Welcome to Session Eleven.

I am going to start by telling you that you will have more questions than answers at the end of this presentation. Diversity is a broader term in this context than the usual statement we think of in education. This is not about race or poverty or disability.

It is about what influences our understanding of what makes us different from each other and how we form cultural groups to support our lives. How we think, how we develop, where we exist, what threats we handle, what we believe and what we strive to accomplish have roles here.

The area of Cultural Psychology is emerging and it requires that two areas of study that are traditionally separated work together.

These areas are biology, neurology and the other natural sciences, and anthropology and the sciences related to it. This integration is not accomplished easily, and most American universities do not see them as related.

This session will open up the vast area that needs exploration by giving you a look at the factors, theories, and components of this study of diversity and its connection to the brain and its development.

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This statement is as true today as it was over a hundred years ago when it was first made. We have more questions than answers and technologies that we don’t know how to fully use yet.

We do still want to explore, however.

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This question guides our exploration into primal territory in this session. I warn you that all is speculation – there are no final answers. Theories abound, and we are just learning the power of the sciences to work together to answer some of these questions.

The question does intrigue, though. What neural processes connect to our behaviors that are expressions of our various cultures? Globalization places us in several cultural places – we have an inherited culture from our ancestors which often connects to our observance of specific cultural beliefs and rituals. Our education leads to a new and sometimes continually changing set of beliefs and resulting behaviors in our communities. Our communities, with the existing geopolitical structure leads us to the formation of behaviors that represent our connection to those beliefs. Spiritual beliefs and experiences have a place in this schema.

Our own capacity to change or not to change, to believe or not believe, to take risks or to stay within a safe construct of behavior, may link to our neural structures, the plasticity of our brain and our capacity to rewire as needed.

Exploring the global factors of cultural influence and resulting behaviors is what this presentation is about.

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Throughout history, writers, scientists, philosophers, and mystics have pondered the connection of our cultural foundations and our behavior in the world. What do we control and what controls us?

Even before the Enlightenment and the views of philosophers like Descartes and Locke, the differences between what we think and what we do was a question worth studying. Darwin took a global view of how things change and determined it to be a universal and natural process, not necessarily something that could be invented or changed by a group.

In the 20th century, the rise of anthropology led to the study of groups and revealed that behaviors and values were developed relative to the needs and experiences of the group.

As the 21st century emerged, science investigates the role of the human genome, its distinct features and endowments, and what it might mean to the ways in which groups form their belief, values and behaviors.

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What are the universals that determine behaviors in all people, and what are specific experiences dependent on the cultural framework in which an individual exists?

How does our movement among differing experiences – home, work, recreation, socializing, meeting new people, judging the behaviors or others, impact our total cultural “footprint”?

Are we genetically programmed to have certain values? Are some behaviors out of possibility for us because of the way our brain is wired?

How does plasticity impact this balance and flexible use of our cultural behavior?

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Researchers in anthropology, neurology, biology, and all related fields of study, contemplate whether these factors are the constructs of cultural design and how much connection there is among these factors.

Do specific neurons or synaptic fusions connect to specific tasks, and if so, do we lose them if those tasks are not part of our culture?

What part does the human genome play in understanding what regulates what in our life and in our responses to situations and individuals?

Can we learn new behaviors and essentially rewire our brains to meet the demands of a new environment?

These are theoretical for a reason – they are still unknowns, but are part of continuous study.

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We respond to the stressors in our life, and our behaviors and beliefs about ourselves come from our experiences. These might include:- common diseases and health threats, - seasonal experiences like hurricanes, typhoons, constant rain or snow- changes in light exposure such as that experienced in the polar regions- stress in family responsibility such as parenthood, caring for elders, work situations

that are stressful in scheduling- abuse or neglect from members of the group

These pressures form our view of the world, our behaviors to protect ourselves and our means of interacting with others.

In handling these stressors, we form our abilities to show optimism, anxiety, fear, rage, determination, hopelessness, helplessness, or other determinants that put us into our place within our culture.

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Any cultural group establishes the framework of beliefs and values that define that group.

How important is the individual? Is the community more important than the individual? If that is true, then isolation and privacy is impacted by that.

Where does the decision making power reside in the group? With an elder? With an elected or a heritable leader? With an elected group? Within a family? Are there laws that are written or just understood?

What are the assumed roles of males and females? Are there limits to what they can do in the culture?

Does one’s class or caste identify you and if so, does it isolate you within that class or caste?

Are there limits within the culture as to religious belief and how do those beliefs place limits on members of the culture, such as dietary limits, or marriage outside the group?

Is there something notable about urban, suburban or rural cultures? Are their habits, behaviors or values connected to their behaviors?

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These features of neural activity are developed to some extent in all humans. Damage to any part of the brain can impact the individual’s behaviors as a manifestation of competence or lack of competence, as judged by the culture in which the individual exists.

The demand for specific levels of these mechanisms identifies the group. How individuals are called upon to display their abilities and endowments in these areas will vary.

We certainly expect differences by age…we realize that these mechanisms are developed in a combination of social interactions. Educational settings can include home schooling, where the learner is fairly isolated in the process or in more traditional school settings with multiple teachers and fellow learners. These are two different pedagogical “cultures” as it were.

The range of emotional responses that are tolerated are a combination of cultural limits, developmental stage of the individual and situations that stimulate emotional reaction.

The processes of relating to others demands an understanding of the need for adjustment to situations and the level of intimacy that exists among the individuals in the setting.

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Cultures have behaviors. In the formation of a social group, or in the examination of the components that make that group function, we have to look at the role of these influences on those behaviors.

What things are constants in the awareness of the group and how do they access memory to formulate behavioral responses?

What behaviors are inhibited and what behaviors are developed as representation of the values and goals of the group?

What are the experiences of the group….constant conflict? Pastoral pursuits? Family structures? Communal relationships? Isolation?

How do members of the group explore and risk failure, while persevering in daily or new tasks?

Are members open to one another’s needs and show caring as a social feature of membership in the group?

What is the demand for following the rules and traditions of the group?

Are there specific roles and goals for specific group members?

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American universities often view the two communities of research – social science and natural or physical sciences – as separate cultures of study. This schism makes any unification of these areas for a better understanding of the impact of development and function difficult. As long as we separate the cultural from the biological, each side is only viewing a part of the picture. We need both if we are to understand human behavior.

We live in a globalized society, with a larger world to contemplate. We must better understand how diverse groups can coexist. Interethnic ideologies impact our ability to embrace or at least understand issues of race, heritage, ancestral values and traditions, gender roles, and cultural goals. Great care must be taken to inform decisions and policies that impact the coexistence of diverse groups.

A better understanding of cultures will lead to a greater understanding of how genetic constructs among members of a specific culture influence the presence of diseases, such as Tay-Sachs among Ashkenazi Jews or the frequency of cystic fibrosis among those with Northern European heritage. Nicotine addiction is more common among Japanese and Koreans, but less common among Europeans and Africans.

How does knowledge of these systems impact an understanding of brain function and behavior? This is still “uncharted territory” as was mentioned in the quote that started this presentation.

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I highly recommend this source for those who are interested in a greater understanding of the continually developing integration of the biological sciences with those who study cultural history and development.

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