanese remembered more background objects.
Japanese were more influenced by changes in background information in other recognition tasks as well.
These differences may be due to differences in environment
Culture and CategorizationCulture and Categorization
Universal: Process of categorization Universal categories: facial expressions, colors,
stereotypes, and shapes
Cultural differences: the way in which people categorize things Western adults categorize by function whereas
African adults categorize by color. American children categorize by shared function,
whereas Chinese children categorize by shared contextual relationships.
Culture and MemoryCulture and Memory
Universal: Memory decrease with age and hindsight bias
Cultural differences: memory as a function of oral tradition for meaningful material and serial position effect
Culture and Math AbilitiesCulture and Math Abilities
Universal: Ability to do math Everyday cognition
Cultural differences: overall math abilities and achievements (these differences probably due to differences in educational systems and practices)
Culture and Problem SolvingCulture and Problem Solving
Problem solving: process of discovering ways of achieving goals that are not readily attainable.
Solving of two-step problems depended on context for Liberians
Solving of syllogisms related to schooling
Culture and CreativityCulture and Creativity
Universal: Characteristics of creative individuals Across cultures, highly creative individuals
posses a high capacity for hard work, willingness to take risks and high tolerance for ambiguity and disorder.
Cultural differences: specific ways in which creativity fostered
Culture and Dialectical ThinkingCulture and Dialectical Thinking
Dialectical thinking: tendency to accept contradictions in thought or belief. Not good or bad but good and bad
Cultural differences: East Asians prefer dialectical thinking ,whereas Americans prefer logical determinism
Peng and Nisbett (1999)
Culture, Regret and Counterfactual ThinkingCulture, Regret and Counterfactual Thinking
Counterfactual thinking: hypothetical beliefs about the past that could have occurred to avoid or change negative outcome. Ex revisionist history.
Universal: Feeling of regret over inaction than action.
SummarySummary
Sources of cultural differences in cognition are unknown for the most part.
May be due to differences in ancient philosophies in Greece and China
Or it may be other cultural differences such as education
Or it may be noncultural factors
Culture and DreamsCulture and Dreams
Several cultural differences have been noted regarding manifest content of dreams, emotions associated with dreams and role of dreams in cultures.
Culture and ConsciousnessCulture and Consciousness Culture and Dreams
As noted in your text, cultural differences have been found between Finnish and Palestinian Children, as well as between Irish, Israeli and Bedouin children, as well as between Anglo-American, Mexican American, and African American women.
The role of dreams is also different across cultures, for instance Mayan Indians use dream sharing and interpretation in teaching.
Culture and TimeCulture and Time
Cultural differences have also been found on time perspective and orientation Hall (1973) Hofstede (2001): Long versus short-term
orientation There significant cultural variations on the
notion of “being on-time” Some research suggests cultural differences in
time orientation are related to weather, health and happiness.
CULTURE AND INTELLLIGENCECULTURE AND INTELLLIGENCE
Culture and IntelligenceCulture and Intelligence
The concept of Intelligence Technically speaking, from a Western
perspective, IQ is a conglomeration of numerous intellectual abilities centering around verbal and analytic tasks.
Historically, IQ is the most hotly debated psychological construct.
Is intelligence generalized (G) or situation specific (S)?
Traditional Definitions of IntelligenceTraditional Definitions of Intelligence
Intelligence: In American psychology, IQ is based on a conglomeration of numerous intellectual abilities centering around verbal and analytic tasks are purported to tap: Reflection of cognitive development Comprised of many subcomponents including
verbal and spatial comprehension Operation, content and product General intelligence (g)
Cross-Cultural and Multicultural Cross-Cultural and Multicultural Research on Intelligence Research on Intelligence
Cross-cultural and cross-ethnic group differences in intelligence
Great debate on sources of such differences. Is it biological or cultural? Is IQ biologically predetermined?
Twin studies, brain size, brain function Is IQ culturally determined?
Economic deprivation and social class Stereotype threat
Evaluation of both positions: Some problems with empirical evidence of both sides
Culture and Intelligence (cont.)Culture and Intelligence (cont.)
Is IQ biologically predetermined? Differences stem from heredity (are innate). See
Arthur Jensen. Twin studies indicate that identical twins raised in
separate environments are similar in IQ. Is IQ culturally or environmentally determined?
Ethnic and racial minorities score lower because they are economically deprived.
Culture and Intelligence (cont.)Culture and Intelligence (cont.)
Cultural differences may be the result of different beliefs about what intelligence is or due to the use of culturally inappropriate measures of intelligence.
Stereotype Threat (Claude Steele)-societal stereotypes about a group can actually influence the performance of individuals from that group (African Americans performed worse when asked to indicate their race before taking a test then afterwards.)
The Concept of Intelligence in Other CulturesThe Concept of Intelligence in Other Cultures
There are significant cultural differences in what intelligence is i.e., the concept and meaning of intelligence. Intelligence defined differently
This makes valid comparison of intelligence difficult if not impossible.
Intelligence tests require knowledge of culture, which also makes valid comparisons difficult
Culture and Intelligence (cont.)Culture and Intelligence (cont.)
Intelligence Tests The need for and use of IQ tests historically
was to help school personnel identify children in need of special education.
Not everyone benefited. Ellis Island-immigrants tested as mentally
defective. The average score of minorities continues to
be 12-15% lower than average European Americans.
Recent Developments in Theories about Recent Developments in Theories about Intelligence in Contemporary PsychologyIntelligence in Contemporary Psychology
To set the record straight, theoretical understanding of intelligence in American psychology are continually expanding. Creativity Emotional Quotient (EQ) Logical mathematical, linguistic, musical, spatial,
bodily kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal Contextual, experiential, componential
Intelligence maybe more aptly defined as “skills and abilities necessary to effectively accomplish cultural goals”