Lecture 4 - Culture and the Self Flashcards

Question

Culture and cognition recap

Answer 1

``` Big differences between west and east in Categorization Causal attribution Reliance on rules Use of logic ``` These are due to perception, what is attended to Attn to focal objects vs field encourages categorization of object, applying rules to object, seeing it as the casual agent Attn to field encourages noticing relationships and change, prompts causal attributes in terms of context and makes segregation different

Answer 2

Choose a pen of a gift USA - ppl choose the rarest color Koreans chose the most common color NA children prefer tasks chosen by the self Asian children prefer tasks chosen by the ingroup or itself ``` This is the same when working class Americans are surveyed Ingroup member or self More interdependent ```

Answer 3

Self-perceptions (traits & attributes vs. social roles and relationships) • Attribution styles • Perceptions of agency • Fundamental attribution error • Entity vs. incremental theories of personality • Conformity (motivation to fit in/stand out) • Approach vs. avoidance motivation • Making choices • Finally, need for (high) self-esteem, self-enhancement (large effect: d=0.84)

Answer 4

``` Sleeping 100 countries surveyed Only American's put their children in another room to sleep 2/3 slept in the same bed Encourages individualism ``` * North American mothers also speak differently to babies: * Objects vs. relationship between objects * “see the truck; it has nice wheels” vs. “when you throw the truck, the wall says ouch!” * nouns > verbs

Answer 5

• Different ecological environments – that are tied to survival – pull for more independent vs. interdependent social outlooks • Environment creates a social structure that (re)inforces individualism vs. collectivism… • Also, voluntary settlement: certain kinds of individuals are drawn to certain environments, and create cultures that reinforce social orientation

Answer 6

Use the self-judgement task where RT determins integration or not into self-concept If it is part of the self-concept, you will be slower. Thi sis the self-reference task. Do for words you sort into self, mother and another and a group (font) Do this with westerners and East Asians For both groups: RT is less in self than other RT is less in self than font For Westerners: Self

Answer 7

Culture shapes functional anatomy of self-representation (Zhu et al 2007) • “Finding the Self” • MPFC activity stronger for self vs. other judgments—involved in representation of self-knowledge • North Americans and Chinese show greater MPFC active for self (vs. other) judgments • Chinese--but not North Americans--also show MPFC activity for intimate other (mother) vs. other judgments • MPFC locus of self judgments for all but Chinese use MPFC to represent self and mother • Culture creates habitual ways of processing information about oneself— cognitive processes accompanied by detectible neural processes

Answer 8

How deep does culture go? • Grey matter (GM) volume in OFC and mPFC: European Americans > East Asians • GM volume in OFC and mPFC both negatively related to interdependent self- construal (2 studies) • Less interdependent individuals may be more likely to engage in activities that recruit these pre-frontal regions: • OFC: value based judgments (“what do I like?”) • mPFC: clear personal (vs. collective) self • Also, more interdependent individuals may be more likely to engage in tasks that inhibit activity in these regions (sacrifice) • Culturally sanctioned chronic recruitment of OFC and mPFC may explain associations • Positive reinforcement increases activity in these brain regions, which, overtime results in gradual expansion of GM volume • Independent: prioritize personal goals • Interdependent: prioritize group goals & relational concerns • Latter requires perspective taking • Perspective taking • East Asians > North Americans (Cohen & Gunz, 2002) • Temporal parietal junction (TPJ) involved in self-other distinction and perspective taking • TPJ GM volume: East Asians > North Americans • Again, moderation by DRD4 7/2r carriers show the most changes in grey matter as a function of culture

Answer 9

• Cultural differences in social orientation • How do these differences come about? • Experience • Ecology • Early development and parenting • Culture provides us with opportunities to learn and manifest cultural norms and values • Opportunities (tasks) lead to differences in how we see ourselves, what we attend to and how we think about our experience, what motivates us, and what makes us happy • Differences are also manifested in brain function and structure, because the brain is plastic and responds to environmental inputs

Answer 10

Changes in social orientation (Kitayama et al. 2020) • East Asians: interdependent > independent • North Americans: interdependent = independent America might have changed somewhat • Interdependence: EA > NA • Independence: EA = NA China may have changed somewhat Showing different patterns of social orientation • Again, DRD4 polymorphism moderates effect (most strong for 7/2 Rs) • Interestingly, there is a positive association between years spent in US and OFC Grey Matter volume for East Asians carriers

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Lecture 4 - Culture and the Self Flashcards

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