CULTURE AND THOUGHT: CLASSIC AND CONTEMPORARY APPROACHES

LECTURE OUTLINE I Background I Background II Classic approaches: Witkin II Classic approaches: Witkin Field dependence and independence Field dependence and independence Definitions Definitions Measures Measures Field dependence and child-rearing Field dependence and child-rearing Cross-cultural studies Cross-cultural studies

LECTURE OUTLINE (cont) III Contemporary approaches (Nisbett) III Contemporary approaches (Nisbett) Analytical and holistic thought Analytical and holistic thought Ontologies and epistemologies in ancient Greece and China Ontologies and epistemologies in ancient Greece and China Continuity-discreteness Continuity-discreteness Field-object Field-object Relationships-rules Relationships-rules Experience-abstract analysis Experience-abstract analysis Cross-cultural differences in cognition Cross-cultural differences in cognition

I Background Comparative approaches to culture and cognition Comparative approaches to culture and cognition Relationship between cognition and ecology, social systems and child-rearing practices Relationship between cognition and ecology, social systems and child-rearing practices

II Culture and Thought: Classic Perspectives Witkin Witkin 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

DEFINITIONS 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

DEFINITIONS 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

TESTS Embedded Figures Embedded Figures Rod and Frame Rod and Frame Body Adjustment Test Body Adjustment Test

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

III 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 Rules 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

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?