Norm Sensitivity Hypothesis
This hypothesis suggests that individuals acquire cultural norms and behaviors through reinforcement-mediated social learning processes.
Socialization Theory
This theory emphasizes the role of upbringing and social environment in the acquisition of cultural norms, focusing on learning through observation, imitation, and social reinforcement without a specific emphasis on genetic factors
Overall point - Culture and point of view
Nisbett et al.
Westerners use more analytic thinking, which isolates elements from their context, and East Asian holistic thinking, which considers the broader field
Cognitive differences in Westerners and East Asians
Nisbett et al.
- Causal Attribution and Prediction
- Logic vs. Dialectics
- Categorization
Attention and Perception differences in Westerners and East Asians
Nisbett et al.
- Detection of Covariation
- Field Dependence
- Attention to the Field
- Change Blindness
- Affordances’ in the Environment
- Esthetics
- Change vs. Stability
- Perception of Everyday Life Events
The Social and Cognitive Processes Underlying Human Cumulative
Culture
- Children were significantly more successful in reaching the higher-level solutions of the puzzle box
- This success was not mirrored in chimpanzees or capuchin monkeys to the same extent.
- Key to the children’s success was a set of sociocognitive processes that included teaching through verbal instruction, imitation, and prosocial behavior
Social class as a form of culture
Cohen & Varnum
- Higher social classes often exhibit analytical thinking, promoting independence and individualism.
- Lower social classes demonstrate more holistic thinking, with an emphasis on context and relational aspects.
- Individuals experiencing upward social mobility show increased cognitive flexibility
- Upper classes tend to display lower empathy and less accuracy in reading emotions
- People from lower classes are more sensitive to others’ emotions
Region as a Form of Culture
Cohen & Varnum
- Voluntary settlement hypothesis: Frontiers attract people with a more independent orientation and the environment fosters independent norms
- People in Frontier regions are also more individualistic and have a stronger preference for uniqueness
- Ecological threats can also influence the tightness at a state level (bonding experience)
Religion as a form of culture
- Protestants exhibit dispositional bias, while Dutch Calvinists prefer local processing in visual attention tasks.
- Calvinist traditions emphasize work as a calling, leading to a business-focused mindset.
- Religious culture can contribute to traditionalism and religiousness in societies.
Cultural differences in human brain activity: Social Cognitive processes
Han & Ma
East Asians: Displayed increased brain activity in the dorsal medial prefrontal cortex, lateral frontal cortex, and temporoparietal junction.
* Associated with understanding others’ perspectives and intentions
Westerners: Showed more activity in the anterior cingulate cortex, ventral medial prefrontal cortex, and bilateral insula
* Linked to self-focused thinking, emotional awareness, and processing social information related to oneself.
Cultural differences in human brain activity: Social Affective Processes
Han & Ma
East Asians: Demonstrated greater activity in the right dorsolateral frontal cortex, suggesting a heightened focus on
regulating emotions and responses in social contexts.
Westerners: Had higher activity in the left insula and right temporal pole, indicating a more direct engagement with and response to emotional aspects of social interactions.
Cultural differences in human brain activity: Non-social processes
Han & Ma
East Asians: Showed stronger activations in the left inferior parietal cortex, left middle occipital, and left superior parietal cortex, which are involved in attention to detail, spatial reasoning, and integrating sensory information.
Westerners: Exhibited greater activity in the right lingual gyrus, right inferior parietal cortex, and precuneus, areas linked to visuospatial processing, self-referential thought, and episodic memory.
