1. Social & Cultural Factors Impact Cognition 3.9 Discuss how social or cultural factors affect one cognitive process

2. Assumptions The ability to remember is universal (hardware) Specific forms of remembering are not universal but context based Difficult to generalize to cultures with no formal schooling

3. Culture and Methodology Defining culture –System Values Schemas Models Artifacts –Process Rituals Daily routines Practices How does it impact memory? –Why? –How? –When? –What? Comparing Western and non-Western cultures –Many use laboratory tests created in Western laboratories Which group would do better?

4. Cultural/Social Demands Determine Memory Bartlett, 1932Swazi herdsmen –Cultural system/process Possession and care of cattle –Impact on Memory Extraordinary ability to recall characteristics of individual cows in their herd –Why? Misty and Rogoff, 1994Elders in New Guinea –Cultural system/process Remembering is necessary for important social and cultural goals Remembering is a cultural activity –Memory Lines of descent and history –Why? Resolve property disputes

5. Cross-Cultural Study of Memory Cole and Scribner, 1974 Aim: investigate free recall in two different cultures –US and Liberians School children (US and Liberian) Non-school children (Liberian) Procedure –Part 1: Free recall –Part 2: imbedded in a story (Narrative) Results –Part 1  School children preformed better (US and Liberian) because they used memory strategies Practice did not help non-school children –Part 2  Similar scores Children chunked using story

6. Evaluation –Strengths Used educated locals to help create and administer the memory tasks Words were familiar to the participants –Limitations Not clear what role schooling had –Only showed a relationship Independent variable is culture –Cause and effect are not 100% clear because nothing is manipulate Implications –Cultural and social demands impact how we remember things, not just why

7. Logoff and Waddel, 1982 AIM: impact of meaningful tasks on memory Procedure –Exposed to a Mayan village with 20 miniature objects –Reconstruct a Mayan village with the 20 objects after they had been dispersed among 60 additional objects Results –Mayan children performed slightly better Implications: –Our socialcultural context impacts how we use memory strategies Cultural meaning impacts memory tasks

8. Hofstede Cross-cultural research across a number of different countries (40) for the IBM company Aim: identify culturally specific work-related values and attitudes. Conclusions –Five cultural dimensions in total Individualism/Collectivism Long term/Short term orientation Power Distance Uncertainty avoidance Masculinity/femininity

9. Culture and FBM Theory: FBM –The more emotional an experience it is, the more social sharing that occurs Two types of culture –Collectivist Individual expression and autonomy are inhibited –Emphasize belonging to a group Expressing emotion, especially negative is viewed as detrimental to the group –Individualistic Individuals are viewed as unique and antonymous Individual’s emotions are part of their uniqueness –Expression of emotion is encouraged & accepted

10. How does this impact FBM? Collectivist cultures tend to report –lower levels of emotions –Lower levels of mental ruminations –Less social sharing of emotion Implications –There are more FBM in individualist cultures Evaluation –Not all collectivist cultures are the same in regards to the expression of emotion South American Collectivist  high on emotional expression Asian collectivist  low on emotional expression

11. Skit… FBM and flashbulb memories