CULTURE AND COGNITION

LECTURE OUTLINE I Background I Background II Culture, Language and Cognition II Culture, Language and Cognition III Culture and Everyday Cognition III Culture and Everyday Cognition IV Culture and Thought Classic Approaches Contemporary Approaches IV Culture and Thought Classic Approaches Contemporary Approaches IV Conclusions IV Conclusions

I Background Propositions (Nisbett and Norenzayan, 2002): 1. Some cognitive content is universal. 2. Universal contents place constraints on diversity of human thoughts. 3. Some cognitive processes are highly susceptible to change. 4. Cultures differ in the sort of inferential procedures they use for a given problem. 5. Cultural differences in cognitive processes are tied to cultural differences in basic assumptions. 6. Cultural practices and cognitive processes constitute each other. => Cultural Psychology Schema Schema Cultural schema Cultural schema Script Script

II Culture, Language and Cognition Sapir-Whorf hypothesis Sapir-Whorf hypothesis Linguistic relativity Linguistic relativity Language affects thought Language affects thought

COLOUR NAMING Berlin and Kay (1969) Berlin and Kay (1969) colour names and focal colours colour names and focal colours Heider and Olivier (1972) Heider and Olivier (1972) memory and focal colours memory and focal colours research with Dani and English speakers research with Dani and English speakers Robertson, Davies & Davidoff (2000) Robertson, Davies & Davidoff (2000) naming, memory, categorization naming, memory, categorization research with Berinmo and English speakers research with Berinmo and English speakers

Naming, Memory and Categorization Bernimo patterns of naming and memory were more highly related to each other than Bernimo memory was to English memory Bernimo patterns of naming and memory were more highly related to each other than Bernimo memory was to English memory Category learning for focal vs nonfocal colour in Bernimo did not differ Category learning for focal vs nonfocal colour in Bernimo did not differ Colour categorization was poorer in Bernimo speakers than English speakers Colour categorization was poorer in Bernimo speakers than English speakers

NUMBER MARKING Research by Lucy (1992) and colleagues Research by Lucy (1992) and colleagues Yucatec Maya and English speakers Yucatec Maya and English speakers Categorization preferences Categorization preferences

A Children’s Game

CODING OF SPATIAL LOCATIONS Research by Levinson (1996) Research by Levinson (1996) Guugu Yiimithirr and English speakers Guugu Yiimithirr and English speakers Differential accuracy of identifying spatial locations Differential accuracy of identifying spatial locations

III CULTURE AND EVERYDAY COGNITION Issues in mainstream cognitive Issues in mainstream cognitive psychology: from laboratory to everyday cognition psychology: from laboratory to everyday cognition Contributions of cultural psychology: “The structure and development of human psychological processes are determined by humanity’s historically- developing, culturally mediated, practical activity.” (Vygotsky, 1979, pp ) Contributions of cultural psychology: “The structure and development of human psychological processes are determined by humanity’s historically- developing, culturally mediated, practical activity.” (Vygotsky, 1979, pp )

CATEGORIZATION AND MEMORY Kpelle of Liberia: Functional and taxonomic categorization Kpelle of Liberia: Functional and taxonomic categorization Categorization and memory in Kpelle (Cole, 1974) Categorization and memory in Kpelle (Cole, 1974) Memory and oral story telling in Botswana (Dube, 1982) Memory and oral story telling in Botswana (Dube, 1982) Memory and mathematical skills (Stevenson & Stigler, 1992: Lee & Stevenson, 1986) Memory and mathematical skills (Stevenson & Stigler, 1992: Lee & Stevenson, 1986)

EVERYDAY MATHEMATICS Measurement Measurement Volume estimation in Kpelle (Cole) Volume estimation in Kpelle (Cole) Time estimation in Indians (Saraswathi) Time estimation in Indians (Saraswathi) Geometric principles Geometric principles Basket weavers in Mozambique (Gerdes) Basket weavers in Mozambique (Gerdes) Carpenters in South Africa (Millroy) Carpenters in South Africa (Millroy) Arithmetic: area estimation Arithmetic: area estimation Cane cutters and supervisors in Brazil (Acioly) Cane cutters and supervisors in Brazil (Acioly)

CULTURE AND CONTEXT The importance of context in understanding cognitive processes The importance of context in understanding cognitive processes The contributions of cultural psychologists to understanding everyday cognition The contributions of cultural psychologists to understanding everyday cognition => Contextualised cognition

Cultural differences in cognition reside more in the contexts within which cognitive processes manifest themselves than in the existence of a particular process (such as logical memory or theoretical responses to syllogisms) in one culture and its absence in another Cole (1988)

IV Culture and Thought: Classic Perspectives Witkin et al. (1962) Witkin et al. (1962) Cognitive style as a characteristic mode of cognitive functioning Cognitive style as a characteristic mode of cognitive functioning Field Dependence Field Dependence Field Independence Field Independence

Field Indepencene INDEPENDENT (articulated): ability to perceive items as discrete from organized ground when field is structured and to impose structure or perceive field as structured if it has little organization INDEPENDENT (articulated): ability to perceive items as discrete from organized ground when field is structured and to impose structure or perceive field as structured if it has little organization

Field Dependence DEPENDENT (global): ability to perceive object and field holistically, to see the whole as dominating its parts, to see items within field as fused with ground DEPENDENT (global): ability to perceive object and field holistically, to see the whole as dominating its parts, to see items within field as fused with ground

Culture and Cognitive Styles

FIELD DEPENDENCE AND CHILD-REARING Study of boys and their mothers (Witkin): Field independence fostered by mothers who allowed separation, were not overly protective, facilitated impulse control, and were themselves self assured

CROSS-CULTURAL STUDIES Dawson: Temne and Mende of Sierra Dawson: Temne and Mende of Sierra Leone Leone Berry: Temne and Eskimo Berry: Temne and Eskimo

IV CULTURE AND THOUGHT: CONTEMPORARY APPROACHES Nisbett argues that social differences affect beliefs about the world, including ontology and epistemology, and in turn, cognitive processes

GREECE CHINA GREECE CHINA Personal freedom and agency Personal freedom and agency Debate Debate Discovery of rules Discovery of rules Logic Logic Science Science Reductionist Reductionist Harmony Reciprocal relations Social obligations Dialectics Ethics Technology Holistic

HOLISTIC THOUGHT As involving an orientation to context or field as a whole, including relationships between a focal object and the field, and a preference for explaining and predicting events on the basis of such relationships

ANALYTIC THOUGHT As involving detachment of the object and its context, a tendency to focus on the attributes of the object and to assign it to categories, and a preference for using rules about the categories to explain and predict the object’s behaviour

Greek and Chinese Science Greek and Chinese Science China: Continuity Continuity Field Field Relationships and similarities Relationships and similarities Dialectics Dialectics Experience-based knowledge Experience-based knowledge Greece: Discreteness Object Categories and Rules Foundational principles and rules Abstract Analysis

CROSS-CULTURAL DIFFERENCES IN COGNITION Attention Attention Field dependence Field dependence Control Control Prediction and hindsight bias Prediction and hindsight bias Classification Classification Knowledge and logic Knowledge and logic Dialectics and non-contradiction Dialectics and non-contradiction

Differences in Attention

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QUESTION QUESTION How similar or different are comparative classic and contemporary approaches to culture and cognition? How similar or different are comparative classic and contemporary approaches to culture and cognition? How do differences in cognitive styles affect the assessment of cognitive abilities?