Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 21, 2026
08:42
Assessment of Social Cognition in Non-human Primates Using a Network of Computerized Automated Learning Device ALDM Test Systems
Published on: May 5, 2015
12.8K
Cognition is … Fundamentally Cultural
Andrea Bender1, Sieghard Beller2
1Department of Psychology, University of Freiburg, Engelberger Straße 41, D-79085 Freiburg, Germany.
Behavioral Sciences (Basel, Switzerland)
|November 8, 2014
Summary
Cognition is not solely internal but deeply shaped by culture. This study challenges the computer metaphor, showing how cultural background influences numerical cognition, reasoning, and theory of mind.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Cultural Anthropology
- Philosophy of Mind
Background:
- The dominant computer metaphor in psychology views cognition as internal information processing.
- This perspective often overlooks or minimizes the impact of cultural context on cognitive functions.
- Implicit assumptions include cognition being internal, separable from content, and independent of cultural background.
Purpose of the Study:
- To challenge the computer metaphor's assumptions about cognition.
- To demonstrate the pervasive influence of culture on cognitive processes.
- To argue for a fundamentally cultural view of cognition.
Main Methods:
- Critically analyzing the assumptions of the computer metaphor in cognitive science.
- Examining case studies from numerical cognition, ethnobiological reasoning, and theory of mind.
- Applying Marr's levels of description to illustrate cultural modulation.
Main Results:
- Culture significantly affects cognitive processes, contrary to the assumption of independence.
- Numerical cognition, ethnobiological reasoning, and theory of mind are shown to be culturally modulated.
- The separation of processing from content is challenged by cultural influences.
Conclusions:
- Cognition is fundamentally cultural, not solely an internal, universal process.
- A comprehensive understanding of cognition requires integrating its cultural dimension.
- The computer metaphor is insufficient for explaining the full scope of human cognition.
Keywords:
cognitioncomputer metaphorcultureethnobiological reasoningnumerical cognitiontheory of mindMore Related Videos
05:35Experience is Instrumental in Tuning a Link Between Language and Cognition: Evidence from 6- to 7- Month-Old Infants' Object Categorization
Published on: April 19, 2017
7.2K
05:15The Spatial Memory Game: Testing the Relationship Between Spatial Language, Object Knowledge, and Spatial Cognition
Published on: February 19, 2018
11.5K
Related Concept Videos
01:17Cognitivism
3.4K
Cognitive psychology emerged as a significant field in the mid-20th century. It focused on understanding humans' internal mental processes. This approach emphasizes how people perceive, remember, think, and solve problems—elements critical to human cognition.
Previously dominated by behaviorism, which prioritized observable behaviors and largely ignored mental processes, psychology transformed in the 1950s. Cognitive psychologists argue that understanding how we think and process...
Previously dominated by behaviorism, which prioritized observable behaviors and largely ignored mental processes, psychology transformed in the 1950s. Cognitive psychologists argue that understanding how we think and process...
3.4K
01:27Language and Cognition
1.0K
Language serves as a bridge between ideas and communication, influencing how individuals perceive and interact with the world. Psychologists have long debated whether language shapes thought or vice versa. This discussion gained grip with Edward Sapir and Benjamin Lee Whorf in the 1940s, who proposed that language determines thought, a concept known as linguistic determinism. They suggested that the vocabulary and structure of a language influence how its speakers think and perceive reality.
1.0K
01:20Introduction to Cognitive Psychology
3.0K
Cognitive psychology is the field of psychology dedicated to examining how people think. It attempts to explain how and why we think the way we do by studying the interactions among human thinking, emotion, creativity, language, and problem-solving, as well as other cognitive processes. Cognitive psychology studies how information is processed and manipulated in remembering, thinking, and knowing.
This field emerged in the mid-20th century, following a period dominated by behaviorism, which...
This field emerged in the mid-20th century, following a period dominated by behaviorism, which...
3.0K
01:23The Role of Culture
544
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...
544
01:23Cognition and Behavior
479
Social psychology examines the complex interplay between individual mental processes and social interactions. Historically, the field was divided into two domains: social behavior and social cognition. Researchers focusing on social behavior analyzed actions within social contexts, such as conformity, aggression, or cooperation. Meanwhile, social cognition researchers investigated how people perceive, interpret, and mentally represent their social environments. However, modern perspectives no...
479
01:21Cognitive Learning
1.6K
Cognitive learning is based on purposive behavior, incidental learning, and insight learning.
E. C. Tolman's theory of purposive behavior emphasizes that much behavior is goal-directed. He argued that to understand behavior, we must look at the entire sequence of actions leading to a goal. For instance, high school students study hard, not just due to past reinforcement but also to achieve the goal of getting into a good college.
Tolman introduced the idea that behavior is influenced by...
E. C. Tolman's theory of purposive behavior emphasizes that much behavior is goal-directed. He argued that to understand behavior, we must look at the entire sequence of actions leading to a goal. For instance, high school students study hard, not just due to past reinforcement but also to achieve the goal of getting into a good college.
Tolman introduced the idea that behavior is influenced by...
1.6K