Explain one example of a potential influence of culture on behavior or cognition

Question 1

Effect of culture (1)

Answer 1

One potential influence of culture is shown study by Kearins (1981), presenting how young Aboriginal children and Australians differ in spatial memories.

Question 2

Effect of culture (2)

Answer 2

Culture affects our cognitive processes. Unlike many would expect, how people use their cognitive processes is not universal. A part of culture is a group’s lifestyle and how they interact with the environment. Psychologists have found that cultures that have to interact more with their natural environment may have better spatial memory.

Question 3

Kearins (1)

Answer 3

The researchers used a sample of Aboriginal and white Australians. The memory test that the children were given was given outdoors. Kearins placed 20 objects on a board divided into 20 squares.

Question 4

Kearins (2)

Answer 4

Aboriginal and white Australian children were told to study the board for 30 seconds. Then all the objects were removed from the board and put into a pile. The children were asked to replace the items in their original locations.

Question 5

Results of Kearins (1)

Answer 5

The Aboriginal children correctly relocated more objects than did white Australian children. 18% of the white Australian children had one perfect score, but none had two or more perfect scores. 75% of the Aboriginal children had at least one perfect score and 40% had at least two perfect scores.

Question 6

Conclusion of Kearins

Answer 6

Kearins argued that the Aboriginal culture developed in the deserts required better visual and spatial memory than the white Australian culture. The need for this skill for survival and the consistent interaction with the environment could have had biological consequences such as the development of the posterior hippocampus.