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Culture plays a crucial role in shaping self-identity and influencing thought and behavior, a foundational interest within social psychology. The multicultural perspective recognizes that individuals do not exist in a vacuum; instead, their experiences, perceptions, and actions are deeply influenced by the intersecting dimensions of their cultural, ethnic, and social group affiliations.Cultural Influence on Self-Identity and Social PerceptionCultural frameworks inform how individuals define...
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Perspectives on Neuroscience
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Perspectives on culture and concepts.

Bethany l ojalehto1, Douglas L Medin

  • 1Psychology Department, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208; email: bethanyojalehto2015@u.northwestern.edu , medin@northwestern.edu.

Annual Review of Psychology
|September 25, 2014
PubMed
Summary

Research on concepts explores universal versus variable human cognition through cultural comparisons. New studies examine how conceptual and cultural systems interact, revealing culture

Keywords:
conceptual domainsconceptual organizationcultural epistemologiesfolk theorieslanguage

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Science
  • Cultural Psychology
  • Anthropology

Background:

  • Traditional research on concepts relies on cross-cultural comparisons to distinguish universal from culturally variable cognitive behaviors.
  • Emerging research investigates the dynamic interplay between conceptual systems and cultural systems, exploring mutual modification and support.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the interaction between conceptual systems and cultural systems.
  • To examine how cultural studies challenge traditional domain-specific frameworks (e.g., folkphysics, folkpsychology, folkbiology).
  • To propose alternative organizing principles for conceptual systems (e.g., folksociology, folkecology).

Main Methods:

  • Cross-cultural comparisons of conceptual behavior.
  • Analysis of cultural studies within domain-specific frameworks.
  • Investigation of culturally infused systems (language, discourse, beliefs, epistemologies) influencing conceptual construals.

Main Results:

  • Conceptual systems and cultural systems mutually influence and shape each other.
  • Cultural studies are questioning established conceptual domains and proposing new organizational principles.
  • Individuals adopt conceptual perspectives influenced by cultural factors like language, knowledge, and beliefs.

Conclusions:

  • Cognitive universality and variability are complex, influenced by cultural context.
  • A systems-level approach integrating conceptual organization and cultural epistemologies is recommended.
  • Understanding these interactions has implications for diversity within cognitive science.